The long way round - update

Away the lads!

After three months of intensive preparation, Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman
finally hit the road. Following a small send off party at the Long Way Round
headquarters in London the duo crossed into Europe, via the Eurotunnel, for a
first overnight stop in Brussels. The next day they rode to their first
landmark - the Nürburgring in Germany, a motorcyclists' Mecca.

On the third night Ewan and Charley managed to reach Prague. Neither had
visited the beautiful city before and were both extremely impressed. They just
had enough time to sneak a look around the underground Catacombs, which are
normally closed to the public.

After spending as much time in Prague as they dared, the duo headed into
Slovakia via the eerie Church of Bones in Kutna Hora and through the Moravian
Karst. They visited the fairy tale castle in Bojnice and stopped overnight with
a family in a small village near Kosice.

At the Ukraine border Ewan and Charlie encountered their first hitch. A delay
of over 12 hours meant that by the time clearance had been finalised, they were
exhausted. With a dogged refusal to accept the inevitable, the pair simply
gritted their teeth and rode on. In the end, their bloody-minded determination
paid off and they made up the lost hours to arrive in Kiev bang on schedule.
This gave them enough time to tour Kiev and visit a UNICEF project, which aims
to help and provide support for children affected by the Chernobyl disaster.

While on the way out of the country, Ewan and Charlie visited a Ukrainian
family who took them to see a working mine in operation. They were briefed
about safety and then rode the train that was being used in the mine shaft.

The next day the two riders crossed the border into Russia - this time without
a hitch. By stopping at Volgograd for a few days to assess stocks and check
essential equipment, the pair were able to replenish depleted energy levels.
After that it was back on the road again and a quick overnight stop in
Astrakhan before reaching the Russia/Kazakhstan border.

As reported exclusively in Motor Cycle News, here is Ewan and Charley's
assessment of the trip so far:

CHARLEY BOORMAN
"We're having a great time so far, and the bikes are holding up fantastically
well to the tough terrain. It was great to finally get away after all the
preparation and planning. Someone told me before hand that if we could get
through the preparation, the journey would be easy - and they were almost right!

"It was awesome when we got into Europe. We made sure we went to the
Nürburgring in Germany. I've been there before, but it was Ewan's first time -
it's quite an experience. We didn't actually do any laps of the old track, but
spent a while there just watching other bikes fly by. Our first actual stop
after leaving the UK was in Brussels, followed by the Nürburgring, then we rode
straight through to Prague in just one day - which was quite a ride. It has to
be said the bikes simply soaked up the miles, though - they're fantastic
machines.

"Once we got over the Czech border we could really notice we were leaving
Europe. The road conditions change quite significantly."

EWAN MCGREGOR
"We had out first day off in Prague - just to have a break from the riding -
and then jumped straight back on the bikes and raced across to Slovakia. We had
a bit of a problem at the border there. Because we're carrying so much kit -
all the cameras and sound gear for the TV programme - we have to carry
documents to prove we haven't sold anything in the countries we visit. They get
stamped on the way into each country, and again on the way out to show you
still have the same amount of stuff. But we forgot to get them stamped on the
way into the Czech Republic, which took a bit of explaining when we got to the
next border crossing!

"There's a totally different vibe in eastern Europe - it all gets a bit crumbly
- but now we're really in the swing of things. We had the bikes serviced in the
Ukraine and put new tyres on. We're using knobblies for the trip, and they've
been surprisingly good on the road, but they're quite soft so they wear out
fast. The bikes have taken quite a battering, but have stood up to it
incredibly well. Some of the electronics in the top boxes have got absolutely
shattered, though."

THE BIKES
During the first few weeks the bikes and all the equipment have performed
perfectly. The only minor incident, so far, occurred 10 minutes after they
left. Charley was filling up with petrol and dropped the bike! There was minor
damage to a mirror but a new one was dispatched immediately by BMW, and Ewan
and Charley continued on their way. The bikes were serviced by a BMW dealership
in Kiev to make sure they were in perfect condition for the drive through
Russia and Kazakhstan.

THE TV SERIES AND THE BOOK
Long Way Round, is being made into a major TV series to be screened on Sky One
(UK) and Bravo (USA), with a book of their personal memoirs to be published by
Time Warner Books (UK) and Atria (USA). The friends will film most of the
programme themselves, via individual hand-held cameras and state-of-the-art
bike-mounted cameras, and will be joined periodically by a third rider who will
film the pair at specific points. The Long Way Round television series is being
produced by David Alexanian (Elixir Films) and Russ Malkin (Image Wizard TV),
and co-produced by Ewan and Charley.

NEXT ...
The next update will cover Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman's trip through
Russia and Kazakhstan.

Ends

Customers can call BMW's information line: 0800 777 155 or visit
www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk

For further press information please contact one of the following:

Andy Dukes / Kylie Maebus 08000 131 282
Tony Jakeman 01344 480185