About

Who we are

We met first through mutual friends and our universities officer training corps and soon formed a close friendship through a shared passion for adventure and hardship.”

Rory Johnson (left)

Rory grew up in Hampshire, attending Canford School in Dorset. He has a background in rowing and team sports. In 2020 he started a history degree at the University of Nottingham while continuing Rowing. He was a member of the UOTC.

Johannes March Ludick (right)

Johannes is of South African heritage but grew up in Dorset and studied at LeAF School in Bournemouth. He has a background in team sports and Rugby. In 2019 he began a Material Science and Engineering Degree at Loughborough University and continued playing Rugby. He was a member of the UOTC.

The idea

Having both been brought up in the South of England’s countryside, we shared passions for the outdoors. We also both loved cycling and saw it as a way to explore and challenge one selves. It, moreover, soon became a way to challenge each another and stay fit for our respective university sports teams. Soon our competitive instincts broadened to arduous camping challenges, and we began testing ourselves in Peak District storms, equipped only with our trusty bivvy bags. As we endeavoured to push each other further the genesis, of a Silk Road style expedition began to take shape.

With a shared interest in the Bike Packing scene our attention had been peaked by Josh Reid’s Shanghai to London Cycle and we began thinking more deeply about the idea of our own Silk Road style  cycle. Rory found that his interest in history and understanding of trading routes peaked his interest, while we both enjoyed dissecting Rory Stewart’s tales of his central Asian journeys in his book: The Places In-Between.

In August ‘22 we were set and begun planning our expedition with an ambition to fly to China in August ’23. This posed inherent challenges as we attempted to balance our final year university studies with the planning of a mammoth expedition.