A BLAENAU Ffestiniog man has cycled home from the other side of the world in his latest mammoth challenge.

Adventurer Ian Wyn Jones set off on his epic self-propelled journey from South East Asia in January and pedalled a phenomenal 15,000 miles to get back to his home town.

Ian, who also cycled the length of the Americas in 2016, undertakes his wild endeavours purely for the love of his sport and an honest desire “see the world on the back of my bike”.

Ian, in his mid-forties, cycled through 20 different countries on his latest trip which took him just over eight months to complete.

The daredevil spent many nights in roadside culverts — tunnels that allow water to pass under roadways — along much of the route, a wild accommodation which he suggests is “very comfortable”.

He also grafted his way over various mountain ranges, cycled below sea level, survived road temperatures over 45 degrees Celsius, and bedded down outside on frozen wastelands.

His route included a 3,500 mile stint through China and long stretches through Turkey, Vietnam, and Kyrgyzstan but the cyclist is very down to earth about the difficulties he faced on the road.

“The head winds in China were pretty intense but other than that it there weren’t really any hairy moments,” said a remarkably modest Ian.

“I was ill a couple of times in China but you just get on with it don’t you?

“Now there’s a country that’s looking 100 years to the future, the level of investment and infrastructure there is mind-blowing, especially some of the bridges and high-rise buildings.

“It was something I’ve always wanted to do, something I wanted to do for myself, to cycle home from the other side of the world.

“It’s amazing what you can do when you’re prepared to sleep rough and keep costs down.”

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