The visuals satisfy an increasingly unbearable wanderlust that has become more acute during this year of coronavirus lockdown. I just love it as a way of life. wBW providessubjective opinionsand information on hard-to-find and unique motorcycling products. The thing I remember most was flying through the air and seeing the pavement and wall and thinking, 'This is going to hurt'. I did a movie wth my father called The Emerald Forest in South America, but thats the only time Ive been. And because the Long Way Up route terminates in Los Angeles, where McGregor lives, his 13,000 mile journey ended on his own driveway. Ewan McGregor rode home with an undiagnosed broken leg after a crash in London, while he and Boorman were planning their second odyssey, Long Way Down, and Boorman tells me horrific stories of the likes of comedian Ross Noble (another mate) tweeting pictures of injuries from wipeouts. 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, No, not THAT twist. I was on a bed pan for god knows how long and I just wanted to go to a regular toilet. 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. Portions of Boormans recovery from the horrific accident are shown in the first episode of Long Way Down. These snippets show how dedicated Boorman was to getting back on the bike and how important it was for him to do this third trip. Use your recovery as the spine of the book. JAG: How do we get people more interested in motorcycles? How long did it really take for you two to become comfortable with the EV element of the trip in real-time, as opposed to episode time? You'd be doing 100km an hour on this dirt road on your bike and suddenly this truck would come past you at 130km an hour and leave you in the dust. Click here to read more about his African tours. They let us in and let us plug in our bikes as they showed us around and explained how everything worked. And after a bike trip in south England, we have to visit Wales, Scotland, Yorkshire. He was in a wheelchair for a while before recuperating and getting back on the motorbike. I usually go back the way we came with them so they can experience it as well. Then Charley had a very bad accident, a motorcycle accident in Portugal, and it was a very difficult recovery. So I pulled my pants down and swung my legs around, missed the toilet and ended up wedged between the toilet and the wall. 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. But its definitely the way forward. The soundtrack features music drawn substantially from the catalogue of Real World Records, which produced the accompanying album. Within the first three episodes of this series, the duo visit: Parque Pingino Rey in Tierra del Fuego, Chile, at the tip of South America. Half of the road stays in the shade. With Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman, David Alexanian, Russ Malkin. Previous iterations of the episodic documentary series were Long Way Round, an eastward journey from London to New York City in 2004, and Long Way Down, a southward odyssey from John o Groats in Scotland to Cape Town in South Africa, in 2007. I broke both my legs, broke and dislocated my right ankle and smashed my left tibia and fibula. 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. On 6 August 2018, Boorman tweeted a tease that the Long Way Up, a trip from Tierra del Fuego to Alaska, would happen "if all goes well". A bit of separation is not a bad thing and I always try to schedule trips while the kids are at school. He is still close to his father, who is 84 and walks with sticks: when Charley was on crutches, they looked like twins, he says. Charley also gave us the inside scoop on what it was like to travel from the tip of South America to Los Angeles on electric Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and what plans he and Ewan have for their next adventure. WebLong Way Round: Created by David Alexanian, Charley Boorman, Russ Malkin, Ewan McGregor. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Then this big truck came round the corner and it put them off. She was cooking every meal, and bathing me, which would do my head in, Boorman says, but she is a saint, my wife, incredibly practical, and just gets on with it.. All Rights Reserved. However, the pair undertook the journey on fully electric motorcycles, something which had never been done before. Believe me, thats raelly great. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. I put the question to Charley during the making of the latest issue ofAdventure Bike Ridermagazine (issue 59). In 2013, riders started their amazing journey based at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. ", "I remember taking a 4x4 up the Sani Pass in South Africa, which goes up into Lesotho. People should at least wear a helmet, gloves and ankle riding boots. However, although delays of a few hours were common, there were few significant problems at crossing points as they travelled further south. 