Welsh scooterist, Jason Ude set off last night for a gruelling 4,000-mile ride from Barry in South Wales to Istanbul, Turkey.
53-year-old Jason is doing the trip on his old Vespa GTS 250, which, in theory, makes this trip less worrying. However, he’s set himself the daunting task of completing the return journey over just eight riding days!
After leaving Barry at 5 pm yesterday he rode 240 miles to Dover for his ferry crossing. He landed in France at 4 am and his first day abroad (Monday 1st July) will see him riding from Calais to Stuttgart… 465 miles in one day.
The Bosporus Strait separates Europe and Asia
Strait to Asia
It doesn’t get any easier for our intrepid traveller. On Tuesday he’s planned a 487-mile blast to Zagreb, Croatia, followed by a similar ride to Sofia in Bulgaria on Wednesday. Then he’ll have a steady 344-mile day to get to his final destination in Istanbul. Jason has treated himself to a two-night break there before the return journey on Saturday, the 6th July.
10-countries
His trip will take him through Wales, England, France, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey. Istanbul is on the Asian side of the Bosporus Strait which forms one of the boundaries between Europe and Asia.
In previous years Jason has completed various charity rides, including his “Three Nation Capital Scooter Ride” where he rode from Cardiff to London, then to Edinburgh and back home again – 1000 miles in less than 24 hours. He’s also done a 1366-mile ride to John O’Groats and back in 36 hours, so he’s used to spending time in the saddle and says his previous trips have been part of his training for this big adventure.
UK European Asian Charity Scooter Ride
Talking about his latest endeavour, the rather catchily titled, ‘UK European Asian Charity Scooter Ride’, Jason said “I never like to be overconfident in anything that I do but everyone needs to have a little bit when taking on a task, no matter what. I am pretty confident that I can do this.”
British Heart Foundation
Jason will be raising funds for the BHF this year via Facebook donations on the event’s Facebook page.
Sponsors
ScooterLab has paid a good chunk towards Jason’s fuel costs and we wish him a safe, trouble-free trip.
He’s also being supported by Crusader Promotions Manchester & Devon, O’Neill Signs Runcorn, JSM Management Services Cardiff, Mal’s Airbrush Shop Cardiff, Glevum Stax Scooter Club, Damsels in Distress Scooter Club, Olympics Scooter Club, Vale Scooter Club, Lambretta Club of Wales.
