nika throws a curve ball

Following our initial meeting Nika and I arranged to separate out all the countries we would cross through on the first leg of the journey, from the UK down through the west coast of Africa, to South Africa and back up the other side culminating in our arrival at the school of one of the projects we were aiming to support in Kenya. At this point in time there was little point in detailed planning for the Americas or Asia… one leg at a time.

At a pre-agreed time we met again on video to discuss next stages and progress. Budgets were being outlined, country by country write ups had began. Then, Nika threw me a curve ball… “Jason, I think we should add another person to the trip…”

Well I hadn’t factored on this at all, and to be honest I was against the idea in my head. The more people, the more complication, the more cost, the more conversation I would need to have… more more more. But over the years as a leader I have learnt to listen, and to act based on the advice and input of others. So I listened.

“If we have a third person it would mean that if there was an accident or incident one person would not be left to deal with it all” said Nika. “If there were just two of us and we had an accident in a remote location, decisions would have to be made about potentially leaving a casualty, or staying with them and risking further problems, also people would be less likely to cause problems to three people than two” it all began to make total sense, and I don’t mind admitting that I felt a little professionally silly for not having considered this myself.

So we chatted and I said rather than interview a load more people I had one person in mind who had applied originally. I knew she would be a good fit; I already knew her. I did point out she’d been on limited expeditions already and couldn’t even ride a bike yet… she’d be perfect! But I was also conscious that I didn’t want to push it as I knew that person already… so I just put the name in front of Nika and said, why don’t you meet this person and then we can discuss it.

A few days later the three of us are online… well rather the two of them are online chatting and I'm just sitting there watching an amazing interaction between two strangers who just clicked. I think I managed about 20 words as they both barrelled away about everything from Phantom of the Opera, tattoo artist through to emergency preparedness and everything in between. And that’s the thing, that is the pure magic that this new person brings to the table… because everybody just clicks with Jodie, she is one of my favourite humans.

So Jodie Bear was now in the mix as a potential to join us. I did not want to overly influence this decision as that felt unfair to Nika, and so we threw Jodie out of the virtual room and chatted whilst Jodie waiting patiently in Stoke next to her screen. Nika and I agreed an in person meeting next with Jodie and before you could twist the throttle Jodie was back on the screen being given the news.

Fast forward another week and I was back on the bike, heading south again to Frome with Jodie en route.

Another café, another conversation… “Nika, I would like you to meet my friend Jodie Bear”. What followed can only be described as a whirlwind of conversation and three souls coming together to make things happen. A hug and a handshake and it was done, Jodie was on the team.

Jodie is an incredible tattoo artist, one of my apprentices, and a friend who is an inspiration to my daughter and many others. Everyone she meets she brings warmth and joy to, creating a safe space for people to just be themselves. She was a perfect fit. It was also quite handy that she is an amateur strong woman and so picking our bikes up would not be a problem.

We now had work to do. Countries were re-assigned to individuals, potential sponsors discussed, merchandise, grant applications and we headed our separate ways again with Jodie tasked with designing this website.

Another meet up was arranged this time back up in the peaks at my home where we again came together to pull all our individual tasks together… but before we begun we knew that we needed a name for the expedition, and we needed to document its exact purpose.

After a good few hours of word play we settled on Tracks and Traditions.

A passion of mine is tracking skills, the origins of science as suggested by Louis Leidenburg, and I have learnt from many indigenous people the hidden meaning of their lands through this skill. And yet the motorbike will also leave tracks, as indeed would our documentary. We are clearly interested in the traditional space that precedes our modern world, Tracks and Traditions said it all.

Beyond the noise of modern life, there are still places where knowledge is carried in hands,

passed through generations, and held in the rhythm of the land.

Tracks  and Traditions was born, it is a journey to find those stories, riding across continents to meet instructors, tribes, and communities who live with depth, skill, and connection. In a world quick to tell us we’re lost, we’re choosing a story of love, community, and shared humanity.

If you’d like to be part of the journey, our support page offers access to exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes moments and more.

With gratitude to all our supporters, past, present and those yet to join us.