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. CB: You can really talk to each other, like Ewan and I did because there is no engine noise, so you can really hear the people you ride with. Learn more about us. Every 20 minutes, you were just about to crash. As the only spare had been fitted to McGregor's bike, von Planta rode in a support vehicle while his bike was sent ahead for repair. Hope Charley is doing OK. Id love to see Tiffany Coates standing in for him rather than his engagements having to be cancelled. Drifting apart from your mates can be a sad fact of life as you get older. This is a BETA experience. Even though it was touch and goI thought Id lose a legbut that seemed ok but I kept thinking, you know what, I just want to get back on the motorbike. But once you were able to charge the bikes with the Rivians, that seemed to be a total game-changer for the trip. The European leg ended in Sicily, where they caught a ferry to Tunisia. WebWild at Heart Season 6 Episode 4. Charley had a terrible accident and was very badly injured. JAG: Charley, you were in quite a few different wrecks over the years. He is also properly appreciative of Olivia, whom hes been with for 30 years and married to for 25. I mean you could cross America back and forth on an electric motorcycle without any worries as there are so many fast chargers now. They crossed 13 countries, namely Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and the U.S.A. WebCharley Boorman, adventurer, motorbike enthusiast and no. ), We sort of looked at each other, and walked away, and thought if were quiet, theyd keep on charging. This kind of thing happens a lot in a Long Way Up. . In 2016, Charley met with a serious accident when test riding with motorbike journalists in Portugal where he broke both his legs. S02E01 Cape Town January 9, 2013; Channel 5 (UK) Charley begins in Cape Town and abseils from the 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 He also did a follow-up to the show in 2009 called 'Right To The Edge: By Any Means' where he traveled from Sydney to Tokyo following the Pacific Rim. Im working away from home on average about five to seven months a year but my wife knows Ive always travelled, even when I was doing films. Long Way Uppremieres on Apple TV on Friday 18 September. Oha! Weve been talking about it a long-time and if the stars align we will do something like a Long Way up from Tierra Del Fuego to Alaska in the next couple of years. Im lucky enough to have a few. 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. His motorcycle was substantially damaged, and the footage of the rest of the journey to Cape Agulhas appears only to include support vehicle and helmet cam footage, suggesting that Von Planta's motorcycle was no longer used. From Kenya, they rode to Uganda and then Rwanda, where they had an audience with President Paul Kagame. Olivia matches lonely elderly people with tenants who provide company or help, and suddenly found herself also dealing with a husband who couldnt manage the lavatory alone. JAG: When it comes to the electric bikes, there seemed to be a lot of range anxiety at the beginning of the trip for you two. And that happens regularly. In Long Way Down, they share their 15,000-mile Personally, I got into a pretty bad wreck years ago, outside of Mugello on a Ducati and since then, I've kind of had the yips whenever I got on the bike. I do owe quite a lot of thanks to him for that.. News updates will happen by Twitter, through, Custom Eye Candy: An Electric Zero SR-X Concept, 10 Electric Skateboard Brands That Are Killing It, Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, Fast Figures: Piaggio Groups 2022 Sales Were Best Results Ever, Industry Insider: EU Ignores Licensing Revamp Pleas, UK Is Next, Luck of the Irish: Insurance Costs Cause Country-Wide Racing Closures, Powersports Podcasts: Ricky Carmichael & Ryan Villopotos Title 24, Harley-Davidson Screamin Eagle Engine Sets New Record, Husqvarna Releases Up-Specd Norden 901 Expedition, Armor, Airbag, Base Layer, & Underwear Reviews, The Fight to Save the Davidson Ancestral Home, Indian Motorcycles Publishes Recall over Non-Compliant Lights, BMW Recalls K1600 Models over Suspension Failure. I rode all the way to my front door from Ushuaia it was a pleasure, that.. Co-director of photography Jimmy Simak also acted as music supervisor and soundtrack producer for the series. 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. An accident in Portugal left Charley Boorman fearing his leg would have to be amputated but now hes ready to ride again. 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. GET THE LATEST ADVENTURE BIKE NEWS IN YOUR INBOX. 1 bestselling author is back! It felt like my whole body had been jarred. I had three big casts on three limbs of my body and I was feeling really, really, really very sorry for myself and thinking, if only I had this, or only I had done that. there really isnt anywhere left to go but up, and a pair of Rivian RT1 electric pickup trucks. For Long Way Up, which debuts globally on Apple TV+ on September 18 with the first three episodes, McGregor and Boorman reunite to ride 13,000 miles from Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, to Los Angeles, California. New book 'Atlas of Extinct Countries' explores the places that fell off the map. You may opt-out by. He has a deep passion for and vast knowledge about JDM cars. It's a different way of thinking but it's totally doable in America. Initially, they wanted to undertake the journey on KTM motorcycles, but the Austrian company refused to provide them with their motorbikes, fearing that they'd fail the trip. Id love to the do Simpson Desert. Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman will film in coming months", "Charley Boorman confirms the Long Way Up will take place within months", "Apple TV+ now includes all classic Fraggle Rock episodes, orders full season reboot [update: official]", Right to the Edge: Sydney to Tokyo by Any Means, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Long_Way_Down&oldid=1110182313, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Galaxy British Book Award 2008- Best Popular Non Fiction, This page was last edited on 14 September 2022, at 02:52. People look at it as one country, but its actually so diverse and so big. ADVPulse also reported that a pair of Mercedes Sprinter vans may be providing support; both previous Long Way series had prodigious support for McGregor and Boorman, so they werent exactly roughing it. In 2004, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman embarked on a journey to bike across 12 countries and 19 time zones in 115 days. It's a dangerous hairpin trail on this treacherous road and I went up in winter. Obi-Wan Kenobi was right, you know: That is a major twist. As an aside, I could watch Charley Boorman layer up (please put this on TikTok) all day. I've crashed a lot in the past. I was just unlucky because if you break one leg you can continue to walk on the other one, but I broke both and I was in bed for five months. WebEwan McGregor, Charley Boorman, Robert Uhlig (co-author) It started as a daydream. Once youve been around the world and down its length on a motorcycle, there really isnt anywhere left to go but up. Enjoy this party classic with an updated RT twist - fun for all the family! Holiday? 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. Actors, best friends, and lifelong motorbike enthusiasts Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman are perhaps best known in the automotive community for their 'Long Way' series all 3 of which you can watch on Apple TV+ of long-distance motorbike trips across various continents. That was a one-off, because of Star Wars. You dont have to do a six-month motorcycle adventure, just a day can be an adventure. This form collects your contact information. Charley saw it as a means to hang out with interesting people and earn money to buy motorbikes, and doesnt miss it at all. Or if you live in Europe, pop over to Morocco for some of the best off-road riding. 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). John thought acting might help his dyslexic son to express himself. McGregor's wife, Eve, who learned to ride only for the journey, joined them partway and took several falls on sandy terrain in Malawi and Zambia, apparently without injury. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. I just recently completed a 5000 km ride through South Africa, Namibia, and Zambia with Charley Boorman. Probably if theres a villain to be named in this epic saga, it is the search for power to keep both e-bikes and vehicles properly charged between stops. Me and my father (our whole family, actually) have been following Charleys adventures for a decade+ now This accident is HORRIBLE news (omg!) We took their LiveWire bike and we said Look, can you make it into a dual sports bike for us? But they arrived in Ushuaia after we did. Their daughters - Doone and Kinvara, 21 and 20 are both at university, but Doone also had to be flown home last year after breaking her jaw on a skiing trip. Was smiling and joking before he seen the needle!, And: Awaiting return from surgery. It was a surprise though, it's not an everyday occurrence for me! 1 bestselling author is back! 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. And if the photos trickling out of the southern reaches are accurate, theyre not sparing the whip, either. I agreeI do not agree. But if I could have ridden with anybody Id have loved to have ridden with Lawrence of Arabia on a Brough Superior. JAG: Why the long pause between the trips and the shows? Jon Alain Guzik: Youve been around and down, why decide to go up this time? Enter your email address below we'll keep you up to date with everything that's happening in the world of adventure motorcycling. They last about four days each and we will do them over long weekends. Its been more than a decade since Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman rode triumphantly into Cape Town at the end of a journey that saw them travel the length of Africa on their BMW R 1200 GS Adventure motorcycles. Travel back by ADAC. Argentinian news outlets report McGregor arrived in the country (apparently to considerable fanfare) in late August. 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. Didn't think you were that famous? WebCharley Boorman's South African Adventure: With Charley Boorman. 2023 Cable News Network. Can you put a screen on it? I was overtaking a car on my motorbike when it clipped me, sending me careering into a wall. So, being a glass-half-full kind of person, he used the enforced year of recuperation to write a book. The second installment in the series, 'Long Way Down' was shot in the year 2007. 