Posted by: David Alexanian

First bike: I used to ride my best friend's YZ80 after school when I was 10. It felt like it was mine but my mother still has no idea. She was, and still is, scared of bikes and made me promise never to go near one. Whoops! But the first bike I bought was a Yamaha VMax after university. It was way too big to get started on but I loved the way it looked. I didn't ride it much when I lived in New York. I came off it once and was scared to death. After that, I didn't ride for ten years until I moved to California and bought a Ducati Monster. Now, especially after Long Way Round, I can't help but try to ride everyday and I can't stop buying motorcycles.

Greatest Long Way Round moment: There were literally a million moments. And the small things have stayed with me longer. But getting to Magadan without rolling the 4x4s into the river or being eaten by a bear, and then getting to New York a day early and seeing Ewan and Charley back with their wives safely were equally momentus for me.

Biking song? 'Today' by the Smashing Pumpkins

What kind of traveller? It sort of depends on where I'm travelling or who I'm with. Though I had done a little outward bound camping in my life nothing was as influential on how I travel as Long Way Round. I guess since then I've worked harder to keep it simple. The cliche 'when in Rome' also applies. You try to go with the local flow so you can blend in and get a good feel for what a place is truly like.

Ambition for Long Way Down: To get everyone to Cape Town with ten fingers and ten toes while shooting 1,000 hours of footage and being respectful of the countries and cultures we pass through, as well as maintaining the integrity of what the four of us who set up Long Way Round originally intended to do.

What will you be doing on Long Way Down? I shall be driving my 4X4, named Fiona, to Cape Town and making sure we film everything in between. Trying to inspire route decisions to make the most of the expedition, problem solving and shooting still pictures along the way. But most importantly trying to remind all of us, including myself, that it's a journey not a race. Then the whole thing starts again when we get back to London and I have to help cut 1,000 hours of footage into a 6-hour film. But it's only work if there's something you'd rather being doing!