After 12 000 km’s, 16 countries and 7 months on the road the global wheeling eco charity bicycle ride has been refused entry into Nigeria by not one but two embassies in West Africa. The threat of kidnapping for ransom deemed too high for an overly exposed vulnerable cyclist.

Bouncing between consulates in Togo and Benin trying everything in my power and more to obtain an entry visa into Nigeria, country number seventeen and the next on the list of an attempted 40 countries by bicycle, I have been shot down. Unable to remain in the region due to tight time and budget restrictions I have been forced to board a plane to South Africa and regroup from there, a possible reroute is on the cards as I attempt to avoid any more motorised transport in my attempt to clock up the forty nations.

Boxing up my bike for the first time in Cotonou,Benin was an emotional affair, after traversing deserts and countries on the brink of civil war only to be refused by red tape, a bitter pill to swallow as I pleaded my case on deaf ears.

Stay tuned in for updates as the journey takes a detour, many miles to come…