A tour of Sri Lanka – 2025

The mornings of an afternoon wedding provide opportunities. You can sit around and wait or fill your time in good ways. We had a busy schedule kicking off with a Parkrun, followed by some breakfast, an interview, and a beautiful walk. I also found time for some research. 

Human beings love dopamine. We get it in a multitude of ways, some we are aware of, others we are blind to. Many we are addicted to although not always ready to accept this. 

I am human, I have addictions and I am obsessive. I like to think the things that I am addicted to and obsessive over go some way to make me a better human and contribute to our reason for being, to experience life. I may be right I may be wrong. 

For a number of years I have been addicted to exploring how the human body and mind work. It mesmerizes me still,  despite having tested my own and having the privilege of helping others test theirs in a variety of situations. 

As I sat there just 7 days after completing a 684km, 44 hour bike adventure, the thoughts and feelings of it were fresh in my mind. I know enough about the human mind to know its thirst for more, its greed, and hence I  generally try (although often struggle) not to enter into planning future events in the immediate aftermath of past ones. I am rarely successful and as I sit here writing this the thoughts of what’s to come take up more of my bandwidth than they should. 

As I said I am addictive and obsessive. 

I want more. More of the feelings I had experienced just a week ago. More of the feelings many of my challenges and adventures served me in the past. Both the good ones and the not so good ones. Although not always the case at the time, in the aftermath I see them all as good, to see them any other way I feel would be an awful waste. 

Ask me why I started researching a race route in Sri Lanka as we waited for Rob and Ash’s wedding on a crisp beautiful November day in the north of England and I would only have answers I have mentioned above. But I did and I was instantly flooded with excitement. I knew I wanted to do the route.

My most recent adventure was not a traditional race with a start line, an overpriced entry fee and a “finishers” medal. For some people that gets them up in the morning and I think that’s epic. But it’s not for me. The things that get me up in the morning come from within. We are all wired different and that’s cool. 

Phil and Olly had been on my latest trip, I thought long and hard if this 1,100km route in Sri Lanka that took me a few hours to find was the right thing to put on their radar. Doing things with others is good, sharing experiences helps us all grow. Sometimes it can make the physical and mental suffering easier, sometimes it can make it harder. I am always careful as to whom I invite to what. I want to make sure I truly believe it’s the best for them. 

Sri Lanka is a beautiful Island that I had been to many times during my rugby days. The people were always welcoming and the culture always interested me. I had last visited in 2019 to take part in a 250km ultramarathon which broke and rebuilt me many times over the 5 days. I thought the heat of the Sahara in 2015 and the various summer challenges I have done in the Middle East tested my thermostat, however running through the Sri Lanka jungle served me situations that will stay with me for life. 

I rationalised that riding a bike around this country would allow me to take advantage of the wind that often blows and if we stayed in roadside guest houses the rooms would be cool. I would later learn the reality. 

I thought back to 2017 when I embarked on my ultra cycling exploits that were I guess you could say temporarily put on hold after my crash in 2018. I thought about what Mum would say, how Holly and Dad would feel, that’s important to me, I don’t want to do things that make them worry or create unease, that’s unfair. I sat with it, I tried to forget the feelings I had felt and go deeper on why this appealed to me so much. Was I just feeding my addictive obsessive desires? Was I overthinking it? Was the fact that the idea had come into my life the way it had a good enough reason to follow the scent? Did I need a reason anywhere beyond what I have already shared? The latter won in the immediate and obviously also in the long term as I write this today. But I let it sit, I am not sure how long for, could have been days or weeks. I let it be. I knew if it continued to be then it was the right thing. 

When I floated the idea to Phil and Olly, the look in their eyes was enough for me to know it was the right thing for them. Not long after the Gravel World champs in October a guy (Graham) who I met in Kenya earlier in the year had broke his hip in a bike accident. Although a few thousand kilometers away I reached out offering him my support and continued to check in on him through the winter. During one of our chats in the early part of the year he asked me what I had in my calendar. Without a thought I invited him to join us in Sri Lanka to which (not really to my surprise) he said “that sounds like a good idea.” A few weeks passed and he confirmed he was coming. “I better tell the other lads” I thought to myself. Of course they were fine with it. Would have been a bit awkward if they were not. Ha ha. 

