Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

You might have met Andrew in Huntingdon when he visited a local pub, or perhaps he stopped you to bend your ear about the Javan rhino. Either way, Andrew has a lot of good things to say about Cambridgeshire especially because it has plenty of evidence to prove some things are well worth preserving.

The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Cambridgeshire website managed to catch up with Andrew as he and his rhino continued through the counties into Lincolnshire. Despite his commitment to travelling the length of the country - from London to Edinburgh - he was able to furnish us with these words about his foray into Cambridgeshire.

The RhinoCycle and other musings by Andrew Lindsay

The RhinoCycle007 consists of two bikes welded side by side to create a four wheeler. She has a flat body in the middle cut in the shape of a Javan rhino and a 3-D head made of papier machΓ© over chicken wire. I've been told she looks pretty impressive and is hard to ignore which is good if I'm trying to raise awareness and support critically endangered species.

Andrew manages to find helpers

There are less than 60 Javan rhinos left in the world and we're all directly responsible for their population crash because we buy hardwood garden furniture and hardwood for building.

Areas of Indonesian rainforest are being burned and cleared to grow palm oil which is used in creams, soaps and food products.

Cycling through the area on the B-roads through places such as Royston, Godmanchester and Huntingdon I am reminded that this is one of the most beautiful parts of the world. And it's easy to forget that we all have responsibilities to look after our amazing planet.

Rainforests are teeming with wildlife and provide the oxygen we breathe. Rhinos are magnificent creatures that have evolved for over 40 million years. Javan and Sumatran rhinos maintain the forests by pushing through tunnels allowing birds and other animals to bring in seeds and new life. This prevents the rainforest from becoming a choked mono-culture and preserves plant diversity.

Building the cycle

Without these rhinos the rainforests will struggle to flourish and without the rainforests there is no future for us.

The easiest way to protect rhinos and other endangered species is to join one or more of the main conservation organisations. If enough people do this it will ensure that the projects in the field get the funding they so urgently need.

At the same time we all need to stop using hardwood, palm oil and soy products and start using the numerous alternatives.

Now I'm off to Lincoln on the A607 (there's plenty more spectacular wildlife and countryside - only today I've spotted a hare and a partridge). I've got a slight tail wind as well which has made things interesting. One of the best parts is that I'm meeting so many interesting people who love to stop and chat.

Oh, and if you've got a few hours free and fancy giving me a hand, don't hesitate to stop me - I've got two seats, two sets of pedals and and only one pair of legs!