Courageous Scottish cyclist set to revive round-the-world dream on Shand bike

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Scottish endurance cyclist Josh Quigley, who hit the headlines in December after being knocked off his bike in a near-death crash towards the end of his round-the-world cycle trip, is set to complete his adventure later this year with help from the Scottish specialist cycle manufacturer Shand.

Shand, which manufactures and assembles hand-built, bespoke bikes from its workshop in Livingston, joined the GFG Alliance of industrial companies following a buyout by Chairman Sanjeev Gupta. Josh’s hometown is Livingston, which makes the partnership a natural fit.

Josh was 16,000 miles into his adventure, which began in April 2019, when he was hit by a car travelling at 70mph in Texas while cycling the Trans-American leg of his journey shortly before Christmas.

Following a month in hospital in Texas, Josh flew back to the UK at the end of last week and has already set his sights on returning to America in April to complete the final 2,000 miles of the journey. He plans to finish at Edinburgh Castle.

“I’m very excited to be working with Shand Cycles and very grateful to them for building me a new custom-built bike,” Josh said.

“If all goes to plan this will be the bike that I finish cycling around the world on and I look forward to getting back out there when my rehabilitation is complete. I never once doubted I would finish this challenge after the crash and when I’m fit and well, we’ll go out there and finish what we started.”

Josh is no stranger to adversity. Inspired to take up cycling by Scottish legend Sir Chris Hoy – a former recipient of a Shand Keirin bike – this is his seventh attempt to cycle around the world. Before the crash, he had already had his bike stolen in London and was forced to fly back to Scotland during his Australian leg to replace a damaged passport.

Shand will custom-build one of their Stoater bikes for Josh, which will feature a dynamo and USB charger. The name of the bike – “Robert the Bruce 2” in homage to the 14th century King of Scotland – will also be painted onto the frame.

Dean McQuade, Manufacturing Operations Manager, Shand Cycles said: “Given Josh’s connection to Livingston, we approached him to see if he would be interested in completing the ride on one of our custom-made bikes. We’re delighted Josh took up our offer and admire his courage in restarting the journey following the terrifying crash. We wish him the best of luck.”

Further information from:
Henry Evans, Media Relations Officer
+44 (0) 7540 249364
henry.evans@gfgalliance.com