Imran Mughal was the first British-Pakistani to cycle round the world. Over a delicious curry cooked by his mum the proud Yorkshireman told me how going out to explore the world was not encouraged within the Pakistani community. But the decline in health of his dad was a wake-up call to Imran that good health is not a given, nor does it last for ever. That, combined with redundancy, spurred him into action.
Imran didn't tell his family he was going to cycle round the world, only that "I'll be gone for a few months, then I'll be back..."!
The similarities and the differences between Imran's story of cycling around the world and my own fascinated me.

Going round the world, says Imran, is an education. It halts time. You learn more on a journey like that than you will in the rest of your life. A bicycle helped take Imran away from his problems, away from the challenges in the local area such as drugs and hanging around with a bad crowd. Nowadays Imran feels that all he needs in life is God, family and a bicycle...

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SHOW NOTES

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• Watch Imran's videos on YouTube.
• Imran thinks Yorkshire is the best place in the world to live, better even than California.
• The solitude and peace of the mosque five times a day
• The unification of cultures
• We have so much on our doorstep that you don't necessarily need to go on a massive global journey to experience great places.
• You hear of people who have been to the other side of the world but have not experienced Cornwall or the North Coast 500 or the Lakes.
• Britain is one of the best cultures of the world: The variety, the amalgamation of cultures and all the foods in Britain.
• Redundancy committed him to action
• The decline in health of his father was a wake-up call to Imran that good health is not a given, nor does it last for ever.
• Going out to explore the world was not encouraged within the Pakistani community so this was an additional layer of 'barrier' that Imran faced
• Imran didn't tell his Mum he was going to cycle round the world, just "I'll be gone for a few months, then I'll be back..."!
• "I had the intention to cycle round the world, but I didn't believe that I would do it."
• Going round the world is an education. It halts time. You learn more in it than you will in the rest of your life.
• When he got home everyone's attitude had changed and they were very proud of what he had done.
• Praying is like 'hitting the reset button'
• A bicycle helped take Imran away from his problems, away from the bad stuff in the area such as drugs and hanging around with a bad crowd.
• God, family and a bicycle...