Free Wheels East | Nomad Adventure Documentary
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- Опубликовано: 21 янв 2020
- Cousins Jamie Mackenzie and Ben Wylson set off on an extraordinary three year adventure; without knowhow or training they attempt to ride bicycles on every continent without using airplanes... On their absurd mission, Jamie and Ben battle through landslides and over mountains; they traverse deserts and somehow hitch lifts across all of the world's great oceans. Surviving near fatal accidents, life threatening illness and even becoming the first to cycle in the desolate East Antarctic; it seems nothing can stop them... In this compelling story of friendship, through shier perseverance and indomitable spirit, Jamie and Ben visit 35 countries, and in so doing change the course of their lives... forever.
Free Wheels East is a feature length documentary which tells the story of a truly global adventure. Astonishingly this film was stitched together from just 24 hours of footage that Ben and Jamie shot on the road, and an interview filmed in 2009. This in-house film also includes a score written and played on a guitar carried with them on their journey.
Peter Coyote (Narrator), Jamie Mackenzie, Ben Wylson, Jack Wylson
Official selection Newport Beach International Film Festival (California)
"A 21st-century adventure story that really happened and actually worked, and makes the financial consultants look silly in a way that Occupy Wall Street can’t quite accomplish." - The Japan Times
If you enjoyed the film, please consider supporting us by purchasing a Downloadable Ad Free HD copy with Exclusive Bonus Features for $_13.99 Here: thebigsky.vhx.tv/buy/free-whe...
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its videos like this that giv me motivation im 48 years old and i think on my 49th birthday i will take off from new york to arizona on my bike
Great to hear and here’s to your trip. Hoping you do it and it’s the experience of a lifetime!
here here , im 44 and would love to do something like this
Don't know if anyone still reading this, but you guys should do a book on your trip with the drawings and pictures & of course commentary of your trip, I would buy it. Really cool trip, thanks for sharing.
Have replied in one in my previous comment!
Wow, and you guys are so lucky to have done this before the cellphone/cerebral death era. no hashtag or social media to ruin your trip,,,i miss those days.
Couldn’t agree more!! If the world could only hit an I’m Spartacus moment at which we all destroy our phones at once..
on the 14th of December 2022. am cycling around Ireland and my plan is to complete the Scottish isles and cycle seven continents. I enjoy watching your documentary, yes am 60 years old,
Thanks for saying so, Stephen! Best of luck! You are a spring chicken! Once cycled cork to Galway and loved it. Also my loop of the outer Hebrides is the ride that got me into bikepacking in the first place - there is nowhere more beautiful on earth..
The Contrast between high anxiety, concrete London and the Great Outdoors is startling!. Men were born to be free. Excellent documentary, makes me want to live a simpler life and live in the moment.
Powerful words and hear hear, Arthur! To living a simple life in the moment. Cheers and thanks for the kind thoughts.
I’m totally amazed in a joyous way!❤
🙏
Popped up on my feed....great story loved it as a bike rider myself!
Thank you! Pleased to hear, from two fellow bike riders!
Started watching out of curiosity and then watched it all the way through. Great story.
Thanks Bob, glad to hear you enjoyed it. All the best, Ben
Just found this, easily one of the best bike travel vids/stories I've seen on RUclips. Awesome.
Thanks Peter! The film is just a tiny part of it all and we’ve been hoping to write an unabridged book / do an exhibition for years. One day.. For now the whole thing remains rather underground and to this day it only captures the attention of the few that stumble upon it. We are passionate about getting the story out there because it does seem to resonate with those that find it. Perhaps one day it will be unearthed by someone of influence, but for now it remains in obscurity. And actually, given the non-commercial nature of it all, maybe that is how it is supposed to be! All the very best, Ben
Wow truly epic journey!!! So raw and fresh and inspiring 🚴🤓🙏
Thank you!! Always so grateful for comments like this 😊😊 🙏
Beautiful story! I plan to do my own bike tour very soon, in the USA with my 2 wolfdogs. But we wont be ever going 'back' to anyone or anywhere, because we dont really have a home anymore. Been homeless for 5 years already, but with my dad and I'm 32. It's time I've set out on my own. I'll probably visit my parents and siblings from time to time. Maybe at some point I'll find my home, and maybe not and I'll just keep pedaling.
Thanks for your kind words and for sharing your story. I read a book called Ghost Riders by Richard Grant. It might be right up your street! It’s about American nomads. I used to tell my family when I was younger that I wanted to be a wanderer when I grow up. I never really grew up, but I do have a young family now, so am more sedentary than
I have ever been. Keep on journeying and you may or may not settle one day when the time is right!
