In Colorado Springs, Chazzy Patel is planning his next adventure. But this British-born photographer and former Army veteran is preparing for another ambitious cycling challenge. One lung disease, and his circumnavigation was put on hold.
But after a rare, progressive lung disease forced him to stop his round-the-world journey and undergo surgery on both lungs, his plans continued but with a new challenge.
What started as a normal routine adventure, his will power made him the second person in the world to cicumnavigate the global on electric bike, but the first Asian to achieve this accolades.
Patel began his journey on April 1, 2019, setting off from Fort Carson, Colorado, on an electric bicycle. What started as an alternative to a motorcycle trip he could not afford became a yearslong adventure across countries and cultures. Then the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted his plans, and a health scare in Thailand led to a diagnosis that changed his life.
He had suspected he might have contracted COVID-19. Instead, doctors diagnosed him with bullous emphysema, a condition in which damaged air sacs in the lungs can form large air-filled spaces. In severe cases, the condition is also known as vanishing lung syndrome.
While interacting with India Weekly, he mentioned, “I thought it was a cartoon made-up disease because the name is vanishing lung syndrome when you Google it,” he recalled.
The diagnosis was difficult to accept. Patel did not feel as sick as he imagined someone with such a serious lung condition would feel. But doctors explained that his disease could progress to the point where he would eventually need new lungs to survive.
A diagnosis that changed the journey
Chazzy Patel with his electric bike and the memories captured in frames.Google Drive
Despite his symptoms, Patel continued traveling. At one point, he cycled toward Singapore while dealing with infected tissue and persistent coughing. The physical strain eventually forced him to reconsider how far he could push himself.
“It was a very painful experience to ride with the infected tissues and having to cough constantly,” he said.
He stored his bicycle in Thailand and returned to Colorado for surgery on both lungs. The procedures took place on Valentine’s Day, marking a turning point in a journey that had once been defined by movement and independence.
Recovery required patience. Patel went through rehabilitation and gradually returned to exercise, including cycling. He also had to make changes to how he managed his health, paying closer attention to medication schedules, diet and the physical demands of his activities.
His condition remains a serious consideration, but Patel says he has been fortunate to experience relatively few symptoms compared with others who have the disease. The experience has also changed his outlook.
“I think that's why I laugh a lot more and I try to enjoy myself 'cause I'm very grateful to still be here,” he said.
Rather than allowing the diagnosis to define his future, Patel is learning to work within its limits. His next challenge will require more preparation and care than his first, but he has not given up on returning to the road.
The route he chose
Chazzy Patel with his friends he made while circumnavigating on electric bike.Google Drive
Patel route took him from the United States to England, the Netherlands, western Germany, Sweden and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. He had originally planned to travel through Russia, Mongolia, China and Vietnam, but those plans changed when he could not obtain a Russian visa.
Patel turned south instead, cycling through Poland, eastern Germany, Czechia, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey before continuing through Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. On October 30, he learned that cycling through western China would be difficult and that flying to the capital might be the more practical option.
Deciding the detour was not worth the hassle, he flew to Bangkok and continued to Koh Samui, an island in Thailand. A few months later, the COVID-19 lockdowns disrupted international travel. His journey continued through Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, a short stretch of Australia, then back through Indonesia and Malaysia, before he traveled to the Philippines and Japan. He eventually returned to California and then Colorado. Now, as he plans another around-the-world attempt, Patel hopes to attract greater financial support to help make the next journey possible.
Learning to enjoy the journey
Chazzy Patel's setup in ThailandGoogle Drive
The illness was not the only experience that changed Patel’s approach to cycling. Early in his adventure, he treated the ride almost like a military assignment, keeping close track of his distance and trying to cover as much ground as possible.
That changed after he met Mary, a 70-year-old cyclist traveling from Arizona to Pennsylvania along the Katy Trail. Her approach made him question why he was rushing through a journey he had undertaken to experience the world.
He began focusing less on speed and more on what each day could teach him. Encounters with strangers became an important part of the adventure. People stopped to talk, share stories and offer help, sometimes relying on Google Translate when they did not speak the same language.
“Every morning I woke up, instead of looking at, you know, the clock, I would look at my distance, but I would try to see what kind of things I would be amazed by,” he said.
For Patel, the bicycle became more than a means of transportation. It offered a way to connect with people whose lives were different from his own. Thailand, in particular, left a lasting impression, with its people and experiences becoming an important part of his memories from the journey.
Those encounters helped reinforce an idea he hopes to share with children through his upcoming book: people can find common ground even when they come from different places and cultures.
Planning another attempt
Patel is now looking toward another world-record attempt. He hopes to build a support team based in Colorado and map out a route for the challenge. Before then, he is concentrating on a children’s book that will draw on his experiences as a traveler, photographer and writer.
His plans reflect a balance between ambition and caution. Medication, diet and physical recovery must remain part of his routine, and his health will influence how he prepares for the next ride.
Still, the desire to return to cycling remains strong.
“I really, really want to do this again because that part of it was great,” he said.
For Patel, the goal is not to ignore his illness or pretend the future is certain. It is to continue doing something that gives him purpose while being more conscious of what his body can manage.
“Life's short. Like it really is,” he said. “I've had, I've lost a lot of people in my life. And it just, you just got to be grateful for the bit of time you have and bring some pleasure in your own life and other people.”
The journey that began at Fort Carson in 2019 has taken a path Patel could not have predicted. A serious diagnosis interrupted his plans and forced him to reconsider what was possible. Now, from Colorado Springs, he is preparing for what comes next, with a clearer understanding of his limits but the same desire to explore the world.
