Our intrepid rider is now 5 days in to India. He was joined by Akshay in Mumbai and for a few days had a wonderful friend.  But now Andrew is back on his own.

There is a wonderful video on facebook showing Andrew's ride through the seeming madness of an Indian street.  In Andrew's own words:

Updates from Andrew will be sparse as he travels across India.  You can track Andrew via Follow My Challenge but there is very little satellite coverage so his GPS updates will be sporadic too. 

Andrew has reached India, his bike is working and his ride continues!  

The news from Andrew will be rather sparse for the next wee while so keep an eye on how he's doing via the live tracking link: Follow My Challenge 

There are photos on facebook of the monkeys Andrew saw today!

Andrew has given us a few more heart-stopping moments...

Not to mention Andrew getting mental and physical fatigue (and saddle sores) - his bike didn't handle the Turkish/Georgian rain too well - his bottom bracket, pedal and seat-post bolt broke potentially ending his ride. Andrew pulled out his inner MacGuyver and managed to limp into Tbilisi having used a tree branch and some duct tape.

Guinness rules say the same bike must be used all the way round the world and the chances of finding the correct bottom bracket for such a specialised bike, in Georgia where there are seemingly more potholes than road, were slim to none.  

However, the supporters on facebook found a few potential options but the gold star goes to the ever resourceful Jen, who found Bed and Bike Apartment - a bike shop with accommodation above. Lado fixed the bike and is assisting Andrew with preparation for his flight to Mumbai. Sighs of relief all round!

Stay tuned for tales from India!

Based on KMs so far Andrew is over half way around the world!

The distances still need to be OK'd by officialdom but based on the Guinness Record requiring 28,970km total, Andrew is 50.8% of the way around the world! 

Andrew's most recent post on facebook shows his spirits are high today - he's having a giggle at the lack of safety briefings, marshals or free t-shirts available for this event! He's further along the coast of the Black Sea in Fatsa (which happens to be 750km NW of the brilliantly named town of Batman!) having had a 230km day complete with head winds and the seemingly obligatory Turkish dog attack!

Post your support and similar good natured banter in the comments and cheer Andrew on the next leg of his journey!

The ever amazing Andrew Nicholson is now on the banks of the Black sea. His ride through turkey has not been as smooth as any of us hoped - literally and figuratively! Potholes, roadworks and infamous Turkish dogs have been joined by the worst bombings Turkey has seen in decades.  

There was also a few days of frantic work by Andrew's helpers in NZ at the news that he may not be able to get the correct visa for India... all sorted now though - phew!

Huge thanks to all those who have helped keep Andrew on the road.  Your words of encouragement have helped keep spirits (and thus KMs per day up).