SURE TRAVEL JOURNEY: What
made you first start thinking about
the impact your travel had on the
environment?
KAYDEN KLEINHANS: Coming from
a background where I’d worked as
a London-based bicycle courier, my
natural transition into global travel was
a two-wheeled affair. My first big ride
was across Australia and Southeast Asia.
The realisation that I was crossing vast
distances on human energy, breathing
in clean air, made me reflect on the
differences between the daily filthy grind
of the bike messenger and the near
spiritual quest of the bike adventurer.
This was the catalyst in my understanding
of what it meant to tread lightly on
this planet and how important that is. I
suppose the addiction to that magic and
wanting to protect it was – and is – a
major factor.
How long did you prep for that
first journey?
Not long, actually – with my bike
messenger roots, my fitness levels were
already pretty well honed. Having said
that, convincing my girlfriend at the time
that riding a bike thousands of kilometres
across the driest continent on Earth was
a great idea took a little longer. I guess
that’s why I’m still riding bikes and we’re
no longer together!
What did your friends and family say
before you set out?
I’ve always been fairly intrepid, so I
suppose the rumblings of a big epic
adventure were never too far away.
This was pre-social media, so the initial
followers of the trip received emails with
a few photos attached. It did, however,
inspire one mate to down corporate tools
and join me for a leg of the Southeast
Asian expedition – an amazing bonding
experience that forged a friendship for
life. I was later the best man at his
MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE // 57