P.s best of luck with your adventure! Ben
@@TheBigSky Thanks! God bless Ben! ✝️💕
Archangel
Brilliant, enjoy, I would like to do the same. I have 2 dogs also, one a wolf dog.
The trouble is, I can't do such a trip in my own country (UK) due to the dogs making it difficult & dangerous off their leads.
A country of freedom roads & quietness away from traffic would be ideal.
Have a great journey
Let's go on a bike adventure. .I'll pedal with you
This remarkable achievement from the pre-youtube era looks like it'll hold up against anything created by modern youtube adventurers all doing the same trips as each other, running multiple cameras 2, 4 or even 6 hours PER DAY. Some of which adventures by the way, will garner hundreds of thousands of views in just a few short weeks. It's hard to figure. Even as viewers on youtube, I guess some people don't want to risk straying too far from some kind of norm, let alone consider doing that in real life. Congrats on a great documentary!
Dear JB, we are so grateful for your reaction. Thank you. Entirely agree and hopefully FWE will stand the test of time and maybe even send some on real adventures that come from the soul rather than with viewing figures in mind.. Ben
Glory to god! What a wonderful story
The most impressive thing is... No punctures!
Indeed - we’ll done Jamie… 😅
I love this narrator
From E.T to The War in Vietnam, Peter Coyote is a living legend and we are ever grateful he gave his voice to FWE.
@@benwylson3089 Was pleasantly surprised to hear Peter narrating this brilliant film. He was a bit of a biker in his day too.
Thanks
in 2022 with all these 4k content around this footage looks very authentic and nostalgic. feels like modern day super quality videos killed the vibe. thank you for this story. it's inspiring!
felt like a wes anderson road trip movie, just like "the darjeeling limited", especially the goofing around with hand made horn in a ship to Morocco.
You couldn’t have given our egos a bigger massage. Thank you! As complete armatures with a camera, we actually filmed 4:3 because we didn’t know there was a 16:9 setting. Also, we only filmed when nothing much was going on / when we thought of it… so in the edit we had almost nothing to work with. It’s all entirely random and as you can see, we rarely took the filmmaking especially seriously, hence the moments like the Morocco trumpet.. A great compliment to hear that it felt a little Wes Anderson. For the unabridged adventure, we have literally a few million words in our diaries. Hoping to publish these one day. They are diligently written and comprehensive, but actually probably even more whacky. I concur about some of the modern filmmaking. A little too much emphasis is placed on beauty in general these days. What happened to the grit and substance?! Happy you enjoyed the film and thanks again - Ben & Jamie
How does this only have 43k views after 2 years.
they botched the beginning of the movie a bit. you want to start with a hook to keep the audience's attention, they started with too much dialogue.
Cannot believe this only has 2.2k likes, it's an absolute masterpiece
You are far too kind - thank you.
Amazing adventure! Well done and very well made documentary, enjoyed it a alot!
Thanks Martin!!
Beautiful and inspirational organic travel documentary
This was amazing! love from Norway
Thank you Bee Keeper! Love back to Norway!
I'd like to thank 'The Big Sky' for uploading this AMAZING adventure.
Truly inspiring to many.
Thanks for your very wonderful message - passing on gratitude to The Big Sky
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Wow.. Huge Respect!!🤘
🙏
Thank you for the wideo. I wish you all good luck
In a few days I begin a bike tour around the US--from Cincinnati, OH to Fort Benning, GA, then on to Seattle, WA. I'm an athlete but by no means a bicyclist. I've been intimidated by this trip for months now.
Seeing this strengthened my resolve.
You two are badasses and I'm really, really grateful to you for sharing your adventures!!!! Thank you :-)
Firstly, massively envious of your upcoming trip. Like many things in life, the mental chewing that goes on before doing something significant is more of an ordeal than doing the thing itself. The hardest part of our journey was surely the departure and arriving back in England. As for the bit in between, there is nothing more right, wholesome, meditative.. life changing than riding bikes over long distances. You even have the advantage of being an athlete! FWE continues to reward us every single day and the life-lessons we we learned will never be forgotten. Hoping very much that your adventures have the same impact on your life as ours had on us and our futures. Really enjoyed being called badass btw!! Thanks so much for your day-making comment.
Good luck and happy cycling
Have a blast 🙂🤘🏻👊🏻
Congratulations. Truly remarkable. Great to see the Rolhoff!!
