London lad leads world’s toughest motorcycle ride
Londoner Kevin Sanders (45) is finalising preparations before leading the first GlobeBusters Silk Road, London to Beijing motorcycle Expedition. The expedition leaves the Ace Cafe in North London on Saturday April 17th. This ground breaking 12,000 mile motorcycle journey includes riding the Afghan border in Tajikistan on one of the world’s highest altitude roads and reaching Mount Everest Base Camp at over 5,300metres, before entering the mysterious city of Lhasa and then heading east to Beijing.
Kevin, born in Tottenham, cut his teeth as an adventurous rider early on. In his early 20s he worked for West One Couriers and recently said that Chinese traffic reminded him of his days dodging traffic in London. Kevin later ran a motorcycle training company in Cambridge, before establishing GlobeBusters, the worldwide motorcycle adventure travel company, with his wife Julia.
GlobeBusters is inviting motorcyclists to join the start of extreme London to Beijing endeavour journey from 7.30am (April 17th) at the Ace Caf. London riders can experience the buzz of excitement at the start of the adventure. The 17-strong GlobeBusters group will depart at 9am.
Kevin researched the whole route back in 2009 and knows only too well the difficulty of challenges that lay ahead for the riders. “I’ve got two Guinness World Records for global riding, but the London to Beijing route ranks as the most extreme ride that I have ever done.”
There’s a reason why no other company in the world has attempted this ride. It’s tough, it’s unpredictable, it’s way off the beaten track and that makes it high risk. But as with all GlobeBusters expeditions, the pre-trip preparation is done in absolute detail.
“I’ve briefed the riders personally about what kit they need, what modifications to do to their bikes, what they must have with them to give them the very best chance of successfully getting to Beijing. They know exactly what they will face – riding at over 5,000 metres altitude, freezing temperatures, narrow dirt roads traversing some of the highest peaks in the world, and for part of the ride, not even the basics exist. No hot water, no familiar food, sometimes no shelter.”
For all that, there are highlights on this trip that make it truly unique. “Other than the GlobeBusters team, I don’t know anyone else who has ridden their own bike across the Tibetan Plateau to Everest Base Camp or Lhasa. GlobeBusters is about to change that!” says Kevin.
If you can’t make the Ace Caf, then you can follow London to Beijing live, with online podcasts, pictures and gossip on globebusters.com, starting from 17 April 2010.