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 Up, takes the two best friends and their returning crew on a slightly truncated trip north following a route along the fabled Pan-American Highway. You have to drive a car, but you choose to ride a motorbike or a horse, or climb a mountain, he explains. We have a series of challenges throughout our lives. The TV journeyman and professional biker tells Hannah Stephenson about some of his most hair-raising moments, Horror crash: Charley is back on his bike after a horror smash last year. [5] In March 2017, during a Reddit AMA, Ewan said there were "no plans at the moment" to do a third installment of the series. That was sort of a wake-up call to me that we mustn't let this friendshipthis very special relationship to medrift. He has his own YouTube channel where he posts videos on motorbikes. This article is about the TV documentary series. You could just keep riding your bike not knowing where you're going on forever and If it wasn't for the people that you love at home, that would be an interesting way of life. You seemed genuinely surprised that everyone knew who you were. By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. In 2008, he did a show called 'By Any Means' where he traveled from County Wicklow, his hometown in Ireland, to Sydney, Australia using only appropriate public transport and flying whenever necessary. Update lata., Endingwith: Charley Update: OK, hes come round after op. Ive ordered a nurses uniform always wanted one. In Uganda, they met former child soldiers of the Lord's Resistance Army and saw the work being done to rehabilitate them. Ive ridden quite a few and a friend came along on the recent (Compass Expeditions) Tassie tour on a Zero (electric motorcycle). They rode their BMWs through Belgium, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, a large portion of Mongolia and Russia, the Road of Bones, Alaska, Canada and finally, the U.S.A. ", "Being in trouble with the wife [he has been married to Olivia for 27 years, with whom he has two daughters] is always scary. Charley Boorman bares all for our readers, Custom Eye Candy: An Electric Zero SR-X Concept, 10 Electric Skateboard Brands That Are Killing It, Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, Fast Figures: Piaggio Groups 2022 Sales Were Best Results Ever, Industry Insider: EU Ignores Licensing Revamp Pleas, UK Is Next, Luck of the Irish: Insurance Costs Cause Country-Wide Racing Closures, Powersports Podcasts: Ricky Carmichael & Ryan Villopotos Title 24, Harley-Davidson Screamin Eagle Engine Sets New Record, Husqvarna Releases Up-Specd Norden 901 Expedition, Armor, Airbag, Base Layer, & Underwear Reviews, Click here to read more about his African tours. Boorman hit a wall and then bounced along the pavement three times. 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 hours and hours and hours later that I actually woke up, but again, I wanted to get back on the motorbike. Dealing with things such as insane cold meant moving bikes indoors overnight and wearing all the clothes. 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. WATCH: Ewan McGregor in action on the Moto Guzzi V85 TT, but will he take it on the Long Way Up? Talking about the sights along the way, and what really stood out for them on this particular journey, McGregor sites the landscape of the Atacama Desert in Chile as spectacular, and he goes on to talk about getting to see Machu Picchu. 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. Couldnt think dont do it. Were also starting to do short tours to Spain with The Bike Shed, mianly on hipster bikes like the T120s and Thruxtons. Having ridden with Ewan McGregor all the way round the world, and on an extraordinary trip through Africa, he is now taking on Canada, South Africa and the USA. Here are some facts about the 'Long Way' series and what Ewan and Charley are up to today. Great story. I just love seeing Mother Nature like this, watching the land change as we go by. They went from there to Tanzania and then into Malawi, where they were joined by Ewan McGregor's wife Eve. And then I obviously had to have the second one, the second accident, where I really smashed myself up in South Africa. And thats when the real magic begins. They decided the Long Way Up would be an electric voyage a way to see the world without aiding its decay. I think its too difficult and expensive to get your licence now. Can you put an off-road suspension on it? Can you change the seat? The two pals are back for their third globe-spanning motorcycle adventureand we sat down with them to talk about it. (The places these two bunk overnight, at least in the first three episodes, are hardly five-star. During the trip, the pair visited three UNICEF facilities to promote the work done by the organisation. Its what we've left that behind for other people to use, which is cool. Its A Honda!: Automakers Pursue VTOL Dreams, These Are The 12 Greenest Cars In The U.S. For 2023, reportedly begun production of the third entry. according to a post on popular off-road riding site ADVPulse. In fact, I borrowed (wife) Olivias scooter to go to