Somehow, we slid into a ditch and the car stopped. The team travelled from their base in Shepherd's Bush, London, to John o' Groats at the northern tip of Scotland to begin their journey. All these vehicles are all frontier tech and you both seemed pretty damn worried during the first couple of episodes. After many years as a BMW ambassador, I was approached about five years ago by Triumph Motorcycles. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Another interesting development: It appears electric pickup truck maker Rivian may also be in on the epic adventure, according to a post on popular off-road riding site ADVPulse. Ive pretty much broken everything but you cant fix your head. The truth is you just have to have a go. Long Way Down is a television series and book documenting a motorcycle journey undertaken in 2007 by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, from John o' Groats in Scotland through eighteen countries in Europe and Africa to Cape Town in South Africa. Technology, performance and design delivered to your inbox. Also, Triumph is owned by a family, theyre very generous and very kind and we have a great relationship. British adventurer Charley Boorman treks across Canada and discovers what makes the country amazing. The Facebook posts appear to show the bikes are clearly being ridden off pavement, and it doesnt look like theres knobbies mounted on the rims (yet). 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", "I remember Ewan and I were on the side of the road in Long Way Round (a TV series in which they rode 32,000km around the world) in the Ukraine or Kazakhstan and a white Lada stopped and these two big guys got out and started walking towards us. I thought Id broken my hip just for the sake of going down the shops! A Mercedes clipped the Triumph he was riding in Portugal. The son of renowned film director John Boorman, he grew up on a farm in Ireland and used to ride through the fields on his first motorbike and took part in schoolboy motor cross and Enduro races. You join the family theyve created under these particular conditions, and you feel how much they all mean to one another. When James isnt riding motorbikes, he can usually be found reading or writing about them. We looked to the back of their car and there was this young guy smiling at us with a gun in his hand and he was pointing it at us. A year ago, the 50-year-old who started out as a child actor in his father Johns films and gained a second bite at stardom on television as Ewan McGregors motorcycling partner in the Long Way adventure travel series suffered a horrific bike crash. People look at it as one country, but its actually so diverse and so big. Once youve been around the world and down its length on a motorcycle, there really isnt anywhere left to go but up.So it goes with Ewan McGregor and Charley WATCH: Ewan McGregor in action on the Moto Guzzi V85 TT, but will he take it on the Long Way Up? 2023 Cable News Network. The new Irish Sea Border: What does it mean? In the DVD extras, while preparing the bikes for cargo, Ewan McGregor refers to a possible future trip in South America, perhaps called Long Way Up. Enter your email address below we'll keep you up to date with everything that's happening in the world of adventure motorcycling. Obi-Wan Kenobi was right, you know: That is a major twist. In June 2015, McGregor indicated that the long-discussed South American trip was still at the planning stage, but he expected that an excursion through Baja California Peninsula would take place first. Weve joined selected affiliate programs which will allow us to place advertisements for select motorcycle and motorcycle-related product retailers on the site. 2022Recurrent Ventures. When you stop at traffic lights, you can hear people talking as they're walking down the pavement, it's a fantastic experience. If Ewan hadnt been involved, it wouldnt have had a chance to be successful, says Boorman, frankly. Badar enjoys driving cars, writing about cars, watching movies and anime about cars; basically, he loves cars! Three bikes were used in Long Way Down with Ewan, Charley and cameraman Claudio Von Plata each riding one, Long Way Up took about 100 days to complete as they rode from Ushuaia to Los Angeles, The crew traveled from their base in Shepherd's Bush, London to John o'Groats at the northern tip of Scotland to begin their journey. Update lata., Endingwith: Charley Update: OK, hes come round after op. Related: 2021 BMW R1250 GS & GS Adventure. Motorcycle adventurer Charley Boorman has bared all for Motorbike Writer readers, including his backside! I'd had a lot of surgeryboth my legs were smashed up, my right hand had broken bones. The video series was a hit both with riders and non-riders (celebrity helps) and it resulted in a well-received 2008 sequel, Long Way Down, which saw the pair ride from their homes in England to Cape Town on the southern tip of Africa. It's the longest trip ever attempted on an electric motorcycle, one that required Rivian to install a new string of fast-chargers along the planned routea rural charging network that will now serve the people of the region, as McGregor pointed out to me. Charley is a much-loved and frequent visitor to Australia where he leads Outback tours with Compass Expeditions. South America. I think people are very dismissive. It felt like my whole body had been jarred. And they just did. Then we got Russ and Dave our two producers and partners and then Russ floated the idea of maybe going electric and that was it really. He has a deep passion for and vast knowledge about JDM cars. Was smiling and joking before he seen the needle!, And: Awaiting return from surgery. I did a movie wth my father called The Emerald Forest in South America, but thats the only time Ive been. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. ", "Being in trouble with the wife [he has been married to Olivia for 27 years, with whom he has two daughters] is always scary. From abseiling down Cape Town's iconic Table Mountain, to learning how to rodeo in Canada, prepare for a non When it's extremely cold, you know, the batteries don't perform as well. Thankfully because of Charley's accident, that meant he was housebound for some time, so whenever I was in London, that meant I was able to see him. Web Charley Boorman Africa Touring Hear it from Charley During August to October Im leading a whole bunch of bikers on an incredible trip from Cape Town to Victoria Falls and So I pulled my pants down and swung my legs around, missed the toilet and ended up wedged between the toilet and the wall. The two friends will travel through such places as Siberia, The support team with the production crew followed them in custom-built Rivian R1S all-electric SUVs. It could generate 105 horsepower, 86 pound-feet of torque, and had a top speed of 110 mph. 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I really thought, 'S***, he's going to kill us'. I think this scene (The Bike Shed) has brought younger riders back into biking. ", "The latest accident in Portugal was pretty scary. Once it became a little warmer, the batteries became much more friendly and we got more distance out of it. When he came to rest, as he casually puts it, my leg was all flippy-floppy, bending in the wrong places and Ever wonder what it's like to be riding with Charley Boorman? When he came to rest, as he casually puts it, my leg was all flippy-floppy, bending in the wrong places and in the wrong direction. Long Way Uppremieres on Apple TV on Friday 18 September. The journey started on 12 May and finished on 4 August 2007. Given their experiences on the Long Way Round, which included problems with Russian visas, a "fine" for a missing stamp in their carnet, and delays of up to twelve hours, major preparation and planning went into the transit between countries. It was assumed this would become a regular occurrence while travelling through Africa. Ive ridden quite a few and a friend came along on the recent (Compass Expeditions) Tassie tour on a Zero (electric motorcycle). I love them all. He was in a wheelchair for a while before recuperating and getting back on the motorbike. They decided the Long Way Up would be an electric voyage a way to see the world without aiding its decay. So it goes with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman and their third globe-trotting adventure, a follow-up to the epic journeys documented in 2004s The Long Way Round and 2007s The Long Way Down. From abseiling down Cape Town's iconic Table Mountain, to learning how to rodeo in Canada, prepare for a non The first trip in the series was shot in the year 2004, when they set out on a 19,000-mile journey from London to New York City on BMW R1150GS Adventure bikes. We turned the corner on this hairpin and just hit black ice. It was hours and hours and hours later that I actually woke up, but again, I wanted to get back on the motorbike. Our reviews are hands-on, detailed, and unbiased. You can plug the bike in and it's going to give you more than 100 miles in town and you just have a go. Id love to the do Simpson Desert. EW: Well, that's never happened before. In 2016, Charley met with a serious accident when test riding with motorbike journalists in Portugal where he broke both his legs. 1:41 PM EDT, Thu September 17, 2020, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman take on a 13,000-mile e-bike journey in the Apple TV+ series, "Long Way Up.". Ahead of that, The Drive had a chance to talk to McGregor and Boorman about their trip. Sponsors, including Triumph, kept him afloat, but as well as pain and frustration, he faced crashing boredom. WebFind many great new & used options and get the best deals for Long Way Round - Complete TV Series DVD Ewan McGregor Charley Boorman at the best online prices at eBay! As I approached I heard him say, So, Olivia, youre a beautiful girl, do you want to come to Australia with me?. [7][8], On 27 May 2020, it was announced that the series Long Way Up would premiere on Apple TV+.