Around the world in eighty ways

Published on 06/10/2007 01:46

HE SET off 13 years ago and has covered 46,505 miles by bicycle, kayak and rollerblades - plus a bit of it on foot.

Jason Lewis faced bandits in India, was chased by the secret police in China, was arrested as a spy in Egypt, escaped from the jaws of a giant crocodile and survived malaria as part of his attempt to circumnavigate the globe by human power alone.

Today, the 40-year-old will end his epic adventure with a triumphant voyage up the Thames to a royal welcome.

He plans to complete the last leg of his journey on Moksha, a battered 26ft pedal boat, whose name means "freedom" in Sanskrit.

Mr Lewis set off from the south coast of England in July 1994 with Steve Smith, the man who dreamed up the adventure, named Expedition 360. Their mission was "to circle the world by means of human power alone ...to encourage world citizenship...to promote environmental responsibility and to live fully and enjoy the experience".

However, the relationship between the two explorers began to deteriorate while they crossed the Atlantic and, after travelling through the United States using different methods of transport, they decided to part company in Hawaii.

Despite suffering two badly broken legs after he was hit by a drunk driver as he tried to cross the US alone on rollerblades, Mr Lewis vowed to continue the quest to circle the earth using human power alone.

In 2001, he completed a 3,200-mile cycle across Australia, and when the expedition was threatened with bankruptcy, he had to work regular jobs to keep the project afloat.

He was forced to wait until 2005 to begin the next leg of his journey, travelling by kayak and mountain bike through Indonesia to Singapore.

The following year he took to the seas again, pedalling Moksha from Mumbai to the Horn of Africa, for a cycling and kayaking trip across Africa.

He reached Europe earlier this year and began the cycle trip overland towards the second channel crossing - which was almost halted at the last minute by French bureaucrats.

He told supporters: "I am greatly looking forward to coming home and seeing my family after so many years. I shall be sad to finish what has been an incredibly rewarding, although at times tough expedition.

"But life on the road has been lonely for so long, and I am looking forward to being part of a community again. There's a little bit of sadness that it's coming to an end, because it's been such a huge part of my life.

"But in many ways, it's good to have that closure. I'm excited about the finish. I've waited 13 years for this and now I want to find a nice country pub which serves warm ale."

Explorer Ranulph Fiennes last night paid tribute to Mr Lewis's feat. "Expedition 360 is a remarkable feat undertaken by remarkable people, "he said. "To set out on what must be one of the longest expeditions ever and to succeed, while at the same time raising funds for charities and awareness of climate change, is a very worthwhile and laudable achievement."

THE LONG WAY ROUND

July 1994: Jason Lewis and Steve Smith set off from the Greenwich Meridian by bicycle

October 1994: They set out by pedal boat to cross the Atlantic and arrive in February 1995.

May 1995: From Miami, Florida, they set out across the US - Smith cycling, Lewis using inline skates.

September 1995: Lewis is run over in Colorado, breaking both legs.

August 1997: The adventurers cycle 3,500 miles to Peru but adverse weather means the Pacific crossing has to be postponed.

September 1998: Expedition founder Steve Smith decides to quit and stay on in Hawaii.

August 2000: Lewis becomes the first person to cross the Pacific in a pedal boat, a journey that takes 178 days.

2001: Lewis and a group cycle 3,200 miles through Australia, from Cooktown via Alice Springs to Darwin.

July 2001: The explorer's kayak runs aground on the Great Barrier Reef and begins to sink.

October 2001-March 2005: Faced with thousands of dollars of debt, Lewis gets a series of jobs to pull the expedition out of bankruptcy.

April 2005: Lewis kayaks from Lizard Island to mainland Australia, where he is attacked by a giant crocodile.

2005: He kayaks and mountain-bikes from Darwin through Indonesia to Singapore.

2006: Lewis bikes and hikes from Singapore to the Indian port of Mumbai.

January 2007: He and a companion pedal Moksha from Mumbai to Djibouti on the Horn of Africa.

March 2007: Lewis bikes and kayaks from Djibouti to Istanbul in Turkey.

June 2007: The adventurer is accused of being a spy in Egypt.

September 2007: French officials threaten to stop the Moksha from crossing the channel - Lewis says they will have to shoot him to stop him making the journey.

6 October, 2007: At the end of a 46,505-mile trip, Lewis and the Moksha make their way up the Thames to Greenwich, to where the journey began.

More info @ www.expedition360.com