Thank you steve! Ah yes, our Rohloffs - no greater bit of bike!
So awesome, you gave me hope. For the no airplane traveling with bicycle.. thank you, thank you, thank you
Hey Natema! Loved reading your message. Thank YOU!
All 3 of you are so humble, down to earth and very respectful of he locals. Your family has raised you well.
Such a kind thing to say - thank you. I have passed these words on to our parents!
What a remarkable experience of human spirit and indomitable courage. Your will to survive and overcome hardships proves the reliances of the human spirit to continue to accomplish anything you put your mind to
Thank you, Joseph - your words mean a great deal to me and Jamie.
@@benwylson3089 Your welcome and I am glad my words made such a positive impact. My dad traveled the world with my grandpa and I hope one day to do the same. You deffiently put a voice to your story and the many stories I have herd from my family.
@@josephhirsch1796 wonderful - sounds like the adventure is in your blood! Enjoy your turn.
@@benwylson3089 Thank you and I truly feel that way.
To all the dreamers out there, you have proven that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. Amazing inspiring to a soul that just wants to be free 👍🏼
Here’s to that!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this experience with us and creating such a wonderful documentary!!
Some thoughts while watching:
- interesting map of Europe
- very good that you spare all of us and skip any footage of actually being in Berlin, the first milestone ;D
- it is so nice to see some pre-instagram/youtube/smartphone era bike world trip. Raw, shaky and authentic footage
- I am impressed with what nice and robust bicycles you got nearly 20 years ago. Except for the lights and maybe the brakes I would travel with the same setup today
- For me, your free ship journeys are legendary and so are the book sales in Melbourne, cycling next to penguins and how the two of you (mostly Ben!?) survived some terrible things!
Hi @jenssen97 - what a brilliant message - thank you for taking the time to send this and for your points.
- We drew and painted the maps ourselves on my old drawing board and my sister made them digital. There are some BTS images of this on of this on the Free Wheels East Film facebook page, buried somewhere.. Can't guarantee they are to scale.
- think we have some archive from Berlin, but it was not filmed well enough / relevant enough to make the cut.. Nothing to do with Berlin!! One of the best cities there is.
- I believe strongly the world was better for the mind and soul then. I hope the film reminds people of that.
- ah.. the Thorn Raven tour - the best bikes in the world. Would buy the same thing today. But I still have one!
- Thanks so much once again, great to know what resonated with you!!
All the very best, Ben
What a amazing story. This is one of the best things I have ever watched and will inspire so many people to go on adventures.
Dear Paul, these are exceptionally kind words. Our aim when making the film was to pass on our experience so that others might be inspired to believe they could do it too. You saying this makes 12 years of not many people seeing it ever so worth while. Thank you.
Watching Again!
Great Quotes!!!!! in the beginning of this video.
Thanks for the encouragement and hope you enjoyed the second viewing! Would love to know the quotes that resonated!
@@benwylson3089
"Feeling trapped for a very long time."
"I couldn't see myself living the rest of my life in a fixed situation or lifestyle."
"When you realize that you don't have to live your life based on what society tells you."
Society, parents all predetermine what and how we as individuals should live our lives.
Yes, there is probable success in following what society tells us to do and live. However, it depends on what we as individuals define as success.
Working like a dog for someone else for years and years, acquiring a bunch of stuff that either ends up being sold for less money than we bought it for, giving it away or throwing it away. Doesn't make a lot of sense. Yet the majority of people fall into this mindset.
We don't have a U-Haul truck following us to the grave site.
I like new things just like everyone else, but everything wears out eventually (2nd law of thermodynamics. Matter wears down and out, it doesn't evolve stronger, better, like the lie of evolution tells us).
My parents are in the last stages of their lives. They have acquired so much stuff. Three separate homes and everything that goes along with that. After they die, I don't want to deal with all their stuff....what a burden!
I don't want any of it either. Then their stuff becomes my stuff.
No, not me.
I want to be unencumbered from stuff.
Especially from other people's opinions of how I should live.
I tend to separate myself from those types of people.
Thanks for sharing this - I fully understand. I like to have very few things but to make all of the things I do have both vital and a sort of old friend. It would be devastating if anything ever happened to my old leatherman for example. So, have less things, less things that are vital and are for the sake of. Materialism and the need to show off, to be seen as a success in the eyes of others, is destroying the planet and our minds - it’s a tonic to be burden free. I’m living within sedentary life now, but am very wary of its trappings so am constantly reminding myself of everything I do not want for me. But I can fully understand the draw of ‘things’ and am careful never to be sucked into the whirlpool of wanting more. If I can be around the natural world and maintain sustenance for myself and my family, then I have it all. Success is here and now, not somewhere in the future and I am very very lucky. Most things on the open road are unnecessary, so riding bikes seems to be the ultimate antidote to the madnesses of the modern, mobile phone wielding human. Good luck with it all and here’s to simmering away the unnecessary!
