The Freebird Times - Issue 2

TRAVEL
GO GO DERMO!
Dermot Higgins is aiming to
become the fastest person over
50 to cycle around the globe. He
started his journey in Madrid,
Spain in June 2017 and will spend
an average of eight hours a day
in the saddle. The Freebird Times
caught up with him recently to
find out how the odyssey is going.
What has been the toughest
challenge so far?
There have been so many challenges, physical,
mental and logistical. I’ve been able to overcome
physical and mental barriers simply through
a combination of determination and through
assistance from both strangers and fellow travellers.
Logistical problems are far more difficult to solve. I
knew for some time that obtaining a visa for China
was going to be difficult but I wasn’t prepared for
how difficult. Three days of queues in the Chinese
Embassy were far, far more tortuous than week of
cycling in difficult conditions. Eventually I was
refused entry into China and had to divert to South
East Asia.
What has surprised you the
most?
What surprised me most really has nothing to do
with cycling. When I set off, my sole ambition was
to cycle around the world. Gradually over the past
few months, a strange awakening of up to now
hidden feelings has emerged. I now feel compelled
to share my experiences, the highs and lows and
also my opinions of the people and culture of the
countries I’m traversing. Meeting such a diverse
range of people is the thing I’ve enjoyed the most.
I didn’t expect that people would become such an
important part of the trip. There have been so many
fleeting encounters like the shepherd who gave me
water when I really thought I was going to die of
6 THE FREEBIRD TIMES – ISSUE NO. 2, NOVEMBER 2017