World traveller waylaid by theft finally departs UK
Yogesh Alekari, the world traveller whose bike was stolen in England, has finally returned to his adventure.
The round-the-world motorcyclist whose bike was stolen while visiting England is back on the road thanks in no small part to help from the UK motorcycling community.
Over the past few weeks we’ve been following the tale of Yogesh Alekari, the world traveller whose bike and possessions were stolen when he stopped for breakfast in Nottingham. The theft waylaid him in Britain for several weeks. This weekend, he was finally able to get back on the road - equipped with gear and a new bike provided by various members of the biking community.
Originally from India, Alekari was 15,000 miles and four months into a global ride when his KTM 390 Adventure was stolen on 28 August. He had parked up for breakfast at Wollaton Hall, in Nottingham - placing his bike in a visible space and securing it with a disc lock.
In addition to losing his bike, Alekari lost all his belongings - including his passport.
Police later announced that an 18-year-old man had been arrested in Doncaster in connection with the theft of Alekari’s bike, but that they had not been able to locate the stolen vehicle.
The case sparked international outcry among the motorcycling community and resulted in numerous offers of support - including from the production company behind Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s recent “Long Way Home” series.
Ultimately, the help that Alekari chose to accept came from Mansfield Woodhouse-based The Offroad Centre, which gifted a 2020 KTM 790 Adventure to the world traveller, bedecked in stickers to give the new bike an appearance similar to Alekari’s old one (and, to, you know, promote The Off Road Centre).
With his passport and license finally replaced (both had been lost in the theft), Alekari was finally able to return to his journey on Friday. Appropriately leaving from Wollaton Hall.
“I was so lost, but I met these lovely people and I can now continue,” Alekari told BBC East Midlands. “Now, the UK is more close to my heart. I'm really happy now.”
Alekari had already travelled through more than a dozen countries before arriving in the UK. He is now pointed toward South Africa and expects to pass through some 32 more countries en route to Cape Town.
Ben Ledwidge, managing director of The Off Road Centre, said that he and his team felt compelled to offer the bike to Alekari partially out of a sense of regional pride.
"It's not a gift you give out every day, but the story did tarnish the area with a bit of a bad name,” Ledwidge told BBC East Midlands. "This guy has travelled all this way through all these counties and hasn't had a problem. He's come to our local area and his bike is stolen. So, we thought, rather than leave this bad stigma, let's help the biking community and get him back on his way."
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Chris Cope is a fourth-generation journalist, originally from Texas. He has lived in the UK for roughly two decades and has been writing about motorcycles for most of that time. He has written for dozens of publications and websites in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
