In 2009, Oli left his desk job in London and set off on the ultimate slow journey, cycling 28,000 kilometres over 14 months to Brisbane to watch the Ashes cricket series between England and Australia. The expedition raised over £75,000 for the British Neurological Research Trust and The Lord’s Taverners. It also embedded in him a deep love for bicycle travel.
In 2011, Oli took a job as the Project Director of the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation, based in the capital Kigali. The story of cricket in Rwanda is closely linked with the fall-out from the 1994 genocide and sport continues to play a hugely significant role in healing the nation. Eventually, the foundation built Rwanda's first dedicated cricket ground, with one of East Africa's most beautiful buildings as its pavilion.
During Oli’s time in Kigali he spent weekends exploring Rwanda's natural treasures by bicycle and when he returned home in 2013 he began hatching plans to take some friends to see what he had found. In the end, he had to wait a few years to get the first Slow Cyclists out to Rwanda. Instead, he started a little closer to home.
Shortly after the publication of his first book, Cycling to the Ashes: A Cricketing Odyssey from London to Brisbane, Oli found himself in the midst of a Transylvanian winter and knew he had found the perfect region in which to launch what became The Slow Cyclist.
Oli and his wife Clemmie spent much of the next two years living in remote Transylvanian villages, intent on condensing the best bits of his ride to Australia - kindness, hospitality, friendship, adventure and the odd surprise - into slow, bite-sized journeys. All these years later, this remains the essence of The Slow Cyclist.
Highlights
Not happy in my job, wanted an adventure, thought fourteen months on the road might help me figure out what I wanted to do with the rest of my life.
Arrived fourteen months later, still didn’t have a clue but had had one hell of an adventure.
For me it’s really important to do something I love.
I need work to be the thing I really, really care about.
I was compelled. I just couldn’t go on.
It evolved, as I think lots of the best things do.
We were giving people the joy of being somewhere new, somewhere exciting, somewhere with friends and I think joy is so important.
We call it a decision detox – so people don’t have to think, they don’t have to reach into their wallets, they just have to enjoy themselves.
I do like The Slow Cyclist you know, being my baby.
I think everyone just needs to get out and experience these wild places, there’s still so many of them in the world and actually in our country too and I think that’s going to have a huge benefit for society generally and get off your phone as well!