Prague

Zoya Phan (Campaigns Manager at Burma Campaign UK) and I are about the same age, in fact I often think about what I was doing while Zoya and her family were fleeing from yet another attack on their village. No doubt I was running away too, from one of my mates in another game of ‘war’ in the safe confines of my neighbourhood.

When I first read Zoya’s autobiography, Little Daughter, I was touched by her mother’s strength and selfless dedication to her family and to the Karen. Now that I know Zoya better I realise she too possesses that strength. She never stops, her focus and dedication to her people’s struggle I cannot help but admire, but what sets her apart is how much time she has for those around her.

I have spent a lot of time on my bike in the last few weeks thinking about the people in my life, and I can’t think of anyone else so courageous.

Since walking into the Burma Campaign UK office 6 months ago I have met a few people with stories like Zoya’s and what began as a simple wish to make a significant donation has turned into a desire to do anything that can make a difference.

I knew I did not have the means to click the donate button and make a generous contribution but what I did have was time and a sense of adventure and I knew I could turn that into a few thousand pounds.

Volunteering at Burma Campaign UK whilst preparing for the bike ride, opened my eyes to a lot of the world. I listened, read and learnt and now that I have had an opportunity to process, I no longer believe I have had a fortunate upbringing. How can my suburban childhood be considered fortunate and not simply normal?

How can there be so much wrong in the world? How can there be so many stories like Zoya’s? How can people grow up with so much fear? How can so many people know, yet sit back and do nothing?

Not long after I left London someone asked me if I was worried that I might fail. No. I ensured I wouldn’t fail the moment I left Trafalgar Square. Not completing 2000km or not arriving in Prague is not failure. Those who sit on their backsides and complain about the world are those who fail. Those who pass judgment and criticise yet delude themselves by believing their actions will somehow help anyone but then them, fail.

Stop thinking about doing something and get up and do it. Don’t listen to those who tell you, you can’t or you shouldn’t. There is no harm in biting off more than you can chew because you may learn that you have not been taking big enough bites.

Thank you to all those who sincerely supported me and wished me well over the past 6 weeks. Your kind words and small gestures will always stay with me. Whether it was an email to check that I’m still alive, or a ‘think of your top five songs’ task to distract me, I really do appreciate it.

Those coming to Prague, I cannot wait to see you, especially my sister, I’m absolutely hanging for a hug.

One last cheeky thanks before I pack my stuff one last time and head into Prague, happy 32nd anniversary to my parents for Monday, you brought us up to believe in hard work, respect and smiling and for that I will always be grateful.

It has been an amazing 6 weeks, I do not regret doing this in any way, I’ve had some amazing moments and some equally tough days. And to those wondering, yes I am already planning my next trip I can never get sick of cycling, in fact the 100 hours I spent of the bike were the easiest part of the adventure.

So here I am 10km away from Prague, and all I feel right now is pure relief. I don’t feel the sense of accomplishment I was certain would envelop me. I feel like I have so much more to give and there is no time stop and pat each other on the back.

2000km done....next stop Prague

Not sure what was worse, the few days of heavy rain I rode through or having to sit through an hour of Celine Dion in the hotel restaurant at the end of the day.

Have no doubt it was very challenging especially when the road on my map turned out to be a 3km gravel track that would’ve been fantastic if the weather was dry. The alternative was a 10km detour so I made the right choice although at the time I used every obscenity you can imagine to describe the situation I got myself into.

After a few kilometres you get used to the rain. Yeah you keep wiping your glasses, it’s uncomfortable, cold wet hands but what nearly broke me was one single drop of rain.

I stood under a slight shelter staring at my map willing it to show me the way. As I was leaning over the handlebars one heavy cold raindrop rolled off the roof onto my neck and down my back. I almost snapped, almost!

The hard part is over now. I have enjoyed the last few days immensely and a spirit lifting visit from a few mates in Berlin sure did help. Adam all the way from Australia, what a treat and Ryan in from London, thanks guys.

With 2000km already covered I could afford to sit back on a comfortable train and cross over the mountains from Dresden into Usti nad Labem in the Czech Republic.

What a beautiful part of the world. Dresden gets 10 out of 10, by far my favourite stop, and together with the train ride over the border I highly recommend a trip out this way to anyone. You will not be disappointed it is absolutely stunning.

Only two more riding days left, a short day into the outskirts on Prague tomorrow and then an even shorter ride into Prague Old Town Square on Saturday at midday.

I’m going to head into the town now and enjoy where my legs have taken me over the last 5 or so weeks, but you will hear from me tomorrow.

