cycle touring

Exploring Huangshan (Yellow Mountain)

Destination: Anhui province and the misty mountains of Huangshan or Yellow Mountain. In China, adventure is always near. Hopping a high-speed train with your bike in a bag will take you southwest to the city of Jinhua, which is located in the middle of mountainous Zhejiang province. From there, it’s a couple of days ride to the Huangshan national park on twisty mountain roads that transit some of the most stunning scenery to be found in China.

Continual travel is a way to keep the dream alive. Time on this rock is limited and everyday reality has a nasty way of interfering with one’s dreams if you’re not careful. Seems the wolf is always at the door. Big adventures in New Zealand and central Asia are still on the distant horizon. Shorter adventures must fill the gaps in between. The close proximity and easy access to the emerald mountains of Anhui offer the perfect adventure fix.

Go Your Own Way: Be Your Own Explorer

by Johnny Isaak ·

Just about wherever you go nowadays chances are someone’s already been there. You’d be challenged to find many places on this planet where humans haven’t already been. Virtually everywhere you go, someone’s been there before you. And worse yet, if it’s a really cool place, somebody’s probably put up a fence around it and is charging admission.

The world is changing. Adventure travel isn’t what it used to be a hundred, even fifty years ago. But that’s no reason you shouldn’t go. If you travel to where you never been, it will be your first time. The journey will still be a rewarding adventure if you approach it right. And in a sense, we are all explorers in our own right.

South Korea: Notes from a Winter Journey

by Johnny Isaak ·

Exploring South Korea by bike in late winter was a different journey of sorts. Bicycle travel through a land deep in hibernation was filled with crisp foggy mornings, temperatures sucking the mercury down to well below zero Celsius that until midday, and minimal precipitation. Most days, the sun was bright, the air was cold, and there was no snow or rain to speak of — thank goodness. Being off-season, following the Four Rivers bikeways, I usually had the bike paths to myself. It was pure solitary cycling bliss.

Like a Rolling Stone: Co-Motion Divide Rohloff Follow-Up Review

by Johnny Isaak ·

Check out my updated long-term review of the Co-Motion Divide at https://johnnyisaak.com/co-motion-divide-rohloff-a-long-term-review/

I’ve been rolling on my Rohloff/Gate CDX equipped Co-Motion Divide for about two months now, logging in over 2,500+ kilometers, using the bike as my primary form of transportation and daily commuter to and from work. I’ve had the bike on several short and longer distance multi-day micro-adventures ranging from 200-500 kilometers. With the saddle, handlebars and other adjustments pretty much set, I’m now settling into the bike and getting to know the subtle nuances of life on the road with an internally geared hub and carbon belt drive.

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