| Around
the World in 1,461 Days by bicycle
Click
map to enlarge
Introduction
By Scott Stoll
Where
did you go?
The red line above is where I rode my
bicycle (41,144 KM). Although I did cycle all of North America in
a continuous line, I am not a "purist". There are too
many places that are just too ugly, unfriendly and dangerous for
cycling. So, to complete my circumnavigation, I connected the dots
and lines with either an airplane, train, bus, truck or ferry.
Why
would anyone ride their bicycle around the world?
Ask yourself this question, "If you could do anything
-- anything in the world -- what would you do?" You can guess
my answer. I feel that life is a gift and that I have only one chance
to live. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, "I went to the
woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential
facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
And, to be honest, I had more than my fair share of angst and riding
around the world was the only option I could see to overcome my
malaise and become (or is that prove) to the world who I thought
I "should" be.
How
do you ride a bicycle around the world?
How does one define bicycling around the world? Well,
you wouldn't get very far trying to bicycle around the equator since
it is mostly water. However, you could try lugging your bicycle
to the North or South Pole, once there you could finish the trip
in minutes. Or, you could even join the astronauts as they pedal
a stationary bicycle while their ship orbits the earth every 90
minutes. Maybe a more practical definition involves bicycling every
continent or every country. As it turns out, these aren't practical
options. For instance, the definition between continent, continental
plate and island are not clearly defined; while zigzagging between
the invisible and often disputed political borders seems silly.
I define bicycling
around the world as cycling the circumference of the earth (40,077
KM [24,855.34 miles] as measured around the equator) without treading
the same ground twice (otherwise I could have stayed in San Francisco
and bicycled circles around the donut shops and pubs) and visiting
as many cultures and phenomena as practical.
As you can see
from the map my route consists of a compromise between all the above
considerations while avoiding prevailing headwinds, rainy seasons,
war zones, health emergencies and cold weather. All the while, I
constantly pushed forward, never counting the same kilometer twice.
Share
the Adventure.
On our first trip, bicycling across The United States,
I realized that everyone I encountered was partaking in my adventure
and were adventurers themselves. On the road, being a "crazy
bicyclist" inspired many people to follow their dreams. Many
people have emailed saying they quit their jobs and cycled countries
like Cuba or Australia or Canada, or they have backpacked Europe,
hiked the Inca trail, kayaked New Zealand. Some people told me they
quit traveling because they were inspired to go home to the adventure
of building a community or pursuing a new career or a new love.
It has been my honor and privilege to have gotten so many emails
over they years. And, believe me, I could never have accomplished
my journey without all your words of kindness in return.
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