SPRING 2019 //TOUCH DOWN
“
I’VE LEARNT THAT
THE SECRET IS NOT
OVER-PREPARING. IN THE
SPACE OF ADVENTURE
OR EXPLORATION, YOU
CANNOT PREPARE FOR
EVERYTHING. BUT YOU
CAN PREPARE TO CHANGE
ALL YOUR PLANS
guy who sounded a bit tipsy – and Vasti
took the radio away from me and said, “It
is what it is”. She was willing to die. That’s
how committed she was.
On that note, you pursue challenges
that might take your life. Do you
fear death?
Of course. I’ve always been afraid of
dying. You get foolish people who try to
dance in the face of death – that’s not
me, not my personality. If you asked me
now, “Would you do the Africa bicycle trip
again?”, I wouldn’t. It’s far too dangerous,
the places that I went to. I’ve also got an
18-month-old son now. The last journey
I did was my third ocean crossing, and
every night when I went to sleep I thought
it was going to be the night I died.
Anything can happen out on the ocean.
It was a bit traumatic. Nevertheless, once
I’ve committed to do something, I will do
it. I was on the border of Liberia during
their civil war, and I cycled through while
that war was in full swing. I remember
being in Abuja [Nigeria] and being told by
people, the media and the South African
ambassador that I wouldn’t make it
10 metres into Liberian territory and that
no one was going to come assist me. But
MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE // 59
“