There’s an otherworldliness to Joff Summerfield. 43, lean and spare, there’s something of the aesthete and visionary about him; it’s as if he’s discovered the meaning of life, and finds the world around him amusing, perplexing and all a little strange. He certainly has seen much of the world from a unique perspective: from the saddle of a penny farthing, and is only the second person ever to have done so. What makes the achievement even more remarkable is that he did it on a bike he designed and built himself. Summerfield’s apparent detachment from the material world seems almost inevitable when you think about it. When a person’s whole existence, for months and then years on end, has revolved around a bike and the few possessions they can carry upon it, there emerges a peculiar and specific focus. Life is cut down to the essentials needed for day-to-day survival; the immediate problems of food, water and shelter. Those who have tried it know that it generates a feeling of complete liberty and self sufficiency, and that it’s addictive. That’s why Joff’s planning to ride around the world again.
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