Ride around the world with "Janapar"

Do you ever tire of the same old commute?  Are London's roads hemming you in?  Do the same routes - ridden over and over - sometimes leave you wishing you could strap on your panniers, pack your map and head on out for the open road and just keep riding?  That's exactly what cyclist-turned-adventurer Tom Allen did when he set off from the UK for a round-the-world trip on his bicycle, with less of a fixed itinerary in mind and more of a longing for the open road and adventure.



The feature-length documentary Janapar is the result of Tom's adventure and tells the story of love on the open road; of what happens when you set off to embrace adventure and when an unexpected and chance encounter with love stops you in your tracks.  Three and a half years after cycling out of his village in England, Tom returned home having ridden across Europe, down to the horn of Africa, across the deserts of the Middle East, free-wheeled across Iran, through the coldest Eastern European winter in decades, back to England... ..and with the addition of a wife.

I met Tom in Taiwan last year and spent the week traveling that amazing cycling country with him, and was inspired by his tenacity and thirst for adventure, coupled with his sense of determination to make it happen and to cut his own path in life.  His story is an inspiration to any would-be traveler, and just the tonic for all armchair-adventurers sitting out the winter.  Stunningly shot and full of arresting visuals, this engaging story transports and transforms.

IMG_7864
Tom's (Tall) Bike Trip, Taiwan 2012

A special charity screening of Janapar takes place at the RichMix Cinema and Cultural Centre in Bethnal Green TOMORROW NIGHT on Tuesday 19th February, followed by a Q&A with Tom and his producer James Newton.  Doors open at 6PM, and tickets cost £10 on the door with all proceeds going to the National Pro Bono Centre.

If you're lusting for a taste of adventure and inspiration to banish the winter cycling blues, or want your heart warmed by a tale of love - on a bicycle - then Janapar is for you.  See some of you there!

Visit Tom's Bike Trip to hear about Tom Allen's continuing cycling adventures, and visit the Janapar website to order a copy of the film and the book for yourself.

Share |

No comments: