Episode 126: Jamie Hargreaves & Malachi Francis

The Himalayan Challenge – & Fast Friendships

Fast friendships are made on the road…

Our latest podcast episode features @j.a.hargreaves and @malachi_cycles and gets into the details behind their Himalayan Challenge. I’d previously spoken with each of them for their own individual episode and it was fantastic to have the opportunity to re-connect with both of them together at once.

It’s worth remembering that Jamie and Malachi didn’t know each other before they left the UK. They met on the road in Turkey and a strong friendship bond quickly formed as they spent time riding together towards Australia. They rode through Turkey, Georgia, Russia and crossed the vast expansive deserts of Central Asia together before parting ways.

They were able to reconnect again in India, and then the biggest challenge of their adventure awaited them. During their time in Nepal they took on what they called the Himalayan Challenge – taking bikes to the Annapurna Circuit, Annapurna Base Camp and Everest Base Camp. Part of this challenge was recreating the journey that Jamie’s dad Phill had taken on 40 years earlier, but both of them added a special twist and it’s fair to say it was a pretty gruelling feat to say the least! 

Having watched it play out on their socials during the time, it was great to be able to catch up with both of them a few weeks ago while they were in a Laos and hear all about what it was actually like there in Nepal. More than anything else, it gave us a real insight into their friendship bond, and how each of them have helped the other get through the tougher moments in their adventure.  From dealing with equipment failures, getting through low moments to keeping calm when it looked like they wouldn’t be able to reach Everest Base Camp due to a permit problem, their friendship has helped each of them to continue on the journey.

Fast friendships are formed on the road and a serendipitous meeting can lead to bonds that last a lifetime. It was an absolute pleasure to share their story and speak to both of them for this joint episode.

You can follow their adventures continue via their instagram channels – @malachi_cycles and @J.A.Hargreaves

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