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Three longtime friends have recently completed the final part of an extraordinary mountain bike expedition that began over four decades ago. Sophie Trafford, Rona Hulbert, and Craig Swan originally embarked on this ambitious journey in their twenties, cycling from Punta Arenas in Chile all the way to Anchorage, Alaska. At the time, they encountered a gap in their route through a remote section of Patagonia due to the absence of a connecting road, which forced them to take a ferry to bypass the area. Since then, about 800 miles of road have been constructed in that region, allowing the trio to return and close the loop on their adventure.
Reflecting on the completion of the challenge, which spanned roughly 17,000 miles overall, Craig, now aged 62, remarked, “Forty years is a long time to complete a journey.” Their recent effort to finish the missing link took 26 days and brought a profound sense of fulfillment for the group as they reunited on this remarkable trip. Their bike ride was not only an opportunity to revisit youthful ambitions but also served a charitable purpose, raising funds for a Maggie’s cancer centre in Forth Valley and the Epilepsy Research Institute.
Sophie, who formerly worked in corporate finance and currently resides near Stirling, shared the deep emotional impact the ride had on her. She candidly described the physical difficulty of the journey: “For me, the physical challenge in this journey has been enormous. There were many times when I thought it was beyond me, so the sense of achievement is enormous.” Her motivation was strongly connected to personal loss, as she commemorated her late son Hector, who passed away due to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Sophie spoke movingly about the connection she felt to him in the wild and breathtaking landscapes they traveled through, referring to Patagonia as “no more spiritual place to do this journey.”
Rona, who also turned 62 and is from Newmills in Fife, opened up about how battling breast cancer had deeply affected her confidence and outlook on life. Completing this long-awaited section of their shared expedition provided her with a sense of healing. She described the experience as pushing her “to her limits” and called the moment of finishing “very emotional.” Rona reflected on their youth and the passage of time, observing that while they are no longer the same people they were 40 years ago, they managed to rediscover the spirit they had in their younger days. Craig, a former BBC journalist living in the Highlands, emphasized how the personal stories of loss among the group fueled their determination throughout the trip, calling the experience “a deeply moving privilege.” The friends concluded their ride along Chile’s Carretera Austral, finishing in the small, southern town of Villa O’Higgins
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