It’s a crazy world where crazy riders ride! Thank you for sharing your freedom.
Our pleasure! Liking the name crazy rider, and possibly being one.. Here's to freedom!
❤❤❤❤
Very belated congratulations Ben & Jamie what a journey. Thanks for a great video.
Thanks so much for your kind words - they mean a lot!
It touched my heart in a way notthing does,,what a life experience!!!
Thanks for saying so CJ! Means a lot to us.
Prayers of your grandmother were answered!
A perfect Saturday afternoon matinee. Very, very enjoyable. Thank you for sharing your wonderful experiences.
Thanks Phillys - so happy to hear. Tailwinds!
What a ride it was, both your adventure and this film. cried my eyes out on the last scene, as someone that wants to do that sometime soon before too much life passes by and at the same time someone that has already been away from family and living across continents. Thank you for creating such an amazing masterpiece from such a wonderful adventure! love from a Chilean dude living in Italy and still trying to figure where in the world do I wanna be.
Dear Matias, your message was very special to read. The last scene always makes us emotional too. Thanks for sharing and for the exceptionally kind words. Hoping you discover where you want to be. Maybe the true joy in life comes from just being - a human being. To following the winding road - you never know what lies around the next corner! Tailwinds, Ben & Jamie
wooooo!
Amazing
it was a very good decision doing things that you like to do while you are still young and able to do the world tour by bike! more power to both of you Ben and Jamie!
Thanks so much Danilo! Not a day goes by without being grateful that we took the decision to go when we did!
@@Mark8v29 A very good point, Mark! I once saw this.. which is absolutely a motivator: www.imdb.com/title/tt1505354/ - glad you enjoyed the film and here's to many more years of keeping those wheels turning!
@@Mark8v29 thanks for your philosophy, Mark! The more Clark Kent, the less ego, and as long as you plod, step over step, without focusing too much on the finish line, I truly believe you can achieve the impossible!
Thank you for sharing the most amazing story I've ever seen. It is such an incredible journey. So inspiring. I'm planning a trip across the United States from coast to coast. After watching this I know anything and everything is possible.
This is one of our favourite ever messages!! So happy to hear this Jonny. Wish we could go on that trip across the states with you. I think my main take away from FWE: If you put your life and soul into something you are passionate about, it’ll work out in the end, as long as you stick with it! Tailwinds! Ben & Jamie
.. Or go off the beaten track stateside and avoid anything commercial. Pack some muesli and a tent and you won’t spend another dollar!
Wow...just, wow!
Totally amazing...well done...what a trip!
Wonderful!
just one word : AMAZING !! what an incredible journey!
well, when I was young (about 13-14 years old) I was dreaming about a journey with my bicycle somewhere in Europe, nowadays and after 20 years I have the same feeling, and I think its the right time to do something like that...promise to myself, ''I must do that...''
You must do that! You’ll never look back.. Tailwinds!
@@benwylson3089 thanks dude!
Incredible !!!!
Ok this is one of the most epic adventures ever!
Very inspiring...
An amazing achievement in every sense, whether it's the cycling, the money-raising through the booklets or getting Peter Coyote to narrate it. Bravo.
Thanks Tim. Peter Coyote was / is an absolute hero - a very wonderful fellow, to whom we will be forever grateful, for narrating Free Wheels East.
@@TheBigSky Oh and the whole flip flops thing was insane!
@@timallenphotogram Oh yes.. I don't think we had hit that time in life when one thinks about the consequence of one's actions. Not sure whether that time ever kicked in actually.
Tremenda historia bravo!!!!!!!
So amazing to finally see this! I went to uni with your cousin Emma, and Jack stayed with us in NZ before joining you guys. Incredible journey! Kate & Matt x
No way! I’m actually at Emma’s house right now!! She sends her love. Jack often talks fondly of his stay with you both and says what super people you are. Thanks for watching the film and for the kind words. I hope to get to NZ one day! Emms says she’ll be in touch soon! X
Amazing.
God bless you both
Great review
Legends.
Bloody good on you both. Cracking story and really enjoyed it. What an incredible journey to partake and managing to complete!
Great to hear - cheers Josh!!
