Lanka 1000 · The story behind the ride
Jaffna, 2019
In 2019, my friend Neil Cottam and I walked into ESPN & Co, a bicycle shop on Kasthuriar Road in Jaffna, and came out with two brand-new Indian single-speed bicycles. Heavy black steel, upright handlebars, one gear. They cost £56 each.
The plan was to ride them the length of Sri Lanka, from Jaffna in the far north to Tangalle on the south coast, in seven days, to raise money for Helping Paws Worldwide, the animal welfare charity I run in Nepal and Sri Lanka.
To make it a proper challenge, we gave ourselves a budget of £150 each. That had to cover everything, including the bikes. After paying for them, we had £94 left each for a week of food, water and somewhere to sleep.
A bike that fell apart one piece at a time
My bike behaved itself. Neil’s had other ideas.
It started small, a loose bolt here and a rattle there. Then bits began to fall off. Every day something new went missing on the road behind us, and every evening we patched it up with whatever we could find or afford. By the end of the week, Neil was riding something that looked less like a bicycle and more like a collection of spare parts travelling in the same direction.
But it kept going, and so did we. Through the dry north, past paddy fields and lagoons, through towns where people stopped to stare at two sunburnt Brits on local bikes, and down towards the south coast.
Hari
On the final day, a few kilometres from the finish, we found a tiny puppy on the side of the road. Alone, thin and in no state to look after herself.
We couldn’t leave her there. So she finished the ride with us.
We called her Hari, which means “OK” in Sinhala. It felt right, because after everything, she was. Today she still lives in Tangalle with the owners of The Trees Restaurant, very much loved and very much OK.
We rolled into Tangalle with one puppy, one heavily reduced bicycle, and £2 left in our pockets.
Eight years later: Lanka 1000
That ride never really left me. It showed me a side of Sri Lanka that most visitors never see: the quiet north, the back roads, the small towns and the extraordinary welcome of the people along the way.
So in 2027, Multi Terrain Biking is going back, and this time we’re doing it properly.
Lanka 1000 is a 1,000 km road cycling tour that runs the length of the island, from Point Pedro at the northern tip to Dondra Head at the southern tip, travelling north to west to east to south. It follows the spirit of that 2019 ride, with a few important upgrades.
2019
- Whatever £94 over 7 days could buy
- Carrying everything ourselves
- One gear, many missing parts
- Counting coins for dinner
Lanka 1000, 2027
- 4-star hotels every night
- Full vehicle support for spares, water and luggage
- Bikes with gears that won’t fall apart
- Half board throughout
You’re welcome to bring your own bike, or hire one of ours: the same bikes we use on Ride SriLankan, available as a gravel bike or an e-bike.
Ride Sri Lanka from tip to tip
The first Lanka 1000 is open to just six riders, on a first come, first served basis. Once those places are gone, they’re gone. You won’t need a £150 budget, a box of spare bolts or a lot of luck. Just a love of riding and a wish to see Sri Lanka from top to bottom.
BOOK YOUR PLACE →Questions? Email info@mtb-worldwide.com
