Totherocktour EUROPE (PART 1) By Bicycle from Croatia through Slovenia mountains to the Italian coast, to the Alps Zermatt, Switzerland, to Munich, Germany, an Beyond into the Balkans

 

 Croatia! Slovenia! Italy! ...By Bicycle.

Where would I be without my People, Friends I call Family in Croatia! Nowhere. I appreciate all they did for me over the summer, helping me get started Cycling around part of Europe and tasting the amazing food and they treated me like family. I really appreciate them, I miss having them in my daily life. I will cherish these moments for as long as I live. Here's one for the Korean-world blog. Check!

When I blogged on social media from South Korea 2006-2014, I had one goal to connect to the greater world, share positive cycling updates, and hold onto HOPE. At that time, 2009 I met Adventurer Antun Colig from Zagreb, Croatia. We shared common Balkan roots, culture and style I was familiar with growing up with my father in Canada. Here, we met in person with his hardworking father Robert, retired tourist bus driver who crossed Europe, alot, my style of guy, and Marija his wife, a retired Nurse who had been taking care of Antun since his motorcycle accident in Greece in April 2022. Antun and I consider one another brothers, We share common goals and interests. He is a travelling guy, professional truck driver who logs in 700km per day all across Europe. And I try to travel when it's possible. I have probably logged 1,000,000km going somewhere in a car, motorcycle, bicycle or canoe, on foot. Overlanding is fun, it doesn't have to be motorized either. Just get up and go for it, preferably for fitness and exercise, so I normally choose the Bicycle.

Matej and Brian...in Safety vests and helmets, representing Cycling in Croatia. Day 1

Riding through Zagreb from their home in Adamovec, Croatia I had a short tour and excellent first day out on the bicycle crossing the capital with Matej, Antun's younger brother who recently finished a Masters in Philosophy degree. Congratulations are in order, we video chatted and caught up on life stories.

                Brian and Matej, Cycling in the capital of Croatia, ZAGREB. Another epic day last summer. I arrived in Zagreb June 21, 2022 and the cycling adventure began on the 25th of June, on towards Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland. Clockwise ride around western Europe, made quite a few connections possible along the way.

Antun and I explored an abandoned building down the street in Adamovec. Epic place. the family built this home, lived and died. Nobody came to replace them.

Summer of '22 It was off to a big adventure. Europe by bicycle.

Marija cooked epic food every day of my visit. My stomach was doing figure 8's, twisting and turning with the variety and rich calories intake. I cycled it off later in the summer, no worries. It was epic! Thanks Marija! <3

I'm searching Ubuntu to find my photos from the summer, it's nearly impossible to find them and upload to Blogger. LOL. I'm struggling to put the photos to these words. Photos continue below in reverse order, Tijo's bachelor party in Windsor, Ontario was Epic too!!!

TIJO's Bachelor Party, a blast in Windsor, Ontario. The night before booking my flight to Zagreb, Croatia for later in the week. I went over earlier in the day and mowed their lawns. Below is a photo of the Sprinter van I drove and a typical day's harvest at low-income housing properties around the downtown core of Windsor. I'm the first Lawncare/tree trimming specialist to visit these places in YEARS. Nice job if I do say so myself (: The van doubled as a transporter for all the branches to WDS Windsor Disposal Service, it all gets grinded up for compost soil and mulch for gardens. This work paid for the journey ahead, ready, set, go to Croatia

I've landed in Croatia! Time to assemble the bicycle and prepare for the 2000km journey ahead.

Colig's dog named KHAN, like Genghis Khan. He was a real boss dog around their property.

Robert Colig, my friend's father was a Legend, together with Antun, they met me at the airport, and yes, we fit the bicycle complete in the shipping box in their trunk (:

Polish airlines wing, I hitched a ride to Pearson airport, Mississauga, Ontario with my cousin Jae and his wife Kim, they were traveling to Portugal and I would fly out the same evening to Warsaw, Poland, then transfer to fly into Zagreb, Croatia. 

Tractor. Made in Yugoslavia. Thanks for this epic photo Antun.

I made it to Croatia! These captions say little. Antun and I made friends via social media in 2009! Finally, I made it to Croatia in person, this was an epic journey for me. Once in a lifetime to have a friend invite me over in the Balkans, where my ancestors came from over 100 years ago.

