Saturday, December 5, 2009

First snow of December, Expedition Cyclists, Adventurers, Navigation



Love the sight of the first snow. In South Korea, it’s the sign of fresh weather, clearer conditions for riding in lower elevations, and far less smog. Winter is the ideal cyclists condition for healthier commuting to work, cycling for fitness training, or just getting around the country. Many have already crossed the country, or are setting off on winter vacation for Jeju-do (Island) in the south of the peninsula, where the milder temperatures and snow covered peaks of Mount Halla (Hallasan) are ever present in the background. Cycle touring is evolving into World Expeditions, and that can be done fast or slow. Take several examples from powerful elites in the Slow Bicycle Movement that have successfully cycled around the world, two recent examples that best exemplify WT (World Touring) are Alastair Humphreys (UK) and now Nicholai Bangsgaard (Denmark) whom have both completed 4-year crossings of entire Earth landmasses on two-wheels. Others that are notable for their dedication to the lifestyle and longevity of WT are Tim & Cindie Travis (USA) making bicycle touring their home since 2002. Additionally, Peter Gostelow is currently on his charity-based Big Africa Cycle and heading into the Sahara shortly. I had the opportunity to speak to Peter from Youssef Boucetta’s house in Demante, Morocco yesterday via Skype. One of the best charity campaigns on 2 in 2009 was definitely Dan Harrison riding his flagship bicycle expedition from London to Capetown delivering (currently) 24,450 GBP (Pounds!!!) to orphanages all along his route. Dan’s Better Life Cycle can be summed up in a huge success already, and his mission statement is already in motion: The Better Life Cycle has one goal; to give some of the worlds most disadvantaged children a better life. “Dan Harrison sets off from London on August 22nd on an epic solo cycle through Europe, the Middle East and Africa; arriving in Cape Town autumn 2010…” Finally, there’s another Adventurer who ready seen the road, cycling from London to Capetown and from Korea to Capetown on his already epic Korea to Capetown: through the Axis of Evil charity campaign, Dan Martin will set out to complete the world’s first World Triathlon. That’s right, he is planning and now seriously training to be the first to swim 1/3, cycle 1/3, and run 1/3 of the way around the world. Watch out for Dan’s grand slam to hit the endurance circuits, or completely blow them out. Beyond the Ironman/RAAM competitions, there is the slow, driven, and hard to the core Martin who will likely accomplish what others believe impossible. I believe he can do it! There's also Helen Lloyd with Take On Africa who now on her first massive charity expedition!!! More on the tabs, The Hungry Cyclist, Bicycle Touring Pro and Shuutak's 100,000km cycling expedition (in Japanese, feel free to support him by leaving a message!)

And finally don't forget to visit Kevin Shannon's Zero Emission World Expedition 2010, when he sets Because It Is There, inspired by George Leigh Mallory's expeditions of Mount Everest, whom is quoted for inspiring the adventure quests simply, "Because it it there!" Finally, more honorable notations on Antony Jinman's incredible efforts with Education through Expedition and his Eco-Movements to explore and educate on global warming through Arctic exploration and bringing it back to the classrooms, and into the labs with ice-coring work he will be doing on a bid to reach the North Pole with a collaboration with the University of Plymouth. He has recently received a letter from United Nations supporting his innovative work in education and has been selling a load of figgy pudding to support the innovation!

What’s really amazing about cycling and expeditions, are the ways people can use this transportation as a transformation into charity works and missions on expedition. This aspect of bicycle touring has become the center interest in my preparation to cycle from the Arctic 2 Argentina in 2012-2013. With every great dream there comes a great pursuit of realizing it. The work begins today, laying the foundations for tomorrow!


Extra notes: Navigation & GPS


I’ve also been looking at navigation, another example is looking at Seoul through the new program Playstreet that I found on the excellent Korean information site for Navigation called Foundatron. These sites can be incredibly useful for those living and Cycling in South Korea. This a full entry about Expedition Cyclists (links to many of their own stories) and a short piece on Navigation for Cyclists in Korea.



2 comments:

Moody said...

