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Johnny Isaak | Adventure Cyclist

A compendium of adventure cycling chronicles, travel lore, tips, techniques, and tactics for the adventure cycling perplexed.

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adventure cycling

Travelogue: Cape Reinga

Travelogue: Cape Reinga

by Johnny Isaak ·

Should I leap and descend into the underworld? Standing on the windswept bluff overlooking the meeting place between the Tasman Sea and the Pacific Ocean, it’s not difficult to see why the Maori consider Cape Reinga such a special place.

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Filed Under: Travelogue Tagged With: adventure, adventure cycling, bicycle touring, bicycle travel, bike travel, Cape Reinga, cycle touring, exploration, New Zealand, North Island, Reinga

Travelogue: East Cape

Travelogue: East Cape

by Johnny Isaak ·

Cycling up the North Island’s East Cape has been a highlight of my kiwi adventure. I sacrificed days out of my way to go there, and the detour has been worth it. The riding is remote and off the beaten track. The travel is relatively isolated and secluded.

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Filed Under: Travelogue Tagged With: adventure, adventure cycling, bicycle touring, bicycle travel, bicycling, bike travel, New Zealand, North Island

Travelogue: Back to the Coast

Travelogue: Back to the Coast

by Johnny Isaak ·

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Filed Under: Travelogue Tagged With: adventure, adventure cycling, bicycle, bicycle commute, bicycle touring, bicycle travel, bike travel, Johnny Isaak, New Zealand, North Island

Travelogue: Farewell to South Island

Travelogue: Farewell to South Island

by Johnny Isaak ·

Farewell to the South Island. Standing on deck at the stern of the ferry, I cast a few fleeting glances to the south as the ship enters Cook Strait steaming toward Wellington. One chapter ends, and another begins.

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Filed Under: Travelogue Tagged With: adventure, adventure cycling, bicycle touring, bicycle travel, bicycling, bike travel, Cook Strait, New Zealand, South Island

Travelogue: A Day on Danseys Pass

Travelogue: A Day on Danseys Pass

by Johnny Isaak ·

Inching up the final reaches on the approach to the top of the pass, I knew the end was near. A few more minutes laboring over the pedals and I reached the summit. It was 2:15 pm. Four hours and 1170 meters of climbing on mostly gravel road had put me at the top of Danseys Pass. There was nothing to greet me but the howl of gusts blasting along windswept ridges and heavy blue skies overhead.  The elation in knowing a lot of downhill awaited coursed through my veins. The hard climbing for the day was over.

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Filed Under: Travelogue Tagged With: adventure, adventure cycling, bicycle touring, bicycle travel, bike travel, Carbon Belt, Co-Motion, Danseys Pass, Gravel Packs, Jones, Kakanui Mountains, New Zealand, Ortlieb, Rohloff, Schwalbe, South Island, Waitaki Valley

Travelogue: North to Reinga

Travelogue: North to Reinga

by Johnny Isaak ·

The journey north begins with a single push of the pedal. I’ve made my way south to Bluff, the southernmost town on the South Island and am now starting my journey north to Cape Reinga, the northern tip of New Zealand’s North Island.

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Filed Under: Travelogue Tagged With: adventure, adventure cycling, bicycle, bicycle touring, bicycle travel, bike travel, Bluff, Co-Motion, cycle touring, Divide, Johnny Isaak, New Zealand, South Island, travel, travel photography

New Salewa Approach Shoes for the Road

New Salewa Approach Shoes for the Road

by Johnny Isaak ·

My well-worn Vibram FiveFingers finally gave out after a couple of days riding around Queenstown, NZ. A blowout along the lacing on the right shoe rendered them unable to lace up.

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Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: adventure cycling, approach shoes, bicycle touring, bicycle travel, bike travel, cycle touring, Firetail 3, FiveFingers, flat pedals, Johnny Isaak, New Zealand, Salewa

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