Cyclist tackles 6,000km Silk Road in memory of father who died cycling in the Lake District

A man whose father died of a heart attack while cycling in the Lake District is tackling a 6,000km bike trek along the historic Silk Road in his honour.

Will Miller, 31, lost father Graham Miller on October 21, 2024 when he suffered a heart attack while tackling the notoriously challenging Hardknott Pass climb in the Lake District, Cumbria.

Graham was cycling with Will’s brother Toby, 29, when the tragic incident happened, and despite the best efforts of the North West Air Ambulance, he passed away.

While Will describes himself as “not a fantastic cyclist”, he is 4,000km (roughly 2,500 miles) into his ride along the Silk Road – a historic trading link between the Eastern and Western worlds, used from the second century BC until the mid-15th century – and has raised more than £11,000 for the North West Air Ambulance.

“Obviously it’s tough. Every single day is a challenge,” Will, from Chester, told PA Real Life.

“It’s quite repetitive, cycling. I had a highlight yesterday, which was getting to the Caspian Sea, which means I’ve crossed Central Asia, effectively.

“When I first set off, I was almost terrified, thinking: ‘What if I can’t do this? What if I fail? What if I want to give up?’ And you don’t realise it, but then all of a sudden, you’re sitting 4,000 kilometres later.

“That sense of achievement is phenomenal.”

Will used to be in the Army, serving for a total of seven years both as an engineer, and as an Army Commando attached to the Royal Marines in Northern Norway, Cyprus and America.

Since leaving the army in January 2025, he has pursued a more balanced lifestyle, including taking three months to complete his cycling challenge.

He set off from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in early August, covering between 60 and 70km per day in mountainous regions and as much as 150km per day in flatter desert. His structure tends to be four days on, one day rest, and he said it “certainly feels a lot like eat, sleep, cycle, repeat”.

Despite doing the challenge alone, Will said he has found joy in the kindness of strangers on the route, even when a language barrier makes it difficult to communicate.

“As a cyclist, especially by yourself, you’re quite vulnerable,” said Will, who is sharing his adventure on Instagram @whichwaytoturkey.

“But people in this region are just so, so kind. I’ve been invited to people’s houses to stay the night without speaking a word of Uzbek. I got invited to a wedding just because I was staying at a hotel!

“A man was like: ‘Okay, there’s a wedding this night, so you’re coming’. There was no discussion. I was in the smartest stuff I have – I’ve got some walking trousers, some trainers and a travel shirt, so I looked like a scruff – and within an hour, I was sat at a table drinking vodka with Uzbek men at some random person’s wedding.

“I think when you spend time in a region with people as nice as this, incredible things just happen. You don’t even have to search for them.”

When Will spoke to PA Real Life, he was in Aktau, Kazakhstan, which marked the end of Central Asia. Next, he is off to Azerbaijan, then Georgia, then Turkey, where he is hoping Toby will join him for a stretch.

Will’s brother Toby was with Graham when he died, having performed CPR until the Air Ambulance arrived, and told Will about the incredible work the North West Air Ambulance did to try and save his father’s life.

The crew arrived on the scene, in a remote part of the Lake District between Eskdale and the Duddon Valley, within an hour, which Will said was critical.

“In the army, the thing we learned again and again is about the ‘golden hour’, which is if you get care within an hour, that’s as much as you can possibly do. They were there in time and did everything they could,” he said.

“Obviously, I wish they’d managed to save him, but they didn’t. Knowing everything possible was done is just a little comfort in what is otherwise a really, really difficult time.”

Through his JustGiving page, Will has already raised more than £11,000 for the North West Air Ambulance, which is just over half of his £22,000 target.

He wants to donate the funds as a thank you for the work they did for his father, but also to support the vital resource that is the air ambulance – a charity which receives no government or NHS funding – particularly for those who love adventure in remote areas of the country like he does.

Speaking of his father Graham, Will said: “He was phenomenal. He was very determined and always loved a challenge.

“He worked for Jaguar Land Rover for his whole career, and then he retired a couple of years ago and worked for the local rowing club, doing a lot of volunteering there. Everyone who knew him said he was a fantastic mentor, really believed in people, but also would take on these insane challenges that most people would say: ‘That’s impossible’, but he just was so driven to achieve it…

“He loved sports as well, he loved cycling and adventure.”

That is what made Will particularly passionate about taking on the Silk Road challenge.

“It’s having this challenge that seems crazy impossible at the outset… When you look back on the fact that I’ve covered thousands of kilometres, that, for me, is a massive sense of internal pride,” he said.

“And that’s exactly the thing that my dad would love, to have this impossible challenge, but then to break it down and see, actually, it can be done. Just keep moving forward.

“That makes me really proud.”

Will’s JustGiving fundraising page can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/which-way-to-turkey