Fri 31 Mar 2006 City bikers to earn Goa-faster stripes on 1500-mile trip GARETH ROSE
TWO bikers are to ride 1500 miles across India after being inspired by Ewan McGregor's round-the-world bike ride. Peter McLellan and Millar Graham are to ride from Goa to Varkala on 1960s motorbikes to raise more than £10,000 for the Rainbow Trust children's charity. Mr McLellan, 37, from Pathhead, and Mr Graham, 44, from Barnton, will join around 100 other riders taking part in the challenge. Mr McLellan, a Royal Scots veteran and fitness instructor, and Mr Graham, a property consultant, decided to take on the challenge after seeing film star McGregor complete a 20,000-mile round-the-world ride in 2004. Mr Graham said: "I just reached a certain age and thought it would be good to do something a bit adventurous. "Having watched Ewan McGregor on TV, I decided to do this on a bit of a whim. "The destination, as much as anything, does appeal to me. The route is along rough tracks in remote regions." The riders will tackle all types of terrain from expansive mountain ranges to sandy Indian beaches, on their 14-day ride in February and March next year. Mr McLellan and Mr Graham will complete their journey on 1960s Royal Enfield 350 motorcycles. Fritha Vincent, community fundraising manager at the Rainbow Trust, who went on the trip this year, said: "It's really tough. You have to be very physically fit and some people get really sick from all the rocky riding. "It involves riding through four or five Indian states. The route varies from back roads, mountain ranges, wildlife centres and tiger reserves. You go through paddy fields, backwaters - there is a lot of off-road riding." However, the ride completed this month - and also done in previous years - was only a fraction of the challenge that Mr McLellan and Mr Graham face. Whereas previous groups have ridden for up to five days, next year's group of motorcyclists will be on the road for 14. Each day they will start at 6am, and ride a maximum of 300 miles, before stopping for the night. The journey will begin in the holiday destination of Palolem in Goa on February 17, and the first day spent riding through the beach resort will be a gentle introduction to the rigours ahead. >From Palolem they will climb the Ghat mountain range, which the Rainbow Trust claims is as spectacular as the Himalayas. The next day, as they continue to climb, they will find themselves looking down on the Arabian Sea, before heading on towards the bustling Indian city of Shimoga, the tiger and elephant reserves of Masinagudi and historically- multicultural Cochin. Much of the money raised will go towards building hospitals for the children of India. Mr McLellan, who served in the Gulf, Gibraltar and Northern Ireland during his time with the Royal Scots, is looking forward to meeting the people he is going out to help. He said: "Many of these people have nothing. Families of ten are living in small rooms and yet they're so happy. "We take so much for granted in this country. When I read about the conditions in which they live I just wanted to give something back." Anyone who would like to sponsor Mr McLellan and Mr Graham can e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] This article: http://living.scotsman.com/people.cfm?id=498702006 _____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list (Goanet@goanet.org) Help/Unsubscribe/Update your Subscription: %(user_optionsurl)s This email sent to %(user_address)s