We’re down to just 5 days before our lives become a few bags on a bike so I thought I’d better send out a map of the exact location of where will be leaving from in Yeouido after our morning ride from Ilsan. From about 11am Sat the 11th of April you will be able […]
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If the bike fits
Jared and I popped up to Ilsan last Saturday (3/20) for an appointment that David had arranged for us at a local bike store. The staff were very courteous and polite, and spoke enough English to explain each step in rudimentary detail. They measured, noted, adjusted, and measured some more, even going so far as […]
Life Reduced to a Shipping Container
Our lives are fast winding down here in Korea with just under two weeks before the ferry to China. Katie has just returned from her trip back to the USA with the last of our gear. Tom leaves for a short vacation home to see his family in Ireland before before arriving back the night […]
You Don’t Have to be Irish to be Irish
The BB team enjoy a good parade as much as the next person. So, when an opportunity arose to participate in the annual Seoul St. Patrick’s Day Festival, we positively jumped at the chance. The festival, in one form or another, has been a mainstay of the Seoul social calendar for the last few years. […]
We’re Leaving – 11th April 2009
In June 2007 a plan was made. Four friends would attempt to ride unsupported from Korea to Ireland, a total distance of over 16,000km – almost the entire breadth of the Eurasian landmass. That day has finally arrived !! On Saturday April the 11th 2009 Dave, Tom, Katie and Jared will start their adventure from […]
First Aid Anyone
Last Saturday Dave, Katie, Kath and I attended an Emergency First Responder and First Aid course to better prepare ourselves for the potential injuries that come with 4 cyclists traveling over 16,000 km’s. Jokes and good times make serious situations much more enjoyable. “Now how do you get these damn gloves on.” For all those […]
Gotta Love Lines on a Map
Tom and Katie came round last night (Dave was here the previous talking about the same thing) and we got my big world map and started drawing lines on it. Why? After the team having the chance to meet come cycling legends and listen to them speak about what to do, what not to do, […]
Meeting Dan Martin
Last weekend I was unfortunate enough to be away while Katie, Tom and Dave got to sit down with Dan Martin. Dan is back to Korea after completing a 426 day bike ride from South Korea to Cape Town through some of the (in my opinion) most dangerous countries in the world. He is currently […]
Vaccinations are complete
Today was the last day of the series of three rabies vaccination shots that Tom, Katie and I have been taking. It was also the last in a series of three shots of Hepatitis B shots for me. I thought it would be worthwhile writing up exactly what I vaccinations have taken in preparation for […]
The Mission
Seoul to London: 10 hours on a jet; a few comfortable days by train, and for four intrepid adventurers, a hell of a long way by bike. In April 2009, the four members of the Braking Boundaries team will attempt to ride unsupported between these two cities, a total distance of over 16,000km – almost […]
A Shot in the Arm
Yesterday marked the first of 3 weeks of rabies vaccination shots. Katie Tom and I ventured into the international clinic in Itaewon Seoul early in the morning for a shot in the arm. Not many months left until the leaving date now.
Crosso Panniers Arrive in Korea
Panniers are they are bags that attach to the bike racks with the intent of holding enough equipment for self-sustained tours over days, weeks, or in our case months. The two main brands of panniers are Arkel and Ortlieb. Finally after months of waiting our panniers arrived helping us get one big step closer to […]
Hospitality for Cycling Tourists
This afternoon while reading the the latest newsletter update from Cindie and Tim of Down The Road I came across a site they suggested called http://www.warmshowers.org. It turns out that this is a site where you can register to put cycling tourists up as they travel through your country, whether it be a place to […]
For Inspiration
Waking up this morning to read my email I found that Dave had sent me links to an obituary for a cyclist named Ian Hibbell. Curious I read the articles to learn who this man was and I think you should too. Here are a couple of exerts from the articles and links to them. […]
Pedal Power
I was reading an article sent to me by Dave this morning and at the bottom it had the following interesting facts about cycling. A cyclist can travel 1,037km (644 miles) on the energy equivalent of one litre of petrol Regular cycling can make you as fit as someone who is ten years younger A […]
It’s a set-up
Jared and I undertook the task of assembling the 3 Surlys last night; a fun, if time-consuming, job. Our first surprise was learning that the third bike (which we’d neglected to remove from its box on Sunday) was not olive like its siblings but cherry red. A quick size comparison confirmed that this was indeed […]
Observing local Customs
“How would you like a quick run over to the airport?.” It was the call I’d been waiting for all weekend. After weeks of anticipation and delivery status updates, our 3 brand-new Surlys were finally at Incheon, awaiting collection. They could have been delivered direct to our doors, but we saved over $200 by picking them […]
Recumbent Setup & Parts
Here is a list of the parts that make up my Grasshopper HP Velotechnik Recumbent that I will be riding next year for the trip : HP Velotechnik Specific Parts: Grasshopper Frameset with bodyLink seat Underseat Steering with Wide bars for Ergomesh DT Swiss XM180 Rear Shock Saso Carbon AC Suspension fork Front Wheel SON20 […]
Surly Bikes and Crosso Panniers
Finally after more than a years talk and the last months preparations our (Katie, Tom & Jared) Surly long-haul trucker touring bikes and Crosso panniers are on their way. The bikes left New Zealand today bound for us here in South Korea and should arrive in about a weeks time. Stay tuned…….
Crosso Rear Top Bags Arrive
A couple of days ago the first of our custom panniers made by Crosso arrived. They are a lot bigger than I thought they would be, although I guess they need to be in order to fit all the camping gear, such as tents, sleeping mats and bags etc. I’m looking forward to trying it […]