Half the word in 377 days

Fayis Asraf Ali plans to cover 35 countries on bycycle

On the forthcoming Independence Day, Fayis Asraf Ali is setting out on a journey to London. But he may not reach his destination even on the next Independence Day. The 34-year-old native of Kozhikode is planning to traverse across half the world on a bicycle, covering 35 countries, 20,000 km in an estimated 377 days.

Fayis will set out from Thiruvananthapuram on August 15 and will ride to Mumbai, from where he will fly to Oman. The real expedition will begin from Oman.

He will travel through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Georgia, Armenia and Turkey to enter Europe. He will then pass through Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. “We did not get travel permit from Pakistan and China and, hence, had to avoid these countries,” says Fayis.

His plan is to cover at least 100 km a day. He may have to halt at some places for practical reasons and, hence, requires so many days to complete the trip.

Fayis announced his trip on the occasion of International Bicycle day on June 3. The theme of his trip is ‘Heart connects to heart’ in honour of his father, who passed away due to cardiac ailments. “I want to convey the importance of a healthy heart to one and all,” he says.

The trip is being organised under the banner of Eco-wheelers India, his riding group, and is supported by the Kozhikode-based One India Kite team. However, he is looking out for appropriate sponsorship.  

Fayis claims to hold the record for the maximum distance covered on bicycle by a Keralite. He covered 8,000 km during his trip to Singapore in 2019, covering seven countries in 104 days.