Thanks for this wonderful film on your adventure. It was so heart warming to listen.
Thanks so much for the special words. Means a lot to us. Ben & Jamie
I have watched many videos on bike touring and this is by far the most amazing, interesting and heartwarming bike tour I’ve watched.
One of the kindest and most encouraging comments we’ve had. Thank you so much, Julie. You truly made our day with your words.
An incredible experience !!!
Thanks Felix!!
Incredible achievement!!!!! Brilliantly done and one hell of a story for sure!!! Absolutely phenomenal stuff gentlemen! Thank you for allowing me the front row seat on this incredible journey.
Thank you, Andrew!! Our pleasure to have you along. Out of words to respond to such a flattering review, so may have to resort to a few of these 😊😊😊
Brilliant film and an amazing adventure. Thanks for sharing 👍 Hope you guys still enjoy cycling
Cheers Tony! Happy to hear you enjoyed the adventure. We certainly still see riding bikes over distance as the best thing in the world to do.
What an amazing adventure! I really enjoyed this film.
Thank you Suzanne!
A truly great adventure. Well done.
🙏🙏
I really enjoyed this. I just shared it to a few biking sites I belong to.
Thank you, Melissa! So much appreciated!!
In 19 days from now: I'll begin my kick pro scooter around from Bristol to Glasgow and if i do reach there less then 30 days i'll go further more into Scotland, I've been excited for this trip for the last few year and preparing for this big journey.
Sounds amazing - good luck!!
On a whim, I figured I’d take a peek at this, maybe skip through it, though immediately I was drawn in to each and every moment. My focus glued to this telling of such an adventurous tale.
What an awesome experience!
Congratulations and thanks for sharing it.
Thank you for your kind words here! I guess the film is a bit random as we only filmed when at a loose end or when we thought of filming which wasn't very often... We didn't have any finance, training or resources to make it a blockbuster, but it was certainly sculpted upon return with all the deepest of our thoughts and feelings. I think our naivete as filmmakers and humans at least should hopefully come across as genuine. It's a huge compliment to think that you were drawn in and it held your attention. Thanks again - comments like yours are so very rewarding. All the best!!
@@benwylson3089 it’s truly an inspiring tale & documentary. If this was created on a whim, one can only imagine how incredible it must be if you give even just 20% more intention behind the next one. 😉
Again, great job! I sincerely hope you can find the time to make another someday.
@@BaronvonMoorland Here's to that and I do hope so too!!
What a fantastic film, well done lads.
Cheers!!
Thanks for sharing. Heart touching to see the family welcome you back to your motherland. Hope you both have big families of your own now in 2022.
I actually can’t watch the end without getting emotional. Our granny died a few years ago and she remains a hero. The family is ever growing and her legacy lives on! Thanks for the kind thoughts, John.
Epic! ❤
Thanks for this
Thanks for watching ashutosh!! Ben
The dungeon and the trip to Antarctica looked very scary ,but what a trip what an adventure, just incredible and well done 👍 👏🏻🙏
It was just exhilarating knowing that we were so far from the rest of the world, 14 days voyage from the nearest town! I certainly don't think I will ever feel that lucky ever again. Thank you and happy to hear you enjoyed the story!
Thank you for sharing such a amazing journey. This has been so inspiring and touching. Cheers.
A massive thank you for saying so! Ben
CHOOSE LIFE💪🤞🙏🌊
Omg what a journey and to do without a puncture that’s an achievement. Good on both of you and to show that it’s possible to travel the world by bike warms my heart ❤️ love from a fan 🙏🏻
I think you are our first self-proclaimed fan!! Thank you for saying this and love to our fan(s)..!!
You got it done....🙂👊🏻
💥 👊
AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i'm going to watch this again soon.
same as another great YT video..."from cape to cairo by bike", it gets better every time you watch it.
thnx so much for sharing this. really really really good entertainment.
Such an incredible film and adventure! Loved every moment of it...and got me so nostalgic for all my previous adventures around the world I had been on.
Would love to do something like this one day with a close friend.
Thank you for sharing your art and story with us guys, it was truly beautiful. 🥰
Thanks for the kind words Kishanth! So happy you liked the film. Extra chuffed you appreciate the art! Hope you get to go on your own trip one day and that it’s a life-changer! Tailwinds, Ben and Jamie
Vamos Perro Vamos!
good job,
Thanks 🙏
The best thing I've ever watched I was already inspired to go on a world journy on a bicycle and this video will give me the most courage to do that
Thank you both for this video
Thank you Luee!! This is so great to hear. Hoping you have the journey of your life too. Tailwinds! Ben & Jamie
Fantastic! Reminds me a bit of Mondo Enduro/Terra Circa, except on push bikes! Real adventures are hard to find these days but this looks incredible
Cheers Scott! We were inspired by the beat writers and it was all about escaping and exploring and not about telling others about what we were doing as we did it. We didn’t have phones - social media was non existent, but when we got into towns we updated our website. A real adventure it was!
