Completed 18,500km from Wales to Boston
850 Days Later and 18,542.4 kilometres across 23 countries and 11 US states, my cycle around the world from Wales to Boston is officially complete.
Yesterday marked Day 850, the final day of my cycle tour around the world, from Wales in the UK to Boston, USA. In total, I covered 18,542.4 kilometers by bike across 23 countries and 11 US states. It is a strange thing to sum up, because over time the trip became about much more than distance or statistics. It just became normal life.
Over the course of the journey, I rode through Wales, England, Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, India, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Australia, and 11 states in the US. Every section was different, with good moments, difficult days, and plenty of things I will remember for a long time.
And there were definitely plenty of challenges.
This was, without question, the hardest thing I have ever done. There were some amazing highs, but also some properly difficult lows. Over those 850 days, I had 23 punctures, went through 6 rims and 2 bicycles. There were times when things went badly wrong too, from having bottles thrown at me and being run off the road in the US, to crashing and ending up in hospital in India. The trip pushed me physically, mentally, and emotionally more than I expected.
I think that is also part of what made it matter.
Travelling the world by bicycle lets you see things at a slower, and more intimate pace. You feel every climb, every headwind, every rough road, and every bit of kindness along the way. There is no shortcut through any of it. You have to get through each day as it comes, and that changes how you experience both the journey and yourself.
Today feels a bit strange. There is sadness in knowing the journey is over. For 850 days, this trip gave shape to my daily life and focus, so it is not easy to let that go. At the same time, I am genuinely excited about what comes next.
I am very grateful to everyone who followed along, sent messages, supported the trip, and donated to the causes I was riding for. It meant a lot, especially on the tougher days.
A few final stats from the journey:
850 days
18,542.4 km cycled
23 countries
11 US states
33 punctures
2 bicycles
6 wheels
1 ambulance ride
1 hospital visit
900 hours consumed of The Tim Dillon Show
The Journey in Full – Live Tracker Provided by TravelMap
My journey began in January 2024 in North Wales, cycling south through Wales and England before crossing the Bay of Biscay by ferry into Northern Spain.
From there, I cycled south through Wales and England before crossing the Bay of Biscay by ferry into northern Spain.
From there I rode across the Basque Country, along the south of France, through Italy and Croatia, and into Eastern Europe, eventually reaching Turkey.
From Turkey, I continued into Asia, cycling through Georgia and across Central Asia via Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. I then flew to India with another cycle tourer I had met on the road. Alongside a few other friends, I rode through parts of India and Nepal before continuing solo into Southeast Asia, cycling through Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
The next leg of the journey took me to Australia, where I rode a 2,000-kilometre winter stretch down the east coast from Brisbane to Melbourne.
After that, I flew to Bangkok for an extended break before heading to Los Angeles to begin the USA section of the trip. Starting in Santa Monica, California, I rode through southern Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado, crossing Monarch Pass before finishing the first section of the US route in Colorado Springs.
From there, I rode roughly 80 kilometres east into the Great Plains before deciding that stretch simply was not for me. Between the relentless headwinds, sub-freezing temperatures, lack of services and accommodation, rumble strips, poor driving, and no cell service, the conditions felt even worse than the desert in Kazakhstan.
So I changed plans. I took the Amtrak from Denver to Chicago, then got back on the bike and rode the rest of the way to Boston through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts.
One of the biggest takeaways from this trip is that, although I originally said the journey would total 35,000 kilometres, the final ridden distance ended up being much lower. Border closures, adverse weather, and certain sections where public transport simply made more sense all played a part. There were also times when I just genuinely did not feel like riding.
I had to remind myself more than once that this was a cycling holiday, not a world record attempt or some do-or-die mission. It was never really about sticking to a strict time or distance target. It was supposed to be enjoyable. If anything, my eyes were bigger than my thighs. I started out with a much bigger distance target in mind, but over time I realised the trip was more about doing something I actually enjoyed than forcing myself to chase a number that probably was not realistic in the first place.
In places like parts of the Uzbek desert or the Great Plains east of Colorado, I was a little disappointed not to ride every single kilometre, but I did not beat myself up about it, because ultimately you have to do what feels right, and you have to enjoy the experience. Otherwise, what is the point?
Either way, I feel like this trip pushed me far beyond my comfort zone, physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially. It also pushed me into situations I never would have experienced otherwise, particularly in places like India. And because of that, I had an incredible time.
Would I do it again? Maybe.
However, if I did, I would do it on a much lighter bicycle with significantly less gear – and also choose smaller segments to do, such as more intentional bike packing routes rather than A-B riding.
Now the trip is over, my focus is now turning to launching a new business I have been ideating over the last six months of this trip. More on that soon — and if you want updates, make sure to follow me on LinkedIn!
My longer-term plan is to bring back WorldByBike in a second project called, you guessed it, WorldByBike 2: but by motorcycle. If I do it, it would probably be on a BMW R1200GSA, maybe following the same route Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman took in Long Way Round. That trip was a big inspiration for this one, and for my interest in adventure travel, motorcycles, and seeing more of the world.
Thank you for being part of the journey!
Ben Clark
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