Crew member starts cycle across USA on sail and pedal journey

by Marina Thomas on 23 Apr 2016 British adventurer pedals off across USA as part of epic sail and cycle journey from China to London.

Simon Parker, 29, from Oxford, England is aiming to travel almost half way round the planet by sail and pedal power alone. Having first started sailing just six months ago and never having cycled more than 1,000 miles prior to this, Simon arrived in the US less than a week ago after completing the tough Pacific Ocean Leg of the Clipper 2015-16 Round the World Yacht Race, from Qingdao, China.

“Sailing across the Pacific was probably the hardest thing I’ve done in my life. The power of the sea and the magnitude of the storms we encountered were truly frightening and beyond what I imagined,” said Simon.

On the next stage of his challenge, a 4,000 mile solo bike ride from Seattle to New York, starting today, he adds: “Whilst I may not face the same storms on the bike, I know that this next stage of the journey is going to be absolutely gruelling, both psychologically and mentally. It is going to be an unforgettable experience in so many ways.”

The cycle ride, which he will complete unaided, will take Simon across 12 different states and take approximately six weeks to complete. In an added layer to the challenge, Simon will be racing his former team Clipper Race crew who will be aiming to beat him to New York, the final port in the US Coast to Coast leg of the Clipper 2015-16 Race.

Once in NYC, Simon will re-join his Clipper Race team and sail across the Atlantic Ocean to Derry Londonderry, Northern Ireland. In his final challenges, he will cycle race the yachts from Northern Ireland to Holland, then sail to London in a 36 hour sprint to the Clipper Race Finish at Tower Bridge on 30 July.

On what has motivated him to take on this challenge, Simon said: “People may think I’m crazy for attempting this, and maybe I am a little, but the more I thought about it, the more I saw it as an amazing opportunity for a unique travel challenge. I’ve got to spend the next two months doing something – so why not this?”

“The world is full of people who travel and compete in endurance challenges that seem to get harder and more epic all the time. I haven’t heard of this particular challenge ever being attempted before though. I want to use my experience to examine the human psyche and attempt to learn more about what drives us to constantly extend our limits, using myself as the subject.

“I’m also using it as a social experiment and am hoping that by Facebook, Twitter and media power, people might offer to show me some good American hospitality along the way. People are the greatest part of any journey and meeting as many locals along the way as possible will be what makes the experience for me. Support so far has been great and I’ve already been offered accommodation for 15 different nights.”

The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, established by legendary British sailor Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo non-stop around the planet in 1968-69, is the only event of its kind which trains amateurs like Simon to race across the world’s oceans. 40 per cent of Clipper Race crew, who come from all walks of life, have never sailed before they sign up and start their extensive training.

The idea for Simon’s sail and cycle challenge came after he had already signed up to sail across the Pacific Ocean, the longest leg of the 11-month, 40,000 nautical mile Clipper Race. He explains:

“Before I signed up and started my Clipper Race training, like many of my crew mates, I had never sailed before. At first the idea of sailing across the world’s biggest ocean was a daunting enough task, but as the training went on, I began to think about creating a greater challenge for myself within the Clipper Race journey, and decided to use the race route to create a test for myself within the race.”

He adds that at times the trip will be grim. The Clipper Race alone sees competitors encounter extreme conditions from hurricanes, tornadoes and icebergs to waves the size of houses and extreme heat in the tropics during the 40,000 nautical mile, 11-month long odyssey.

Only 3,300 people have completed the Clipper Race over nine editions since its inception in 1995, and less people have circumnavigated the world than have climbed Mount Everest.

Simon adds: “It will be a real social experiment for me at sea for a month surviving in a small capsule with no privacy or luxury while crossing the world’s largest ocean and enduring some of Mother Nature’s most extreme conditions.

“I will then be cycling through America encountering everything from snow to mountains and potential danger such as bears. I won’t have much kit apart from a tent and stove and I have a small budget, and am hoping people will help me along the way with accommodation, which will be an interesting social experiment in itself to explore,” Simon added.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston wished Simon luck with his challenge, adding: “I came up with the concept of the Clipper Race to allow ordinary people to explore their adventurous side and push their limits to achieve something extraordinary.

“I look forward to hearing what Simon finds out about himself and others during the challenge.”

Simon will be blogging about his experience here and on his cycling journey across the USA and live tweeting at @SimonWIParker. Simon will be raising awareness of the Clipper Race’s Official Charity Unicef by meeting local projects and more information can be found at his website.

The states Simon will pass through are: Washington, Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York.