Rolling with Robert in Zagreb, outside Temperatures HOT!!!! No A/C inside the car.

Antun Colig visiting my family in Windsor, Ontario in 2019. Misung, Matthew and my parents George and Cathy in this photo. I'm wearing the VW t-shirt in the middle, my son Matthew is next to me. Antun in red shirt. (:

Two Wheels to Freedom // New Zealand Mountain Bike Road Trip // World Adventure Mountain Bike Destinations // Where the trail begins...

 

Mountain Bike Road Trip inspired in New Zealand

[Authors notes] Published on 5 Sep 2013 - Join Cam McCaul and friends as they explore the South Island of New Zealand on the ultimate mountain biking road trip. After the Teva Slopestyle bike contest in Queenstown, Cam and pros Sam Pilgrim, Chad Kagy, Kelly McGarry, and Kurt Sorge hit the road.

Resources for your Mountain biking destination -

Top 10 Mountain Bike Tracks in New Zealand

Go Mountain Biking in New Zealand, Tourism suggestions

Singletracks - The BEST Mountain Biking locations of New Zealand

MongoliaX2014 // Mountain bike touring in the land of Nomads // Legends of Genghis Khaan // Microadventures by Brian Peric

I left this journal blank. It was a great summer in Mongolia and in South Korea. I worked out a plan to cycle to the eastern Gobi Desert (Sainshand) and visit Terejl National Park (photos below) in the same 7-day route nearing the Chinese border (Zamiin-Uud Замын-Үүд). I met new friends in Ulaanbaatar again this summer. Travelers arrived from Estonia (Lauri Mihkelson), Germany, United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, Holland, Serbia, Korea, Japan and Mongolia (Mongolians are naturally the kindest hosts in the world) (: I stayed at Zaya's Hostel in central UB. There, I split the MongoliaX2014 into three (3) Microadventures: Terejl National Park (1), Gobi Desert-Sumber East (2), and visiting Khentii grasslands on a return trip through Avarga mineral lakes (3). 

First into the Terejl National Park (1) to see the running horses, bright green pasture Steppe hills and mountains, some herders and flocks, road workers from China, and wooden bridges towards the Turtle Rock. There, I camped there nearby a Shaman ground where pine trees were wrapped in colorful ribbons and cloth alongside the snaking hiking path towards Turtle Rock of Terejl Park. This location is just 60km (Park entrance, 3,000 Tugruts) 80km outside of Ulaanbaatar riding east on Peace Avenue directly from downtown (State Department Store - MAP of central Ulaanbaatar). The city of Ulaanbaatar is changing and developing - I noticed the paved roads of this capital city have improved since I started my trip in 2012 (massive holes filled in). The city was safer than two years before, as police or security officers would wait outside major shops or patrol through downtown on sidewalks. 

Second, riding southeast into the eastern Gobi Desert (2) along the TransMongolian railway route to China. Along this route, I met the most cycle travelers in all my travels. A family from Serbia with trailers on the road for 5+ months with their 3-year old son in tow; a Dutch couple on Recumbent bicycles having a blast riding to/from Ulaanbaatar to Sainshand in the Gobi all summer long. A Swiss couple (Jean-da and Leo) several years into their Round-The-World Tour, they are still traveling as I update this journal, bonnes voyages mes amis! I also picked up a ticket for the TransMongolian railway and bribed ($2.50) my way onto the train back to Ulaanbaatar to have lunch with a Japanese friend named Tomoko before leaving for Khentii grasslands, a Japanese cyclist/engineer who has ridden in Antarctica and designed a Fat Bike.

Third, riding east and west to and from the Khentii grasslands and offroad to the Avarga mineral lakes (3).  This section of the journey was different than the first two in several different ways.  I met a cool family outside of Baganuur, they resided along the highway and the grandmother had her year-round Ger tent setup with a large pasture of milking cows and horses from neighbors would often get mixed into her herds and shooed away by her grandchildren and their friends. From Baganuur, I continued east to Khentii leaving TOV central province into the greater grasslands which sprawl out for thousands of kilometers. I met 

An Ovoo - Shaman or Buddhist spiritual mound on mountain crossings (Davaa)

My first tour across Mongolia (2012)...