Loving this and What an adventure. Glad to see you went to my Country Malaysia and is not so bad even though is very hot but you did not experience the monsoon season where by heavy rain/thunder .
Hello Apa! Very happy you enjoyed the adventure. We loved Malaysia. Such kind people and lots of happy memories. Most poignantly, I remember being taken in by the scouts at one point and also stepping on a sea urchin in Penang… That part wasn’t as much fun..! Ben & Jamie
Aba is amazing. I drove through there last summer. I'm super impressed you guys cycled it. I reckon I'll have a go before my time is up here. Well done lads!
Such an amazing place! Like stepping back in time. Spent a lot of time dodging Tibetan mastiffs and bees there.. cheers and hope you get to go back one day. We do too!
This looked tremendous, can't imagine how difficult transitioning back into "normal life" was for you both afterward. If this film taught me anything, it's to travel with someone who acts as the accident magnet!
When you get the work and the kids out of the way, I hope you both have more travels.
All the best :)
Thanks for taking the time to type this special message. Normal life will always be an enigma.. always a shock to the system! Here’s to finding our way back to the road again one day! Maybe we’ll take the kids with us?
@@benwylson3089 Hah! Take the kids, maybe they'll enjoy it Or, at least when they're still young enough to be pliable. Teens are such a faff!
The most I ever did was 5.5 months from home at a time, during the pandemic when my flight kept being cancelled. Remember how it was to be stuck in the same 4 shirts, day after day? It was alright though, was in Australia at the time and they were *open* - it was such a shock coming from the UK where we'd simply been closed more or less since March. Gosh, it was odd.
Hope you have a lovely weekend.
@@Jablicek haha! Hoping you have a good weekend too!
Fuck hope Fuck life. All of this is unreachable. You work till the day you die after being wasted to death after globalist regime disposes of you after being treated as a number.
Buen video
Love the narrator he also does "The West" another doco about .. . u guessed it the west
Haha - astute! He covers all directions! Yes, this is the legendary Peter Coyote from E.T, War in Vietnam etc. a great hero of ours and how special it is that he narrated our story for us.
Well done guys, you did complete a dream without all the crap and Hollywood dramatics of Instagram people these days. You did it without phones etc, perfect. Imagine what they would have thought if someone told the the correct name for the "blugening stick" was a priest
Well I never! A ‘priest’.. I have also - after a quick google - seen them called ‘bonkers’. Thanks for getting the exact essence of it all. The world has gone mad and these were simple times about real, personal exploration, rather than exploration for the ego or to make money or to provide dopamine hits for money. Cheers and tailwinds! Ben & Jamie
Amazing journey, Ben & Jamie. Glad you found some comfort in my home state of Texas!
It's my dream to cycle from the North to the Southern tip of 2 islands: First Great Britain, then Japan. Your journey has given me new motivation to make my own adventure a reality! Maybe I'll see you on my way through England. Cheers 🍻
Thanks so much Colin! Very fond memories of Texas and the unbelievable kindness of the people who helped us on our way there, especially Rob Boling of Eagle Pass. I also got bitten by what was thought to be a brown recluse.. The wildlife is not quite so hospitable. Hoping you make your dream of the the 'island' rides happen - sounds like a great plan! - and do stop in if ever in the UK! Tailwinds, Ben & Jamie
wow❣️🇧🇩❣️
What an absolutely epic journey lads, such an inspiration! Just 1 thing.... Is it actually true that Jamie didnt get a puncture at all??? As a keen cyclist with many a puncture, even just going to the shop. I find it just too much to believe you got all the way round the world with the same air in your tube! That to me is one of your biggest feats! If you reply, I dont mind you bursting my bubble (or tire) with the info that 'yes he actually did get a puncture, we were only jesting' at least that info would put my tiny exploded mind at rest....
FREAKING AWSOME LADS. steve
Haha - it is true! Jamie really didn’t get a single puncture.. The rim tape slipped early on my rear wheel and once that was discovered and fixed I must have introduced a spec of dirt, which at high pressure eventually caused another puncture. This happened time and time again, I guess.. Thanks for the kind words, Steve!
