Cycling from Bristol to Mallorca in honour of his brother and best friend Yann with renewable energy developer Owen Saward

Nicole Bremner: I'm joined by Owen on what is a really special live podcast, and it's quite a difficult subject to talk about, but I think it's quite bitter sweet if that makes sense. Owen left school at 16 with a few GCSEs and pursued various outdoor occupations, including an outdoor pursuits instructor, conservation worker and tree surgeon, before letting himself be convinced that he should get a proper job. He's now working as hard as he can to revert to a life outside, building things before he's 50.

Owen Saward: It's lovely to be here, both on the podcast and where I am. I've stopped to talk to you in a place called Ax Les Thermes, which is a little way up the Pyrenees. It was quite close to Andorra. I keep seeing the signs to Andorra and wondering if I've taken a wrong turn, but I think I'm going in the right way. I discovered on arrival, which I didn't know before I stopped, that, as its name suggests, it's a hot springs town. So given my legs and various parts of my body telling me to have a break, after this I'm going to go and sit in a hot spring.

Q: That's exactly what I'm sure your body needs. All those natural mineral salts soaking into your very sore muscles. Tell us where you're cycling to and where you've come from.

OS: We're in French money here or European money. So it's about 2,000 kilometers and I'm cycling from Bristol to the highest point on Mallorca in memory, and to raise money in the memory of my brother Yann. The ride is called Bike For Yann and the aim is to raise money for two charities, St. Peter's Hospice in Bristol and Cancer Research UK.

Q: Why those two charities in particular?

OS: Yann sadly died of cancer about two years ago. He was five years older than me. He was quite an incredible man. He was my best friend and so many other things. He was incredibly, incredibly fit, very healthy – vegan, an incredible cyclist, loved cycling, he was teetotal, didn't drink alcohol.

Yann went to the doctor one day with a sore throat. A few weeks later it was diagnosed as cancer. That was in November. He went through some incredibly challenging and brutal treatment, which was actually successful, but sadly the cancer had spread to his bones already. And the following August, he died.

St. Peter’s Hospice in Bristol who helped care for Yann towards the end of his life was just an incredible place. You can't believe the people and the humanity that exists in that place. I remember talking to one of the doctors and you ordinarily get involved in the medical profession because you want to help people. You want to save lives and caring for people whose lives you can't save, that’s an incredibly challenging thing.

So my target is to fundraise ￡20,000 pounds, which seems like a lot of money, but that's what it costs to run St. Peter’s Hospice for a day. Yann was incredibly keen that as much money could go to this charity and also Cancer Research UK.

Q: What gave you the idea of cycling to Mallorca?

OS: Yann was a really keen cyclist. He built his own bikes, not from scratch, but he would buy the frame and then build up his own wheels and the components. And he loved cycling in Mallorca. It was kind of a spiritual home, I think. And he made lots of friends there.

He had built a bike during his treatment. It was something that kept him going with the hope that he would be able to cycle to Mallorca. And when he died, he left me that bike, which is the bike behind me here. And that's the bike that I'm undertaking this trip on.

It’s really to remember him and just the incredible determination he had to the end. So yeah, it's quite a personal experience for me.

Q: You can’t tell this story and not raise money, which obviously is very important, but it also highlights the dangers of something that you don't even think about, like throat cancer. A lot gets talked about with breast cancer and then for men testicular cancer, but throat cancer is not one that we ever think about, especially a vegan, non-smoking, teetotal.

OS: Cancer obviously affects a lot of people in a lot of different ways and there are many different forms. It’s just about being aware of that. I don't think there was any question of not having caught it early enough. I think the doctors were incredibly quick in terms of diagnosis and treatment, but just unfortunately, Yann had a very virulent strain of cancer.

Q: One thing that really surprised me Owen is that I assumed that you had someone driving behind you with all your food and perhaps helping you check into hotels at night then I realised as I followed your journey, you're completely alone!

OS: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I am, and I'm not, you know. I'm definitely completely alone on the road. And it's interesting having that amount of time to think. The things that you notice. I noticed today that I’ve become a bit of an expert in different types of tarmac. I have a preference list now of the kinds of tarmac that I like. It's actually been really hot and the tarmac gets a bit hot and sticky making the tires hot. It just makes things so much harder.

I've been camping. Although I confess tonight I'm treating myself to a proper bed in an Airbnb. I've had an incredible amount of support on Instagram and Facebook from friends and people I sort of vaguely know, and even people I've met along the way in France, kind of cheering me on.

