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June 6, 2006
HUMAN POWERED CIRCUMNAVIGATION DEPARTS ON SE ASIA LEG
Jason Lewis is set continue his 13-year marathon to circumnavigate the world using only human power from Singapore this Tuesday, June 6th 2006.
• Venue: SAF Yacht Club, Changi Clubhouse, 110 Tanah Merah Coast Rd, Singapore 498800. T: 6389 3750. Website: www.safyc.org.sg
• Directions: see additional document attached
• Timings: 9 - 10a.m. Pre-arranged press interviews (please contact Izaeel Koh ahead of time – see contacts details below)
10 - 10.30a.m. Short multimedia presentation of expedition through SE Asia and thanks to sponsors, followed by Q+A
10.30 – 11a.m. Photo call
11 – 11.15a.m. Tracey Tan (SAFYC Sea Sports Manager to present SAFYC burgee to Jason Lewis
Lewis, a 38-year-old Briton will travel northward through SE Asia into China. He will then hike over the Himalayas to India before cycling to Bombay. He will be accompanied on this leg of his journey, dubbed ‘Expedition 360’, by several team members who will join for shorter sections en route. The 7,000 mile route is expected take up to five months.
Lewis arrived in Singapore from Indonesia last November, having spent several months traversing the archipelago by kayak and on bicycle. He has completed an astonishing 35,000 miles under his own steam since departing London over 11 years ago.
In that time he has fended off the attentions of whales and crocodiles, caught malaria and been run over – almost losing both legs in the process. He has also worked his passage, from cattle droving in Colorado to working in a funeral parlour in Australia.
The expedition is expected to be completed by summer next year. The final leg will be a 2,200-mile crossing of the Indian Ocean to Djibouti on the horn of Africa. The adventure will then continue through Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, the Middle East and finally Europe to finish at Greenwich in London.
During the SE Asia leg Lewis is inviting young people from each major city and region to bike with the team for a few days at a time. Using wireless laptops these international ambassadors will create links to youngsters in other countries via video, photo and text blogs on the expedition website, partly through the support of Aberdeen Asset Management Asia.
The team also plans to visit schools en route in conjunction with UNESCO's (United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization) Associated Schools' Network. The aim of these educational activities is to use the expedition as a vehicle to promote qualities of international understanding, awareness and tolerance amongst people of different cultures.
Said Lewis, “This leg promises to be among the most exciting and certainly best organised. We have had tremendous backing from Aberdeen, and this will allow more people to participate. After so many years on the road, the chance to communicate a sense of the possible, especially to young children, is what makes 360 meaningful.”
Hugh Young, MD of Aberdeen Asia commented, “Jason is a longstanding friend. We greatly admire his combination of grit and enthusiasm, which make him an inspirational ambassador, and we’re delighted to be associated with this leg of his journey.”
**BACKGROUND**
Since departing the Greenwich Meridian Line in 1994, Jason Lewis has traveled 35,000 miles – three quarters of the way around the planet - without wind or motor assistance -- pedaling a one-of-a-kind pedal boat ('Moksha', meaning liberation in Sanskrit) across the world's oceans, bicycling and rollerblading over land. On August 18th 2000, Lewis became the first in history to pedal across the Pacific Ocean from San Francisco in the US to Port Douglas, Australia - 178 days and 8,000 nautical miles. In 1994, original pedaling partner Stevie Smith and Lewis completed the first East-West crossing of the Atlantic by pedal power, and a year later Lewis completed the first unsupported crossing of the USA on roller blades.
**SPONSORS**
In addition to key support from Aberdeen Asset Management, the forthcoming leg of the expedition is being greatly assisted Schenker Singapore who are providing logistics solutions support, including shipping the pedal boat from Singapore to Mumbai ready for Lewis to pedal to Djibouti in East Africa early next year.
Schenker is a leading international provider of integrated logistics services; providing land operations, worldwide air and sea freight, and all associated logistics services. Henry Woo, Deputy General Manager for Schenker Seafreight and Project commented, 'In our project department we limit the impossible. Jason has the same attitude towards circumnavigating the world by human power’.
The SAF Yacht Club have also provided storage for Jason’s pedal boat during the forthcoming overland leg. Moksha will be used again to pedal from Mumbai to Djibouti in East Africa from January to February 2007.
Other support from –
- McMurdo UK has loaned the use of one Fastfind Personal Locator Beacons (PLB).
- Clifbar are providing sports bars and other nutitional product support
- Curious Software is providing high quality professional information graphics for use in the video exchange program and other educational media projects.
- Akimbo, the first fully functioning marriage of TV and the Internet, is providing general support and assistance.
- Map Resources are providing online maps.
**INTERVIEWS** IMAGES ** TV NEWS FOOTAGE
Visit the Press Room on the x360 website for past press clippings, streaming video clips and photos -
http://www.expedition360.com/press_room/home.htm
Hi-res archive images are available online -
http://homepage.mac.com/expedition360/
Please contact us for a password.
Press Contact –
Izaeel Koh
T: 6389 3756
HP: 90125427
E: izaeel@safyc.org.sg
**DAILY UPDATES**
Regular updates and archived journals from this leg can be read from here.
http://www.expedition360.com/journal/
Or you can find the link off the expedition360.com homepage
http://www.expedition360.com
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Posted by jason at 11:49 AM