And we are set…..5 days, 1,100km, 4 men, 4 bikes and everything we need to get us round in the various bike storage bags attached to our bike frames. We even had a GPS file but were not totally sure on the elevation as various platforms gave us different amounts. From 6,000-10,500m. It will be what it will be as they say! We had what we needed. A good set of lads and a rough plan. No places to stay booked, no daily distances planned. Personally I needed to make sure I was back to Colombo in 5 days as Holly was flying in for a holiday after the ride. Being late would not have been cool at all. 

Graham (soon to be shortened just to G) had arrived a few days earlier as he wanted to “ease” into things and see some sites on the route which was cool. Having set up a bike touring business in the 90s he was more than accustomed to: riding a bike, finding a place to stay and having an adventure. This was no issues for him and he was 220km ahead of us as we rolled out of the hotel in Colombo just after 5am on Sunday morning in the dark. 

I immediately felt good, legs, mind, heart. I was absolutely where I was supposed to be and after an hour of riding with no clue how far we had gone, thought to myself that we could do 300km on this first day. Aside from instinct and perhaps some naivety and or arrogance or a wicked cocktail of all and more. I just felt it. 

At our first stop for breakfast at 9am the food fun began. Point, ask, ask again, ask louder and still have no clue what was behind the glass so just stick 3 fingers up to try and communicate the quantity we wanted and hope for the best. It was at this first stop that we got our first taste of rural Sri Lankan hospitality and it was unreal. Despite our inability to communicate verbally they could not have been kinder to us. A trend that would continue for the whole trip. We ended up with what looked like two different types of donut and given my thoughts on how far we were going to ride today I supercharged mine with a chocolate bar. 

Food and core temperature were two key focal points for this adventure. If I could keep the former high and the latter low I knew there would be no issues. Carbohydrate is the king in this sport and despite me trying to fuel in other ways for a number of years, after the Migration race in Kenya in 2024 I knew I had to fully embrace it. This was further hammered home by my friend and coach Jani in September of last year when he outright told me that if I wanted to get stronger then I needed to be taking around 100g of carbs per hour, “a little less for zone 2 work.” I trusted him and over the last 7 months have found a formula that works for me. This however is based on sports nutrition, something that would not make sense from a logistics point of view to use for this trip. So I went old school and turned to food or as they used to say in pro cycling “pain et aqua” bread and water. I stopped eating bread close to 2 decades ago. I will have the occasional pizza and do not shy away from a good croissant but that’s it and that’s the way I want it to stay. The body gets used to this set up and asking it to adapt during an event like this is asking for trouble so it was something I had to train. Finding a bakery in Lisali on one of our training routes back in Dubai gave me ample opportunity to do so. I had no gut issues all week. The core temperature part of the equation was far easier to fix, get hot, drink and pour water on your head. Simplicity at its finest on both accounts. 

By (11am) lunch we had done 160km. It was almost time to tell G we would see him tonight. Something I don’t think he expected until at least Monday afternoon. It was at this lunch we learnt that Oli was not a massive fan of spicy food, haaaaaaa, things could get interesting. It was also at this lunch we had our first “dosa” which with each bite I could feel filling my legs with energy! 

More tar than gravel on day 1 and more cross wind than head wind saw us roll into Sigiriya just as the day drew to a close. G had found us a very very luxurious hotel, the best of the week in fact. Any hotel that provides hotel slippers is a level above for this type of trip and it did. What a beautiful end to our first day in Sri Lanka. 

Day 1: 299km ridden, 1,369m climbing, 11 hours 38 minutes moving time, 12 hours 34 minutes total time. 

Starting early brings the benefit of cooler riding so we agreed to leave in the dark at 5:30 (5:29 in my head but we had not yet had time to explain to G how timing works in the InnerFight endurance world, that would come later) and again set out with no destination in mind. This itself brings an interesting dynamic to the fanfare of unknowns which thus far included: not knowing the surface we were going to be on, not knowing what or when or where we would find food and water, not knowing the elevation of the course and probably a few others that slip my mind. Thinking about it now it’s like playing a weird game where you have no idea what the rules are. One rule I was very clear on was that if I kept turning the pedals, enjoying the scenery and stayed present everything would be awesome. It’s when you let the mind wander and focus on the unknowns that it starts to become somewhat debilitating. 