the shops because I couldnt change gears with the cage around my leg. Not just get on a bike again, but go basically 13,000 miles on an electric motorcycle? That was my therapy, to get back on the motorbike. I first met him in London at a restaurant. During this time, he got an acting job on The Serpents Kiss in 1997, where he met McGregor, and they talked about bikes, because thats what bikers do, and cooked up the idea of a 19,000-mile, two-wheeled journey from London to New York that became 2004s Long Way Round a TV series, book and DVD. WebThis is Charleys touring show with of an added update regards his accident last year how it happened and how the recovery is going. The television series began broadcast on BBC Two on 28 October 2007,[3] with clips also shown online. In the case of Mr McGregor and Mr Boorman, it was a freak accident during a European trip that acted as the trigger for a long-overdue reunion. You've got apps that let you know as soon as you get three-quarters empty, you just hit a button and it takes you to an EV charger you can fast-charge easily. I just find myself thinking about it a lot. Traversing through cities, mountains, deserts, and snow, they documented their trips using special helmet cameras whilst riding their bikes, had a cameraman ride on his own bike accompany them, and had a production crew that provided them with additional support and rendezvoused with them at border crossings. WebCharley Boorman, adventurer, motorbike enthusiast and no. Boorman broke both legs after colliding with a wall whilst avoiding a car that pulled out in front of him. But I did perfect the wheelchair wheelie with a lot of pain. I really thought, 'S***, he's going to kill us'. Im too stupid to be anything other than open about my life. [4] They also decided to travel with medic Dai Jones, cameraman and security officer Jim Foster, and various "fixers"local guides and interpreters. I didnt do very well in school, but I got As in daydreaming, so I would spend a lot of time daydreaming about Machu Picchu, like it was this mythical place that Id never see. Related: 2021 BMW R1250 GS & GS Adventure. It was six months before I could walk on one leg. Bikes, cars and trucks all race at the same time. We had this little toilet underneath the stairs, so I got on my wheelchair and swung myself on to the landing and scuttled down the stairs to the bottom. After many years as a BMW ambassador, I was approached about five years ago by Triumph Motorcycles. My agent said why dont you use your recovery time to start writing a book about your life, your bikes and your crash, starting where youre sitting on the tarmac thinking what has just happened?. All these vehicles are all frontier tech and you both seemed pretty damn worried during the first couple of episodes. Charley Boorman is riding again after his major motorcycle crash in 2016 and ready for his big African adventure later this year. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. For me, off-road riding is one of the purest forms of riding and I particularly like sand. I said can you give me a hand? and she just shook her head and said no. Weve joined selected affiliate programs which will allow us to place advertisements for select motorcycle and motorcycle-related product retailers on the site. Whatever is happening in north Africa has nothing to do with whats happening in southern Africa. I love it. 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. Electric bikes are brilliant. 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. After being released without charge, he took a later flight to Inverness, and the journey began as scheduled. Billy writes on his Twitter account: CB had accident today in Portugal @ Global launch of Triumph Explorer.In hospital but OK. However, American producer David Alexanian and cameraman Jimmy Simak were unable to obtain the necessary entry visas and were forced to fly from Tunisia to Egypt. Our reviews are hands-on, detailed, and unbiased. Every time we found somewhere to plug that bike in was like a little mini-triumph, said McGregor. I fell off that as well. It was sort of like a dream come true., Boorman recalls riding by a solar farm in Costa Rica and knocking on the fence to ask to check it out. Weve had our share of spills and thrills (riding, all our lives), but this is -pretty- unbelievable; so unfortunate! 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. Live your life and do some fun stuff. I live in Los Angeles and I drive an EV with what seems like 90 percent of the people in here and range is something I think about all the time. Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor stop in Bolivia on their electric Harley- Davidson LiveWires. For other uses, see, "Ewan McGregor secures sponsorship deal for South American road trip", "Long Way Up is go! How do we get someone more interested in EVs and becoming a better eco steward while still being, you know, a total degenerate biker? I would hate to sit there at 90 and think I wished Id done more. The Long Way Up production crew hooked up with an electric SUV startup, Rivian, to supply new prototype pickup trucks designed to take on every terrain.
charley boorman accident south africa 2018