Awesome adventure and very nicely put together. My question is though - what are you guys doing now?
Cheers Pete! Jamie is now a wood sculptor - search Jamie Gaunt Designs. He has a stall on Broadway Market in London each Saturday. I started a production company called The Big Sky with Jack and old friend - off the back of the film. We actually just made a doc for Nat Geo, out this summer! Both Jamie and I live in Kent, have wives - whom we met on FWE - and 2 kids each. There you go, life story!
@@benwylson3089 👍
WOW, what an amazing adventure & achievement. So inspirational.
As an older British guy who did lots of cycle touring/adventures when in my teens & early 20's, then turned racing cyclist & mechanic, I so wanted to be there with you both doing this mega trip...if not for anything else, but atleast to be your mechanic in any difficulties.
That said you managed perfectly well yourselves.
I'd like to know what bike consumables you went through in total?
Tyres, brake pads, chains, rear sprockets & chainrings etc? 8,000 miles under such loads is heavy going on such parts. Did all your bearing parts last OK?
I found certain parts of your journey quite emotional & the words on the Dover ferry crossing on not wanting to go home, wanting to go the opposite way, yet wanting to see family...absolutely resonated with me in word for word what I've felt a number of times when returning home from my travels.
I'm based just north of Manchester & if any of you guys (or both) get up this way I would absolutely love to meet up & share travel stories. Maybe you'll have another adventure planned?
I'm now going to share this far & wide to as many people I know. I know everyone one of them will be amazed & inspired.
Well done Ben & Jamie
Truly INSPIRING.
Hello and thank for your very special message. Personally I can’t watch the film without getting emotional, especially at the return. Would be great to meet up one day. Let us know if ever you are around Kent! On the bikes and maintenance - they were just remarkable bits of kit and with the exception of my back wheel (all problems came from a slipped rim tape which exposed a sharp spoke hole early on) we really suffered almost no issues. We did give them a bit of a spruce in Melbourne where I think a couple of cables and sprockets were replaced, and the Rohloff had a bath, but that’s really it! And thank you for telling people about the film. It had never been of interest to anyone but our friends, so it comes as a pleasant surprise that it is resonating now. We tried to get it onto TV in 2010, but it was declined by all the networks. I suppose commissioners aren’t necessarily into bike touring and if you aren’t a household name, there is no hope of getting the story out there. So glad we did upload it here. Without this platform I suppose it would have stayed as a film for friends and family. Thanks again, All the best, and, Tailwinds!
@@benwylson3089
I'm so pleased you replied, thank you.
Overall your bikes did you both proud & that's a testament in choosing right to start with. Brilliant.
If I travel your way, I will absolutely be in touch & it would be a pleasure to meet up.
TV channels not wanting to show it is beyond disappointing, but you know what, it's their loss. I know so many people that love this kind of adventure stuff, infact all people that poses a 'freedom' spirit love it.
Your families & friends must have been in awe & so so proud...& rightly so.
I'll be watching it again at some point today 😀
Have a great Sunday guys, it's going to be another very hot one, but no hotter than you experienced on your EPIC adventure.
All the very best.
@@tman5634 Thanks again T Man!! Very special messages, not to be forgotten. Hope you had a good one and aren't too fried! Cheers!
@@TheBigSky
Even hotter today & tomorrow, can us Brits cope aha
Congrats, lads. Well done indeed. Greetings from a fellow, but less intrepid traveler than you. Been on the road since '77 and have lived and worked in 11 countries - left school at 17. It feels like I've been on holiday for 46 years. Anyone can do it if I can.
Greetings from an Irishman.
Greetings to you, fellow traveller and Irishman! What inspirational words - you are a hero. Make sure you carry on the holiday and thank you for the appreciation of our comparatively short one! Tailwinds!
A Fabulous watch...is there a book to go with this or will we have to scour thru ebay looking for some of your priceless booklets printed in Melbourne..?
Thank you! I’m afraid it may have to be a be a scour though… No book in print yet. A million words written into diaries need to be transcribed! We have thought we might 1. Publish a replica of the book 2. Publish our original blogs 3. Publish the full story from the diaries, if ever we have the time to write it up…
Just surfing RUclips and stumbled upon your video.
Man! Guys I have a ton of questions.
I truly don't want to be a bit of a burden to you guys, so I'll try to stick with just the basic questions as brief as possible.
First, I have a almost brand new recumbent trike with all, and I mean all the gear necessary; so I won't be redundant and go over that.
