Round-the-world cyclist Jumber Lezhava is wheely keen on his bike.

For he has already completed 195,000 kilometres of a 350,000 km trip involving a total of 227 countries -- and he still is not saddle sore.

Mr. Lezhava, 57, said: "I still enjoy cycling -- it's transport without an engine, fuel or smoke and it's fun.'' The superfit electronics engineer from the former Soviet Union's Republic of Georgia, now independent, was speaking during a whistlestop tour of Bermuda en route to Florida, South America and into the Antarctic Circle.

Round-the-world cyclist visits Island And his tale of endurance -- which could win him a place in the Guinness Book of Records -- has already captured the imagination of Bermudians.

Greg Hopkins of cycle shop Winner's Edge repaired his mountain bike for free and has started collecting donations to help speed Mr. Lezhava on his record-breaking trip.

Mr. Lezhava said: "Bermuda is beautiful -- I'd heard of the Bermuda Triangle, but I didn't know it was so beautiful.

"It's a very pleasant country -- the people are very friendly and interesting. And I'm very grateful for all the help I've had.'' Mr. Lezhava's trip is sponsored by Temur Maisuradze, a Georgian firm which is funding the cyclist's research on physical and psychological stamina.

Mr. Lezhava said: "Although I intend to be the first person to bike the world, the trip also has a serious message.'' He added: "The next century is a crucial time for our planet -- oil and gas will be finished. But a bike is environmentally clean.'' The non-smoking, non-drinking grandfather-of-four, who still does 1,000 press-ups a day, chucked his job at the Ministry of Science and Technology in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi in 1993 to start his eight-year trek.

He expects to have visited all 227 countries on his itinerary and be back home by 2001.

Mr. Lezhava has already worn out five bicycles and changed his tyres more than ten times during the massive mileage he has clocked up so far.

He said: "I've already cycled all over Bermuda -- it's a bit small, but nice to cycle in.'' But Mr. Lezhava is no stranger to the record books -- he held a clutch of records for press-ups, including a staggering 44,141 in the space of 24 hours.

And has collected bookfuls of signatures and letterheads from police stations and hotels along his route to help prove his claim for a cycling record.

He managed to fit in a trip to his home country's namesake, Georgia, USA, for the summer's Olympic Games.

And he insists, despite a tour which has taken him through the baking heat of deserts, the deep frozen wastes of Siberia and the heights of the Himalayas, that cycling is good for his health.

He said: "I haven't had any major problems so far -- I haven't even caught a cold.

"I thought the Himalayas would be gruelling, but I just wore a few extra jumpers, a woolly scarf and a hat to see me through.''