The Hindu : New Delhi News : Biking trip to raise funds

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 14, 2009
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

New Delhi

New Delhi

Biking trip to raise funds

Staff Reporter

- Photo: Sushil Kumar Verma

All smiles: Biker Simon Chegwyn and Richard Evans (left) being welcomed at Asha Society in New Delhi on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: Thirty-seven-year-old Simon Chegwyn clad in biking gear is unable to manoeuvre his electric blue 650cc Honda motorbike through the gates of Asha, a non-government organisation he has been associated with for three years. A large crowd of children and youngsters has surrounded him and is cheering him on to the beat of drums which two men are enthusiastically playing.

Simon has just completed the final leg of his five-week biking trip, which began from South-West England and took him across France, Germany, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and finally India where he arrived on Tuesday.

Wearing a garland and an effusive smile, Simon’s blue eyes light up as he says, “The trip was fantastic!”

Simon, who sponsored his trip by shelling out over 2,000 pounds and whose motorbike clocked nearly 11,000 km in travelling to India, made the trip to raise funds for Asha, which works for the welfare of slum children, and Weston Hospicecare, a UK-based charity, and also for the sheer love of biking and travelling. No surprises that this British native who is a policeman in the United Kingdom has a job that requires him to travel on a motorbike.

“I have been planning for this trip for over a year. It took about six months to arrange for visas and equipment for the bike,” said Simon, quipping that preparation for the trip was more challenging than the trip itself.

“The place which was most difficult to ride in was Bosnia while the most exciting place was Pakistan owing to the constant escort by security personnel. While in Europe I camped and slept in tents. In Iran I stayed at a hotel and even camped in the desert. A few clothes, tents, sleeping bags, a cooking-stove, extra fuel and food were some of the things I carried,” he said. The biker carried items totalling over 100 kg.

Extreme weather conditions were another challenge. “When I was in Iran the temperature was between 42-43 degrees, but in Turkey I had to ride through snow,” he said.

Simon was supposed to have made this trip along with biker Richard Evans. But this was not to be as the latter encountered trouble with his Royal Enfield in Turkey. Simon completed the rest of the trip riding solo. “It is normal for me to ride alone so there was no real problem,” he said.

The biker has made several trips to India in the past. “I plan to stay on as long as possible,” Simon concluded with a laugh proudly drawing attention to his T-shirt that depicted a journey from UK to India.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi