Ling’s Bike Trip – The Pre-Ride Interview With Ling Valentine

There’s no denying that Ling Valentine is quite a character. Her vividly-coloured, car-leasing website, LingsCars.com has been described as ‘contract hire’s RyanAir’ and with a small staff and efficient practices, it has propelled her to become the UK’s “biggest individual seller of new cars” – however, all that has changed. In a dramatic move, Ling has given her company to her employees, sold her house and much of her stuff, bought a Surly Long Haul Trucker and is setting off, with her husband Jon, on a round the world cycling trip, dubbed ‘Ling’s Bike Trip’, complete with suitably bold-looking website – here – ‘Ling’s bike trip‘.

So? Lots of people pack a bike and take off for the horizon, what makes us interested in Ling’s story in particular? A number of reasons. There’s certainly the contrast of a successful car-based business owner sacking it off and doing it on a push-bike when presumably she could see the world via a cruise, or driving round in a convertible, or riding a Harley. And there’s the fact that she’s ‘one of us’ and has a forum login and everything. (Mostly for answering back to folks who complain, which shows she’s paying attention…) However, the real reason we interested in Ling’s Bike Trip is the way that she has thrown herself at it with the kind of enthusiasm for bike touring that few of our bearded bikepacking friends have ever mustered. And her ‘Carpe Diem’ approach to doing stuff now, while you still have a chance is inspiring. So, we though that we’d see if she’d be up for answering some questions:

Why bicycles? Have you always been a cyclist? Have you done any similar trips? Or is this a complete deep-end experience?
Of course i’ve always ridden bicycles, I’m Chinese!!  But I’ve never been further than town, really. So this is really deep-end. I have a few quid, so like a nuclear submarine, I can go indefinitely. Income is not an issue, endurance is the thing. Am I tough enough? 

What inspired your choice of bike and your selection of touring bags and gear for Lings Bike Trip? Surely you could do a similar trip by car or cruise liner or motorbike without having to pedal the whole way? (I see you answer the ‘why cycle’ on your website) But, you probably wouldn’t get as tired and rained on…
I researched bikes and decided on the 26in wheel Surly LHT (Long Haul Trucker) as a good choice. A bit like a Toyota Hi-Lux  really. Maybe I should have spent more on a bike with a Pinion or Rolhoff gearbox/hub and a belt (I am attracted to the Co-Motion Pangea), but I think the Surly will be fine for at least one circumnavigation. The bags are British “SuperC”, I get annoyed that everyone seems to want German Ortlieb bags. Pedalling is good fun when it’s not intense pain, and 15mph seems better than 50mph. It’s friendlier. I wouldn’t be caught dead on a cruise liner, but I may take container ships for passage in places… 

Apart from a vague plan to see the world (and find some better weather – who can blame you?) do you have a plan for anywhere in particular you want to see? Countries to visit? Or you’re just after seeing different things?
I am looking forward to each country, even the poorer ones. Of course, the most difficult country for most people (China) is the easiest for me, but still I have to get there and get in. Unfortunately the way into China is via XinJiang – ouch. And at the moment there are no Chinese visas to speak of. Wherever I go in the World, I’ll take recommendations from others, that’s a main reason I am putting my track online, so that people can recommend things to me. Being pleasantly warm would be nice, though. I particularly look forward to: Taiwan and Japan, and the Alaska (Deadhorse – Banff) and then the Great Divide Route to Mexico, and then down to Ushuaia… if Covid allows. Also I read about the Pamirs, and some lovey places in Georgia and Armenia (if Armenia is peaceful again). 

What does your husband think of it? Whose idea was it? And how long did it take to persuade the other?
We decided together. I’m 47 and Jon is 10 years older than me, but I am quite small, he is overweight, so we each have disadvantages. But we both love to travel, neither of us is posh and I grew up in China, he grew up on a council estate in Yorkshire, so we’re both grounded. We both agreed this would be a fun retirement. I mean what else should I do? Work until I’m 60? No way!

Are you sure you have enough gear? Your bike looks hugely overloaded! Are you sure you can move the bike? What’s the most unnecessary bit of gear you have on board? What things can you see yourself leaving behind after a day or so of riding?
My plan is that we both start with extrawheel trailers, to keep some load off the bikes. But also, as we travel, I’m sure we’ll quickly refine and ditch a lot of gear. The issue is, we’re riding into winter, and I haven’t done it before. This is not bike-packing lightweight stuff, this is my whole life I’m carrying. Not just a 2-week journey. So I defy anyone to go “forever” in 2 bags and a wallet. For example, as it may be really cold, we have winter sleeping bags AND a travel quilt, each. And extra waterproofs. Sure the bikes will weigh 60kg+ but that only matters uphill 🙂 It’s the journey that matters, not the speed. I think I’ll discard a lot of clothes when I get to Portugal, and throw away some tools after the bikes have proven strong. But I have packed a USB electric toothbrush! And we have computers, filming gear, batteries, etc. Camping and cooking stuff will also be thinned out, I’m sure.

I know that you’ve appeared on the Singletrack forum a few times and you have some fans on there. What’s your message to our website visitors?
Well, I’m not one of your typical Nazi-red light-busting cyclists. Speed and time is not my target. So, you need to understand I’m coming at this like a snail rather than a gazelle,. I want to wave and say hello to people as I go past, to chat to them and experience local things. Not to set time-trial records in Lycra. So I’m maybe not your typical Singletrack reader (You’d be surprised! – Ed). The bike is a means to an end for me, far easier than walking, but also it’s a pack-mule. 

I’d say to your readers, if they fancy doing something like this, just get on with it. Far too many people never do anything at all. I’ve been planning this for over a year, but it’s come around soon. I’d encourage everyone to have a little adventure. Nothing will ever be perfectly ready. Just get on your bike and ride! I mean, we’re all going to die someday – I would prefer to die doing something, than die doing nothing. That’s my motivation really, to live my life. I’m trading money for time, hopefully I’ll have enough of each. 

Best of luck, Ling and Jon! You can follow along with (or even join in…) the adventures here: www.lingsbiketrip.com