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Ciaran and Lucy take on the world
Ciaran Booth and Lucy Pickersgill are two relatively inexperienced cycle tourers who are taking on the adventure of a lifetime and cycling around the world. Ciaran talks us through the build up to their trip and what motivated them to turn an idea into reality.
Couple vs The World
You would think a young couple preparing to cycle 18,000 miles around the planet would have an incredibly intense training schedule and years of serious cycling experience. Not quite.
I was a professional rugby player for 7 years at Sale Sharks and in Ireland (so I’m not exactly aerodynamic), and my girlfriend Lucy had never cycled more than 60km until around 6 months ago. After struggling to find purpose after retiring from elite sport, I was looking for something to fill the void. I have always dreamt of bikepacking around the world and realised I now had no excuse. After drip-feeding my hopes and dreams to Lucy, through the literature I was raised on (the likes of Al Humphreys, Mark Beaumont, Sean Conway), one day she decided she was mad enough to want to go with me.
We knew we wanted to encourage people to get outside and do hard things even if they were complete beginners. On the 8th August we pedalled out of Manchester, aiming to average over 100km a day, through 30+ countries across continents, climates, and cultures.
Every spare second in the last year has been spent (usually after 3 espressos) meticulously researching border crossings, visa regulations and “bear safety cycling through Canada”. However, my favourite pastime is getting nerdy on kit specifications.
You can’t blame us when we are carrying everything we own for the next 18 months on a bicycle. How much does my toothbrush weigh? How many litres of pannier space do I need?
We took our decisions very seriously and knew we wanted to partner with British brands
(particularly Northern ones!) that we could trust in the Outback or the Himalayas. After chatting to the team at Restrap and seeing the incredible work they’re doing in the bikepacking space, it was unbelievably exciting to have the opportunity to circumnavigate the globe with them. We decided we were going to take 2 rear panniers and 2 smaller front panniers each, a whopping 70L in total – and I always find it funny on these trips the rhythms and routines you fall into.
Week 1 involves stuffing snacks wherever you can cram them and unpacking at the side of the road to find one of your gloves, which are inevitably at the bottom of the last pannier you check. Then after a couple of days you become autonomous as a pair and adopt a kind of military precision. “Sardines are in Lucy’s rear left” or “Front right for your camera batteries, Ciaran”.
For our other bikepacking bags, since filming this trip is such a big part for us, accessibility and protection for the camera equipment was vital. The 10L bar pack holds everything from mirrorless cameras and microphones, to Haribos and D-Locks. It means I can film wildlife or interview people we encounter without even getting off the bike (which is quite a mission when it weighs 40kg).
The rest of the cockpit was then fairly simple with a top tube bag for phone and snacks, and a stem bag for my favourite endurance snack – a block of cheddar cheese. Add in a bright orange tool pouch tucked neatly under the seat so the drivers of the world can see us coming and we were ready to rock.
There is also another side to this trip, with a cause very close to home. We’re aiming to raise £50,000 for Sport Parkinson’s in honour of my mum Annie Booth. 11 years ago, Mum was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. It was a devastating time for the family, but she has gone on to find community and hope again through exercise and sport. She has impacted 1000’s of lives across the UK educating people about Parkinson’s and the benefits of getting outside and moving your body, in particular starting multiple Walking Football initiatives.
Any donations would be dearly appreciated to this amazing organisation and our adventure.
The next 18 months will have moments more beautiful, and probably more difficult, than anything we’ve ever experienced before and we’d love to bring you along for every mile.
We will be documenting the entire thing on Youtube and social media, so follow along to watch the chaos unfold and get in touch with any questions!
A huge thanks to Restrap for all of your support so far and our beautiful bags- we’re so proud to be flying your flag around the world.
And remember: Do hard things – they’re good for you!
Ciaran Booth & Lucy Pickersgill
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Instagram: @ciarandoesthings_ and @lucypickersgill_
Youtube: Ciarandoesthingss
www.couplevstheworld.com
