A Scouse army veteran is eight weeks into what he plans to be a three-year journey, cycling 40,000km – the circumference of the world.
Josh Read, known as The Cycling Scouser, has cycled over 3000km through Europe so far and says he hasn’t had a bad day yet despite some challenges.
He told MerseySportLive: “I like to say to myself when I’m out here, I haven’t had a bad day yet, I’m having a bad couple of hours, I try to not let that moment ruin the whole day.”
Josh began his journey in Rotterdam on August 3 and has cycled through Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina covering 3,300km. By comparison, the Tour de France is approximately 3,500km.
Josh has a miliary background, serving in the Parachute Regiment for nearly 11 years.
He said: “I’ve done two tours of Afghanistan. The first tour was when I was 18. I was in the fighting regiment, we were in contact every single day, whether that be small arms, IED’s or suicide vests.”
While on his second tour of Afghanistan, Josh was shot and injured by a Taliban sniper two days before Christmas.
“They believed it was an armoured-piercing round because the calibre of round that I got shot with shouldn’t have penetrated my body armour, but it did,” he said while explaining how armoured-piercing ammunition is designed to penetrate tanks and other military vehicles!
Josh got back to the UK on Christmas Day where his family were able to visit him and he began over a year of physiotherapy in the army.
When he fully recovered, he remained in the army for another six years, getting promoted twice.
Josh’s life experiences have enabled him to tackle this gruelling challenge with a unique mindset despite having no previous professional cycling experience.
He said: “The army has put me in good stead for this trip because there’s nothing that will even come close to be honest.”
Josh believes that no matter how hard it gets on the road or how tired or stressed he thinks he is, he has been in worse situations.
Carrying 50kg, he cycles up to 100km daily, having a few days off sporadically to take in the sights of wherever he is.
He said: “Most people only go on holiday to tourist destinations. I’m looking forward to seeing everything in-between, places people haven’t seen before. That’s what excites me more.”
Every day, Josh will find a safe spot to wild camp, where he cooks his own meals with a camping stove. He also stays in hostels or relies on the generosity of strangers who allow him to camp on their land.
He is currently near the border of Montenegro and must be past Turkey by November 1 due to the EU 90-day rule.
From Istanbul, he plans on flying to Jordan where he will cycle through the Saudi Arabian desert, UAE and head south towards Oman.
From there he wants to travel through Asia and Southeast Asia, Australia, North America and eventually finish in South America in Argentina.
He anticipates the 40,000km journey will take up to three years.
You can follow The Cycling Scouser’s journey on Instagram and TikTok @thecyclingscouser.
