Josh Quigley, a 26-year-old cyclist from Scotland, has described the theft of his bike in London as 'devastating' after it was stolen during his sixth attempt to cycle around the world. The bike, which he calls 'the vehicle for saving my life,' was taken from outside a hostel on Borough High Street while he rested before heading to France.
Quigley first attempted the round-the-world journey in 2016 after struggling with depression following a relationship breakup. He had previously tried to take his own life by crashing his car at 70mph on a motorway near his home. Inspired by a talk from Sir Chris Hoy, he took up cycling as a way to improve his mental health.
Despite traveling over 10,000 miles through 14 countries on his last trip, Quigley never completed the journey, citing fear of success as a barrier. After his father's death from leukaemia in 2018, he fell into depression again and turned to cycling once more. He began his latest attempt in Edinburgh a few weeks ago and stopped in London before heading to France.
The bike, which he had ridden over 15,000 miles, was locked to a rack outside the hostel but was stolen on the second day. Quigley says the loss feels like grieving for a human companion. Despite the setback, he is determined to continue and has started fundraising for a new bike to complete the journey. 'I'm going to do it this time,' he said. 'It's not up for debate – I'm getting it finished.'