As day broke we were treated to changing but powerful colours in the sky as well as morning prayers. The area we passed through this morning was very Buddhist orientated. This is something that changed from region to region as we surfed the various religions on offer in Sri Lanka. Religion occupied my thoughts for a large part of the ride as it was so obvious as we passed through rural villages and towns. My ultimate question to myself was “what actually is religion” closely followed up with “why are all these people so dedicated to it?” I thought to myself that surely they can’t all be following something that leads to nothing so there must be something in it. Perhaps my increased sensitivity to it was based on a book I had read a few weeks back “A little history of religion”. A friend had recommended it and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think what I enjoyed the most is it left me with more questions than answers. My curiosity bucket overflowing which is the state I love it to be in. Where am I at with it? Or should I say where did I get to in 1,133km? Values and beliefs that resonate with others and provide hope and purpose. That may or may not be my final stop. Lets see. 

Ironically it was lunchtime as we were passing though a more Muslim dominant town where of course they were observing the month of fasting during daylight hours, Ramadan. On arrival at a restaurant whose only two patrons were a couple of policemen we politely asked for some rice for lunch to which they looked at us blankly before saying no. We then went down the path of trying to understand what they did actually have on offer which was harder than one may think. Eventually the policemen who spoke some English stepped in and ten minutes later we had a platter of rice and chicken on our table enough to feed 10 people. They must have sensed that we had just completed a 10km climb of 13% and still had some work to do today. 

The hours between 10am and 2pm are the most brutal for the heat. There is very little escaping it. The sun is directly overhead. The heat pumps up off the tarmac and if you are on gravel or an incline you naturally have to work harder anyway so the heart rate is elevated nicely. Here is where you have to be smart. More water breaks and don’t push your mercury to boiling point. It may not bite you in the moment but it will absolutely impact your recovery and therefore performance and enjoyment in the subsequent days.

One good way that we found to keep things cool was with a daily afternoon ice cream stop. Most of the time they came from a freezer that was working which was a bonus. It’s more placebo than an actual cooling system but  of course the sugar in them puts a bit more fuel in the tank for the final few hours of the day. 

Day 2 ended with a 50 meter 18% climb in the dark into a B&B that G had found during one of our stops. The host was waiting for us with some good news, he had prepared a nice big dinner, and a challenge, the rooms were not air conditioned, but there were fans, just 3 for the 4 rooms. Phil somehow drew the short straw which he seems ok with him until G told him the next morning that he didn’t use his fan anyway. 

Day 2: 214km ridden, 3,442m climbing, 11 hours 50 minutes moving time, 13 hours 24 minutes total time. 

As we set out on day 3 the energy was different in the group. Yesterday as you can see from the numbers above had been a long day with a decent chunk of climbing. Climbs that were hard on the legs and the mind through their steepness and their surface. We had a feeling today would be similar, maybe we were just quietly preparing ourselves for a similar onslaught. 

As a team we made the decision to sleep the previous evening at the bottom of what was noted to be the longest climb of the course, so we were straight into business in the dark this morning. Riding in the dark is different to riding in the day for sure, climbing in the dark is a whole other ball game. If you do not stay focussed on the 3-5m in front of you then you can quickly lose your mind. One of the most stimulated senses during a trip like this is taken from you, your sight. Another situation that no matter how much data you analyze or calories you try and calculate to fuel your effort is missing from a number of training protocols. Having played the ultra game for many years now and coached hundreds of athletes in it too, these are the parts of challenges that at InnerFight we always incorporate into an athlete’s program because no matter how big your FTP is if you lose your mind in the dark those watts are worth nothing. 

As day broke and also as confirmed by a more comfortable ride on our butts which after 25 hours in wet bib shorts were starting to see various rashes appear (more about those later today) we were happy to see that the surface we were on was some of the best we had been on and it looked like this was here to stay for the rest of the climb. Welcome to paradise I thought. “Just like Europe” G shouted out. We were all having a great time as we made our way up over 2,000m through some amazing tea plantations as the workers commuted to their tea picking duties for the day.

What goes up has to go down at some stage! We knew there was more climbing to come today but we also knew that we had got a fair chunk of it out of the way in the cooler hours. Big win for sure. 