I will leave you with the best of Germany, the thoughts of a very famous German man, Goethe.

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.

So i keep riding......

A few hundred political prisoners released barely put a dent in my 2000km bicycle ride. Sure the release of even one political prisoner is welcome but tell that to the families of those still detained.

Tell that to my dear friend and colleague Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, whose father remains in a remote jail away from his family.

She has once again been sent on an emotional ride thanks to a ‘government’ playing a game with no intentions to change, except in this game there are no winners and those who lose are those that are running out of hope.

Nothing much has changed really. I get up tomorrow and keep riding, just like Wai Hnin gets up tomorrow and keeps fighting…..

Please read Wai Hnin’s article in The Guardian.

www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/oct/13/burma-political-prisoner-release?newsfeed=true

Apparently a picture says a thousand words

No walk in the park

Thanks to Anna Roberts I’ve had ‘eye of the tiger’ in my head for the last three days. I found myself singing it, whistling it, humming it and then went to tremendous lengths to make it go away.

I tried everything, stopped at lunch put my headphones in and listened to some ‘normal’ music but ‘eye of the tiger’ is like a disease. You need to be aggressive, persistent and committed if you want to beat it. Thanks Anna!

A few people have asked me if I listen to music while on the road. No I don’t. When I can’t hear my surroundings I feel like I’m not in control and I don’t like that feeling. I think it’s dangerous.

I have plenty of time for music when I’m not on the road. I’ve had the new Antlers album playing the last couple of weeks. It’s quite good, there’s a few absolute crackers on it.

It’s cold now. So cold a few days ago I went to pump up my tyres in the morning and my fingers weren’t responding. I gave up which was very silly as later that day I had a ‘snake bite’ puncture that could have been avoided with more air in my wheels. It’s what happens when you hit a sharp edge like a concrete kerb too hard and the inner tube gets pinched between the edge and the rim.

My hands weren’t frozen at this point but still very very cold. The only way to keep warm is to keep moving and working hard, so standing there on an open road, wind cutting through my body while I fix the puncture was demoralising.

The wind across my face was making my eyes water, it was by far the worst single moment so far. This was the first time I wished someone else was there with me. Not because I needed help, just so I could blame someone other than me.

This last week has officially been very tough but I’m keeping it together, there is no way this will beat me. Not with 1600km on the clock and a stone throw away from my final destination. So far I have not missed a scheduled riding day, I have not bailed and stayed in my hotel an extra night so i'll try hard not to now.

No matter how hard it seems tomorrow always brings a new day. In my case the new day brought a tail wind and a call from mum and dad.

I went through a few more hills coming from Braunschweig through Helmstedt into Magdeburg, lots of wind, some light rain, even some pouring rain.

On the upside riding with glasses through pouring rain is like looking at the world through Monet’s eyes……

All for now, the pub downstairs does roast pork.

Jag

The hills have arrived

…and gone for now. Coming into this part of the ride there were two possibilities. I either worked enough into my legs to get me through the tough part of the journey, or I’m spent, pack up and go home. Fortunately it’s the former.

I hit a few hills in the Osnabruck area and I chewed them up. I say hills as any weekend cyclist reading this may laugh if I call them mountains. A couple of 1km long 8% inclines had my lungs and legs burning but surprisingly I enjoyed it, I found my pain limit and sat on it. A very welcome change coming out of flat Netherlands and also took my mind away from the monotony 80km at cruising speed brings.

Plus, after every climb there will certainly be a descent, so it’s a small price to pay for the satisfaction of going fast that we have already established I really enjoy.


I’m pretty confident now that physically I have enough to get through. I’m a few days away from conquering 1500km, which leaves me with only a quarter of the way and the important challenge of getting to Prague.

It’s hard to control the emotions now I have made it this far, I keep thinking about all the things that can go wrong. When I was still in France I genuinely thought I would be so relieved when I pass Hanover and head for Berlin. How I was wrong.

Someone (turns out quite wise) told me before I left that the physical challenge is easy to overcome, the mental challenge will be far greater. I laughed it off.

This is when paranoia and unnecessary panic sets in, but I just need to kelp calm and stop thinking “s$#! I might actually pull this off”. Hey even I can’t believe I have made it this far, I would not have bet on me.

Germany is interesting. Before I crossed over this way I was told to have a currywurst. “Jag you need to get one from the local street stalls”. So I did. How wonderful. Do you think a currywurst diet is sustainable?! I’ve also had some of the best Turkish food in Germany…

I made a few changes to my itinerary mainly to make it a little more interesting. I threw in Rheine as I read a little bit about it and it sounded nice. I was not disappointed. I stumbled upon a medieval fair in Stadthagen that was as awesome as it was weird.

