DERBY TO DERBY

Forty years ago, Jamie Hargreaves’ dad, Phil, along with friends, embarked on an ambitious journey from Derby, England, to Derby, Australia. This doesn’t sound that impressive until you add in that he cycled the entire journey.

Starting from the Assembly Rooms in Derby, he made his way across Europe. His father not only completed the 12,000-mile journey but also became the first person to cycle to Everest Base Camp, this was an incredible inspiration for Jamie who enjoyed his many stories growing up.

Now, following in his father’s cycle tracks, Jamie is taking the same journey, capturing photo recreations of his dad’s trip wherever possible.

So, what’s the route? Jamie has already completed Western Europe, cycling through Belgium, Germany, and Austria, before briefly dipping into Italy. He then crossed into Slovenia and cycled down along the Croatian coast, reaching Dubrovnik. From there, he rode through Montenegro, into Bulgaria, and then across to Istanbul, following Turkey’s coast. His route continued up into Georgia, near the Russian border, and down into Armenia.

The final leg of the journey will take him across India, Thailand, Singapore, before island-hopping to Australia.
This was no last-minute decision. Jamie has been talking about this trip since primary school, where he once told an old school friend, Carl, that he would ride to Australia. Years later, here we are, writing about it!

With a love for ice cream and chocolate milk, Jamie is already well on his way to completing this epic adventure. The world has changed since his dad’s journey 40 years ago, and Jamie’s faced hundreds of miles of tarmac, gravel, and dirt. But his adventure is truly underway.

Starting from the Assembly Rooms in Derby in May 2024, Jamie rode to Repton, the old capital of Mercia, taking a moment to see where Mercian kings were buried. For those unfamiliar with Mercian Cycles, this heritage inspired our brand name.

Riding down from Birmingham to Oxford on a hand-built Mercian bike, Jamie had his first mechanical issues with a mudguard and later a broken pannier. However, as Jamie put it, “no tears were shed!” He was more disappointed by the litter in Britain than by the rough nights sleeping outside and mechanical setbacks at the beginning of his journey.

Entering Belgium, Jamie jokes that the country felt like one huge flat field. Having ridden the Amstel Gold sportive, I beg to differ! After a sleepless night in a Brussels hostel due to a snoring roommate, he continued into Germany. There, he visited the family his father had met on his journey, staying at the same farmhouse. Though the man his father knew had passed, a family member welcomed Jamie, recreating a photo with him as a tribute.

In Germany, Jamie started making new friends, both human and animal. He developed a fondness for pretzels, which became a breakfast staple alongside his favourite treats, ice cream and chocolate milk. On Day 19, a minor setback struck when he hit a curb, damaging his wheel, turning into a pringle! The damage meant he had to walk 2 km to get it fixed. Sheltering from the rain, he commented that a stale sandwich was “very much not the one.”

Battling extreme flooding, Jamie showed resilience, helping locals protect homes with sandbags and even rescuing a mouse he named Jerry from the waters.

In Munich, Jamie donned his “cheese Boonie” hat. He stopped to climb a bridge—climbing being another passion Jamie has pursued from a young age. Though he got rained on frequently, he embraced the challenge, saying, “We don’t do things because they’re easy; we do them because they’re hard.” After his first crash and a possible broken hand, an X-ray showed he was luckily only bruised. His response: “We’re built tough in the North; no little injury will stop me.”

Arriving in Slovenia and Croatia, Jamie was awestruck by the landscape, describing it as “straight out of an Avatar movie.” He was thrilled to find Jaffa Cakes and discovered that Crocs make for great storage! A bit late to the party, Jamie introduced a new feature called “Ramblings of a Mad Man,” where he answers his followers’ questions. Addressing his choice to camp rather than stay in hotels, Jamie explained that it keeps costs low and makes the experience memorable: “You won’t remember every comfy night in a hotel.”

In Bosnia and Montenegro, Jamie met kind locals who let him stay in their gardens and homes, treating him to home-cooked meals. Not all resting places were as welcoming, though; one night, he camped near a dead dog, battling giant mosquitos.

After crossing into Serbia and Kosovo, Jamie made a “doggo friend” and nearly got locked in a pub overnight. Personally, I can think of worse places to be locked in! Onward to Bulgaria, he stopped the traffic to let a hedgehog pass and recreated some of his dad’s photos.

In Turkey, Jamie made new friends, including a cat named Clarence and dogs Gerald and Zelda. He also connected with Malachi (@malachi_cycles), a fellow cyclist headed to Australia, sparking a new friendship.

Reaching Georgia, Jamie scaled another bridge, only to have a significant crash into the back of a van, resulting in minor injuries. Ever resilient, he asked the van driver for a lift to the next town. In return for the lift Jamie moved a forest of wood from van to van. Taking time to rest the legs Jamie settled into a hostel in Tbilisi.

Now, onto the bike. After having multiple crashes myself the first question I often get is: “How’s the bike?” In relation to Jamie’s, this time, not great—the top and down tubes were beyond repair. After a quick call to the Mercian support crew and a quick search through our stock of Mercian frames we found a suitable replacement. Luckily, Phil, Jamie’s dad, had planned to visit him. He popped down to Mercian HQ where we gave him a goodie bag, a new frame and wished him a safe journey and all our best to Jamie. With the “Black Pearl” assembled, Jamie was back on track.

Entering Russia, Jamie joked about the “land of bears and vodka.” The desert brought headwinds, sandstorms, and endless emptiness. In Kazakhstan, he found a cow’s skull, named it Bettie, and strapped it to his bike until it started to munch through his bag. After a relentless couple of days Team Mercian put Jamie up in a hotel where he got a well-deserved wash, some decent food, and a chance to relax with a few beers.

After breakfasting on pie and cycling back into the desert, Jamie’s friend Drogos, one of the trio was unfortunately hit by a truck. Drogos sustained a broken collarbone and couldn’t therefore continue; it was a heartfelt goodbye with a man down.

Soon after, another friend Ben joined the team in Uzbekistan, forming a new trio. Fuelled by a dubious energy drink and a can of horse meat, they pressed on through the emptiness.

Jamie’s journey continues. We will update you once he finishes and hopefully get a follow up story. You can follow his journey on instagram FOLLOW JAMIE Help us to support Jamie, hit the link in his bio and donate a brew or a beer!

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