In the final part of our interview with James Ketchell, we discuss why he took on his cycling challenge, and ask him about his Australian cycling experience.
GG: What made you think it was a good idea to cycle around the world? Clearly it’s something that has always been there.
JK: Yeah, you’re right, you can sit and talk about something or you can go and do it -and it’s a lot easier to sit and talk about it.
After I rowed across the Atlantic I realised that it was more achievable than I’d first thought it was, even though it was hard work. It gave me more confidence. I’d done my first big thing and realised that actually you can do anything you want to do if you put your mind to it. The more I’ve been able to do over the past few years, the more my confidence has grown, and now I get enjoyment out of helping other people.
Now I get my inspiration from all the young people I meet; all the Scouts that come to me saying that they want to have an expedition, and asking me to help them, saying “I’d love your advice.” That inspires me and I get enjoyment from that.
GG: Part of your route saw you travelling Australia. Had you ever been to Australia before?
JK: No, I thought the country was amazing.
GG: It looked like you landed at Perth and travelled east from Western Australia along the Great Ocean Road and Nullabor Plain – the longest stretch of straight road in the world.
JK: It was really nice, very flat and very straight, and had fantastic winds that blew me. I cycled out from Perth on the Nullabor and it’s about a thousand miles to Port Augusta, then from Port Augusta you go down to Adelaide, then Adelaide to Melbourne, Melbourne up to Sydney and from Sydney up to Brisbane.
GG: Did you have to camp, or were there places to stay?
JK: There are places to stay but out on the Nullabor you’ve only got a place every 100 miles – and that’s a service station!
Want to follow in James’ tyre tracks? Start planning your own Australian adventure.
Read the first part of Global Grapevine’s interview with James Ketchell.
Read the second part of Global Grapevine’s interview with James Ketchell.
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Visit James Ketchell’s own adventure website
