Around the world on the seat of his pants
Intrepid push-bike world traveller reaches the Bay
HAVING left his home in Canada 10 years ago, headed off to Australasia and criss-crossed southeast Asia and Europe before setting his bicycle tyres on the continent of Africa, ‘Keith The Wheelman’ pedalled into Richards Bay on Tuesday morning.
The Physical Education and Biokinetics graduate, who by his own admission has never held down a proper job, looks every part the man who has braved 70 countries on a bicycle.
With what he calls a ‘pseudo-professional’ background racing on cycle tracks, velodromes and roads for 15 years, and having worked in cycle workshops, it was logical Keith Thorarinson would choose pedal power as his means of seeing the world.
And see it he has!
The list of countries he has visited sounds like a tourism travelogue: it includes Burma, San Marino, Monaco, Vatican City, the UAE, Luxembourg, Hungary, Montenegro, Hong Kong, Slovakia, the UK, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Norway, Singapore, Belgium, Malaysia, Serbia, the USSR, Denmark, Poland, Bosnia, Czech Republic, Croatia, Trinidad, Iceland, Sweden, Cambodia, Portugal, South Korea, Holland, Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Nepal, India, Turkey, Japan, Thailand. Israel and Egypt.
And it’s far from over. After South Africa, Swaziland and Botswana his front wheel will be pointing towards South America.
‘I’ve got to do it now while I am young and unattached, before I must of necessity settle down,’ says Keith, who is able to afford to live his dream in a unique manner.
‘I have had a number of stops where I stayed a while and earned US dollars by teaching second language English to the children of rich locals.
‘With a background of cycle racing, I also entered a few races where I won small cash prizes in my age group that enabled me to continue my journey.’
Keith is an avid photo blogger and intends writing a book on his exploits, which include riding in massive temperature differences: from below freezing in icy Scotland to the scorching heat of the Saigon summer.
His 65-odd kilograms of gear includes four cameras, bike repair kit, cooking set, tent, sleeping bag, clothes for the beach, snow or cold weather, snorkelling gear and toiletries.
Accustomed to parking his bicycle under a tree or in an open field to doss down for the night, Keith appreciated the luxury of being given a courtesy room at Umhambi Lodge in Meerensee, where a warm shower, soft bed and juicy oxtail meal far surpassed his average board and lodging experience.
He also had the thrill of catching a glimpse of the Bay’s famous Humpback dolphins and seeing the golden sunset over the western horizon.
Reluctantly, he saddled up on Wednesday and headed down the N2, having added more friends, new experiences and good memories to his epic diary.
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