Edward Pratt


Edward Pratt is a British unicyclist best known for circumnavigating the globe on a unicycle. In March 2015 a then 19-year old Pratt set off from his hometown Curry Rivel, near Taunton, Somerset.

Overview

Pratt pedalled across the world for 3 years and 135 days to for a rough total of 21,000 miles or 33,800 kilometers. He ended his trip at the headquarters of School in a Bag, a local charity providing backpacks containing educational tools and materials for poor and vulnerable children around the world. He raised over £300,000 over the course of his trip. For this achievement he was rewarded with a Points of Light award by Theresa May.

World tour

Route followed:
Pratt started his journey in March 2015, heading from his hometown Curry Rivel to Chilthorne Domer, where his trip would officially start. Unfortunately, merely 7 miles after setting off, his custom made pannier bags ripped and he was forced to turn back and repair the zippers. After his false start he set off again the next day at noon. His route would take him across the English Channel into France. From here he travelled along the north coast of France towards the Netherlands and then further east across Europe.
After passing through Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan he crossed the Caspian Sea into Kazakhstan. It was at this point that he was being challenged by the icy and slippery wintery conditions and general lack of road safety, narrowly escaping involvement in a roadside accident. A 6-month hiatus ensued during which he resided in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan where he taught English. After the winter he travelled back from Bishkek to the point where he last stopped unicycling in Kazakhstan and continued his unicycling trip from there.
From Kazakhstan he continued further east. He first passed through China for a total of 3,403 miles in 6 months, after which he went through Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Malaysia. He ended the Asian leg of his trip in Singapore. From here he flew to Perth to continue across Australia and New Zealand. During his stretch across Australia Pratt crossed paths with British endurance athlete Mark Beaumont while he was on his world record attempt around the world.
The last major leg of his trip brought him across the United States, having first arrived by plane in San Franscisco from Auckland, New Zealand. He crossed the US from west to east, ending his American leg in New York. From here he flew to Edinburgh to end his journey with a final 500 miles through his home country towards Somerset. He arrived back home in July 2018, more than 3 years after first setting off. In October 2018, a few months after his homecoming, he was awarded the 1015th Points of Light award and personally commended by Prime Minister Theresa May through a letter.
Throughout his whole trip he was unsupported and the total distance was completed in its entirety on a 36 inch unicycle.