by Derrick Vinesh

BUTTERWORTH, MALAYSIA - Anxious to catch the Beijing Olympics 2008 opening on Aug 8, grandfather David Munusamy Reddie has embarked on a 4,400km-long solo bicycle tour to China.

The 56-year-old, who took up cycling after a heart bypass in 2003, left his Taman Minamah, Nibong Tebal, house at 9am on Tuesday.

Going on a shoestring budget of RM50 a day, David estimated that it would him take 65 days to reach Beijing after boarding a train in Padang Besar to Bangkok.

From there, he would cycle another 20 days through Laos to get to the border town of Mengla in China.

'From Mengla, I will cycle for about 3,000km to Beijing. I hope to complete this stretch in 45 days,' he said.

'I am excited about this,' he said before starting his journey.

David said he would cycle an average of about 100km daily and take a one-day break for every three days on the road.

'On each of my off days, I will do some sightseeing,' he said.

Apart from a spare tyre and three tubes, David has taken along with him a set of tools, pillow and blanket, sleeping bag, medication, camera, map, torchlight, speedometer and some clothes.

Those who want to keep track of his journey can log on to his website, www.bicycletouringmalaysia.com or follow the journey through his blog at http://cyclinginchina.blogspot.com/.