Correspondence with Polar Explorer and Everest veteran mountaineer - Eric Larsen // Explorers // Advice on overland expeditions // Mountain bike treks // Mongolia Solo 2500km Crossing 2012

 2012 Solo Crossing 2500km or 1553 miles and accumulated 40,000 meters altitude in Outer Mongolia. Now, I have professional explorers and world touring cyclists asking for advice. Eric Larsen contacted me a week ago to ask for logistical support for Mongolia. In 2010, Eric Larsen became the first person in history to successfully complete expeditions to South Pole, North Pole and the summit of Mount Everest in a continuous 365-day period. In 2006, Larsen completed the first ever summer expedition to the North Pole.

 2014 Cycle to the Gobi Desert in southern Mongolia

 Reaching the 5 Saints in 45 days overlanding.

 My top of the world expedition experience made public on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

100 miles a day experience in 2013 crossing North America in 30 days, 3400 kilometers, 2000 miles.

Re: Polar training courses Inbox x Brian Perich Mar 29 to Eric, Rob Hi Eric, CC: Rob Hill, IDEAS 

 I went through tough terrain to follow-through and finish my 2500km 1553 mile journey. On finishing and returning to Korea I had to get back into work but had terrible physical complications. This was my second official bike expedition after China and the Himalayas in 2011. I returned two years later, last summer, to ride directly to the Gobi and out east to Khentii. In total, I covered 3700km in 65 days, 2500km in 38 days pedaling on the first trip+7 days resting/recovering. I wore the old Pearl iZumi shoes when the Walk-n-bike shoes I ordered to replace them came sized smaller than a decent fit. As a result, with very little padding, I took a beating scaffolding the mountains north and then west to Khovsgol and Altai. I walked a great deal, sand deserts and the mountains climbing up while pushing the bike loaded. I still support Rob Hill from the IDEAS foundation of Canada, he is also a professional mountaineer. Let's include him in this conversation. I have lost touch with Antony Jinman, and failed to get sponsored. I did have one-off support from Lynskey Performance for their titanium frame, but I had to buy-in at cost, then they dropped me before I had finished my 2012 trip. I am considering a frame building course to 1.build my own frame 2.learn the trade for potential small business 3.do more expeditions with my own hand-made equipment. My website revealed my routes (MongoliaX2014), and the routes across the Gobi to share finally with others, because like you, I have been contacted for the route by quite a few professional explorers/cyclists, and nothing was ever offered in return which is the nature of of casual online connections and information gathering....meanwhile though for me, I had to bitterly try to finish my physio, chiro, and steroid treatments to recover and resume a normal life in Korea. I successfully completed the journeys, but that was the end game for me. Not much happened next for me except returning to teaching in Korea, which ended in January of this year (department closure/university takeover/school challenges for my children Korean-only environment/pollution issues affecting my training and whole family's health conditions and the consideration of potential employment and betterment for my wife to return to the workforce - much on my plate). Now, I am on a new challenge living in North America where I have no foothold at all - except family here to connect with. So, my personal survival expedition in North America has now completed it's second month. I spend 10 years in Asia (China and South Korea). I am currently in Windsor, Ontario returned to my parents home while supporting my two children and my wife whom after a 9 year hiatus raising children, started working finally after two months search. I am currently unemployed with foreign credentials from Sweden, they won't hire me in Canadian-sector education with foreign credentials and there are few jobs/if any available anyways. I am overlooked for factory or other jobs, even in temporary staffing - I am untouchable.So, I am considering frame building as my next move. If you are planning an expedition for Mongolia, in the summer or winter, I would like to join you - no holds barred. If you cannot accommodate me, I can still offer the routes (2012/2014) on my website in return for nothing. I know the Mongolian language, understand their culture and have some connections there, very kind people some whom I met that I won't even know where they have migrated to now, others are settled in the cities or train wild horses. It's an amazing place to challenge yourself, discover and explore. I would like to carry on exploring and connecting there, even guiding, but I don't have the business finesse/panache to fuel adventures they way you do. Thanks for writing, in confidence. If you have any collaborative ideas, I would definitely like to hear from you again. -- Brian (Windsor,ON)

Update from Altai Taven-Bodg National Park basecamp, thanks to my friends who came to support the expedition this year....
Posted by ONE - Arctic2Argentina - Eco-Expedition of the Americas & Asia Expeditions on Friday, September 14, 2012

 Eric Larsen on Fatbike starting the attempted first ride to the South Pole. 3 completed in 2014.

 Eric Larsen on his triple grand slam North / South Poles and Everest Expeditions called Save the Poles.

 Eric Larsen on his Surly Moonlander

Eric Larsen leading Antony Jinman on a North Pole expedition with ETE.

On Sun, Mar 29, 2015 at 12:38 AM, Eric Larsen wrote: 

Hi Brian -- I hope you are doing well. I was just doing a bit of googling and came across your video of Mongolia. I'm in the beginning stages of looking into a trip there and I'm curious to learn more about your route, etc. Do you have a web site that shows your track? Thanks! Think Snow! Eric -- 

It's Cool To Be Cold www.ericlarsenexplore.com Adventure * Achieve * Inspire Eric Larsen Explore 3840 Broadway St. #27 Boulder, CO 80304 Phone: 218.370.9137 
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/EricLarsenExplore 
Twitter: @ELExplore www.ericlarsenexplore.com 
 Begin with one step...

On Sat, Feb 1, 2014 at 9:15 AM, Brian Perich wrote: 

Hi Eric, I have wondered about taking these courses for years. Now the years of the Fat bikes in Antarctica make me want to take steps closer, although reasonably, I realize I may never have funding available to do it. I would be eligible for your course in 2015, I am still in South Korea this year and will move back to Canada next January. I know there a lot at stake and on the take for sponsored polar travel, and I have not been successful gaining support with cycles, despite my biggest effort crossing Mongolia entirely unassisted in 2012. 

I watch Antony Jinman and supported ETE in faith from the beginning, the same with Robert Hill at IDEAS Foundation of Canada, now both are professionals either semi-retired like Rob, or developing like Antony. And I watch you, and I see myself in Korean EFL classrooms and know I am in the wrong place. I budgeted XXXXX from savings to complete three treks on bicycles, western China from Urumqi, across the Tian Shan mountains and Taklamakan on the Tarim route to southern Silkroad to Yecheng into the Aksai Chin mountains and back to Kashgar for a flight to Chengdu and back across Sichuan and Yunnan Himalayas in 2011. I lost 23kg training and completing, 1/2 while in China for 60 days. 

In 2012, I trained again for 10 weeks (gym no bike) and setoff on 2500km and 40,000meters of Outer Mongolia, daily peaks 18-20% grade, no switchbacks, 2300km was offroad, 1 year of medical assisted recovery. And I took an easy 3400km 30 day trek on pavement from Grand Rapids, MI to Banff National Park in 2013. I want to do more with exploring, I know what it takes (having done it without the sponsors cash-equipment) and while supporting Rob and Antony's non-profit foundations. 

Thanks for listening, Brian -- 

Brian Perich Adventure Cyclist, Explorer, Father, University Lecturer 

Ambassador at IDEAS, Intestinal Disease Education & Awareness Society, Canada 

Korean-World Micro Blog 

A2A Expedition project 

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Twitter: Cycleagain 

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