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My recent five-week bike tour of Japan was incredible. Too incredible. Incredible to the point where I didn’t want to get on that plane home when it was over! That feeling got me thinking about what the future holds, and guess what – it’s exciting. My heart and my mind are rearing to go bigger, longer and higher than ever before. And hopefully, you’ll join me virtually for my next chapter, CyclingAbout The Americas.
CyclingAbout The Americas
The bottom of Argentina to the top of Alaska over two years? Let’s do it!
Since finishing a two-year overland bike trip from Europe to Australia (2012-14), I’ve completed dozens of month-long rides around the globe. While this has allowed me to get a taste of so many amazing places, it makes me feel uneasy to fly around the world all the time when it’s environmentally unsustainable.
In a time when climate change is having such a great effect on the planet and its occupants, I can’t continue with my routine of long-distance flights for short bike tours. Over the last few years, I’ve been slowly consuming less, living car-free, catching public transport and eating a vegan diet to reduce my impact. By staying away from air travel it will help me to further align my morals with my actions.
This trip is, of course, not perfect. Nothing ever is. CyclingAbout The Americas requires flights to get me to the start line. But the aim after that is to take zero flights for a good few years. I’m then considering setting up base in Canada once I finish, exploring the rest of North America all overland. Fingers crossed!
My KOGA WorldTraveller
I’ve decided to build up a custom touring bike for CyclingAbout The Americas via the KOGA Signature program. The custom configurator allows me to select the parts that I like, with a colour that is inconspicuous. I chose KOGA primarily because I’ve never owned an aluminium touring bike. You may have heard that aluminium is ‘harsh’ to ride on, irreparable and not as strong as steel, so part of this adventure is simply to assess whether any of these stereotypes ring true.
My KOGA WorldTraveller is fitted with my touring favourites such as a Rohloff 14-speed hub, Gates Carbon drivetrain, Velo Orange Crazy Bars, The Plug III Schwalbe Almotion tyres, Tubus racks, Schmidt dynamo and more.
I’ve chosen 700c wheels and slick 2.00″ wide tyres, but this frame can accommodate 29er mountain bike tyres too. There was an option to go for 27.5+ wheels with 2.8″ tyres, but I think the times when the additional width will be advantageous will only be for a small portion of my trip.
Follow My Trip
I’m looking forward to sharing my travel experiences with you! I know that it’s not easy for many of you to travel to the places I get to go, so I hope my videos and resources will help you to experience the world by bike, in a capacity that works for you.
You can follow in a number of ways, you’ll get:
– Regular image updates by following my Instagram profile
– Stories, links and photos by liking my Facebook page
– Monthly videos by subscribing to my YouTube channel
That’s it. It’s pretty scary, but damn it’s exciting. Let’s take a look at where I will be over the next 12 months…
December to March 2018: Argentina and Chile
Ushuaia – The most southern town in the world
Southern Patagonia – Carretera Austral highway
Northern Patagonia – Lake district
Puna de Atacama – Dry, high plateau
March to May 2018: Bolivia
Lagunas Route – High altitude lakes, salt flats and weird rock formations
Salar de Uyuni – Earth’s largest salt flat
Death Road – World’s most dangerous road
Cordillera Real – Mountain range with 6000m peaks
May to July 2018: Peru
The Huascaran Circuit
Peru’s Great Divide
Cordilleras Blanca and Huayhuash
July to August 2018: Ecuador
Volcanic Rollercoaster – Cotopaxi to Chimborazo
August to October 2018: Colombia
Eastern Cordillera
Got Any Advice For My Trip? Can You Host Me? Feel Free To Drop A Comment Or Contact Me Via Email/Facebook
