My name is Tom Bruce, I'm 26 and in March 2011, I set off from my home in Peckforton, Cheshire, England, to cycle unsupported around the world. My route took me from my front door in Cheshire, across France then along the Danube River through Europe. I cycled through Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan to the Caspian Sea, which I crossed on a Ferry to Kazakhstan. A long crossing of the Kazakh desert brought me to Uzbekistan then I cycled the high altitude Pamir Highway in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.

I spent two months crossing China with my cousin Phil then two months crossing the Southern States of the USA.

On the way, I spent nights in people’s houses all over the world, slept in Yurts, camped with nomads, ate amazing food ranging from Tibetan stew to alligator meat, drunk homemade Georgian wine, was given clothes, partied with Kazakhs on the Caspian Sea ferry, saw photos of USSR soldiers in front of statues of Lenin, saw Stalin’s house, cycled through barren and sweltering deserts and over huge mountains, was treated for free by a Tajik Pamiri doctor and cycled with locals and old friends. My adventure was not a race around the world, nor an attempt to break a record. It was completed for the love of traveling and cycling so I had time to take detours through many beautiful parts of the world that are off the beaten track and to visit the places that I wanted to see.

I wanted the most reliable and robust bike that I could get. The remote desert and mountain crossings that I completed required my bike to be as reliable as possible as any large mechanical problem could have been catastrophic. That is why I opted for a Rohloff SPEEDHUB and the decision paid off. Not only did it require very little maintenance, I received excellent support from Rohloff throughout my trip and I am still using the hub today on the same bike, which I am now using as a mountain bike. I would recommend the SPEEDHUB as by far the best gearing option for anybody considering a long bike tour in the future.

For more information about my ride please visit my website atwww.tombrucecycling.com. I will be releasing a book in the near future and release information will be kept up to date on my website. You can read more about the ride at my website and also in the following articles: