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SAM READY TO TACKLE JOURNEY ON ONE WHEEL

By Ben Murch
483 words
11 August 2005
Bath Chronicle
default
20
English
(c) 2005 Bath Newspapers Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

For most normal people, the thought of riding a bicycle from Land's End
to John O'Groats would be a daunting enough prospect in itself.

But when computer science student Sam Wakeling joins five fellow
students on the 960- mile journey next month, he will be struggling not
only to keep up his stamina, but keep his balance.

The 20-year-old, who lives in Batheaston, has taken the unusual decision
to try to complete the mammoth journey by unicycle.

He said: "Unicyclists don't like to be seen as clowns, but it is hard to
take yourself too seriously when you are on one.

"I unicycle to work every morning and a lot of people laugh at me, but
it is my main method of transport and it is good fun."

Mr Wakeling, who is a student at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth,
is taking part to raise money for Christian international relief and
development charity Tearfund, a partner in the Make Poverty History
campaign.

He expects to complete the trek in just 23 days, at the end of which he
will have pedalled his unicycle wheel through 671,864 revolutions.

Although his friends will race past him on their bikes downhill, Mr
Wakeling said that going uphill was actually easier on a unicycle and
that he believed that he would have no problems keeping up with the
group.

He said: "I have got to pedal a lot more than the others and it is very
tiring going downhill, so it will be quite tough. But I'm really looking
forward to it.

"I want to use this event to raise support for Tearfund because it does
so much vital and life-changing work, tackling the hugely important
problems of poverty around the world.

"It also rapidly responds to disaster situations such as the crises in
Niger, Darfur and the tsunami in South East Asia, and is one of the 11
charities that make up the Disasters Emergency Committee."

Mr Wakeling and his friends will start their trip on Tuesday, August 30,
and plan to reach John O'Groats by Wednesday, September 21.

They will stay at campsites, youth hostels and with Tearfund supporters
along the way.

Tearfund works through local churches and Christian organisations to
improve the lives of people living in the world's poorest communities.


For more details, visit the website at www.tearfund.org .

For news, route details and information on Mr Wakeling's unicycle
journey, log on to the students' website at www.End toEnd.tk.

Anyone who wants to sponsor the cyclists should call Mr Wakeling on
852987.


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