A cycling-mad couple were attacked by dogs and children and had to ride over snakes during a four-year, round-the-world adventure which raised £25,000 for charity.
John and Pat Flower, 70 and 65, of Fir Tree Road, in Epsom Downs, pedalled 18,000 miles through 30 countries on their epic trip.
The GP and art teacher took time out of their jobs to complete each leg of their tour, which started in Epsom Downs in 2009 and ended last month when the couple cycled from Kansas City to Washington DC across America.
Each section of the challenge took six to eight weeks and raised money for Scope, Mencap, the Royal British Legion and the Royal Marsden Hospital.
Dr Flower said: "We did it originally as we wanted to visit our granddaughter in Australia and then it spiralled out of control and took us round the whole world."
He said that the couple would cycle 60-100 miles a day, sometimes camping out and, on some occasions, going with a group and a support van.
Dr Flower said: "We weren’t sure if we would be able to complete it. We never knew when we were going to get run over by a bus or hit by a truck.
"But you get fit as you go and it is tough - especially going over mountain ranges like the Rockies."
The cyclist said that despite dislocating his shoulder and his wife sustaining minor injuries along the way, the pair were driven by their love of travelling.
Dr Flower, who was born in Kashmir, said: "We ran over snakes. We were attacked by dogs and hostile gypsy children in Romania. We had adventures.
"Pat had a snake in her spokes for a while. They feel like rubber tyres when you go over them. The snakes weren’t very happy about that."
He added: "We’ve learnt how hospitable people are and we were so welcomed, particularly in places like India, where we cycled south from Mumbai to Cochin.
"We are very fond of India and Sri Lanka. The people are very friendly and they have a wonderful buzz about them."
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