The Chinese cyclist, 71, who has spent 10 years travelling around the world on his bike
Xu Yukun had a secret start to his world journey, leaving home a decade ago without telling his wife and children
An elderly Chinese man is fundraising to continue his dream of cycling around the globe, after travelling more than 100,000km (60,000 miles) through 24 countries over the past decade.
Xu Yukun, 71, started his incredible journey in 2007, setting out from his hometown in Nanyang, Henan province in central China, but he didn’t tell his wife where he was going until he was 100km (60 miles) away from home.
“I’d wanted to do this since 1999, but my family held me back,” Xu said.
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It wasn’t until he turned 61 and his children agreed he should take a rest from work that the idea of seeing the world by bicycle struck him again.
Worried that his family might object if they knew of his plans, Xu stored his bicycle and equipment at his friend’s home before secretly embarking on his mission.
He was on the road for a day before he called his wife to let her know, he said.
It was the year before the Beijing Olympics and Xu wanted to promote public sport as well as raise awareness about how cutting down an individual’s carbon footprint could help the environment.