QPM Phil Buckley’s Bangladesh Bike Ride

Emdad Rahman

Oldham legend Phil Buckley is more than a renowned name in Oldham.

Phil Bhai – and an old friend of mine, contacted me recently, waxing lyrical about his most recent trip to Bangladesh. The former Westwood and Coldhurst PC became a familiar face during his popular beat patrols and bonding within Oldham's Bangladesh community for 10 years. Phil opted for a marathon bike ride in Bangladesh after deciding to get back into shape again; “18 months ago, I looked at myself in the mirror, but was not happy with what I saw,” say’s Phil. “I was putting on too much weight and most of it around my waist.”

The answer for Phil lay in the flat, dusty roads of Bangladesh, with it’s radiant skies and sizzling hot sunshine. “A marathon Bike Ride is what I needed, it would be just the tonic,” Phil decided.

12 months on, and Phil Bhai has just completed his 6th visit to Bangladesh; “I’m also almost 3 stones lighter with three inches trimmed off may waist,” he laughs.

Phil and his team from the UK completed a gruelling 350 mile bike ride from Sylhet to Cox’s Bazar, all within 6 days. All this took place during the daylight hours of the blistering hot Bangladeshi daytime heat. This was the single most difficult obstacle for the team; “the soaring temperatures approached 100 degrees,” said Phil.

The initial plan for team Oldham was to take 15 cyclists to Bangladesh. Trained, geared up and set to fly out to the Motherland, the team were hit by a setback in the shape of the BDR mutiny conflict in the Capital, Dhaka.

Naturally, members became apprehensive and dropped out after evaluating the overall situation. This left just three to travel to Sylhet. Phil’s companions were Azmol Khan (Crouchy), from Oldham and Salam from London. The trio had painstakingly prepared for the great challenge ahead. All aspects of training had been covered – “All 3 of us had trained hard in previous months, riding our bikes through the cold wet British winter, sometimes cycling though snowdrifts,” Phil said. But would this be enough to prepare for the oven temperatures of the Bangladeshi summer?

Upon arrival, Phil and the boys quickly set about preparing for the big ride. “Our route would take us from Sylhet City with overnight stops in Hotels and Rest Houses in Hobiganj..Brahmanbaria, Feni, Comilla, Chittagong, then onto Cox’s Bazar,” said Phil.

Crouchy damaged 2 bikes during his ride and these were repaired expertly at Rickshaw workshops on side roads. Phil say’s this was a great opportunity to recuperate tired limbs, regain energy and mingle with the locals. “Moments after getting off our bikes we were soon surrounded by crowds of curious villagers, eager to see a tall white man in tight Lycra cycling shorts,” he chortled

To recuperate the team drank gallons of water, stuffed themselves on Bananas with tasty parati bread, juicy pineapples and boiled eggs for energy. “We also had special high energy drinks to combat the scorching hot temperatures,” he said.

Phil, Crouchy and Salam averaged 50 miles per day with a 100 mile lung busting ride on the final leg from Chittagong to the finish in Cox’s Bazar.

“Although we were absolutely physically and mentally shattered, the sight of a signpost bearing the legend - 10 kilometres to Cox’s and the longest beach in the world, lifted our spirits,” added Phil. “We cycled onto the beach, then ran into the sea and a well earned soaking in the warm waters of the Bay of Bengal.

The trio were given a warm reception by the British High Commission in Dhaka. Phil’s other memories are of watching young Bangladeshi boys playing cricket at 7.30 in the early morning sun. He enjoyed testing his Bangla and is best pleased with his dark tan.

Asked if he will go back, Phil, holder of a Queen's Police Medal, doesn’t flinch – “of course,” he grins. “”Many times more I hope.” Appropriate choice of words from a man Bangladeshis see as their own.