Former Wilmcote man set off on his 2,600 mile trek in the New Year

He’s doing it because he, his sisters, Jane and Sally and mother, Margaret, are eternally grateful to the care and compassion the Shakespeare Hospice team of nurses gave to the family when Tony passed away at home in Wilmcote aged 81.

This week, Richard told the Herald about his epic journey and what he’s encountered so far as the wheels on his bicycle just keep going round and round.

“I started from Singapore, 2nd January, and cycled the wrong way for three days – heading north east, away from Oz - so I could take the ferry from Malacca in Malaysia to a place called Dumai in Indonesia. From there I headed over the mountains to the west coast of Sumatra. I’m now following the coast road south west and currently in a small city called Bangkulu where I’m having a rest day for servicing the bike and doing laundry and hopefully finding somewhere that serves a beer. From here I’ll continue south to the end of Sumatra to a town called Bakauheni where I get the boat to Java and then on to the huge sprawling capital Jakarta.

From Bali it’s a relatively short flight to Darwin in Northern Australia and from there only 800 miles along the Stuart Highway to Alice Springs in the red centre of Oz. When and if I get there I’ll think about how I’m going to get home,” Richard said.

So far he’s not faced any animal hazards and the only Komodo dragon he’s seen was a dead one as a result of roadkill. There are climate hazards though as it’s the rainy season and he was held up in the mountains by mudslides but these are cleared quickly.

“I passed through a really nice town in the mountains of western Sumatra called Bukkitinggi and there’s an ongoing volcanic eruption near there but sadly no pyroclastic fireworks or lava flows just a sort of gritty smog,” said Richard.

He’s also very touched by the amount of kindness he’s been shown by the people he meets along the way.

“Without exception people have been warm, hospitable and curious throughout the trip. I’ve done many cycle journeys in Asia and I’m always amazed by the kindness and patience shown to a random foreigner with no local language skills who just rocks up on a bicycle. I’m picking up a bit of Indonesian and people are so eager to help with my needs of food, water, sleep and occasional bicycle maintenance so communication isn’t really a problem,” Richard added.

He also has his photograph taken quite a lot like the time he was near a place called Pekanbaru in Indonesia.

“A photo of me wearing a Shakespeare Hospice T-shirt was taken when a 4×4 pulled up and a young lady said her mother would very much like a photo with me. This happens quite a lot and I feel like a minor celebrity!” Richard said.

Although there’s a long and winding road ahead for Richard he hasn’t really thought about how he’ll celebrate when the job is done – fish and chips and a tinny perhaps?

“As for finishing in Alice Springs, I’ve always been drawn to the idea of reaching the centre of Australia, perhaps inspired by Princilla Queen of the Desert - although doing it in drag on a bicycle would be out of the question as there’s too much chiffon and gold lame to get caught in the chain. More practically the road from Darwin to Alice Springs is fairly do-able by bicycle, there are stops about a day’s ride apart all the way. However, south from Alice is a different matter, the distances between stops make it seriously challenging. So, all in all Alice Springs seems like a good place to call it a day.

I’ve just checked online and there’s a load of good fish n’ chip shops in Alice Springs but where the heck they get their fish from I don’t know - they’re 1,000miles from the sea,” Richard said.

His sister - Jane Batchelor who lives in Wilmcote - talked about her father Tony on behalf of the family and also about Richard’s cycle ride on the other side of the world. Both are former Stratford School pupils.

“The hospice provided amazing support and care for my father after he was diagnosed with cancer in October 2022,” said Jane. “Dad wanted to die at home but we had no experience of cancer in our family and he was physically a fit man but then there was this tragic decline and the hospice were there for us and took care of everything because we didn’t know what to do. Dad was getting really poorly and they talked us through what was happening, organised a hospital bed, came up with brilliant ideas and we were so lucky to have the hospice. I said to the nurses that they must have these situations everyday of their lives and asked how they coped? Even then they put us first by saying they can go home but we as a family are the ones still here at home with dad. We all still feel numb,” Jane said.

“My father was a brilliant civil engineer and had some senior executive positions with companies like Trafalgar House. He was meticulous and a thorough professional but we used to laugh at him when he drove up the driveway – he couldn’t wait to get his tie off and his overalls on. He loved gardening, built Land Rovers from scratch and loved his Labradors – it always had to be Labradors,” Jane said.

Tony and his wife Margaret have lived in Wilmcote for the past 47 years and are season ticket holders at Manchester United.

The couple watched United beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 on 19th October 2022 but sadly Tony became seriously ill a week later.

What does Jane about his cycling around the world and why did he choose Singapore to Alice Springs?

“God alone knows,” said Jane. “One day he said he wanted to help the hospice because they’d been so helpful to us and asked me what I thought of his idea? He’s full of adventure lust. He’s always been the type to get out there and do his own thing and experience different cultures he’s not a luxury traveller. He’s just very interested in meeting people.

As an art teacher Richard has taught in the Middle East, Kazakhstan, the Far East including China and Japan and cycled across America and once he cycled back from Kuwait with no planes involved. He ought to write a book about his experiences on the road however mad Richard’s cycle ride may appear to any sane reader!”

Bridget Richards, Shakespeare Hospice events and community fundraiser said:

“When we first heard about what Richard was planning, we were blown away. It is incredible to see the lengths that some of our supporters will go to in order to raise funds for the hospice. We are extremely grateful to Richard and wish him the best of luck with his challenge.”

https://www.justgiving.com/page/2wheelsfromsingaporetooz