"I rode 3,000 miles around Britain on a bamboo bike to highlight our climate crisis"

Recordbreaking cyclist and triathlete Kate Strong, 45, took to the road to raise awareness of environmental issues

- Kate Strong

"On 5 June 2023 (World Environment Day) I set off to visit 30 local communities over three months covering 3,000 miles around the British mainland. To do this I built a bike from a kit supplied by the Bamboo Bike Club, with steel reinforcements at the joins.

I experienced the extremes of our own climate within the first month.

I got sunburnt blistering ears then rode through torrential rain that made my hands freeze during the wettest July on record. Along the route I visited projects that varied from rewilding and food-foraging schemes, to lobster hatcheries and beach clean-ups.

The toughest point on the ride was the stretch from Strathcarron in the Scottish Highlands to Glasgow. It rained continuously for five days and I was riding 70 miles a day. My hands got so cold I had to pop my fingers into my mouth to warm them enough to change gears.