Some people they've just come from across the, the story and the donated money. I'm a bit blown away by the kindness and the strength of support. It's really restored my faith in humans.

Q: It's nice to have a reminder like this because often we're so drawn to the negatives and the bad news. Just looking at your latest ride from yesterday it was over 92 miles! And look at the elevation gain, 2,759 feet!

OS: It did take it out of me a bit. I lost a day because the front wheel on the bike broke the day before, so I felt compelled to make it up. So that was basically two days traveling in one day, which was a tough day. Today I've only done 35 miles, but 3,000 feet of ascent

Yann was a cyclist, I was never really into cycling. I had an old mountain bike I’d cycle to the supermarket and back. Before I started this ride, I had a bit of personal training with a friend of mine who worked on just strength. He's an ironman triathlete so he knows a bit about long distance endurance stuff. He kept saying to me you've got to do more long rides because otherwise when you start it's going to be brutal.

But I just didn't have time because I run my own business and I've got a lot of children. So the longest rides that I had done before I started was 35 miles.

Q: How saddle sore are you? Is that a problem or have you got good equipment?

OS: Well, my butt is okay. I've got this organic kind of beeswax which has helped. I’ve been using that to oil the chain as well. And as lip balm when it's been really hot. When I went out for dinner the other night I even used it as hair gel. It’s becoming the most used item on the trip.

It's my knees that hurt because I didn't do longer rides beforehand. My quad muscles pulled my kneecaps out of place, this is what my physio tells me, so it does feel a little bit like my kneecaps are grinding against something that they shouldn't be while I’m cycling.

Q: Have you noticed any other changes in your body since you've been cycling?

OS: I've definitely lost weight and my butt size has grown a little bit. My partner literally sponsored my ass. (Owen’s partner’s company Cowderoy Consulting features on his cycle shorts.)

Q: How are you keeping the fuel up to you and to yourself so that you can keep well hydrated and keep well fuelled for the trip?

OS: It's brilliant. I can eat whatever. That's one of the upsides of it. I'm burning about 4,000 calories a day. So last night I had two three course meals back to back. And I just eat chocolate croissants and donuts. It's brilliant.

But hydration is quite difficult because I'm taking quiets rather than the main roads. I assumed that I'd pass places to get rehydrated. But sometimes I don’t find anywhere for three hours in the hottest part of the day. So I've learned that I need to carry way more water. I carry about four liters of water on the bike all the time to stay hydrated.

Q: What percentage through your ride are you now?

OS: I try not to look at the map because, although I have started looking at it now, the first nine, 10 days, I wasn't looking at the map because it just looked like such a long way. I think I'm over two thirds of the way. I've got two days now of climbing over the Pyrenees. So tomorrow and the day after it will be about four and a half thousand feet each day of climbing.

Then it's basically a day entirely downhill to Barcelona, which obviously I'm massively looking forward to. I'll just be free-wheeling all the way. Then the ferry over to Mallorca. Then from sea level to the highest point on it's about 5,500 feet.

Q: We've talked a lot about how you're getting along physically on this ride. What about mentally? How are you finding this challenge? Are you learning things about yourself or discovering new thoughts and ideas, maybe inspirations, because obviously it's a very poignant time for you?

OS: It's gone in stages. In the first week I kind of questioned why I was doing it a bit and whether it was even the right thing to do. Then I had a bit of a moment. I was sitting on an old railway track somewhere in Southern Normandy and I really strongly felt that Yann came and sat next to me, which was quite a strange experience.

He just put his arm around me and we had a chat that he was sad couldn't come on the ride with me. And then I told him, I was sorry that he wasn't with me. That was a bit of a threshold moment. From then on I felt almost to the point that I was taking on his spirit. I could sort of hear him in my own voice.

I became quite aware of how similar we were. I think that's something I'd never quite appreciated before, sadly in a way, because I wish that we could have talked about it and acknowledged that. But yeah, that was quite a thing. Other than that, it's quite meditative cycling for that amount of time.

I've had all sorts of bonkers moments to be honest. It's probably not appropriate to share, but I have started talking to myself as well. I have certain thoughts that I want to share with somebody and there isn't anybody so I would just say out loud anyway

Q: You and Yann look very alike as well. It must be hard for you to look at yourself and see him in you and especially in your cycling kit?

OS: I didn't think I'd fully appreciated how similar we were. Quite a few other people have said, particularly a couple of the photos that I've shared where I'm grinning in my cycle kit, that it’s uncanny just how alike we are. That element has been a little bit difficult, but it's a lovely thing to acknowledge.

