THE TOUR DE PHUKET: ONE MAN’S LIFE CYCLE

THE TOUR DE PHUKET: ONE MAN’S LIFE CYCLE

✦ He called it the “craziest, hardest challenge of my life,” an assertion no doubt many would agree with. But one man took on a challenge with the aim of helping others and more than delivered.

It has been an incredibly difficult past 18 months for so many of us with the COVID-19 pandemic decimating countries, economies, communities, families, businesses. Sadly, far too many lives have been lost and others adversely impacted forever.

It is during times of adversity that we often see the human spirit shine through and true heroes emerge. Phuket-based British expat John Julius “JJ” Bennett is one such example.

On June 26, John took on the monumental feat of replicating the famed Tour de France on the tropical Thai island, cycling a distance of 3,417km over a 21-day period to raise funds for a local charity initiative called One Phuket which supports those devastated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Dire situation’

“It is heartbreaking to see so much poverty impacting so many in Phuket,” 57-year-old John had said prior to the challenge.

“People’s lives have been ruined, lifetime savings have disappeared, businesses gone forever and many families within poorer communities remain desperate for food and bare essentials.

“I have seen many Phuketians selling their saucepans for as little as 100 Baht just to be able to buy some food to eat, which is incredibly sad,” he adds. That equates to just four Aussie dollars.

Stirred by the dire situation, John decided to take on a challenge that would attract attention and hopefully raise much needed funds.

“To cycle 3,417km in 21 days is tough,” John commented. “To put it into perspective, that is equivalent to the distance between Edinburgh and Moscow, or Canada to Mexico. Many people have told me I am completely mad and I probably am, but that’s what makes it a challenge.”

The cycle was split across 21 days with two days allocated for rest and incorporated the varying stages seen at the Tour de France; hills, flats, mountains and time-trials all featured across separate days with the longest cycle set at a distance of 249.5km.

‘Demons’

The Tour de Phuket was always going to be a huge ask, demanding incredible levels of resolve and determination to overcome the huge daily distances, the physical toil, the punishing weather, hazardous roads and mind-numbing solitude.

“When I took on this crazy challenge, I always knew it was going to be tough,” John said on reflection.

“But I never envisaged how many demons I would have to ride through in 21 days and 133 hours. I had to draw on every kilometre of my 43 years cycling experience and dig deep into my ‘Focus Bubble’ to get through the daily challenges,” he added.

Once the final day’s 112km ride was done, John demolished a huge Sunday roast dinner and a much deserved pint! “We raised B250,000 at last count (just over AUD 10,000) and are hoping we may get a few more donations yet,” he said.

Asked whether he would consider taking on such an extreme challenge again in the future John replied steadfastly: “If it is going to help someone then yes, absolutely.”

All communities need heroes like John. Someone who selflessly puts others first and is willing to sacrifice so much in order to help those less fortunate in challenging times.