Ed Pratt: World unicycle bid man puts trip on hold

Ed Pratt said it was a "difficult" decision to pause his journey

A man attempting to become the first person to unicycle around the world has put his trip on hold after he was almost hit by a car in Kazakhstan.

Ed Pratt, 19, from Curry Rivel near Taunton in Somerset set off in March on the 18,000-mile (29,000 km) challenge.

He was forced to jump off his unicycle when a car spun towards him on an icy road in temperatures of -3C (27F).

Mr Pratt said he intended to continue his journey next year when weather conditions had improved.

He said it was an "extremely difficult decision" to pause the trip, but the level of risk was "unacceptable".

Mr Pratt set off from Somerset in March

He said: "I sat down to have a serious think. I potentially had another 1,000 miles of these ice-covered roads.

"I felt the risk of a repeat of an incident like this was too high. And I knew that once away from civilisation, the traffic would mainly consist of heavy lorries thundering down the highway."

Mr Pratt said he planned to spend the winter in Kyrgyzstan before returning to Kazakhstan. The remainder of his route includes China, Australia and the United States.

The charity challenge is in aid of the School In A Bag charity.