A cyclist attempts to break a world-record as he follows a route that is documented to human trafficking to raise awareness on modern slavery.
Gordon Miller, a Londoner, will cycle approximately 1,800m (2,900km) starting in Cadiz (southern Spain) on Friday October 1 and ending at London on October 18. This is Anti-Slavery Day.
He will be attempting to break the Guinness World Record of the longest electric bicycle ride in one week.
Miller stated to the PA news agency that he was feeling uneasy after reading about modern slavery. “vexed”Think: “What can I do about it?”
“I want to do a Guinness World Record challenge because of the profile it gives the activity and the awareness it helps raise,”He concluded.
“(The route) was chosen because this is an acknowledged route by anti-slavery/trafficking charities.
“I’m not saying it’s the exact route that people will be trafficked along as no one actually knows the route but the victims themselves as some have been blindfolded or chucked in the back of a wagon so they have no idea.
“It is highly likely that this kind of route is the route that people will have been trafficked along.”
Many women are forced to procreate.
“People are trafficked from Africa, across the straits of Gibraltar from Africa into Spain, and are taken across on dinghies or speed boats so they can be handed over.
“Women are often forced into prostitution. If they’re men, they’re often forced to work on construction sites, in illegal activities or they are threatened with losing their lives or their families losing their lives.”
To raise awareness about modern slavery, Mr Miller took on several epic challenges. He even had to spell the words! “end modern slavery”Guinness World Record – “the largest GPS drawing by bicycle (individual)”October 2020
The name of his upcoming cycle – El Gordo – has a special connection, as the lottery in Spain is called El Gordo, which translates to “big one”.
The cycling challenges will support Freewheel by Ride For Freedom. This community interest company was founded by Miller to empower survivors of modern slavery to ride their bikes with the hope of enabling them to become independent and mobile.
“Several survivors who are at the unseen safe houses have said that they would like to have some bicycle training and road proficiency awareness training,” Mr Miller said.
“We’ve given them a bike, lock, helmet, lights, all the things that you need to be safe and secure on the road.
“When we’ve proven this model, as we want to demonstrate that cycling helps them with mental and physical health and wellbeing and their mobility and independence, the ambition is that we roll this programme out across the UK, in other cities.
“I’m already talking with other charities about getting involved with them, for them to put their survivors forward so we can roll it out around the country.”
As part of the Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy’s coaching program, Mr Miller has been training with a coach for six months.
Ed Clancy, who has been supporting Mr Miller’s challenge, won three consecutive Olympic titles in the team pursuit in 2008, 2012 and 2016.