Biker Circumnavigates Africa: Dodging Bullets and Doing Good

When Spencer Conway decided to combine his love of motorbikes with his love for Africa by attempting to circumnavigate the world's second largest continent on two wheels, he knew it would be an adventure to remember. But he could not have predicted that the 60,000-kilometer journey would have such a profound effect on him. After being robbed, attacked several times and almost killed, he finally arrived home in the UK this weekend with a new world record to claim — and a check for almost $43,500 for Save the Children. The adventure motorcyclist talks to Tonic about his incredible experience and why he has no regrets.

Flying Solo

The English teacher and motorbike enthusiast always knew he wanted to return to Africa, where he had spent much of his childhood. "I watched The Motorcycle Diaries and that got me a little bit hooked," he tells Tonic from his home in Kent in the UK, adding: "I've always been riding motorbikes and I was brought up in Swaziland in South Africa, so it was a combination of all these things that made me decide to do it." Raising money for Save the Children was something that as a father he felt compelled to do. "I wanted to be an ambassador for Africa, so to make it even more worthwhile, I contacted the charity." Allowing him full use of their logos, he started his own website Africa-Bike-Adventure.com and began to prepare for the biggest and most dangerous ride of his life.

The trip took on another dimension when after a meeting with film company Diesel Films, they agreed to document his journey, with one condition: He had to do it solo — something that no one in the world had ever achieved. Realizing the enormity of the trip, he started working all hours to fund it (renovating a house by day and teaching English as a private tutor by night) and asked his friend, actor Richard E.Grant to become a patron, which he happily agreed to do. After months of planning and endless support (he even received a letter from Prince Harry wishing him luck) he set off on Nov. 1 last year, waving goodbye to the crowds, the 42-year-old started up his Yamaha XT 660 and roared off into the horizon. Planning to ride down the east coast of Africa and return via the west coast, he aimed to travel through 28 countries (in fact he beat his target and went to 32 countries) fully aware that the terrain would be treacherous, and at times dangerous.

Mean Streets ... and a Few Nice People Along the Way

One activity he hadn't prepared for however, was dodging bullets. But one day in January, while traveling through Northern Kenya, on the border of Somalia, that's exactly what he did. "I saw three guys on a hill, so I waved to them as I always did when I saw locals," he recalls, continuing: "As I waved, one of them spun round and just started firing at me with a machine gun and they came running down the hill after me." With his tires blown and the brakes damaged he took off as fast as he could and had to resort to hiding in the bush for an hour before he dared get back on the bike. Unharmed but in shock, he set off to get help but ended up walking 12 miles to the nearest village after he was forced to abandon his bike. Talking to the local army officials later, he realized what a lucky escape he had had. "They didn't shoot me in the back and the army said they wouldn't shoot you once to get you off the bike and not shoot you again so they must have run out of bullets," he said adding with relief that while guns are cheap, bullets are scarce and hard to get hold off. "I was so lucky." After finding a catholic mission, he was offered a cup of tea and a place to rest by a German priest. The incident understandably shook Conway and it took him three weeks to get back on the road.

With so much equipment and high crime rates in many of the poor and isolated villages, it was no surprise that the charity biker suffered a robbery, but being attacked by a bunch of youths in Egypt did take him by surprise. "They were 17 year olds and had obviously been watching too much American TV and decided to try and get money off me and when I refused, they took a stick to my bike." After making a speedy exit, a taxi driver came to his rescue. "There is nastiness and niceness everywhere but I went to bed feeling good that night." Despite the hurdles he faced, he never once thought of giving up. "In a strange way, it made me want to do it even more," he said, adding: "There is only about 3000 in Biddenden where I live but every single one of them was behind me — there was a lot at stake." Seeing where his money would go by visiting the charity projects gave him the determination to keep on riding. "There was a theater group in Angola and in the middle of the slums, they had built a little theater," he reminisced, adding "they put this show on for us and honestly it was like a west end production in terms of the effort they had put in." Sometimes he could go for days without any human contact, but he soon learned to occupy his mind by blogging and thinking of home. "I would think about my family and where I was heading in my life. but things get thrown at you all the time to distract you."

This Sunday the streets of Kent were awash with flags and banners to welcome home their hero and friend. Having traveled over 60,000 kilometers in 286 days and covered one fifth of the world's surface area, it was an emotional moment for Conway. "It's so mind blowing it hasn't sunk it but it has changed me completely," he says, explaining: "The way I look at the world, the love for my family... my values have changed." Although he's concentrating on turning his diaries into a book right now, he's itching to get back into his leathers and get back on the road. "I'm not going to stop," he says confidently. "Whether its buying motorbikes to take medical equipment around Africa, or a circumnavigation of South America, I want to raise £1 million (over $1.5 million USD) in my lifetime. That would be just great."

To support the inspirational biker and his lifetime commitment to Save the Children, please click here.

Photos courtesy of africa-bike-adventure.com.