Q: With the end of the ride in sight have you got anything special organized in Mallorca when you get there? Are you meeting up with some of his cycle friends or is it going to be more of a personal experience?

OS: It's more personal. There are a couple of really close friends of Yann who are in Mallorca who I will meet up with. I don't think about how it will feel to arrive. My aim has been to meet with his spirit and to have that kind of connection.

I've got something that I've carried with me that I'm going to leave in that place on the highest point of Mallorca. But I'm a bit scared as well that there might be a bit of an anti-climax. It's tempting to think that it will bring something to an end or that there's closure. But I know in the back of my mind it’s not going to stop the grieving. Missing someone is not something that just goes away because you've cycled to the top of the mountain. But there's a moment there that we can kind of sit and look at the view together.

Q: Have you had any thought about perhaps another challenge or something else you'd like to do after this one?

OS: Yeah! It's not going to be on a bike, I can tell you that now. Not a chance. I think when I get back, I'll clean up the bike and hang it on the wall. There are certain challenges in my professional and personal life that I'd like to achieve next. So I'm focusing on those rather than going to climb Kilimanjaro or Base Camp or anything like that.

I think the next challenge is that I've always had a dream. I'm a town planner by profession and it has occurred to me for some time that I should put that to good use and perhaps see if I can build my own place, a self-build Grand Design. I've never managed to create a home for various reasons, and I have a big desire to create a home for the family.

Q: Turning to you professionally. What is Climate ER and what do you do?

OS: Climate ER stands for climate emergency renewables and it is effectively a development company. So we develop renewable energy facilities, primarily large scale solar farms. Before that I developed onshore wind farms in the UK, which is an interesting form of development, particularly 5, 6, 7 years ago when it was not, politically, a very popular form of development.

If you stop somebody in the street and ask them if they like wind turbines and renewable energy they always say, ‘yes, that's great’ until you say, okay, well, we'll just, we're going to put one over there within sight of your garden. At which point they say, ‘oh, well, hang on a minute’. Solar farms are much more comfortable in the landscape, less intrusive, but they still come with quite a lot of challenges.

Q: Are you keeping up with all the news in the UK about all the utility companies that are going out of business and the fuel shortages?

OS: No, I've not followed the news. I saw your post the other day about a shortage of diesel. Obviously, I drive an electric car. Jenny, my partner, messaged me the other day and said she might need to borrow my car because there isn't any patrol.

It’s an interesting political position, having been in renewable energy for 15 years. I think those of us in the renewable energy industry will be biting our tongue slightly to say I told you so because there has been a huge political financial lobby from the fossil fuel industry over the years.

That extends to both the car industry and also the climate change agenda – the effects of fossil fuels on climate change. There's a brilliant film actually, After The Flood with Leonardo DiCaprio. It highlights that even in the 1960s there were NASA scientists trying to hold their hand up and talk about climate change and the damage that fossil fuels cause. But unfortunately there is a lot of money behind the fossil fuel industry that silenced them.? So yeah, get the Tesla on order is my advice, Nicole.

Q: I’m very keen to see the eclectic XC90 Volvo is launching next year.

OS: MPVs are definitely where there's a gap in the market, but they are coming. Within six months the issues with the fuel crisis, is it a crisis? Are they calling it a fuel crisis yet? It’s only going to accelerate change. Of course, there's COP26, the climate change summit in Glasgow, later this year. We’ve also had the recent IPC report, that's basically called it code red right now. All these things are going to change quite quickly now. I hope so anyway.

Q: It’s great for you professionally and I'm sure you'll come back really rejuvenated and inspired about the opportunities for you to expand your business within this sector. Just to finish up, because I know you must be needing to relax fully and recover for the day after your gruelling ride, but tell us how you're going with your fundraising so far and how people can help?

OS: I was set the target of ￡20,000 and I've been overwhelmed with the support. I think I'm on about ￡12,000 now. That's come from maybe 200, 250 people, it's been amazing. I've got some corporate sponsors, companies that I work with in Climate ER. Obviously Jenny sponsored my ass, which was very kind, my Virgin money giving page is live and anybody can visit that. There's the full story about me and Yann if anybody wants to know more.

If anybody wants to follow me, there's actually a live feed on Twitter. So when I start riding, if you're really bored and you've got absolutely nothing else to do, you can follow the dots on a map of exactly where I am at any given moment.

Q: The way you've carried on Yann’s spirit is inspiring. Thank you for being an inspiration in the true sense of the word. I hope you find the peace that you hope you'll find when you reach the peak of Mallorca. Wishing you all the best.