Turas Alba
Reading time - 3 minutes
I first heard about Neil Russell back when Club House was popular for all of 2 months. He was talking about a trip he was part of where himself and a group of hand cyclists would ride across South Africa. It wasn’t my first time hearing about a disabled person doing things in the outdoors, but it was the first time I’d ever heard of someone doing an expedition. I’m sure Neil and the Bidii Yetu team aren’t the first disabled people to take on an expedition, but it was the first time it was coming up on my radar. Neil was intending on doing something I had decided I could never do without even trying. And although myself and Neils disabilities are very different, it still made an impact on me.
But due to the tour company the group was using letting them down, Neil lost a large chunk of his own money and he didn’t want to take anymore financial gambles. Neil withdrew from the trip, also mentioning how he wanted to prioritise his “life/work/adventure” balance, and that he didn’t want to neglect the things he enjoys in life. When I spoke to Neil at the time, he was gutted that it don’t go as planned, but he was also confident he had done the right thing for himself. For what it’s worth I agreed with him, and admired him for putting his life balance first.
But the Scottish hand cyclist still had time booked off with work for a trip, and he didn’t want to waste that. So in no time at all he planned Turas Alba. In an Instagram post Neil says the inspiration for the trip came about due to wanting to explore the country he grew up in. Beginning on May 2nd of this year he’ll be riding from Edinburgh to the west coast of Scotland where he will start his tour of the Scottish Islands.
Exploring Outer Scotland by Handcycle
His route will take him through 21 islands in around 36 days, stopping at places such as Arran, Mull, Orkney and Shetland. Throughout most of this time, his partner Jess will be exploring the islands with him and driving the support vehicle
The thing I love the most about this trip is it’s simply about doing something new and enjoying the experience. It reminded me of what I enjoyed about the outdoors, and how we can push ourselves without taking it to an extreme. He could do the trip much more quickly, but that isn’t the point. He makes it clear that this is not meant to be a record breaking or extreme challenge, and that he simply wanted to enjoy the experience. His goal is to enjoy the Scottish islands from his hand cycle, and hopes his journey will inspire other adaptive riders (and non-adaptive riders) to have an adventure of their own!
“This opportunity is not about going the furthest, the fastest or the most extreme. It’s about soaking it all up, making memories and pushing myself further than I have before on a hand cycle. It’s an adventure I hope to share with others, both physically and through social media.”
I’m genuinely so excited to see Neils journey on his social media, and I hope to be able to join him for a small section myself. It says a lot about Neil when he’s the only person I’ll consider riding a bike for.
If you’d like to support Neil, he is also looking for people to drive the support vehicle for certain sections. You can contact him via email at neilrussell2785@gmail.com or drop him a message on his instagram @handbikepacking. And of course, if you think you’d like to cycle with Neil you’re welcome to reach out to him.
If you’d like to learn more about Neil and his hand cycling, I’d recommend this BBC article.
