INSPIRATION
Over the last 20 years, I was lucky enough to encounter many stories of inspiring individuals. Here are just a few of the people that have inspired me over those years. My hope is that they continue to inspire future adventurers as well.
IOHAN GUEORGUIEV
Iohan was a Bulgarian Canadian bikepacker that became known as the Bike Wanderer of the wilderness. I learned of him through his YouTube channel The Bike Wanderer. I really enjoyed his point of view style of videography where the journey and road were the main character. Unfortunely due to severe insomonia and depression he took his own life in 2021. He will be dearly missed.
MARK BEAUMONT
Mark is Scottish bike adventurer and record holder. I first heard of him when broke the record for fastest solo ride from Cairo to Cape Town. Since then I followed him on his Americas trip and then when he broke the round the world record by bicycle in under 80 days. He is an example of what a human can do when they explore their limits.
JEDIDAH JENKINS
I first came across Jedidah Jenkins through a YouTube video a friend of his made. It is beautifully shot and very inspirational. It documents his journey from Oregan to Patagonia. Years later I came across his book To Shake The Sleeping Self, which documented in full the same journey. And brings to life the highs and lows of such a journey.
BEAU MILES
Beau Miles is an outdoorsman based in Victoria, Australia. His quirky approach to videos especially since he settled down with his family are addictive to watch. The first time I saw him was when he kayaked around parts of South Africa, along a coastline that is notorious for big waves and sketchy weather. He sets a wonderful example for nature conservation and up cycling that we should strive to emulate.
ANNA MCNUFF
In 2023 I was looking for a good book to read as a distraction from a down year. I came across the Llama Drama. I loved the story of two friends travelling through South America and how they resolved conflict while on the road. It brought to my attention healthy ways to resolve conflict and I really value the lessons learnt from this book.
ALASTAIR HUMPHREYS
Alastair Humphreys is an English adventurer. He was one of the first people I came across that went on epic adventures by bicycle. He opened my mind to what was possible to do by bicycle.
LAEL WILCOX
I only recently came across Lael Wilcox and her astonishing achievements. Her achievements on the Trans America Bike Race and the Tour Divide are oustanding. She also helped develop the Baja Divide Route which will be the start of my own journey.
ALEE DENHAM
Alee Denham is an Australian Bike Tourer and Bike Packer. He is highly experienced explorer having cycled across five different continents. With all the knowledge he has gained, he created his cyclingabout website. It is full of usefull information, although technical, is well explained even for first time bike tourers. It has been a great resource for my oiwn research.
JEONG HYO JIN
I have been lucky to live in South Korea for the last ten years and it was wonderful to come across a Korean Bike Adventurer. Hyo Jin has been travelling around the world since 2011 and has finally returned back to South Korea. It is amazing what she has achieved and I hioghly recommend you reading her blog and watching her videos. Congratulations on such an amazing journey.
DEAN NICHOLSON AND NALA
Dean and Nala is a beautiful story about a man and his cat. Dean found Nala at the Bosnia / Montenegro border. Nala was just a kitten then but he was able to raise her as an adventurous cat that joined him for the rest of their journey through eastern Europe. Unfortunately their journey was interrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the end of the pandemic they have continued their adventures.
SARA QIU RUAN
Sara is attempting to cycle from Spain to her home town in China. She is from spain but originally from China. She wanted to do this journey to explore the world. She is currently Osh, Kyrgyzstan and we wish her the best for her beautiful journey.
ROB LILWALL
I learnt about Rob when I read his book, Cycling Home From Siberia. The journey he undertook was one of the most challenging routes I could imagine. As I read I was amazed with where he would end up and how he stayed true to his journey.
RIAAN MANSER
Riaan Manser is famous for being the first person to circumnavigate Africa by bicycle. When I read the story of his expedition, I was enthralled and fascinated by his various encounters. It was amazing to see what he was able to do and see. He followed this up with his solo unaided kayak around Madagascar.
Dancing Saddle 