Tegan in her own words:
“Once upon a time… I was studying to be a lawyer.
Then I drew some comics in a competition to win a bicycle, which I rode across Spain, telling the story of my adventure through a comic blog.
This kind of adventure storytelling was too fun to not wildly pursue, so I spent the next few years finding ways to go on more adventures (which included an 11,000km bike trip through Africa with my family, and a 10 Iron Man triathlon around New Zealand), while figuring out how to turn it into a real job.
Today, I work full-time as a cartoonist, speaker and endurance cyclist. I am currently working on a book, setting up a comic merchandise shop in South Africa and training to try again to set a women’s record of the fastest cycle from Cairo to Cape Town in Oct 2022 February 2024.”
The challenge: Cycling Africa: Cairo to Cape Town. 1 continent, 8 countries, 10,800 kilometres, and 58,000 elevation, setting a women's world record that needs to exist.
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Show notes
Who is Tegan
Her love of going on big adventures on her bike
Growing up in South Africa
Spending a lot of time outside
Living in Cape Town
Going on a family cycle adventure
Cycle touring
Being inspired by Tom Allen
Her first solo trip in Spain
Getting lost, falling off the bike and figuring it out
Feeling completely free
Transitioning into the adventure life
Her love of adventure
Professional Adventurer?
Problem solving while on the road
Cartooning and why it’s more like writing
Making decisions after university
Trying to figure out what to do next
Feeling a lot of pressure
Reflecting back on her earlier work
Being encouraged to follow her passions
Heading off to New Zealand to do 10 Iron Man
Trying to figure out how to make money
Adventure Grants
Altum Consulting
Training plans and joining a triathlon club
First blind woman attempting to climb Mt. Everest - Shawn Cheshire
What does success look like on an adventure?
Anticipating unexpected challenges
Where the idea came from to cycle from Cairo to Cape Town
Finding out that there was no women’s record for the Cairo to Cape Town cycle
2019 - applying for the Guinness World Record to find out what the rules were
Planning and researching for the challenge
Wanting to start in October 2022
Needing to go through the civil war in Ethiopia
Working with a cycling coach for the past few years
Figuring out the funding and the support team
Being delayed in Egypt and needing to wait 6 weeks
Feeling ill and needing medical help
Having a seizure and ending up in hospital
Processing everything that’s happened
Trying to figure out what was wrong
Having her dream fall apart in front of her eyes
Getting back to cycling and training
Hormonal problems?
Looking after herself and prioritising her mental health
The therapy of talking
Plans for 2023
Heading to France do to an Alt Tour of the Women’s Tour de France
Staying with Katherine Bertine
Funding for adventures and making a living
Working with Komoot
Turning 30 and how her mindset is changing
Having less fear and coming-out the other side
How to connect with Tegan
Final words of advice
Social Media
Website: teganphillips.com
Instagram: @teganphillipscomics
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