Hanover took quite a beating during the war so it’s a relatively new city and I just couldn’t get comfortable riding through so I made my stay quite short.

My infatuation with all things Medieval has sent me on a detour through Celle (where I am now) and then Braunschweig instead of Wolfsburg.

The sunshine is gone now so it’s getting a little harder to get on the bike in the morning. I just received an email that will get me through the morning madness over the next few weeks. It’s going in my jacket pocket, because often it’s that little thing someone says that makes a world of difference.

Country 5 of 6 - Deutschland

In my quest to find cheaper accommodation and to avoid overnighters in the big busy cities I discovered another gem. The city of Deventer, Netherlands.

I decided to use one of my saved free days to enjoy this little medieval city. I find the Middle Ages so fascinating, public hangings, people being boiled to death, the crusades. It’s surprising anyone survived at all. Although Black Death did have a go at that too….

Well I survived the Netherlands and am in German territory now. First impressions; the roads are not as cycle friendly, drivers are so much more aggressive but on the upside grapes seem to be a little bit cheaper.

With Germany comes different terrain too. This should test my legs so hopefully all that training Ryan (thanks) and I did, twice, may come in handy.

I have gotten quite comfortable on the bike now, I don’t mean to jinx it but I can text message, drink, peel bananas, take photos, one hand, no hands. It’s quite difficult the no hands stuff but with my bags well balanced I took both hands off to zip up my jacket. Then I took both hands off again to high five myself. (that’s that thing I do with my hand in the air, Mark)

So hopefully with my improved bike skills, map reading skills and an extra inch in my lungs I’m ready to take on the Germans.

Just for the record, still no rain, and for those playing at home Leiden, Haarlem and Deventer are my Dutch picks.


Aung Gyi, Germany is for you buddy.

Jag

25 degrees Celsius

I would like to apologise to everyone that had to sit through one of my weather related rants, as it appears no one this way had much of a summer either. A lovely man told me there must be someone tuning the weather for me as this last week I have had nothing but sunshine, following a summer of nothing but rain.

I rolled into Rembrandt’s birthplace, Leiden, the other day and I fell in love. It’s a small university town built on a series of canals and it absolutely charmed me. Saturday market stretching along the water, fresh seafood, sunshine, lovely people what else could anyone ask for.

There is so much more to the Netherlands than Amsterdam. Places I probably would never have seen had I not been travelling with my bike. I’d say that is what I have enjoyed most so far. The freedom to ride through, and stop in the smaller places that don’t have the ready English menu for tourists.

That famous sport cliché ‘one day at a time’ rings so true. You can’t get ahead of yourself; you just need to enjoy the moments as they come, as it genuinely is a rollercoaster of emotions.

One minute I’m enjoying the morning sunshine in the main square in Haarlem with no train or bus to rush off to, the next I’m packing my bags with 90km on the map!

Although my blogs may not suggest, I do go through ‘why on earth did I decide to do this’ moments everyday, but then when the sun is out all day, legs feeling great, riding through nice scenery, there aren’t too many places I’d rather be.

If the feeling of accomplishment at the end of each day were the highlight, I would say the worst feeling is that breakfast always has a sense of something good about to end.

As I prepare to get a little closer to the German border, Enshcede, I have passed the 1,000km mark with quite a few free days I have saved for a rainy day (literally).

As my cousin Beti said in a lovely email, I still have a long long way to go. Thanks Beti, your email really did mean the world to me.

I’m on day 15 now and my brain has not stopped. It’s not a bad thing.

Until Germany,

Jag

Tomorrow is another day

Two updates in two days, you might think I’ve gone mad. Next thing I might even sign up to that thing ‘facebook’.

Well I almost went mad today. I had my worst day on the bike yet. Somehow through my own lack of attention I got lost coming out of Antwerp and ending up riding 20km through the ports.

Trust me it is not a pleasant experience especially since those roads are only signed with dock/port numbers. I didn’t know where I was going, or where I came from. I have never been gladder I can keep a calm and cool head in stressful situations.

It wasn’t just not knowing where I was, put on top of that trucks flying past. I had my own path but fully loaded you feel every truck go past, my hands are now sore from gripping the handlebars so tight.

Is that a turn off, slow down, stop, speed up, cross the road, turn back, check the map, look around.

20km of this! My mind started playing tricks on me, I couldn’t remember if I had crossed a bridge and if so how many bridges had I crossed?!?

My ‘detour’ ended when I reached a small town and got myself back on the way to Breda.

