Man proving his
By Harold Morse
mettle by pedal
Star-BulletinJohn Lewis is on an unprecedented journey, trying to be the first to travel around the world using only human power.
He already has completed almost 20,000 miles of his globe-circling adventure and plans to embark from Kona on his next leg on Monday.
His means of travel will be a specially designed pedal-powered watercraft called the Moksha. He expects to take 70 days to pedal it 2,200 miles to the Gilbert Islands in the western Pacific.
He's taking about 150 pounds of dehydrated food.
"Being a vegetarian has proved somewhat of a challenge to prepare enough nutritional content for the 5,500 calories I will need each day," he said. "But I've learned to deal with it."
Aside from the boat, Lewis' modes of transportation on the "Pedal for the Planet Expedition" are a bicycle and in-line skates.
He has made his way from Great Britain to Hawaii by way of Portugal, the Atlantic Ocean, and then the breadth of the mainland.
His aim -- through school presentations, cultural exchange programs and curriculum development -- is to empower children in each country he visits to follow their dreams, and to connect with youth around the world.
It can be tiring.
For the past three weeks, Lewis has allowed himself only 4 hours sleep a night, devoting his waking moments to seeking sponsorship money, rounding up necessary gear, keeping a Web site up to date and visiting schools.
For Pedal for the Planet Expedition updates, call 1-800-943-0114 or visit the Web site www.goals.com.
