A rickshaw driver from China who spends his life cycling between Olympic host cities has been stopped by British police for holding up traffic – on a DUAL CARRIAGEWAY.
Chen Guan Ming, 58, famously cycled his modest rickshaw from Beijing to London, in homage to the world’s greatest sporting event.
And the Olympics mega-fan has recently set off from the site of London 2012 for Rio, which will host the 2016 games.
But just 65 miles into his ambitious 5,700 mile trek to South America Mr Ming was stopped by police on the A14, in Cambridgeshire, for holding up traffic.
Officers confirmed they stopped a man on a rickshaw and strongly recommended he stuck to some smaller routes. They also offered him a map.
But focused Mr Ming declined the officers’ advice and instead carried on along the busy trunk road, holding up traffic which would ordinarily have been travelling 70mph.
Stunned driver Stephen Cousins, who witnessed the episode, wrote on Twitter: “There is an Asian gentleman riding his rickshaw on the A14. Quite surreal.”
In another Tweet, the driver said: “So to conclude, a man who rode a rickshaw all the way from China is currently causing chaos on the A14”.
Although he was not breaking the law by being on the road, Mr Chen was pulled over by police near Hemingford Grey, Huntingdon, on Wednesday (14) following reports of traffic problems by drivers.
Police attempted to advise the driver – who is thought to only know four words of English – on another more suitable route.
Mr Chen a map also refused the map.
A Cambridgeshire Police spokesman said: “We were called to reports of a man riding a rickshaw along the A14, causing traffic problems.
“He was stopped and given words of advice not to travel on the A14, but he was committing no offences and went on his way.”
The spokesman said he was not sure where Mr Chen was planning to go next, but added: “I understand he’s eventually heading to Liverpool.”
Mr Chen, from the Tong Shan district of Xu Zhou City, traveled through 16 countries to get to East London’s Stratford stadium in July last year.
The Chinese farmer set off from the Bird’s Nest stadium, in Beijing, in 2010 and cycled for TWO YEARS to arrive in London for the 2012 Olympics.
He then returned to his home country for a brief period, before coming back to London courtesy of a free flight from British Airways to start his next adventure.
He will now attempt to cycle to Brazil’s Rio Janeiro.
To get there, he’ll need to cross the Atlantic, cycle across North America, through Mexico and Latin America, and then find a way around or through the mighty Amazon Rainforest.
Mr Chen is funding the trip himself, doing odd jobs and offering rides in the rickshaw, in which he sleeps at night.