MongoliaX2012 - Solo independent crossing by Mountain bike (MTB). Mongolian tracks which can take you across the country, I tried and completed 2,500km or 1553 miles of them on the first trek I called the MongoliaX2012. Following my own route cooked up on Google maps and uploaded into a Garmin 705 cycling GPS. I completed that journey 53 miles further than the current record holder (Ash Dykes) for solo, unsupported crossing of Mongolia - but he pulled a cart, I cycled, trekked and pushed my bike to complete the shoulder-breaking journey two years before him with the aid/freshment/conversation and exchange of gifts with Mongolian Nomads from TOV province to Bulgan to Khovsgol Lake to Barunturuun to UVS province to the furthest point inside Altai Taven Bogd National Park in Kazakh Bayan-Olgii. I went the length of Mongolia from central to northern to far western solo/unsupported (for myself), but made the best of cultural connections to do it. I returned this summer to complete another 1200km to reach the Gobi Desert (Sumber - Eastern) and across Mongolia to the far east Khentii grasslands. 

My second tour across Mongolia (2014)...

The easier ride this year, 745 miles/1200km mostly on pavement, 200km out to Avarga mineral lakes). I traveled to see Mongolia, meet international travelers, relax in nature, and enjoy. (:This trek was more about feeling Mongolia - the clean air, finding and utilizing clean water sources either through filtering rivers (MSR microfilter) or carrying 10 liters of unfiltered well water (filling a few liters in villages, it's clean and delicious direct from a deep spring) or sometimes topping up on near-surface well water used by horses and humans (in which I always filter before drinking or use in cooking). I cooked this year in Mongolia, previously I carried no stove, pots, fuel or perishable food that required cooking for 45 days crossing the country. I enjoyed cooking meals this summer, and prepared them over LPG (Liquefied petroleum gas/natural gas) and a simple LPG burner head, on a stainless steel pot, and carrying a spoon and a small knife.  

BECAUSE IT WAS THERE...

I have completed through solo crossing thr 4-corners of Mongolia 3700km or 2299 miles (2300km offroad) unsupported in 65 days (7 rest days included).  Like many of the travelers I have met in Mongolia (including David Yu - Los Angeles Med Surgeon/friend/new sponsor), we always want to return to the magic of Mongolia. I did it because as George Herbert Leigh Mallory (18 June 1886 – 8 or 9 June 1924) said when he climbed Everest...Because it was there.

Terejl National Park on day 1 of my 20 day tour. 1200km was no problem given the surfaced roads going East/Southeast to the eastern Gobi Desert along the TransMongolian railway route.

I didn't carry rear/side panniers, I chose to use a 35L backpack and sleeping bag stuff sack contained all my clothing except the Goretex jacket. Upfront in the Ortlieb Frontroller Classic panniers I packed spare parts/tools/food/dead notebook computer/medicine/First Aid/and snacks.

The pavement, the landscape, the horses free to roam the park. Terejl was a good place to be.

Out of sight in lower right, a dead dog in this river. Very important to filter all water sources downstream!

I roll to ride Mongolia.

This is my dream, or one of them for bicycle touring in a foreign country in the summer. 

At night, I gathered twigs as kindling, and unfortunately there are Mongolians who picnic and throw trash in collective piles, I burned some plastic bottles as ignition and packed out a pile of other garbage left behind. Remember to always pack-out what you bring in on camping trips and microadventures. Leave the place cleaner than you found it, it helps the next person who wild camps in these beautiful locations. (:

Shamanism is alive in Mongolia

A lone calf walks by the Ger camps. These host international travelers taking Jeep-guided tours for the day or several days from Ulaanbaatar. You can actually do a lot in this area, Terejl also hosts a beautiful monastery - just a few kilometers beyond the Turtle Rock. Follow the gravel road Northeast and you will find it there. There are horseback tours arranged with you tour company in this area as well. Enjoy.

MongoliaX2012 - 1553 miles, 2500km, 40,000 meters, Offroad, 45 days. A first "solo crossing" for me. (:

Post by Brian Perić.

Post by Brian Perić.

Post by Brian Perić.

Traveling is about the friends you meet, the places you see, the experiences you keep, the dreams under your feet traveling for a few months at a time. This is traveling adventure that is familiar to me. Going some place far from home and familiarity is exotic and it can be life fulfilling as a journey. These journeys don't have to end, they are a step to a new beginning.

More adventure coming soon, thanks for visiting (: