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Johnny Isaak | Adventure Cyclist

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Hexi Corridor

Grateful for Travel

Grateful for Travel

by Johnny Isaak ·

The last day of 2019 has passed. Into 2020 we go. Looking back over the past five years, I’m so grateful for the travel I’ve had, the journeys I’ve been on, the adventures I’ve experience.

Exploring the water town of Xinchang, China

Oh, the places I’ve been. Looking back, Asia seems like a dream. It was. It was a dream come true. So glad I took the time to go. Five years abroad is a gift that will keep on giving in the years to come.

Cape Reinga, New Zealand

Time abroad has widened my perspective and deepened my insights about the world in which we live. The friends I’ve made, and the people I’ve met have made me a better person. My hard drives are filled with images; my journals are replete with experiences. I’ve come away changed for my peregrinating exertions.

Following China’s “Mother Road” (G312) along the Silk Route through the Hexi Corridor entering the Gobi Desert.

Commitments at home hold me close. Far-ranging forays lay on distant horizons. Hence, this is a time for reflection of journeys past and preparation for adventures to be had. There is still so much more to see.

Exploring quiet villages in Zhejiang Prefecture, China.

The dream is alive. Winding my way back home, future adventures still await. The time is to move boldly into 2020, to set the conditions for journeys at home and abroad. As Newton posited, “An object in motion tends to stay in motion…”

Sunset on the coast of Hokkaido, Japan

Adventure is out there for those willing to look for it, and time never waits. Many want to go, but few are willing to pay the price required to go. Nothing stands between you and your dreams but thin air and opportunity.

Peering into the endless sands of the Taklamakan.

Go while you have the chance. Get on your bike and ride. You won’t regret it. Pushing it off to “someday” is a risky business. Life is a fickle thing. The day may never come. Act while you have the opportunity. 2020 and years beyond are full of promise. Move forward with confidence in the pursuit of your dreams. Live the life you have always wanted.

A glance back after crossing the Golden Gate while returning to the U.S.

Filed Under: Adventure Cycling Tagged With: Asia, bicycle touring, bicycle travel, Cape Reinga, China, Co-Motion, Golden Gate, Hexi Corridor, Hokkaido, Japan, Morro Bay, New Zealand, San Francisco, Silk Road, Taklamakan, Zhejiang

Co-Motion Divide Rohloff: A Long-Term Review

Co-Motion Divide Rohloff: A Long-Term Review

by Johnny Isaak ·

Co-Motion Divide Rohloff
Co-Motion Divide Rohloff ticking off the kilometers on the G312 while making passage through the Hexi Corridor along the old Silk Road. Qi-Lian Mountains in the background.

Quest for a ‘Heavenly Horse’

Is the Co-Motion Divide Rohloff the right expedition touring bike for you? Read here and find out.

Over 2000 years ago in 130 BCE, Emperor Wudi of the Chinese Han Dynasty sent an army numbering 60,000 men deep into the heart of central Asia to the fertile Ferghana Valley, an important conduit along the old Silk Road located in modern day western Uzbekistan to acquire the fabled, almost mythical and much desired blood-sweating ‘Heavenly Horses’ of Dayuan to help fight the Xiongnu who threatened China.

Just as Emperor Wudi was in search of legendary Ferghana Horses, I was in search of a hardier breed of bike, a stalwart steed, a ‘Heavenly Horse’ of sorts that would confidently carry me to and from distant lands and the fringes of my imagination. At the end of my search, I settled on a Co-Motion Divide Rohloff, which I’ve owned and ridden for fourteen months and ridden over 10,000 kilometers.

[Read more…] about Co-Motion Divide Rohloff: A Long-Term Review

Filed Under: Bike Tagged With: adventure, adventure cycling, Arkel, bicycle, Brooks, C-17, C17, Cambium, Carbon Belt, China, Co-Motion, Divide, expedition, Frame Bag, Gansu, Gates Carbon Drive Belt, Hexi Corridor, Marathon, Mondial, Ortlieb, Qi-Lian, Qinghai, Revelate Designs, Rohloff, Schwalbe, Silk Road, Speedhub, Sweet Roll, touring

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