Solo adventurer Sarah Outen will take on her most dangerous and difficult challenge yet when she begins her London2London: Via the World expedition on 1 April.
With the help of a bike, a kayak and a rowing boat, she will attempt a record-breaking 20,000 mile journey that will begin in Tower Bridge, London, at midday on April Fool’s Day, and end some two and a half years later in the same place. She will negotiate three continents by bike, and row solo across the North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Nobody has ever attempted this combination of oceans in a single journey, and Sarah admits to some trepidation.
“It’s stomach churning stuff and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared,” she said. “I am full of adrenaline right now - 90% excitement, 10% nerves. The roads are the scary bits – there’s a real possibility of being knocked from the bike at any time, or squashed by a truck, so I need to stay focused."
Still only 25, she has a huge amount of experience in solo challenges. In 2009, aged 23, she became the first woman to row solo across the Indian Ocean, earning her three Guinness World Records in the process.
Her latest challenge will see her take her kayak Nelson down the Thames and across the channel, then riding her bike, Hercules, through France to Russia, via China.
She’ll reach Japan via the remote island of Sakhalin on Nelson, then row solo across the North Pacific in her boat Gulliver. A bike ride from Vancouver to New York will transport her to her final leg – a row across the North Atlantic.
“We’ve such a rich heritage of pioneers, mariners and ground-breaking expeditions from the UK, so I’m proud to be flying the flag,” she added. “It’s cool to be spreading the word that women do crazy expeditions too – there are a lot of beards in this field!”
Sarah will be uploading blogs and videos throughout her expedition – visit her website www.sarahouten.co.uk for more information.
Sarah outen on the indian ocean in 2009
