For most of us, cycling 90 kilometres in a day would seem like a major achievement, but for 18-year-old George Malcolm, it's just another day on his 18-month journey home.
Cycling back to Nelson from York, England, his journey will see him ride through roughly 30 countries, raising money for Qhubeka, a charity that provides bicycles to children in South Africa, helping them travel to school faster and more safely.
The former Waimea College student admitted he didn’t spend much time planning his adventure.
"The trip was too long to plan everything in detail, and I only did one practice ride around Marlborough," George says.
But he knew he wanted to start in York, where he was born and half of his family still lives, and end in the place he now calls home, wanting to challenge himself by travelling through places many people would never consider visiting.
Currently in Kazakhstan, George is cycling between 100 and 130 kms each day because of the vast distances between towns in the desert, significantly increasing his daily mileage.
Like any adventure, his journey has included some tough moments; when he was in Spain, severe weather forced him to spend the night sleeping in a culvert during a storm.
"It was one of the worst nights of my life because I was cold, hungry, thirsty and tired. I love looking back at it though because now I know never to do that again."
While in Salgueiro, Portugal, he realised the true scale of his adventure, standing at the furthest point from his home in Richmond.
“That felt like the real beginning of the trip,” he admitted, despite Turkey making the biggest impression on him.
Being offered tea countless times a day and being treated well in places such as Gallipoli, George found the locals to be “the kindest people I’ve ever met”.
He enjoyed some amazing food, “essentially living off kebabs and ice cream while crossing the country.”
With about a year left to go on his travels, George has already reached almost three quarter of his $5,000 fundraising goal and has attracted almost two thousand followers on his dedicated social media account.
People can follow his journey on Instagram at @big.bike.ride, and donate to Qhubeka through the link in his bio or by visiting www.givengain.com/project/george-raising-funds-for-qhubeka-charity-115651
