london capetown youngest ever?
 

yo all welcome to my second thread, am planning this trip and had loads of questions but this site is so awesome i just havent needed to ask any. im currently planning on my own as i have no one to ride with and this got me thinking, what is the youngest person to do a solo, unsupported bike trip from the uk to capetown. im 24, and plan to leave next year, anyone here know of someone under 25 whos done it?

my regards

go big or go home

I don't know off the top of my head, but I can almost guarantee the youngest is younger than 25. But who knows, I could be wrong. I guess going solo at a young age isn't as common.

I'm sure there are plenty, including myself - I did it back in '78 on an RD350 across the Sahara when I was 23.

And my girlfriend sat on the back of my XTZ750 all the way down to Cape Town a few years back and she was 24 at the time :scooter:

If age matters ,I met a guy in Dawson City ,Yukon last year who was riding RTW ,he was 19 yrs old .

I rode lands end to john o'groats (on a bicycle) when i was 15 ;p
well..it was special for me ;p it's special no matter the age, just do it and don't worry about the age.

thanks for the replies guys. was just throwing it out there really. certainly knocked me down a peg or two, and of course age doesnt matter, im just doing it for the crack, but round the world at 19! thats damn impressive, fair play to that man. At least if i do go solo, its reassuring to know people alot younger than me have done it on their own thanks again all

It is an interesting observation though. Most people who do big bike trips are 30 and up. Average(mean) age is surely going to be somewhere in the late 30s at the youngest?

I did my first European bike trip when I was 19. Last years trip was to mongolia and back, age 23.


There is an obvious logic that older people have more money to spend through savings or higher salaries. Or maybe that they've lived long enough to realise that money doesn't matter so they're more willing to spend everything they've got traveling. However surely young men (in particular) are meant to be all about seeking thrills and adventure? What's happened to the 'spunk' of the youth of today?

Sorry mate, you aint the youngest by far !

Still, it's a great adventure all the same ! I'm off there this year too :)

Yes, that is certainly special, especially for a 15 year old

I was 24 when I left (25 when I got there!)

Oh just read the thread properly...I wasn't completely solo, travelled with 2 guys for the middle half after bumping into them in Mauritania. Tried to escape them for ages though ;) (only joking Dan & Ed)!

did that trip b4 joining the army in 1982 age 17 and would do it again but not on a cb400 wet dream/superdream... Those were the days you could go to somalia. It was a loverly country than and will be again one day.... Still have the cb400 so cant be that bad a bike, bloody cam chain a pain to replace......

Total respect to you !!

When I was 17, all I thought of was boobies and beer and a week in Spain.

STill did it but put some colour into my life....... saw many different colour boooooooooobiiiieeessssssssssss and other bits (also played with them) sorry at my age it still makes me smile... Why do kids these days have no get up and go????... we should have apge just for us over 40s to have a giggle at the crap and fun and the stupid things we did on bikes b4 we all became P.C. ( BRING BACK BSH ISSUE 1).

Will ask only one question and it is :- Do we ever grow up???? my answer is :- why and where has the scaletrics gone????? ;-)

Good to see nothing's changed Ted

No, I won't have this!!! There are kids barely out of nappies sailing around the world, climbing mountains, trekking here there and everywhere, volunteering, raising fortunes for charity etc.etc. ....and never mind the piles of schoolwork and uni stuff they have to get through, exams all the time.........and then a massive debt to start out on adulthood with. It's way too easy to say "the youth of today" whilst sucking air in through your teeth and shaking your head.

There always have been lazy so-and-so's.....great........it means there is less of a crowd when we go travelling. But don't knock "the youth of today" too easily.

Mike

Although , now its just boobies and beer and 6 months in Africa :rofl:

Have nothing against the youth of today, as my son is at uni and has some depts, works, and travels. But there are more that only travel via google earth. The problem as far as I can see is playstation, xbox, and a goverment and press that will only put bad news out as this is all that sells papers.. My youngest son is in the non get up and go catagory, but he is only 16 and does the above. ie xbox, msn, facebook ect... onthe plus side he does want to travel eventually...... I hope he does and not get stuck in the rut of work, get drunk go to sleep, shag, back to work for 2 weeks in spain.......

Personally all kids between 16 and 21 sould spend at least 12 months out and travel around the world b4 they get into that rut.. IT should be law that you must travel b4 or during uni so they can see that the news is not all bad