Biker gears up for epic charity ride from Dubai to Ireland

Journey will see Evan Bourke cross 11 countries and cover 10,000km

Evan Bourke with the bike he will be travelling on from Dubai to Ireland. Photo: Evan Bourke

An Irishman is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime when he travels from Dubai to his home country on a motorbike.

Evan Bourke, 33, will be leaving the emirate on Tuesday for a 10,000km journey to his native county of Donegal.

He is making the epic trip in order to help raise money for charities including Emirates Red Crescent and the International Red Cross.

Mr Bourke will be travelling across 11 different countries on his journey, which has been given the name of “Dubai to Donegal”.

“Dubai to Donegal is an adventure where I will travel across 11 different countries while putting 10,000km on my trusty motorcycle,” said Mr Bourke.

“With horrific things happening in many countries I thought this trip would be a good opportunity to raise money for less fortunate people.”

His journey will see him travelling across countries including Greece, Turkey, Iran, Albania, Croatia and France along the way.

The trip was originally planned to happen in early 2020, but as with so many other events it had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Bourke said he was eager to make up for lost time.

Ready to ride after pandemic hold-up

“The idea was born in early 2020 but was soon put to bed with the arrival of Covid,” he said.

“Plans were almost out into motion in 2021 however whilst some countries like Dubai were open and functioning as normal, many were still feeling the strain of covid and still had closed borders.

“Now two years later I can get into gear and set off.”

Having seen so many people affected by recent events across the world, including conflicts, has only made him more determined to complete the journey, he said.

Living and working in Dubai among so many different cultures has also played a key part in helping him to plan the route, said Mr Bourke.

“This has proved invaluable when planning routes. Getting local information for most regions of my trip allows me to avoid hazardous areas whilst finding gems along the way,” he said.

“I will encounter many different cultures using a variety of languages. I feel that learning a little about each beforehand is important.

“This lowers the chance of causing unintended offence and makes the meeting an enjoyable moment for both them and myself.”

He will also be travelling alone as he makes his way to Ireland but believes his previous experience will put him in good stead.

“This is a solo trip, so I will be alone an unassisted for the duration of it,” said Mr Bourke.

“However this kind of trip brings out the kindness in people. I have been offered beds already in several countries including a hotel chain in Turkey.

“Previous motorcycle trips I have done in Australia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Vietnam have given me the confidence to take on a larger trip of this scale.”

Mr Bourke is calling on people to help donate by sponsoring 1km for Dh1, there is no limit on how many kilometres anyone can sponsor.

People can donate by following this link.