| London - The Epic team arrives! Wednesday, 14th November 2007 I am writing to complete the final task given to the chronicler of the Epic Scooters Pizza Delivery. This report puts a final and well deserved cross over the city of London, on our web site map. More than 2 weeks have passed since our tumultuous arrival in the British capital and our triumphant delivery of the final pizza to the South African High Commission in Trafalgar square. 13 countries, 16,100 km and 39 days since our departure from Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg, we wrestled our steeds through London traffic like Knights returning from the crusades and made our final entry onto Tower Bridge with the biggest grins lighting up our helmets. The sight of our families waiting to great us at the entrance of Tower Bridge Hotel was a release from the relentless focus of the Epic Delivery that made us all feel giddy. We had done it ! Nobody was more surprised than we were. We had clinched an official world record for the longest pizza delivery by land (sure it may be one of the silliest records around but it’s our record !) and unofficially, we had made the Trans-Africa crossing in the fastest time that we were aware of. Four amateurs, four trusty (most of the time) motor bikes, four long suffering and tolerant families and an army of great people and willing sponsors that had supported the planning and execution of the trip in every shape and form. The high’s, lows, hardships and pleasures of the previous 39 days were washed into a jolly glow by the first draft beer that appeared on the scene. Photographers, TV cameras and admirers confirmed that we were indeed celebrities for the next 20 minutes and that somebody appreciated just how chuffed we were with ourselves for having made it. This trip is one of those experiences that gets better and better in the retelling. Certainly I don’t think many people, stopped halfway through an ultra-marathon, would be telling you how clever they were to have embarked on this lunacy and what a rollicking good time they were having metabolizing their own calf muscles. I suspect that this trip is a bit like that. A monumental challenge at the time but will make for a great story as the memory of the hardships fade and the pleasures come to the fore. Thank you to everybody that made this trip possible, thank you to our families for letting us go and most of all thank you to my three mates (yes, Luigi, you have been demoted from Godfather to mate) that stuck through this adventure and pulled his weight each in his own way to make the sloppy kiss from my wife, on Tower Bridge, possible. In the words of John Smit, our fearless Springbok captain, when we delivered our pizza to the Boks in Marseilles, “We are certainly going to dominate upfront with the Pub stories for a while”. This is the chronicler of the Epic Scooters Pizza Delivery signing out for the last time, good night and good luck ! |
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At 04:37:05 PM on 18/11/07, (Anonymous) wrote:
You made it!! I have been waiting for the final chapter and now I can close this fantastic book. Well done guys.... as I said before it was great to meet you all in Nairobi and if you’re in town again we must catch up to hear your stories.
Regards Ian
At 02:26:47 PM on 21/11/07, (Anonymous) wrote:
Ian!!!! i was looking at some of those photos with you. Whats your e-mail address so that I can mail you some of them?
At 02:33:29 PM on 27/11/07, (Anonymous) wrote:
Hi mate it would be great if you could send the pic's to me, my email address is rowei320i@yahoo.co.uk many thanks Ian
At 10:38:11 PM on 28/11/07, (Anonymous) wrote:
unbelievable journey. sincere congratulations. you put ewan and charlie to shame ;)
At 12:10:46 PM on 16/04/08, (Anonymous) wrote:
Hi Guys, Hope you're all well. I was trying to get your contacts because Mike from BMW Kenya has given me a bag of yours to pass on. Please get in touch. cheers, Ian (planning anymore bike trip?)
