On the road « Cycling Around The World – the Blog

  • Author: admin
  • Published: Nov 23rd, 2010
  • Category: Destinations, News, On the road
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I just finished a new tour report on our Cycling Around The World pages. It tells you all the details of latest trip that started in September this year. We started in Fresno and ended in Tom’s Place in the Owens Valley ( Eastern Sierra). We covered more than 700 kilometers in two weeks. We crossed fabulous Yosemite National Park and battled up the equally famous Tioga Pass. The weather was great, the weather was very hot and on the last days we even had snow!

Below are some pictures to wet your appetite. Want more? See our California pages

Giant trees in Sequoia NP

Tunnel Viewpoint Yosemite NP

Fixing a flat tyre along I395 (Eastern Sierra)

Bad weather on Tioga Pass Road

  • Author: admin
  • Published: May 16th, 2010
  • Category: Destinations, On the road
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Vladislav Ketov is a Russian who has really developed and implemented a project  of the first trip made really around the world (land) along the coastline of the continents.

This was a cycling trip lasting 20 years! Unaccompanied  he traveled to Europe, Africa, south and south-east of Asia and both Americas (except Arctic coast) and left behind 144 000 km.

The trip started in 14th, May, 1991 from Leningrad. The main transportation mode was a bicycle as the most affordable kind of eco-friendly transport.

His trip becomes even more unique as Vladislav has no money. During his traveling he earns by drawing portraits.He tells that in all countries he was welcomed and people were kind and hospitable.

His website is worth a  look at

  • Author: admin
  • Published: Apr 19th, 2010
  • Category: Destinations, News, On the road, Reviews, Tips
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Canals, houseboats and bicycles are all part of the furniture in Amsterdam. Anyone who has visited the city will tell you that, round here, the humble cyclist rules the road.

Cycling lanes are as important as major motorways and official figures from the I am Amsterdam organization estimate about 600,000 bicycles circulate amongst the 750,000 inhabitants. Amsterdam is ideal for bike holidays because it is so flat!

Many Amsterdam hostels and accommodation providers are geared up to be cycle friendly. All the main attractions are close-by and with an estimated 600,000 bikes in circulation, residents know that cycling is the most authentic and convenient way to experience the city thanks to the huge cycle lanes and road signs.

So, to join in with the other pedal pushers, and stay at stay at one of the Amsterdam hostels They’ll kit you out with accommodation and transportation all in one go.

And best of all, you have up to the 30th April to be in with a chance of winning your bike rental for free!

And while you are there, why not expand you bicycle adventure beyond the capital. Like Amsterdam, the rest of the country is best seen from a bicycle saddle.

  • Author: admin
  • Published: Feb 9th, 2010
  • Category: Destinations, On the road
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Sure, it feels fantastic to traverse the vast stretches of the best roads in the world. But cycling a complicated road, one that twists and turns, or has downright congested traffic, or unforgiving terrain? They might give you a headache, but it sure feels good when you’ve conquered them.

Here is the  list of the world’s most complicated and dangerous roads I spotted on WAVE,  a website providing free turn-by-turn navigation based on the live conditions of the road. OK it’s for car people, but we have one thing in common with them, we share these roads with them.

two cyclists on death road Bolivia

Some of these complicated mountain passes can be dangerous if not negotiated with utmost caution, while others are complicated sets of roads and bridges, erected to ensure a streamlined flow of traffic at busy junctions (best to be avoided by cyclists). Some of the roads metioned here are probably even off  limits to cyclists.

the 45 km descent from Lava to Gurubathan in India

Amazingly enough on some of the pictures that illustrate this article you can spot cyclists! Yes, we  can go everywhere! Even beyond where cars can go, as we always can push, or even carry our bikes.

Read the full post at http://www.waze.com/blog/the-19-most-complex-and-dangerous-roads-in-the-world/ .

