SuppliedA cyclist who set out to recreate his father’s epic round-the-world bike journey made it home just days before Christmas.
Jamie Hargreaves completed his challenge of riding from Derby in England to Australia, retracing the route his dad, Phil, completed at the same age in 1984.
The 23-year-old took about seven months to complete the 25,000km (15,534 miles) journey that started in May and ended on 13 December.
Mr Hargreaves, from Poynton in Cheshire, followed his father’s path as closely as possible, while adapting where modern geopolitics made it necessary.
He had been documenting his journey on social media, recreating the photos his 63-year-old father Phil once took.
He was also able to reconnect with some of the same people along the way.
Jamie Hargreaves“I’m doing alright – I thought I’d be knackered from the jetlag but it’s not been too bad,” Mr Hargreaves told Breakfast.
“My legs are holding up, and I’ve had a bit of time to rest now.”
After setting off from Derby, where his parents grew up, Mr Hargreaves said the route had been the same as the one his dad took in 1984, but from Turkey onward, the journey began to diverge.
While his dad travelled through Iran in 1984, Mr Hargreaves was unable to do so and instead headed north through Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, before re-joining his father’s original route in Pakistan.
From there, Mr Hargreaves followed the original route through to Nepal, where he reached Everest Base Camp – and went one better than his dad.
“I had to beat my old man,” he said. “So I did Annapurna Base Camp too.”
After Nepal, Mr Hargreaves flew to Bangkok, before getting back on the bike to ride through south-east Asia, taking in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, before eventually finishing the journey in Australia.
Jamie HargreavesMr Hargreaves’ initial plan was to end the challenge in Derby, Australia, but when he realised that would be in the “middle of nowhere”, he decided to end the trip in Derby Street in Sydney.
Throughout the trip, Mr Hargreaves rode the same model and year of bike his father used.
He said covering thousands of kilometres was helped by years of outdoor adventure, as well as the hospitality of people along the way.
“I’m used to roughing it from going away with the lads climbing,” he said. “We live dirt bag style in the woods, so sleeping in bus stations or wherever isn’t new to me.
“After that, I was being invited into people’s homes, given meals or water. That was really special.”
Jamie HargreavesFor Phil, watching his son complete the journey brought back memories of a very different era of travel.
He said: “I was already into cycling and had been around Europe, but after finishing my apprenticeship I wanted to do something else.
“There was no sat-nav – everything was done on paper maps, a compass, and asking for directions.
“We took photos on film – I used 60 rolls in two years. I spoke to my parents three times in three years.
“Jamie and I were speaking every week. It’s just so different now.”
Mr Hargreaves said he had already planned his next challenge with his friend, to ride a tandem bike with wheelie bins attached, from Land’s End in Cornwall to John O’Groats in Scotland. He said they would be litter picking as they go.