We would be delusional to presume the roads down the other side of the climb would be the same smooth tar as those we came up wouldn’t we? It’s not what we wanted anyway. We all had 40-45mm tyres on and we wanted to use them. The rock gardens could well have been a want too  far but the following 3 hours of gravel road descents into small climbs and back down again was pure rollercoaster fun. Type A you would say if you are part of the revolution promoting adult play, because somewhere along the way you got so caught up chasing shit that means nothing, that you skipped a number of years of falling off bikes or carrying then up mountains you thought you could ride, but chalked it up as a good day out anyway. 

As the skies opened and the rain poured down our smiles got even bigger as did our desire to increase our speed and film it on a Go Pro at the same time. Of course on uneven surfaces and routes you don’t know, the element of risk rises along with the dopamine being derived. Next minute I am over the handle bars heading towards a bush and praying that behind the bush there is no drop off. 

“I wish I had my camera for that” were the first words out of Gs mouth as he picked my bike up off the road and proceed to check if I was OK and then congratulate me for “the save.” That’s a mate who has all your best interests at heart. They don’t come round very often but when they do make sure you keep them. 

Our language barrier came back into play that afternoon as we stopped at a pharmacy for additional supplies of sudacrem to keep us free from infection and our sores in as good as shape as possible. Enter Chat GPT “how do you say nappy rash in Sri Lanka” response…. “There is not strict translation but try Guhana Kada which means private or genital area rash or irritation.”

I am not sure who felt more awkward, us or the two innocent young ladies behind the counter of the first chemist we visited. After much giggling they were sad to tell us they did not have anything that they thought could help us and sent us on our way. More confident in our second chemist and the gentleman behind the counter did not bat an eyelid as he reached for the anti fungal cream. Another win of the day. 

A 45km straight but undulating road through a gated national park as the sun started to drop. My immediate thought was simple and stuck in my mind all the way. “This is easy, this is what I have spent hours training for, get the work done!” It was pretty much like I had been there before as I watched the KMs tick down on my computer whilst looking out for wildlife that was rumored to be more active at this time of day and in the morning. We soon came across some deer but my audience were less than impressed telling me they are available in the UK. 20km past and the smell and views of elephant dung came and went, some fresher than others but no sight of the culprit until a few minutes later and we saw one having just crossed the road and entering the bush on the horizon, too far away to get a good look at or photo of. So close! Head back down, let’s get to our lodge for the night “The Funky Leopard”. 

1km from the exit of the National park we were served something truly special. A male elephant just roaming the road. So of course cameras out and we rode straight towards it. The footage will always tell this story the best however as we got close the elephant was less than impressed and started to charge at us. A very rapid u-turn and a lot of power through the pedals got us to safety but also had us on the wrong side of the elephant with him stood firmly on the road between us and the exit! Phil made a decision to take a run up and pass the big fella at speed which saw him safe but the elephant a bit more fired up and three of us still needing to pass. Fortunately a few minutes later 2 cars were passing which we were able to use as a shield to pass safely.

What a day on the bike. I could go on, I won’t. 

Day 3: 216km ridden, 3,036m elevation, 12 hours 2 minutes moving time, 13 hours 18 minutes total time. 

What would day 4 serve us was the topic of conversation at 5am as we tucked into some black coffee and various carbohydrate-based breakfast options out of various packets. G was trying to figure how many metres of climbing we had to go, it became his full-time job. I could tell it occupied his mind nicely and he needed it to focus on. I was happy just playing what came but still a little confused as to how the disparity between platforms was so big. One thing I knew for sure. Was that we had done the chunk of it having passed over the highest parts of the route near Kandy. As we headed down to the south coast I was sure there would still be some rollers but nothing too mayhem. 

The route continued to keep us off the beaten track and away from the traffic and mainly the carnage buses that seem to be the king of the road all over the country. Banana, rubber and palm oil plantations were all on the menu today as were a number of twists and turns on gravel tracks, farm roads and through more small villages where we were greeted by barking dogs and happy children pretty much in equal portions. 

Today we actually had somewhere to aim for outside of the thick purple line that forms the route on our gps devices as we had arranged to meet some friends from Dubai in Marissa “around lunchtime”. A 2pm arrival was pretty acceptable for lunch and a bit of a fluke as we tucked into one of the most western meals we had had all week of pizza and chips. Again not the healthiest solution but washed down with a double espresso it was the energy solution for the 70km to our accommodation we had found over lunch. 