1. I have a great job that pays exceptional right now, saving money.
I have over $15,000 right now to myself. I live in the U.S.
I have two tours under my belt that was a total of 1,000 miles total. So I understand the cycle touring thing pretty well.
2. So...not sure the difference between the States, and Europe regarding how much money is needed per day or per week to be relatively comfortable and cover costs for repairs, miscellaneous unforseen cost. Would $40-$50 per day be enough?
Money 💰! How much?
3. Europe and the States are quite different, so I'm not sure if you can answer this...how much food did you eat on a consistent basis daily? Less than you thought, or more, or about what you planned for???
4. This one is very important...
After the initial emotional fun fades away. How did you manage with your emotions on a daily basis through trials and difficulties and just living on your bicycle like a traveling vagabon??? The emotional toll had to be difficult, no?
Lastly I'm looking for insite on things that a cycle tourist would want to know, from someone as you two who could share some experience and knowledge of the do's and don't's. The better prepared beforehand, the better success and enjoyment.
Thank you very much.
Race
Thanks Race - no probs at all. Excited for your journeys to come!
1. You are sorted 2. If you can camp out, have a water filter and buy cheap food on the go, sometimes we only ate muesli, so that would be a few bucks a day. If in expensive areas or cities, it's a lot more. We did this a while ago so the prices will have rocketed. In china we probably averaged a £3 per day but a bottle of beer was 10p, as was a bottle of water, in parts of europe, perhaps £30? The USA was certainly cheaper than this, maybe $20? We spent almost exactly £2000 each in the first year (£5.49 per day). It sounds hard to believe, but it's true. 3. a lot! If we were in cities we could eat 3 to 4 times more than we would have eaten if we weren't riding 100 miles a day. 4. It was very hard emotionally at times, but definitely only sporadically - most of the time we were having the time of our lives. I think we would have found the emotional aspect less challenging if we did it now, knowing what we know now. On FWE we def found leaving for so long tough at times. Now that we are older and with a better understanding of the world, I would be much more at one with the experience. A note to the younger me: Your life is your life. You don't always realise that when you are a twenty something.
Lastly, that's a big subject and I'm sure there will be lots of contemporary riders with a much better take on this than us, prob with excellent, informative youtube vids! But my spontaneous, off the top of the head advice, would be: don't take too much with you. You don't need more than 2 pairs of pants and 2 pairs of socks. Do the washing each night in the sink or in a stream and your clothes dry very well on the handlebars! Steel frames for bikes if global touring, standard wheels with very good tyres. Leather saddles without padding. Lots of grip positions for you to hold the handlebars in various ways! I liked to sit bolt upright. Don't worry about fitness - you get fit on the way. Take it easy - don't rush. No need for lycra - no need to race, enjoy the journey. If you like a place, stay there, forever if you like. There is no point in moving on if you've found something life-changing.
@@TheBigSky Thanks mate 👍.
I guess the main points that I can take away from your reply is...
Everyone's tour is very personal and each person will adjust to their personal needs as to what works best for them.
I like that you said to take your time. It's not a race but enjoy every day.
So how many miles did you put in riding on average each day, in miles not kilometers?
Food, I would definitely need to eat more than noodles; there's no protein and nutrients in those alone. That too would have to be worked out personally I suppose.
You said don't take too much with you.
But it amazes me how you traveled across the world with minimal clothing for all types of weather?
I bought very fast drying light clothing for nice weather; it's very thin material and rolls up small in my panniers. Same thing with my cargo pants. For cold weather I have multiple layers of clothing: wool base layer top and bottom that is 100% wool but very thin. A light puffy hiking jacket, rain jacket and other layering clothing. Layering up clothes is the best way for warmth and can be taken each layer off when too warm.
I have a water filter set with (3) 3Liter water blatters for carrying plenty of water for long dry stretches of roads that has no water.
If you have a email address I could send you pictures of my set-up.
Thank you for your reply.
@@Firefly-trike Agreed - it's all very much down to the individual! Prob 50 - 70 average miles per day, min maybe 30 max around 120? Each to their own RE food! Just eat a lot of it and keep it healthy if you can! Minimal clothing but did have an item for every eventuality. You just don't need e.g 2 pairs of jeans (for when you are not riding). Sorry about email addresses, but i'm petrified of emails so will politely decline! All in all there will be people very well equipped to advise you on all this - all my knowhow is ever so dated! Take care and as one of our original inspirations and mentors, Edwin Tucker, used to say to us when he signed out, and we kind of adopted it, Tailwinds!!