Back in July, Buck Perley and Amy Mathieson began an epic adventure across China by motorcycle. The couple are on a mission to cover more than 25,000 km (15,534 miles) in four months while raising funds for charity along the way. If they are successful in this venture they'll set a new record for the longest ever motorcycle journey in a single country.Buck and Amy have dubbed their excursion the Great Ride of China and as of this writing they are now 55 days and 11,480 km (7133 miles) into the journey. They began the trip in Beijing back on July 18 and have been traveling in a counter-clockwise direction around the border ever since. During that time they're CFMOTO 650 TR motorcycle has carried them to North Korea, Inner Mongolia, the Russian border, the ancient city of Xi'An, the famous Turpan Depression and beyond. Currently they are in Kashgar, not far from the Kyrgyzstan border and soon they'll be headed to Tibet where they plan on visiting Everest Base Camp. Remember, on that side of the mountain you can actually drive to BC, which should be quite the experience on a motorbike.
The idea for the Great Ride sprung from a desire to see more of what China has to offer and a deep interest in architecture and restoration processes on the part of Amy. They then came up with the idea of attempting to set the world record along the way, which is made possible thanks to China's massive size. Before setting out, Buck and Amy were introduced to the Free Lunch For Children organization, which true to its name provides lunches for students in more than 200 schools across the country. The duo decided that while they are taking their tour of China they wanted to try to give something back along the way, so they have been raising funds for the Free Lunch program. Their goal is to raise ¥5,000,000 or approximately $800,000.
So far the couple has visited 11 provinces but before they are done they hope to have passed through as many as 33 provinces once they are done. And once the trip is wrapped up, they intend to auction off all of their gear and equipment – including the motorcycle – with the proceeds going to the Free Lunch For Children organization.
You can follow Buck and Amy's progress on their website, where regular blog posts provide interesting insights into their experiences from the road. They're also posting regularly to their Facebook page which has more information about the ride.
Good luck to Buck and Amy as they continue their journey. What an amazing adventure this must be.
