Actor turned adventurer Charley Boorman has ridden a motorcycle round the world and crashed out of the fabled Lisbon to Dakar rally. But, as he told Emma Brady, a broken hand has not broken his spirit... For Charley Boorman, not completing his epic motorbike journey around the world with best friend Ewan McGregor was not an option. Even braving the hospitality of gun-obsessed Ukrainians was not enough to put Boorman and McGregor off completing a 20,000-mile adventure which took them from London to New York - a journey that led to a book and a television series called The Long Way Round. So it is not surprising that a broken hand, now held together with pins and surgical wire, was not enough to put the former actor off embarking on another madcap adventure. The 40-year-old father-of-two, who will address a charity dinner in aid of Unicef at the Coventry Transport Museum in Warwickshire tonight, is already planning to take on the world again despite still being battered and bruised by his experience in the Dakar rally. "It's the hardest rally in the world. You ride 700 kilometres or 450 miles - which is London to Edinburgh - every day over 16 days," said Mr Boorman. "From 4.30am to 7pm it's a hard slog across some of the most unforgiving, hostile terrain, so it's easy to crash or get lost. "I came off my bike on the fifth day and broke my hand, although I didn't realise it was broken at the time, so I got back on and rode another 400 kilometres (250 miles) because I wanted to finish the day." The all-comers contest involves more than 250 bikes, 250 cars, 80 race trucks and 400 support vehicles. This year a third of the competitors crossed the finish line. As testament to his testosterone and toughness, Boor-man's left hand is now held together by pins and wire, and he also had to undergo surgery to put his thumb back together last month. "I knew this race would be dangerous, but in a different way to the Long Way Round, which was more about endurance," he said. "This was a childhood dream to compete in the Dakar rally, but it's really been a life-changing experience and also made me realise lots of big things are achievable." Boorman admitted this would be his first visit to the Coventry Transport Museum, but added he was keen to see their new motorcycle galley, which opens next month. He has been riding motor-bikes since he was seven years old and, after competing in schoolboy motocross competitions, he ran his own motor-bike team - with David Jefferies and Matt Llewellyn - for four years. Undeterred by his experiences and injuries, he added: "It certainly hasn't put me off going on other adventures. In fact, Ewan and I are planning another trip next spring, probably from London to Cape Town. It's another venture for Unicef and Africa is one of the last mystical continents left in the world, so there's that appeal as well." * For more information about An Evening With Charley Boorman call Coventry Transport Museum on 02476 234270 | 