12–13 hours a day on a bike with 3 other blokes through any country is always going to provide moments and memories that will stay with you for a long time. It also gives you enough space to think and to just be as I am sure you can appreciate from some of the thoughts I have shared here. Our afternoon ice cream stop today will stay with me for a long time, that is for sure. These moments are special. Special in so many ways. You never plan them, you can not force them. They happen in the way they do at the time they do and if you are present they change you, maybe just fractionally but they do. I like to believe they change us for the better. I absolutely know they make me feel alive and on the right path. It’s just fricken awesome.

We are almost there is the feeling at dinner tonight. That’s a feeling of mixed emotions in many ways. I like to stay present. I appreciate the past but it has happened and we should not hold on to it too tightly, we should smile at it and let it be. I am excited to see Holly on day 6 but that’s a day or so away. What’s important is right now. For sure the mind wanders but if we can create the deepest attachment in the moment we are in and then let it pass I think we find far more freedom and therefore happiness. 

Day 4: 215km ridden, 1,355m climbing, 10 hours 8 minutes moving time, 12 hours 35 minutes total time.

Just under 1,000km across this beautiful country and the only mechanical issues we have faced is two chains off. Given that 50% of the 3-4kg we are carrying on our bikes is made up of spares to get us out of trouble we have had a good run of things. I only thought this as 45 minutes later and supported by pretty much a whole village we fixed the one flat tyre we had all trip. Mind blowing really how these bikes are built and what you can put them through. Perhaps the reason why some days I just stand and look at my bike and smile in the knowing it can take me to some amazing places and give me some unreal experiences. 

Not long after we encounter our 4th elephant of the trip. This time it is not so much in the wild and we are able to get a selfie with it and not soil our bib shorts in the process. Big win.

I always find on the final days of trips like this you get a real chance to reflect on how effective your training has been. I constantly scan my body and mind trying to stay aware of how I am feeling and what is driving what. I also try to constantly test my legs as the road goes up or I just feel it’s a good time to send it. I’m having an absolute riot. The feeling of freedom is unreal. Yes there have been hard times. There have been some rank head winds. Some heat that really put me to the test. Stretches where no position on the saddle was without pain. But these are all arbitrary to a certain extent as the highs and the freedom are so much more powerful than any of the hurt. They don’t make the hurt hurt any less and the key I always think is to try and feel the hurt as much as you feel the good parts. 

Driving some half decent power through the pedals on day 5, shooting the heart rate up and smiling from ear to ear is part of the addiction and obsession being satisfied. 

Just 60km to the finish and the small task of riding a bike from the south side to the north side of Colombo! We had learnt by now that the sounding of a horn is just to let you know they are there and aside from that there are no rules. You have to flow with it. Don’t  brake too hard and if a Tuk Tuk or a bus bushes against you they have not done it on purpose so just roll with it. “Be water my friend” as Bruce Lee said and I also said many times during our great Colombo traverse. 

25km to go and a feeling that I have had many times before fills my blood and body: emotion, elation, energy, happiness and tears. Maybe it’s some sort of out of body experience, maybe it’s some sort of spiritual transcendence. Maybe it’s nothing of the sort and I am looking too deep for something that lives way closer to the surface. I feel not though there is too much all at once and you simply don’t want the moment to end. A flow state, your whole world is just where it is supposed to be, it’s paradise. Yes it’s taken 53 hours on this bike to get here but that’s also what makes it so beautiful. 

It’s effortless and as we make our final left turn off the highway toward the hotel that we started at 5 days earlier I truly feel like I am floating. I ask the boys to ride in front of me in a line so I can get a picture of them. As they do this insane amount of gratitude sits with me. Because of them I have experienced this euphoria. I stay behind them for the final 2km thinking of Mum, Dad and Holly and fighting back tears until I question why the fight and I find more peace wiping the tears off my dirt and pollution covered cheeks as they continue to roll. 

This is life, it’s so many things at so many different times and in so many different ways. There are many other ways but for this part of it this was absolutely the right way. 

Day 5: 190km ridden, 960m climbing, 8 hours 17 minutes moving time, 9 hours 50 minutes total time. 

Total: 1,134km ridden , 10,162 climbing, 53 hours 55 minutes moving time, 61 hours 41 minutes total time.