  • Author: admin
  • Published: Jan 12th, 2010
  • Category: Destinations, On the road
  • Comments: 1

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Thousands of photographs sit on my harddisk waiting to be viewed. Many end up on the trip report pages on Cycling Around The World.  And a few of them I keep using every time again. These  images that tell a story, are now collected on this page. Some of these pictures go back as long as twenty years, when I made my first really long   bike trips.  Read previous post on part 1

Cycling the east coast of Sri Lanka

This photo was taken somewhere along the troubled eastern coast of the island of Sri Lanka. The year is 2004, just a few weeks before the tsunami would hit and destroy most of this coastline. At that moment there was a heavy military presence as you can see from the barbed wire on the right side of the picture. A bit down the  road were checkposts protected by mine fields and heavily armed soldiers. Cycling here was no problem.

Camping on the shores of a glacier lake in Iceland

This a Lake Jokulsarlon and as you can see  it’s cold out there. After a long day of battling a strong head wind we just had to stop there, The next campsite was still miles away and here we found a great shelter behind this stone wall already setup by previous campers. Later that afternoon the wind ceased to blow us away and seals came to have a look at us.

Exploring Denali National Park (Alaska USA)

Another icy picture. This is Denali NP in beautiful Alaska. Initially we had planned to take the park bus to the far end of the park road, camp there a night or two and then peddle back. Unfortunately it was half way september and the first snow swept in. The park road was closed, and would remain closed for the rest of the winter. We ended up at another park campsite but wre able to make a great trip along a deserted and snow covered park road.

Crossing a Amazonian river by canoe

Of of our earlier trips. This image is in the hot and humid jungle of Ecuador. The river is the Rio Napo, one of the tributaries of the mighty Amazon river. Just by following this stream we could have travelled to the eastern side of the south american continent, thousands of kilometres away. But we just crossed 😉 and explored some remote roads before climbing back to the Ecuadorian highlands crossing a mountain pass of 4200 m.

Navigating in the Namibian desert

This was really a very lonely place. Desert indeed must originate from the word deserted. Of course we had a map and knew where to go. But signposts were rare and by afternoon the sun burned on our heads. Swakopmund, our destination was still 1oo kilometers away. Yes, we  would finally get there.

Read previous post on part 1

  • Author: admin
  • Published: Jan 10th, 2010
  • Category: Fun, On the road
  • Comments: 1

Tags: alaska, kentucky

t’s no ordinary summer vacation. Imagine loading up the family for a 7,000 mile trek from Kentucky to Alaska. but not in the mini-van.  On a bicycle built for 5. The Pedouin family is already on their way.

“Well, why? Because so many people shelve their dreams and we’ve had a dream of traveling. And we’re just blue collar folk and uh, I had a small business doing home repair and remodeling and still keeping very busy despite the downturn in the economy.  And we just talked to a lot of people and they got old and never lived their dreams. and we love to do our dreams, and my wife loves to ride bikes and so we put it together, why don’t we travel by bike. and we’re going to fairbanks because I was there for 2 summers and enjoyed it and she wants to see what it is like,” says Amarins of of the five on the bike.

Five on one bike

Read full story here or follow them on their own site

  • Author: admin
  • Published: Jan 6th, 2010
  • Category: Fun, On the road, Tips
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This DIY gadget is dubbed the “smart charger” and it’s from two Kenyan students who reside in rural areas without electricity. They also use bikes to get around. Jeremiah Murimi and Pascal Katana use a dynamo attached to the bicycle in order to charge cellphone batteries. The whole process costs practically nothing.

cell phone charger

They used parts from old discarded radio and television sets to assemble the small charger. The user is able to plug the dynamo lead right into the device. An hour of pedaling can fully recharge the battery in about the same time it would take if it was plugged into an electrical outlet. The idea is that the user would avoid paying $2 each time for battery recharges by making a one-time smart charger purchase worth about $4.50.

The Kenyan National Council for Science and Technology is backing the project, so the students may see their invention mass produced very soon.

