Steph Jeavons - Round The World Trip - Solo On A Bike

What were you doing on Sunday 23rd March? I was riding my mountain bike around Shipley Glen and then went for a pint and a pub roast. Steph Jeavons, by contrast, was being waved off from the Ace Café in north London to begin her two-year journey around the world on her Honda CRF 250L. Obviously, she’s been building up to this, but the moment of departure must have felt extraordinary, life-changing. Steph is 39 and is Director of Redmoto Adventures in North Wales. She decided on this lone adventure because, she says,

“It's about living, learning and enjoying! Doing this trip solo on a bike just opens up all the senses and allows me to be part of my environment.”

As her blog and website testify, this will not be such a solitary trip. Offers of help, expressions of support and pages of advice have flooded in since her intention became known. She already has many offers of hospitality from Poland to New Zealand to Canada. This is just as well in view of her £5 per day allowance for food and £10,000 overall budget. She has captured the imagination of people throughout the world.

Why Honda CRF250L?

So far, Steph has been riding about 200 miles a day and not pushing the Honda faster than 65mph. The bike is neatly kitted out with Kriega packs and is laden with tent, clothes and carefully selected tools and equipment. Steph has utter confidence in the ability of the Honda to complete this demanding trip and has tested it on and off-road. It is not the conventional adventure bike but what it loses in power, Steph reckons will be gained it its lightness and manoeuvrability. She says she needs to know that she can drag it out of a hole on her own if need be. The CRF250L’s excellent fuel consumption is also a plus. It’s also difficult to imagine anywhere in the world where you’d be too far from a Honda spare parts dealer!

“My route will be all back roads and dirt tracks wherever possible. I fully intend on keeping away from the motorways and enjoying seeing the world at a civilised pace.”

From my own experience of riding the CRF250L, it is the perfect bike for that type of riding. It is perfect for pottering but is surprisingly capable when dealing with more technical trails.

Social media will take you so far

The plan is to visit 42 countries and all 7 continents. You can track her route here and follow her blog At the end of Week 1 she has reached Poland and has hooked up with social media friends who are taking really good care of her. In the first week, she has dropped the bike once and has had a problem with a sticking throttle, but it proved easy to find help and sort these problems. Steph will be well aware that things will become more challenging further into the journey and in less populous areas. When she takes on the trip to Antarctica, it will certainly stretch Steph’s resilience and strength. So, could I do the same thing? Could you? I’m not sure whether I could or not but I suspect that Steph is a person with a very special kind of courage and self-belief. Good luck to her. Ride safe. Hondahontas