Student completes epic around-the-world bike ride

Peter cycled across 5 continents and through some of the toughest terrain, including the snow-covered Rockies outside Denver, Colorado, and the deserts of Australia in order to finish this epic feat.

Travelling alone and having to camp almost every night, the cycle certainly left an impression on Peter, who commented on the universal warmth of people, rich and poor alike, who helped him along the way:

“I found that the more desolate or more poor a place became, the more people wanted to helped me out. I remember being invited into a house in Azerbaijan which had no running water or electricity.”

Pretty darn impressive

Yet, whilst Peter’s trip brought him into contact with some bizarre and interesting people – ranging from long-distance walkers in Australia to Buddhist monks in Thailand – there were some rougher moments:

“Camping around Beijing was really cold. I was often cycling and sleeping in all my clothes.”

The Australia desert was also a challenging experience: “There’s just nothing out there, it was 12 days of nothing except eating tuna and pasta,” Peter said.

“There wasn’t even water. You had to flag down cars to get that.”

“There have been a few hairy moments along the way with snakes and poisonous spiders, not to mention bears and wild dogs. Wild dogs are really scary,” he added, reminiscing about his time in Turkey.

Mathmo on tour

A big shock for the Cambridge Mathematician was the loneliness, with classic novels including Frankenstein and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin providing much of Peter’s company and meditation becoming a frequent hobby.

He has, however, returned and is looking forward to completing the final year of his PhD before perhaps moving into the renewable energy sector:

“Everyone has been so nice to me and I want to give it back. The trip has enforced my faith in humanity. I want to thank my close family and friends and everyone who has donated.”

If you would like to donate to Peter’s cause, please visit www.peterpedals.co.uk