Original post on http://www.slipperybrick.com/2009/07/kenyan-students-charge-cellphones-with-pedal-power/

  • Author: admin
  • Published: Jan 5th, 2010
  • Category: On the road, Reviews, Tips
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In the past twenty years or so I’ve been cycling in dozens of countries around the globe I’ve made ten thousands of kilometers and burned up many tyres.  I’ve has every brand on my wheels but recently switched to Schwalbe.

In preparation of our bike trip through the rough and lonely south west corner of Southe Africa we were looking for wider and stronger tyres. And we found it. the Schwalbe Marathon XR seems to be for extreme journeys.

Marathon tyres in action

This expedition tire is now better protected against thorns – the most frequent destroyers of tires on long journeys: A new, extremely densely woven Aramid protection belt protects the Marathon XR in particular from penetration punctures.

We have used them on the rough gravel roads in the lonely Karoo area of South Africa and again in this year on the desert and mountain tracks of Oman on the Arabian peninsula.

The tyres offer lot’s of grip and so far ( > 3000 km) we had no punctures.Right now the tyres look like we can use them another trip this year.

  • Author: admin
  • Published: Jul 16th, 2009
  • Category: Fun, On the road
  • Comments: 2

Tags: camera, photography

With the arrival of the digital camera (check out this page to see  our photo equipment) the number of images per trip has increased a lot. In the pre-digital area I took colour slides and converted a selection of each trip to the now archaic PCD format.

Now thousands of photographs dit on my harddisk waiting to be viewed. Many end up on the trip report pages on Cycling Around The World.  And a few of them I keep using every time again. These favouties, images that tell a story, are now collected on this page. Some of these pictures go back as long as twenty years, when I made my first really long   bike trips.

Anja in Sani Flats, with bad weather approaching in the distance

Sani Flats is a flat area 😉 just beyond the famous Sani Pass that is one of the few entry points from South Africa into Lesotho. The dark clouds behind Anja approached very fast and within half an hour the road and mountains were covered with a  thin layer of fresh snow.

Australian Outback road – between Alice Springs en Ayers Rock

The long and lonely road that is a perfect sample of what a cyclist awaits on a  cross-Australia biketrip. Not much to see here but I enjoyed every minute from it. The wide open spaces. The silence only shattered by a speeding bus racing to Ayers Rock with a load of tourists on a day trip from Alice Springs (a 900 km round trip).

Dont get lost – reading Japanese without understanding it

My first trip outside Europe. The map I’m holding on this picture shows every town in Japanese characters. Of cource I was not able to understand them but I could compare the characters on my map with those on the signs.

Lunch stop near school in Uganda

Ever felt lonely and didn’t like that?  OK, here’s the solution. Go to Uganda and stop at or very near a school. Company guaranteed. These kids couldn’t get enough of us. Other countries have these facilities as well.

Unexpected luxury accommodation in Kenya

While on our way to a basic campsite in central Kenya my saddle suddenly collapsed. I could not continue. The good news was that we were standing right in front of one of Kenyas luxury lodges. We decided to grab our credit card and spent a fortune on a bed and a meal. Unfortunately the place was full. Then the manager offered us a free bed in the conference room. Thank you, great hospitality!

  • Author: admin
  • Published: Jun 29th, 2009
  • Category: On the road
  • Comments: 1

Tags: art, mandala

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“Cycling around the World to Build a Planetary Oneness Mandala”,  sounds like heavy stuff to me.  Not just discovering the world and meeting interesting people.

No, Russell Maier is an artist cycling around the world orchestrating a planetary collaborative art project. In June 2008, he sold all his possessions and set off East from his small Canadian home town. The adventures, the thoughts and the art that blossom from his journey are published on his blog.

He believes that together we can do so much more than alone – so he is inviting people in each country he passes through to help collaborate with him and build a giant mandala of Peace. Like this Mandala of good words The (final) 1Mandala will be unveiled in front of the UN on 10-10-10.

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