The man who never stops cycling
By James Kon

Ian Hibell, aged 69, is a man who loves to cycle since he was a kid. He has cycled to over 200 countries around the world. He has been in Brunei for almost a week, trying to cycle to Sibu but his effort was hampered by an upset stomach. He could only make it to Kuala Belait. He will be returning to England today. He is an amazing man and has been involved in extraordinary adventures cycling around the world.

He started his journey in 1963 when he was only 28 years old. He was given a year's leave by his factory so he used the opportunity to travel around the world. He began by crossing from the Atlantic to the Pacific, where he cycled to Vancouver. Then he turned north to Alaska, then flew to Japan and visited almost all countries in Southeast Asia.

In 1967, he cycled to Sarawak, Bangkok and Singapore but never to Brunei. From Sarawak, he managed to get on a freighter to Northern Indonesia, Medan Sumatra. He cycled all over Sumatra Islands until Timor islands before moving on to Australia.

After 10 years of cycling, he went back home to England to become a writer. Then he took up a lecturing job in Yale University. From the earning, he was able to conjure up another expedition. He cycled from northern tip of Europe, Norway, the North Cape to Cape Town in South Africa. Till now no one has broken his record.

His third expedition took him from Peru to Brazil where he brought along a beautiful lady to be his glamorous model for pictures that eventually became his wife. His latest journey brought him to Antarctica where he cycled 55 days. In his lifetime of cycling, he has cycled over a quarter of million kilometres.

The hardest part of his journey was the crossing from Columbia to Panama where he almost died trying to go across the swamp separating the two countries.

He has some advice for those who like to travel through cycling: ignore some of the dire warnings put up by government and travel agencies, most of the warnings are mere exaggeration.

He added that if you have a dream, go for it. There is no route that is impossible to go through.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin