Tandem bike world circumnavigation completed by British pair

Two British men have completed a trip around the world on a tandem bike. After 290 days, eight hours and 35 minutes the pair finished their world record-setting adventure that took them to 29 countries and six continents. John Whybrow and George Agate set off on the trip from Canterbury, UK in June 2016 and on Saturday, March 25, 2017 arrived back in the city. Over the course of the trip, they covered over 29,000 km.

The pair were greeted by family, friends and supporters in Buttermarket as they wrapped up the last leg of their trip. They were accompanied by members of the Canterbury Velo Club who had escorted them to Dover when they first left last summer.

In 2014, the pair came up with the idea for the trip. They wanted to challenge themselves to test the limits of what was possible in their lifetimes which led to the decision to try and set the Guinness World Record for the first team to circumnavigate the world by tandem bicycle. They designed their route as stipulated by the rules of Guinness World Records which would see them travel east from Canterbury and cover 18,000 miles, crossing antipodal points and would require six flights. The trip was to be unassisted with the pair of former University of Kent students carrying all their supplies and equipment.

They also used the ride as an opportunity to raise funds for the London hospital, Porchlight in Canterbury and Water Aid. With the completion of the trip, they now have just to wait for the expected official seal of approval that they have set a Guinness World Record.

The trip took Whybrow and Agate first eastward across western and southern Europe and then into Asia via Turkey. They then traveled to India, Southeast Asia, across the southern coastline of Australia, across New Zealand, and from California to Panama along the coast of the Pacific in North and Central America. They then rode across Morocco, Spain, and finally headed north through France back towards their starting point in Britain.

Speaking to Kent Online after arriving in Canterbury, Whybrow, 25, said it was “surreal” to have completed the journey and arrived back home. “This had been a dream for three years and it’s so gratifying to have finally done it. I think it’s going to take a few days to sink in.

@thetandemmen Well done, enjoy that beer ?‍♀️?#canterbury pic.twitter.com/NNkC9e7tOn

— Eileentoby (@Eileentoby3) March 25, 2017

“It’s been an amazing way to see the world and meet people. All around the world, people really reached out to us travelling the way we did, even when we didn’t share a common word,” Whybrow said.

“We kind of treated Europe as our training area and by the time we got to Turkey we were pretty fit and it got easier but there were also some really tough days.”

The pair were abroad a custom built Orbit bike which carried the young men and their luggage across roads both smooth and rough. The bike was kept in serviceable shape with the help of mechanics along the trip. “Our bike, Daisy is a bit of a relic now and will need quite a bit of work if she was ever to be ridden again, but of course we have great affection for her. She could end up on the wall somewhere.”

Whybrow reflected on the incredible trip saying that before considering any other trips they needed a break adding, “maybe not so far next time.”

Over the 290 day absence, Whybrow said that it was cups of tea and home cooking that he missed the most.

Throughout the trip, the pair took advantage of the hospitality of locals and strangers who invited them into their homes but they also endured many trying nights in their small tent along the roadside.\

“We’ve been amazed by the generosity of the people we’ve met around the world,” said Agate. “We’ve been given food, drink and beds in their homes, which were very welcome after many nights in our tiny tent.”

The trip also had its low points which tested their preparedness and determination to the limit. One night theu slept in the trolley bay of a supermarket in Austria soaked through. They were then woke up at 5 am by the bakery staff. On the road, they struggled to find enough food and water in remote parts of Nicaragua. “We really had to dig deep that day,” Whybrow recalled.

To celebrate the completion of their trip, they celebrated with friends and family at a pub in Canterbury.