Tea Time
Tea-Pot-One is the call sign used by police officers in London, England to identify when they’re taking a coffee break. For Bruce Smart, an officer in the Diplomatic Protection Group that guards England’s Prime Minister, Tea-Pot-One is a signal for an entirely different kind of a break.
After serving in the Metropolitan Police for 10 years, Smart realized that he not only needed to revive his soul, but that he also had to challenge it in a profound manner. His response was Tea-Pot-One, Smart’s personal call sign for a year-long, 160,000 km, round-the-world ride that plans to visit over 70 countries.
The inspiration for the trip came after Smart’s mother had moved in with him during her fight with cancer. “I watched my mum fight like a Trojan every single day against something I could do nothing to combat,” Smart shares on his website. “I could do nothing to help my mum in her fight for life; it wasn’t just her that the cancer was killing.”
It was during this struggle that Smart’s mother gave her son a few simple words of advice: “Don’t ever have regrets, look after those you love, and live your life.”
Motivated by the words, Smart decided to take a motorcycle trip around the world – the hard way. “As soon as I set the idea of riding around the world, I knew I had to take a sport bike and not the typical BMW GS that is now common place. I wanted something different.” Six days after promising his mother that he would undertake and complete this extraordinary journey, she succumbed to her illness.
Smart won’t be the first rider to tackle the world on a sport bike. Nick Sanders, who is renowned for the speed at which he circles the planet, has used Triumph and Yamaha sport bikes to complete his seven circumnavigations of the earth.
Well aware of Sander’s feats, Smart states that Tea-Pot-One is different. More than just a journey of extremes that will test the endurance of both man and machine, Smart will be raising funds for a host of charities that are near and dear to his heart. The Tea-Pot-One route includes stops at projects being run by his chosen charities and Smart hopes that his modest efforts will in some way effect a positive change for the planet.
The Tea-Pot-One is claimed to be a self-funded effort, meaning none of the money raised for charity will be used by Smart to pay for his adventure.
Adding complexity and some fun to his itinerary, Smart has plans to visit and use every race track in the World Superbike Championship (WSBK) around the world for a lap on his well-weathered sport bike.
Described by Smart as the “charity event of a lifetime”, the Tea-Pot-One run will depart London in October 2012. You’ll be able to follow Smart’s progress and be able to help his charities by visiting teapotone.com.
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