Today I learned the importance of having Plan B. It was mentioned to me a few times before I left and like a few other things I ignored it. I arrived in Breda with 70km on the clock already and another 50km to reach Rotterdam, and that just wasn’t going to happen.

Instead I forced myself to ride another 20km before jumping on a comfortable train to Rotterdam. I say forced because there was nothing enjoyable about it. My confidence had taken a big hit, I was a little unsettled and when it’s just you and a bike and lots of roads you have never seen before confidence on the road is a big thing.

My final stroke of genius came in Rotterdam. I booked a hotel room, could not remember the name of the hotel, didn’t know the location and the only place I had it was on my email. Finding wifi seems easy when you don’t have a loaded bike to lug around with you.

Nonetheless, a little annoyed with myself I have crossed into the Netherlands. Once again dressed for the occasion but unfortunately Hawthorn also lost today so all in all gutted!

Nothing that some pizza and ice cream couldn’t fix……..tomorrow is another day.

UK, France and now Belgium

As the title says, I’m about to exit Belgium and if I don’t get rain the first 20 or so kilometers tomorrow I can officially say I rode from Lille through Bruges, Ghent, Brussels and Antwerp into the Netherlands without feeling a drop of Belgian rain. That itself may be an achievement.

So I have my first little niggle. Little bit of pain in my knee just under the kneecap. Had a consultation with my doctor, Google, and it appears I may have a touch of tendinitis. Not to worry though, I adjusted my saddle, rubbed in Voltaren gel, popped a few Nurofen and the pain is almost gone.

I will be honest, I didn’t come to Belgium with great expectations but I ride away quite impressed. Cycling through Belgium is so pleasant, designated bike lanes everywhere and it is so flat I would consider getting up on the sidewalk a hill.

The train station in Antwerp is by far the highlight. It is so impressive I walked back to have another wander around. Ghent was my favourite city, although I had the nicest few days of my trip so far in Brussels (no credit to the city).

This time it was Pierre from Actions Birmanie who put a roof over my head. He looked after me wonderfully, chocolate biscuits, juice, dinner and the best cereal in the world. I think Pierre described the cereal best when he said eating it on Sunday morning is like having a party! Thank you Pierre.

Sandra, if I so much as sneeze when I’m not supposed to I will be breathing fire. I hope your cold does not fully develop and thank you for the relaxing evening, it was exactly what I needed to give me a nice fresh energy boost.

As I leave Belgium I will leave you with some chocolate.

Actually, as I’m (semi) abstaining from that other wonderful Belgian product I will leave you with some more chocolate…..

Au revoir France

In Lille now, I used my rest day wisely today, I got back on the bike for a very gentle roll to Fromelles. Why Fromelles you ask?

Here, in July 1916 Australia lost over 5500 young men in the bloodiest 12 hours the country has ever seen. A nation of then 5 million people sent 500,000 men all volunteers, to fight with the British Empire during World War I with a casualty rate of almost 65%.

I’m not the flag waiving Gallipoli type so this is my way of paying respect to those courageous men who stood by their mates and their allies. It was a reminder that there is no romance in war, what remains is cold silence.

Tomorrow morning I will be leaving northern France behind me, the cobblestones, all the cute little bakeries, amazing baguettes, picturesque country villages and stunningly beautiful cities and making my way into Belgium, the heart of cycling.

Before I left I thought bike touring and weekend cycling can’t be that different but as I move along I’m learning something new every day.

I used to use slight downhill sections to see what top speed I could hit, one because it was fun going fast and two because nothing pats your ego and puts a smile on your face like seeing those km/h tick over on your bike computer!

52.8km/h may not look fast, but with all my stuff on board it felt bloody fast. Admittedly it was on a favourable slope but it would still get me a speeding fine through most residential streets.

But I digress. I will not be doing that again. 2000km bike touring means the slight downhill sections are used to coast. Give my legs some rest for a few minutes.

I head into Belgium hopefully a little wiser.

Last thing, my football team, Hawthorn, have made it into the preliminary final and to all those who asked, yes I did wear my jersey while they played as I will again on Friday (??). Also the jersey earned me a beep and a wave on my way to St Quentin.

All for now.

Might have one last pain au chocolat before I say hello to Belgium!

Dieppe-Rouen-Paris

This update is a little bit late, as I’m already out of Paris. Our friends at Info Birmanie hosted me yesterday and we didn’t get back in until late so lets get started.

General consensus says the French are arrogant, but boy do they have something to be arrogant about, what a beautiful country. They seem to do the simple things just right. Take the crème brulee as an example; it’s just custard and burnt sugar! Why can’t anyone else get the burnt sugar part right?!?