[9]. So, being a glass-half-full kind of person, he used the enforced year of recuperation to write a book. WebWild at Heart Season 6 Episode 4. Details area bit vague at the momentandthere is no word on whether he was riding or driving. Fill in your details below to join the weekly Adventure Bike Rider Bulletin and get the latest adventure motorcycling news delivered right to your inbox. Although the American crew members were barred from entering Libya, this was anticipated ahead of their arrival. Believe me, thats raelly great. They crossed Scotland, England, France, Italy, and Sicily before making their way across Africa through Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and finally, South Africa. 2. This path of chargers on the route still exists, and its our Long Way Up legacy. There were moments towards the end of this trip that I said to Charley, that I could do this forever, I feel like I could keep going. This time around, Ewan and Charley ride their upgraded BMW R1200GS Adventure bikes from John o'Groats, Scotland over 15,000-miles all the way to Cape Town, South Africa. Billy writes on his Twitter account: CB had accident today in Portugal @ Global launch of Triumph Explorer. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much All good. That meant electric bikes (Harley-Davidson supplied prototypes) that could withstand myriad environments snow, ice, altitude, wind, rain and very few charging stations. In Long Way Down, they share their 15,000-mile Travel back by ADAC. This time, McGregor and Boorman are making it even harder on themselves, taking a pair of electric Harley-Davidson LiveWire motorcycles transformed into dual-sport adventure bikes and a pair of Rivian RT1 electric pickup trucks from Ushuaia in the southernmost tip of Argentina, up through South America, Central America, into Mexico, and ending in Los Angeles, California. The answer was the pair drifted apart over the past decade and its only thanks to two broken legs and a barbecue that they reunited for their latest adventure,Long Way Up. Bikes, cars and trucks all race at the same time. The series was added to Apple TV+ on 18 September 2020 along with the first iteration Long Way Round (2004) and sequel Long Way Up (2020). But we just picked up from where we left off, and we're just having a laugh again and then, of course, we started talking about motorbikes and then we started thinking, well, what about that long way up? Shots posted as recently as September 14th on the Facebook fan page Long Way Everywhere appear to show Ewan and team on the road with the Livewire bikes, charging them up as they go. In Malawi, they visited care centres for children orphaned by AIDS. Salta in northwest Argentina to take the Tren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) one of the highest in the world at almost 14,000 feet. He then broke his hip riding a Vespa whilst still in recovery. And those beginning few weeks were super cold. Ewan McGregor: Really once you've experienced that sort of adventure travel like weve done, it's sort of in you. The godforsaken charging. But now, some 18 months later, Charley is back in the saddle, pursuing adventure with more enthusiasm than ever before. JAG: Ewan, you're a big movie star, as I was pointing out to my daughter when we were watching the show. Can you do this, that and the other?" I got clipped and the bad thing is I hit a wall. Last year, he was involved in a horrific accident in Portugal, in which he nearly lost his leg, when he was clipped on his motorbike by a car and ended up slamming into a wall. Having explored much of Europe and most recently Thailand on two wheels, hes now got his sights set on exploring more of the world by motorcycle. And then I obviously had to have the second one, the second accident, where I really smashed myself up in South Africa. The answer was the pair drifted apart over the past decade and its only thanks to two broken legs and a barbecue that they reunited for their latest adventure, You can watch a snippet of my interview with Charley below, and you can read it in full in issue 59 ofAdventure Bike Rider magazine, out now and available to buy from our online store with free UK shipping. Argentinian news outlets report McGregor arrived in the country (apparently to considerable fanfare) in late August. Id love to see the Dakar but I would just want to race it again, so I better stay away. Charley Boorman: When I did have the accident, you know, I remember waking up in the morning and I was in Portuguese hospital. With Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, David Alexanian, Russ Malkin. They last about four days each and we will do them over long weekends. Theyll have to make it all the way up first. Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman reunite to ride 13,000 miles from Tierra del Fuego to Los Angeles in the Apple TV+ show "Long Way Up" -- the third journey They went from there to Tanzania and then into Malawi, where they were joined by Ewan McGregor's wife Eve. And for real adventure touring, EVs add a whole 'nother dimension to it. ", "I remember taking a 4x4 up the Sani Pass in South Africa, which goes up into Lesotho. (One quick note: this interview has been edited for clarity, and it's also a lot better when you read McGregors copy in his Scottish burr.). You may opt-out by. In Uganda, they met former child soldiers of the Lord's Resistance Army and saw the work being done to rehabilitate them. Long Way Back is an account of Boormans recovery, and also the story of his life, touching on his dyslexia (he takes great pride in having a literary agent), the death of his older sister Telsche from ovarian cancer at the age of 38 in 1997, and his own loss of a testicle to cancer in 2010. TV presenter and adventurer Charley Boorman, who motorbiked around the world with his pal Ewan McGregor for the series Long Way Round and Long Way Down, has had plenty of scrapes in his time. Will 1 bestselling author is back! The book abounds with bikes trashed and accidents endured, including the time Boorman rode 400km in the Dakar Rally with broken hands. In a video interview with CNN Travel, McGregor explained, We drifted apart somewhat. The original broadcast dates in the United Kingdom were: In the final pages of the Long Way Down book, there is a mention of "Long Way To Go"; however, this is not the intended title for a third series but a reference to the continual support that UNICEF needs for its work. In fact, I borrowed (wife) Olivias scooter to go to the shops because I couldnt change gears with the cage around my leg. He did lose a lot of work: a planned TV show about a bike trip through the perilous Darien Gap in Central America that had taken a year to plan, and commercial tours with bike fans in Australia and Africa, a lucrative offshoot of his celebrity. He answered many of the questions posted in by you, our readers, including his next trip wth Star Wars star Ewan McGregor, his regrets, riding tips and more. Harley-Davidson provided them with their prototype LiveWire motorcycles that had a range of around 146 miles with its 15.5-kWh battery. The road through the Calchaqu Valley in northwest Argentina. Boorman Jr is great fun and wonderfully unstarry, whether remembering Lee Marvin (a fun, really talented guy, and quite mad) or recalling the years he spent as a painter and decorator to make ends meet. And then we got to visit it., Sacred Valley of the Incas -- see Machu Picchu and so much more in Peru, When they arrived the UNESCO Heritage Site, recounts McGregor, it was shrouded in cloud. Disappointment set in, Wed come on a day where youre not going to see anything, McGregor says. And our bikes were being charged directly by the sun., In the end, after three months on the road, both men were ready to end the trip, though Boorman says, You always talk about the possibility of another one, so youve got that in your head, so its not so bad that this ones finished., Theres an arc, these trips that weve done, says McGregor. I usually go back the way we came with them so they can experience it as well. I rode all the way to my front door from Ushuaia it was a pleasure, that.. That was a one-off, because of Star Wars. Hopefully just riding dirt bikes with mates. But now Im ok and starting to do some dirt riding again so Im super excited for our two trips there later this year. and the first time we read /hear about it. So far, theres no word on when the new series will be released. I realized we share something that I dont share with anyone else. Here are some facts about the 'Long Way' series and what Ewan and Charley are up to today. What we hadn't realized is how much the weather actually affects these electric vehicles. Electric bikes are brilliant. Africa gets a really bad rub as a dangerous place, usually by people who havent been. Nite!. Did you encounter any technical issues? Boorman was involved in a serious accident whilst test riding a motorbike with journalists in Portugal in 2016. Published: Monday, 8th May 2017 at 10:40 am, Long Way Round's Charley Boorman: Even if I lost my leg, I would never give up motorcycling. You might think the gods are trying to tell the Boormans something about hazardous pursuits, but when we meet, Charleys leg is nearly healed (he invites me to feel a screw that has worked loose beneath the skin) and hes planning to resume his bike safaris in Africa in August, go on a speaking tour to promote the book, then try to put the Darien Gap TV project back together. Let me just say that this trip exceeded every one of my expectations. Apparently, after completing two epic motorbike adventures, the two felt they needed an additional challenge. Its what we've left that behind for other people to use, which is cool. Long Way Down at the Lagoon Beach Hotel on August 4, 2007 in Cape Town, South Africa. That sounds like an intimidating journey on its own, but trouble began for the adventuring pair even before they left for South America. In TV Guide's exclusive sneak peek at the premiere episode, viewers get an inside look at Boorman's harrowing motorcycle accident that left him struggling to walk during the early stages of planning the trip. It was a surprise though, it's not an everyday occurrence for me! News updates will happen by Twitter, through @biketruck his long-time friend Billy Ward.