Student Steven Primrose-Smith is literally putting the distance into distance learning after setting out on a 31,000-kilometre cycle ride across Europe, visiting 50 capital cities over three years while studying for two Open University degrees.
Steven is testing the university’s renowned flexibility by studying towards a Maths and a Science degree as he cycles around Europe, meeting up with other OU students in each of the countries he visits. He left the OU's campus at Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, on 6 April 2011, carrying little more than a tent, a few changes of clothes, blood pressure medication and a laptop loaded with course material in PDF format.
Blogging as he goes under the title of The UniCyclist – “one bloke, two wheels, two degree courses, one portable university” – Steven’s aim is “to be a well-rounded private tutor covering as many subjects as possible. But that's three years away. I might get squashed by a truck before then.” He is also fundraising for three charities, including OUSET which supports OU students in financial need.
Says Steven: “Most OU students fit their studies around something far more time-consuming - a 40 hour working week and a family - and so it should be possible to work it around a little bike ride.”
Home to Douglas, Isle of Man …
This was the big day. I got up at five and checked the weather. It was awful. Rain, blustery wind and fog. The full set. All that was missing was a tornado or a shower of frogs. I quickly crammed some breakfast down me and then we all waited anxiously for Paul, the bloke from ITV, to arrive. Paul filmed us setting off into pitch blackness. This wasn't going to be the most visually entertaining piece he'd ever produced. Still, one city down, 49 to go.
Paris…
Disaster! My tent has died. Thirty miles to the east of Paris, while setting up in the world's most expensive campsite just because it's not too far from Euro Disney, the central pole gave a loud crack and snapped in two. I've had disposable razors that have lasted longer. On a happier note, here's a top tip I picked up from an internet cycling forum. Yesterday it was boiling hot and I was desperately short of water. The tipster said that he had yet to pass a cemetery that didn't contain a tap. I put his theory to the test and bingo! I had water. And I had all the flowers I could eat too!
Berlin…
Berlin seems to be a place where weird but likeable stuff just happens. I've never seen a wedding party, including the bride in full gown, on bikes before, but there they were cycling through Treptower Park. And I'd never before seen a beach in the middle of a city, but there it was next to the river Spree, covered in deckchairs with a handy beach bar serving Spanish tapas. Five days wasn't enough to make even a thumbprint on this city. It has hundreds of museums, dozens of parks and, at the last count, 331 kebab shops. I love it.
Vienna…
I shouldn't be writing this. I should be revising. In six days' time I will be in Vienna and I will be halfway through the examination for S283 Planetary science and the search for life. And then I will rue the time spent writing silly blogs when I could have been filling my head with the various methods of exoplanetary detection. But I like the idea of turning up in Vienna and doing an exam. It makes me feel a bit like a secret agent, appearing in a strange city and carrying out a special mission. The only problem is that passing this one well is going to be more like Mission Impossible.
Austria...
I'd spent the day cycling from Bruck an der Grossglocknerstrasse – a nice, snappy name – up and over the 1,250 metre pass at Thurn. From there it was a delicious 20 kilometre descent freewheeling all the way into Kitzbühel. Lodged in this famous, and famously expensive, ski resort was a real, live OU student. Students have been a bit scarce recently. In fact, the last one I met was Sasha in Prague over a month ago. Louise is a relative newcomer to the OU, on her first course, reinventing herself as a scientist after a life of law and English teaching. That's what I love about the OU. Anyone can decide to become something new. All you need is the mental will to get through enough courses, er, modules and you can set yourself up for an exciting, new future. There are no barriers to study. If you believe in yourself, you're free to try.
Switzerland…
When you arrange to meet someone off a train at 8am in the UK, you know that it's probably going to be 20 past before the heaving beast finally wheezes into the station. Or maybe it'll be quarter to nine. Or perhaps tea time the next day. Not here in Switzerland. The timetable said 8am and so 8am it was. Elli quickly appeared followed by daughters Andie, Flurina and Aisha, and Swiss hubby Padi, all five on bikes. Both Elli and Padi are OU veterans. Elli has already completed an MA and Padi is just about to. But there was no studying today. All six of us were off on a ride together.
Nottingham…
I didn't want to go to the maths residential. It was an unwelcome interruption, a distraction away from the bike ride and its lofty mountain roads and pretty, flower-filled alpine villages. Instead I would be going to grisly, drizzly Nottingham. Thanks, OU. But as the course was a requirement of both degrees I'm doing I couldn't escape it. Now it's over I'm so glad it was forced upon me. The beauty of the residential is that you have an instant in, conversationally speaking, with everyone there, which means starting a chat with someone is easy. You're all in the same boat, working towards some future degree and with a life full of stories attached. It's not difficult to make friends.
- To see more pictures of The UniCyclist on his travels, see this Flickr slideshow. To see Steven's route, see this Google map and for full details about his three-year challenge, visit UniCycle50.