When my mate Brendan recently bought a shiny new bicycle he wanted to achieve something big on it. Shortly after removing the stabilisers and before fitting proper clipless pedals he suggested we ride from Salalah to Muscat (the capital of Oman). Being a slightly more seasoned rider than Brendan I hinted this might be a little ambitious. After all, the route is 1,400km through remote coastal roads with relentless nothingness on the left and sea on the right. However, the suggestion never got killed off and now we are in a situation where we have talked ourselves into it. Hence three of us (by now another friend John has been hypnotised aswell) are setting off on a 9 day adventure hoping to ride 100 miles per day to arrive in 3 pieces by December 10th. We are not crazy enough to do this unsupported. We'll have a car trying to keep up with us and carrying our sleeping mats and billy can.

For me this trip represents a peak of adventuring in Oman. Having lived in this amazing country for over 5 years the opportunities are still barely tapped into but I hope to leave Oman knowing I will take away some great experiences.

At the same time I want to do this ride for a cause. My wife, kids and I have been supporters of SOS ever since we visited Sumatra in 2015 and seen the shocking deforestation that is going on. The fact that the island (5th largest in the world) used to be almost 100% forest and in a relatively short number of years has been turned into mile upon mile upon mile of palm oil plantations would make anyone want to do something. Even if it is to stop eating food with palm oil in it!

So whether it is out of sympathy towards me and my mental state or if you feel moved by the plight of the Sumatran orangutans please dip into your plastic and chip in. When the low points come, at least I will know I am doing this crazy trip for a good cause! Many thanks.

Sumatran orangutans are critically endangered, with only around 14,600 left in the wild. Indonesia has the highest rate of forest destruction in the world.SOS protects orangutans, their forest and their future by:• supporting local people to improve their income at the same time as protecting the rainforest • rescuing orangutans and resolving conflicts between villages and orangutans • campaigning on issues threatening the survival of orangutans in the wild.• restoring damaged orangutan habitat through tree planting programmes