WORCESTERSHIRE TO BEIJING BY BICYCLE with CHRISTOPHER SMITH

16,500 miles from the UK to Beijing on a Bicycle. No accomplice. No support crew. No engine.

- You see things; and you say, Why? But I dream things that never were; and I say, Why not? - George Bernard Shaw

Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman rode powerful BMW motorbikes from John O'Groats to Cape Town. Their fifteen-thousand mile journey took them twelve weeks.

Chris Smith rode his bicycle from Worcestershire to Beijing. His 16,500-mile journey took him thirteen months. He set out without accomplice, support crew or satellite navigation.

How does it feel to trade comfort and security for life as a nomad and to pare one's life down to the bare necessities? What is it like to push at the frontiers of one's physical and mental endurance? What is the effect upon the human spirit of struggling against hurricanes in the Gobi Desert by day and shivering alone in culverts at night? How does the agnostic westerner react to the religious fatalism of Islam and Hinduism in encounters with locals?

Chris's lungs and legs powered him into headwinds, across deserts and up to mountain passes (and a wonderfully indomitable, reliable and adaptable source of power they proved to be). He wore out three sets of tyres, three chains, two pairs of boots, and fell off the bike six times.

For the past two years Chris has been speaking to schools, clubs, the W.I., photographic societies, womens groups, businessmen, and also to audiences at festivals and in bookshops. In schools he speaks to pupils about the importance of having a dream, about connecting with their passions, about recognising and seizing opportunities, and about the vital nature of thorough preparation. The slideshow of the journey provides a fabulous Geography lesson; how better to experience variations in climate, terrain, culture and peoples than on a bicycle? Alternatively, a lecture about the use of description, dialogue, drama, humour and the creation of atmosphere in his acclaimed book Why Don't You Fly?, accompanied by readings and slides, makes for an ideal English lesson for pupils of over-fourteen.

The duration and the nature of presentations can be adapted to suit individual requirements. Chris offers to bring along the travel-worn bicycle and some of the equipment he used, and he presents a free signed copy of Why Don't You Fly? to school libraries.

www.cycleuktochina.com

Just a message from everyone at Lacon Childe - we would like to thank you for spending World Book Day with us. Your assembly gave us the best possible start and you have been a great talking point. Your time with us, and your preparation, is greatly appreciated.
Jane Cullen, English Teacher, Lacon Childe School, Cleobury Mortimer

You came to school to talk to our Lower Sixth girls last summer, and I wonder if you would like to do the same again this year? The feedback on your talk was extremely good.
Pam Rutter, King Edward VI High School for Girls, Edgbaston

Every child interested in geography should have the availability to read 'Why Don't You Fly?' as much for its excellent descriptive English as the content.
Julia Leedham-Green, Reader

For further information, or to arrange a presentation for pupils, staff OR parents, please call me, Alex Corkran, on 07790364784, email springback@homecall.co.uk or write to me at: Spring Cottage, 16 Northbridge Street, Robertsbridge, East Sussex TN32 5NY. I look forward to hearing from you.