The Team
Susie Wheeldon is a 30 year old living in south London. She has recently finished a contract with Lloyd’s of London in order to get an NVQ in bike maintenance and to focus on the expedition.
Susie was born in Lincolnshire but went to Gordonstoun school in Scotland where her love for a challenge, as well as the great outdoors, was able to flourish.
During her GAP year and time studying History and Politics at Warwick University, Susie taught in Uganda, hiked up mount Kenya, trekked in the Himalayas, learnt to climb, took part in various musicals and walked part of the Great Wall of China.
As well as at Lloyd’s, Susie has worked in a donkey sanctuary, at the Transport Select Committee and assessing earthquake damage in New Zealand. She has also cast ‘bearded men and naked people’ for the Davinci Code, made a documentary about Santo Diame, started a band, taken up urban free running, snowboarding and surfing, set up the environmental website www.thisisnotmy.co.uk, completed the Marathon des Sables and done a scene with Judy Dench in the Importance of Being Earnest.
She has almost got over the fact that the scene was cut!
Susie is currently learning how to reassemble a bike and living in perpetual fear of the day she will be forced to wear lycra in public.
susiewheeldon@gmail.com
Jamie Vining is 31 year old living in Normandy.
A property developer, Jamie received a 2i in philosophy and psychology at Warwick University before moving to France. Capable of fixing anything and everything, Jamie has built his own bicycles in the past. With the teams total reliance on this form of transport his mechanical skills are a definite bonus!
Jamie’s interest in sports began at an early age, starting a gymnastics career at four years old. Jamie then turned his hand to trampolining, snowboarding, tennis and kite surfing. Growing up on the Isle of Wight, cycling has always been integral to his lifestyle. He has recently undertaken trips to Spain and round the South West of England in order to train for the expedition.
As well as cycling around the world, Jamie’s main ambition in life is to get an Olympic medal.
He is just not sure exactly what in yet…
viningjamie@hotmail.com
Iain Henderson is a 35 year old living in London. Iain was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Brunei and Sri Lanka. After school in a very cold and wet part of Scotland he went on to study Geography at Oxford University so will be blamed for any navigational issues. Having satisfied an initial, extended bout of wanderlust he ended up working in Investment Banking from which he is now taking some time off to focus on the expedition.
In recent years he has climbed mountains, kitesurfed, run marathons, snowboarded, kayaked, trekked, sailed and it was on a bike trip from Lands End to John O’Groats that he learnt (the hard way) how important it is to know how to unclip from your bike pedals once you’ve come to a halt…
Aside from cycling Iain has just completed the 125 mile/24 hour non-stop Devizes to Westminster kayak ultra-marathon. Additionally, he is refining his beach wrestling technique to try and avenge his Christmas defeat at the hands of Toby, his 6 year old nephew (who wrestles to an interesting set of rules). Iain will be accompanying Susie and Jamie on two of the legs. He cycled from England through France, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt and hopes to join the team again for Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and possibly a bit of China if time allows.
iainhenderson2007@gmail.com
Special Guests
In addition to the core team, a few people will be joining the expedition for various sections of the journey.
Currently, Timmy Manners and Niall Philimore will be leaving with Jamie, Iain and Susie on the 15th May. Timmy will cycle through France to North Africa and Cairo.
Niall is going ‘as far as Dijon. Maybe…’
Be great to have you if you can make it guys.
More details on additional team members as events unfold.