Thoroughly interesting post Brian! That guy Dan Martin is really gonna try a triathlon around the whole world?! That's freakin sweet!!!

Cycleagain said...

Right. I followed his Axis of Evil Cycle a few years ago, he will definitely do this. Happy Holidays!

Please share the free inspiration and adventure cookbook with all your friends and families (:

Ted Simon Foundation

About the Korean-World Author

Brian Perich was an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lecturer for a decade, father, and adventure cyclist based in South Korea.

Previously, Brian has led Canoe adventures in Quetico Provincial Park, Atikokan, Ontario, Canada (1993/1999); led Grand American camping adventures (2000); lived at Paramahansa Yogananda's SRF Ashram for 5 months (see the film "AWAKE"), formerly worked in titanium welding at Agilent Technologies, formerly worked in Winery industry in Marin County with Kendall Jackson in California; Surfing and Meditation continued for several years in California, British Columbia, South Korea, Yoga training in California 1999-2000.

Between 1994-1998 - Brian completed his own adventures with motorcycles. His motorcycling marathons took him across the United States and central/western Canada, while traveling solo over an astounding 24,000km in 60 days! Brian endured 900 mile/1300km average days in the motorcycle saddle and apparently loved every minute of those adventures.

Today, he has given up motorcycle adventures altogether, but finds an outlet for his enthusiasm in outdoor recreation while bicycle touring and micro-blogging about those experiences on his mountain bikes.

While employed as an English teacher in South Korea, Brian has became an advocate for bicycle touring on his mountain bikes. The Korean-World blog originated from those small adventures in Korea, now expanded to cover his recent trek down the TransMongolian highway to the Gobi Desert, cycling 900km east through the Khentii grasslands and in 2012 crossing Mongolia in 45 days, 2500 kilometers 1553 miles. HimalayasX expedition Brian previously cycled across western China, the Taklamakan Desert, the northern Himalayas of East Turkestan Xinjiang/Uyghur Autonomous Region, the corrugated back roads and mountains of Kham Tibet. Brian successfully completed his 2011 mountain bike expedition with 3200 kilometers / 1988 miles unsupported, on/off road MTB adventure cycling.
Brian has completed his second mountain bike journey, MongoliaX expedition - Crossing Mongolia 2012, an unsupported mountain bike MTB expedition across 2500km of Outer Mongolia from Ulanbaatar to Altai Taven-Bogd National Park bordering China, Russia and Mongolia.


In 2013, as a sequel to a trilogy of cycle tours, Brian enjoyed a more leisure bicycle tour onboard his Koga-Miyata World Traveller seeing the northern tier of the United States and western Canada covering 3400 kilometers / 2000 miles in 30 days. This North American cycle tour was called Totherocktour. Enjoying the adventure of bicycle travel and every great conversation started while traveling on the road - has refueled his inspirations to cycle around the Earth. In 2013, while he cycled solo from the Great Lake State of Michigan, United States to Banff National Park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. He weaved through local communities and reconnected with friends, family and community after spending almost a decade in Asia.


Brian is now supporting several non-profit foundations through expeditions: IDEAS Foundation of Canada IDEAS is the acronym for Intestinal Disease Education and Awareness Society which supports the IBD community, those suffering from IBD-inflammatory bowel disease, also known as Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis.


The second non-profit foundation is ETE.ORG - Education Through Expeditions, UK which supports educational outreach programs inside schools around the world. ETE connects explorers with students in the classroom, through an interactive online program in development (Beta).


Brian is researching support for a 18000 kilometer bicycle expedition across the Americas: North, Central and South America - ONE -Arctic to Argentina
Please contact him if you are interested in helping out.

Twitter: Cycleagain
Location: Gangneung, Gangwon-do, South Korea or southern Ontario, Canada.

Thanks for visiting my Journal from Asia

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Brian's friends have also been...Cycling in Korea!

Brian's friends have also been...Cycling in Korea!

Cycling in Korea, Warning: always wear a helmet! (I gave mine to my friend)

Cycling in Korea, Warning: always wear a helmet! (I gave mine to my friend)

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