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If the goal is to concoct a superpower elixir of an adventure motorcycling legend in a beaker, one would need to conjure up quite a mix. Bring over that pipette full of balls-out courage; go ahead and squeeze in an extra strong dose of “ain’t gonna take any crap” independence; and, don’t forget to grow some eyeballs in the Petri dish for that super forward-thinking vision. If there’s one person who has slugged down this strange brew, it’s got to be Austin Vince. But, there’s one additional superpower that landed him on the telly before any other adventure motorcyclist... and, that’s his extraordinary charisma. Here’s just a tip of this iceberg.…

AM: Was there a specific event that lured you to the road?

AV: Not really, but the sudden access to the former USSR in ’90 meant that essentially, a new planet had been discovered that you could get to by motorcycle!

AM: Was this the same event that led you to the idea of taking on the longest route possible in the shortest period of time for your first motorcycle adventure?

AV: In May 1991 Gerald Vince [Austin’s older brother] was perusing the Sunday Times Travel supplement when he noticed a succulent oddment amongst the “In Brief” stop press type section. As a result of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, all of the former Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern Europe had, at a stroke, dropped their insanely convoluted visa requirements for British nationals. In addition, they no longer required pre-booking of every night’s accommodation in expensive state-approved Intourist hotels. In other words, Poland, Rumania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, etc., were, for the first time since about 1937, open for truly independent travel.