KUALA TERENGGANU: It will be a joyous homecoming for solo cyclist Sofian Mohd, who has traveled in more than 30,000km in 16 months in his journey through 22 countries around the world.
Sofian, 55, is on his way to Pengkalan Kubor, Kelantan via the Malaysia-Thai border town of Tak Bai and is scheduled to arrive in Kuala Terengganu on Saturday.
Though worn and weary, the father of two was in high spirits from the trip that required strong mental and physical strength.
Relating his episode via a telephone call, Sofian said he had weathered extreme temperatures, snow and rough terrain, that saw him sleeping by the roadside, culverts, on the hot desert, chilly mountains, in bushes, abandoned huts and even on no-man’s land.
“Sometimes, I stopped for a short rest during the day to catch forty winks, and longer rest periods at night. Despite losing weight, owing to poor appetite in Europe, I gained experience and knowledge which I want to share with all Malaysians.
“The tour was to promote Malaysia as a peace-loving country around the world via cycling. I cycled 70km a day, six days a week with a day’s rest,” he said through his Tengku Bariah Secondary School (TBSS) classmate and ‘Wira TBSS Hanelang Terengganu’ programme director Mohd Suradi Mohd Sabri at the Terengganu Communications Unit in Jalan Pejabat.
Present was TBSS (now SMK Tengku Bariah) principal Mohamad Abdul Ghani.
Suradi said there would be a grand welcoming ceremony for Sofian in Kuala Terengganu on Saturday.
“A large motorcade accompanied by local cyclists would escort him from the Malaysia-Thai border through Kelantan to Kuala Terengganu,” said Suradi.
Sofian had embarked on his ardous and challenging journey from SMK Tengku Bariah on July 29 last year and was flagged off by Kuala Terenganu Umno division chief Datuk Mohd Sabri Alwi’s special officer Ahmad Saufi Mohd Ghazali.
“I had to change tyre tubes no less than 15 times on the journey. Fortunately, I managed to obtain spare tubes while in China.
“I was unable to enter the United States as the authorities wanted me to switch to a US-made bicycle which I was not in favour of as my ordinary bicycle can carry a 70kg load,” said Sofian.
He carried with him the national, Terengganu and school flags in an effort to carve their name in the Malaysia Book of Records.
“Fatigue at times caused me to skip meals, when rest was more required. Otherwise, I fixed myself quick meals of spaghetti, rice, eggs and bread from fresh rations purchased along the way.
“I also ate local dishes like noodles and naan and drank hot tea,” said Sofian, who was equipped with a mobile cooker and adequate apparel.
The cycling tour went through 22 countries including Thailand, Laos, China, Kazakhtan, Kyrgizstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Greece, Italy, France, Belgium, United Kingdom, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia dan Thailand.
The tour was supported by Wisma Putra which made arrangements via the Malaysian embassies overseas.
Sofian said he had planned the cycling expedition two years ago and had obtained various information on culture, safety aspects, weather and the terrain of the various countries.
Originally, he was supposed to have been accompanied by his two friends from Sarawak, Datuk Mohamad Kepli Ahmad, 62, and Harmy Yusuf, 45, but the duo pulled out before the tour for various reasons.
Prior to the solo tour, he has been regularly taking part in cycling tours around the country and is also an avid diver, especially the idyllic islands of Terengganu.
Sofian, who is a department head at Kuching Polytechnic, Sarawak said he had completed numerous cycling expeditions since 2009, such as the ‘Kayuhan Merdeka Sarawak ke-50 Lawas-Kuching’; Tawau cycling expedition; Sabah-Semantan, Sarawak 2,600km cycling expedition in 14 days and the 700km cycling expedition from Kota Baru, Kelantan to Kuantan, Pahang.