Singaporean, 63, cycles 35,000km through Africa, China and South-east Asia

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SINGAPORE - Trains, buses, cars, campervans. These are faster ways to travel overland, but cycling is Mr Teo Chuen Hoon's transport of choice to see the world.

 

To him, it is "the right speed" to appreciate his surroundings and get to know the locals.

 

"People seem to respect cyclists. They ask why we are choosing such a hard way to travel, but they know we leave minimal impact and are not here to damage the environment," says the 63-year-old founder of a company that designs and builds factory automation equipment.

 

Since 2012, he has been on several long-distance biking expeditions across Africa, China and South-east Asia, covering a total distance of 35,000km.

 

Circumnavigating the Earth, or journeying across the planet in a perfect circle at its widest point, is a journey of about 40,000km.

 

In 2016, Mr Teo upped his game and embarked on unsupported trips. For such rides, cyclists carry their own food and equipment, which includes tents, cooking gear, repair kits and drinking water. Each person bears a load of about 30kg.

 

On supported bicycle tours, cyclists are accompanied by vehicles that transport their gear.

 

Mr Teo has done 15 unsupported trips - half of them solo and the rest with friends.

 

He got hooked on long-distance touring after a group cycling tour from Lhasa in Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal, 10 years ago.

 

That taste kept him going back for more. In the next few years, he took part in more group tours, cycling through places such as Hokkaido in Japan, Provence in France, and Yunnan and Guizhou in China.

 

It was during the trip in China that he met retiree Chur Soo Sia, 60. They became fast friends and cycling buddies - a bond that was solidified in 2016 on their first unsupported ride from Singapore to Phuket.

 

Cycling was his lifeline

 

That 15-day trip was a refuge for Mr Teo, who had divorced that same year. "Cycling helped clear my head," says the father of two sons aged 30 and 20.

 

Looking back, he believes he went through depression, although this was not medically diagnosed as he did not seek treatment. "My friends know I'm stubborn," he says. "I just wanted to ride."

 

And ride he did. After reaching Phuket, he wanted to keep going - to see how far his legs and two wheels could take him.

 

So he made three more trips that year - cycling from Phuket to Hanoi, Hanoi to Chengdu, and Chengdu to Beijing. Most of this was done solo, though Mr Chur joined him for a 400km stretch in between.

 

Each trip took about a month. In between, he returned to Singapore to regroup and keep an eye on his business.

 

But his divorce - the details of which he asks to keep private out of respect for his family - left him untethered.

 

So he kept going. In 2017, to escape the loneliness during Chinese New Year, he decamped to Sri Lanka by himself and cycled around the island.

 

That year, he also embarked on a 22-day expedition from Beijing to the Russian border in China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region with three cycling buddies, including Mr Chur.

 

Dealing with difficult situations in these remote destinations renewed Mr Teo's self-confidence.

 

In Inner Mongolia, the group encountered a stretch of grasslands so remote, it was not depicted on the physical maps the members carried. They had to rely on a compass to make their way in the general direction of the next village.

 

On that same trip, the cyclists battled a sandstorm and headwinds so strong that even on a downhill course, they were going at only about 8kmh - the speed of a slow jog.

 

Some mornings and evenings, they cycled in biting winds and temperatures of about 4 deg C.

 

One of the friends on the trip, Mr Tan Chin Wee, 51, head of lifestyle product for a company in the corrugated industry, recalls: "These are weather and circumstances you never find in Singapore. You feel so helpless and don't know if you will reach your destination."

 

They did not speak during the tough rides, each focused on surviving the obstacles. But once they made it to their destination, the high was palpable.

 

Mr Teo has also overcome his fair share of sketchy situations alone. In 2018, he made multiple solo trips through parts of Africa, including Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Africa and Botswana.

 

In Botswana, his route included a 300km stretch of land where wild animals roamed. Locals advised him to move only in the day, when animals were unlikely to be on the hunt, and he made it across safely.

 

"Cycling made me realise that I did not have to fear, as I could overcome anything," he says.

 

Adventure time

 

He describes beautiful moments too - passing herds of giraffes, zebras and oryx in the African grasslands, and unlearning perceptions of the continent as a rough and dangerous one.

 

The gorgeous but lung-busting mountainous terrain between Lanzhou and Chengdu in China was conquered with most of the journey at an altitude of more than 2,500m.

 

The trip, which he undertook with the same three friends in 2019, allowed them to experience three distinct cultures - the Hui people of Lanzhou, who are Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam; Tibetan Buddhism in Sichuan province; and Chinese Buddhism in Sichuan's capital, Chengdu.

 

And a three-week trip in Namibia with Mr Tan in June this year took them to the otherworldly Skeleton Coast, known for the shipwrecks and whale skeletons that litter the shore.

 

Cycling has also improved Mr Teo's relationship with his younger son. In 2019, the duo cycled from Ho Chi Minh City to Bangkok over 12 days, closing the gap that had grown between them after Mr Teo's marriage broke down.

 

"Every night we stayed together was a chance to talk, bond and understand each other better," says Mr Teo, who hopes to take another trip with his son after he completes national service.

 

He has since remarried. His wife, 44, owns an engineering company.

 

Leading tours

 

Seeing the world on two wheels, Mr Teo says, can be fairly affordable.

 

In China and South-east Asia, food and simple lodging can be had for about $10 to $20 a day. In Africa, outside of big cities, it is a little pricier - up to $100 a day for a stay at a guest house, which usually comes with meals. But this is still cheaper than safari tours, which can set one back by thousands of dollars for a week-long jaunt.

 

Mr Teo, who collects maps as a hobby and is good with navigation, usually plans the routes.

 

Mr Quah Bok Zhi Qiang, 50, who rounds up the quartet of cycling buddies, is an aircraft technician and handy bike mechanic. The group is so well-oiled and the members' roles are so well-defined that they have turned down multiple requests from other cyclists to join their trips.

 

To cater to such enthusiasts, Mr Teo and Mr Chur founded My Bike Group in 2015, an interest group that organises rides in Singapore and overseas. These include trips to Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

 

Their most popular tour is a two-day one from Singapore to Melaka, where participants cycle there, spend the night and are bussed home the next day. It costs $300, which Mr Teo estimates is $100 cheaper than similar commercial tours.

 

Keen to sign up? Get to know the group first. Slots for overseas tours are limited and by invitation only, which Mr Teo says is to ensure that participants have the required cycling ability.

 

But the pace is relaxed and the community friendly, he adds, with participants ranging from 18- to 78-year-olds.

 

He hopes these tours will reduce the barrier to entry for those interested in bike touring.

 

And while his trips have motivated many, he, too, is inspired by other cyclists he meets on the road, such as Europeans who are travelling for six to 24 months at a stretch.

 

He says: "As Singaporeans, our perception is to save first and travel upon retirement. But you don't have to wait until then. Just take the first step, a short trip in the region and learn more along the way."

 

• Follow Mr Teo's adventures at facebook.com/chuenhoon.teo, or check out My Bike Group at meetup.com/my-bike-group
• This is the first instalment of Bucket List, a new series on epic journeys.

 

 

Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.

 

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