The team consists of Ollie, Jonny and Rich. We are all ex-colleagues who used to work for a nearshore survey company. We have spent weeks on end with each other on multiple projects in various locations from Tajikistan to Grimsby in many stressful difficult situations so hopefully are fully equipped to make it through India!

We are all keen for a challenge, explore new cultures and see new sites. However, since signing up for the Rickshaw Run and fully reading into what is actually ahead of us, this trip is starting to sound pretty nuts!

We will undertake two days of training in Jaisalmer. Here we will learn how to drive the rickshaw itself and how to navigate Indian roads, with the minimal or non-existent rules in place. We will learn the mechanical basics of our three wheeled lawn mower, which apparently, we will be needing, as they break down most days. We also get the opportunity to pimp our beast, our design already sketched has been sent across to the artists who are currently making our vision a reality, all in time for us to add the final few touches when we arrive.

To help us through these two days of training, we will also be celebrating New Year’s Eve with all the other teams participating in the Rickshaw run with a kick-off party, before partaking in a sports match against some of the locals. Most likely getting absolutely battered in a game of cricket, on a hangover, on New Year’s Day in the Indian heat (pumped for it). Luckily Jonny is pretty decent so we’ll let him take the lead.

After the launch ceremony we will finally embark on the expedition on the 2nd of January! From then on, it’s pretty loose apart from we know we have 14 days to cover nearly 3000km and make it to Kochi for the closing party! Everything we have read says you cannot plan where you stay each night, as factors out of your hands (break downs) almost always prevent you from covering the km’s you aimed to each day! This does however mean you have to interact with the locals, who are apparently always keen to lend a hand in fixing the rickshaws and also means we are likely to stay in some pretty random locations.

Everyone says India is like nothing you will experience when compared to any other country. Major extremes of riches and poverty, from amazing sites to less so, the amazing food and to the Delhi belly! We hope this will be a pretty amazing experience and aim to try give as many updates along the way as we can. January is a pretty bleak time in Europe so hopefully the pain and suffering we may get ourselves into will brighten up those dark wet mornings and offer some amusement.