The Double Zero Cycling Trip

- Zero Degrees Down - Zero Emissions Out -

An accidental realisation

I was caught under the wheels of a truck while cycling to work in June 2005
(He completely didn't see me, and hit me from behind…).

Initially I had three operations over the course of a week to save my leg, and I was given a 50/50 on each operation. The doctors stabilised the wound, and told me that I would need new knee as I had lost half of my original knee (it was ground off…), this would involve no sports again, so no running or cycling etc.

Amazingly I grew back the missing part of my knee, which the doctor's said was a medical first. Slowly I learnt how to walk again, first on crutches for a year and a half… then some pretty good limping action - I was registered disabled until the spring of last year (2009). Now i can cycle again and I feel pretty good about that, so I felt I needed a challenge and a way of celebrating this.

After the accident I became aware (i.e. removed my head from the ground) of the very high probability of man made global warming. So as a rampant traveller I thought it would be good to try zero emission ways of travelling. I embarked on some wonderful go-slo holidays (cycling, taking trains, sailing) and managed to give up flying for nearly a year and a half. I felt it would be great to tie in this kind of travel with my challenge, and decided that I would aim to get as far as I can down the zero meridian with zero emissions.