What I have learnt in the last few days is the power of Coca Cola. I somehow managed to pierce the tab in my bag and it destroyed my mobile phone. In fact it destroyed nearly everything it touched.

Apart from the coke no other complaints just yet. I’m still feeling good, legs are a little tired but are still doing a fine job. I’m skipping my rest day in Paris, as I’m sure I will be desperate for an extra days rest a little further along the road.

In fact the only thing that slowed me down was roadworks/detour that resulted in further delays in the shape of my first puncture. This is when I learnt possibly the most powerful English sentence in France….. “oh no no, I’m not English, I’m Australian”, and I think the photo accompanying this blog can tell you the outcome. They insisted. Admittedly I didn’t really fight it.

Jonathan (photo) from Info Birmanie took my bike and myself in yesterday, and he was a lovely host. This is where I would like to mention; Not a penny of the money donated to my ride goes towards financing my trip. I am 100% funding this myself, therefore Jonathan's simple gesture is very very appreciated.

All the money raised goes to Burma Campaign UK. It goes towards lobbying governments and persuading those in position of power to do something that will help stop the human rights abuses in Burma.

I’m doing this ride and funding it myself because I believe in the work Burma Campaign UK does.

Jag

Stage 1 – “Get out of England” is now complete.

I was supposed to do a blog update yesterday morning but last minute ‘do I have everything I need’ panic got in the way.

I spent the last weekend on the couch charging up my batteries. Apparently for an athlete, (yep, that's what I was referred to as) that means food, and for someone who loves food that presented no problem at all.

I watched 20 hours of 30 rock to stop myself from stressing about not training at all or even changing my mind.

The first thanks comes here. To Mark (Farmaner) for the light banter in the Burma Campaign office on Monday before I left. Relaxed my nerves and reminded me that rain, hail or shine, Mark is always up for a laugh...at my expense.

Day 1 went by event free although I did learn something already. If the gate is shut and you need to lift your bike over a fence it usually means you can't take your bike there.

So Tuesday morning I have no muscle soreness apart from the muscle in my back I hurt whilst lifting the bike over the fence. Idiot!

I know a few people are concerned about my lack of training, but don't worry so am I. Another thing that concerns me is living out of rooms that look like the navy seals have been looking for Osama.

Just one last thing before I let you get back to whatever it was you were doing.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me in the last few months. The ideas, the occasional pat on the back, just listening to me talk is kindly appreciated. Thanks to those who lent me things I need for the trip, Ray and Donal.

My family, just for worrying about me, it shows me how much you care. Everyone who came to Trafalgar Square to make sure I leave, thanks.

Stephen, while I rolled around on my bike yesterday you spent the day in hospital fixing your ticker. Get well buddy.

I hope I do you proud.

Jag

P.S. Ahhhhh sunny France

Departure Details

Please come along if you wish to see me off.

Place: Trafalgar Square
Date: 12 September
Time: 10am

I hope to see you there.

Getting Ready for the Ride

With only 4 weeks before I leave London I though a quick introduction and update on ‘final preparations’ is in order.

On a weekly basis Mark Farmaner, Director at Burma Campaign UK questions my sanity and wonders why on earth I think riding 2000km across Europe is a good idea. He seems to believe “sponsored lying in bed watching DVD’s” may be a better idea. I have no doubt somewhere along the way I may even agree with him but for now I will stick with cycling.

I’m hoping my bicycle ride will raise money to help Burma Campaign UK continue their fight for human rights in Burma.

I’m riding because I believe the work Burma Campaign UK does will help stop the rape of women by the military in the ethnic areas, help stop the use of child soldiers, help stop the displacement of millions of people and see the release of the political prisoners currently detained throughout Burma.

Before I left Australia and my job I always said if I have more time I would travel and spend more time on my bike. So here I am, about to ride my bike through 26 cities on my way to Prague.

By now I should be nearing ‘final preparation’ stage but I am nowhere near final preparation. I only just bought my bike last week. A few essential items like cycling shoes and clothing are either yet to be purchased or yet to arrive.

Those that know me well have more concerns about me actually leaving on time than arriving to Prague on time. My ability to forget and lose things as well as general confusion will only make this trip more interesting.

So the task for the next few weeks is preparing the bike, putting a few k’s into my legs and getting people to donate.

Jag’s 2000 km Ride For Free Political Prisoners in Burma

In September this year Jag Dojkovski will be riding 2,000 km from London to Prague through Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Hannover and Berlin.  This 2,000km represents 2,000 political prisoners currently detained throughout Burma.

Click here for more information