Charity hails its spokesman's return

The first man to unicycle around the world was given a triumphant one-wheeled homecoming yesterday after three-and-a-half years of travelling '“ before setting off again to ride the last 10 miles back to his house.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Jul 2018, 17:11 BST
Updated 27th Jul 2018, 17:12 BST
Ed Pratt, 22, returns home to Somerset after three years having travelled around the world with his unicycle.Ed Pratt, 22, returns home to Somerset after three years having travelled around the world with his unicycle.
Ed Pratt, 22, returns home to Somerset after three years having travelled around the world with his unicycle.

Ed Pratt, covered 22,000 miles on his circus-style bike, raising £300,000 for the education charity School in a Bag, and he returned to its headquarters in Yeovil, Somerset, a hero.

Setting off at age 19, he cycled through Europe, Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan before a near-miss with a car on icy roads in Kazakhstan.

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He then passed through Kyrgyzstan before travelling across China and through South East Asia to Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and then the USA.

He flew from New York to Edinburgh to begin his final 500-mile trip home.

His journey was almost thwarted at the get-go, when the egg sandwiches he had crammed into his custom-made pannier split the zip. With hindsight, though, he said his principal handicap had been saddle soreness

Mr Pratt, now 22, said his adventure “beats coming back here and getting a job doesn’t it?”

Zoe Fox, events and marketing manager for School in a Bag, said she wanted to give him a “massive thank you”, adding that he was an “absolute star”.

Related topics:TurkeyChinaSomerset