Mission
Circle the globe.
On a Bike.
There, summarized. Months of riding, over 22,000 km, and one colossal and slightly ridiculous goal condensed to six words. It seems glaringly insufficient to describe the undertaking as such. After all, why would anyone want to cross continents on a bicycle? What is the motivation behind this? And who’s crazy enough to do such a thing?
We are. And though the individual reasons and distances may vary, there are several underlying goals that remain constant across the team.
The first is a passion for cycling and a desire to spread that love to others. We have partnered with the World Bicycle Relief non-profit organization to raise awareness and help build bicycles for communities with desperate transportation needs. The World Bicycle Relief builds durable bicycles for disaster- and poverty-stricken communities, providing an enormous leap in productivity and access to healthcare, education, and economic development opportunities. Our passion for bicycles goes beyond simply riding them; we want to help the WBR affect this sustainable change and spread the Power of Bicycles throughout the world. Please visit our Donate page to understand how you can help.
The second is a burning desire for adventure. We could have stayed home and spread our love for cycling, but we chose to get out and shout it in a big way. There is an almost primitive instinct hardwired into the human brain to get out and explore, to take a chance at treading in the footsteps of Marco Polo, Phileas Fogg, or Magellan. We want to live this adventure from the seat of our bicycles. Each day will bring new sights, sounds, and perceptions, and will give us an opportunity to interact with hundreds of new faces and places.
And finally, each one of us aspires to test our limits and see what happens when we use our own power to take on the world. One may still question the distance and ask “why now, why cycle it?” Because it’s there. It’s big, it’s unknown, it’s not flat, and it’s far. And because, to use a quote from a number of recent articles, we had an inkling to get out and “do some epic shit.” We hope our stories and photos from this crazy adventure will inspire you to dust off the old bike and think about helping others whose lives may be unequivocally changed by the same simple machine.
It’s a beautiful day to ride and the road is open. We will be out there.
There, summarized. Months of riding, over 22,000 km, and one colossal and slightly ridiculous goal condensed to six words. It seems glaringly insufficient to describe the undertaking as such. After all, why would anyone want to cross continents on a bicycle? What is the motivation behind this? And who’s crazy enough to do such a thing?
We are. And though the individual reasons and distances may vary, there are several underlying goals that remain constant across the team.
The first is a passion for cycling and a desire to spread that love to others. We have partnered with the World Bicycle Relief non-profit organization to raise awareness and help build bicycles for communities with desperate transportation needs. The World Bicycle Relief builds durable bicycles for disaster- and poverty-stricken communities, providing an enormous leap in productivity and access to healthcare, education, and economic development opportunities. Our passion for bicycles goes beyond simply riding them; we want to help the WBR affect this sustainable change and spread the Power of Bicycles throughout the world. Please visit our Donate page to understand how you can help.
The second is a burning desire for adventure. We could have stayed home and spread our love for cycling, but we chose to get out and shout it in a big way. There is an almost primitive instinct hardwired into the human brain to get out and explore, to take a chance at treading in the footsteps of Marco Polo, Phileas Fogg, or Magellan. We want to live this adventure from the seat of our bicycles. Each day will bring new sights, sounds, and perceptions, and will give us an opportunity to interact with hundreds of new faces and places.
And finally, each one of us aspires to test our limits and see what happens when we use our own power to take on the world. One may still question the distance and ask “why now, why cycle it?” Because it’s there. It’s big, it’s unknown, it’s not flat, and it’s far. And because, to use a quote from a number of recent articles, we had an inkling to get out and “do some epic shit.” We hope our stories and photos from this crazy adventure will inspire you to dust off the old bike and think about helping others whose lives may be unequivocally changed by the same simple machine.
It’s a beautiful day to ride and the road is open. We will be out there.
Route - North America 2014
Or more specifically, we’ll be out here.
The North American adventure crosses almost 5,000 miles of evergreen forests, open plains, snowcapped ranges, and inland lakes from the north Atlantic to the north Pacific. Four of us start pedaling from Boston harbor at the beginning of June and head west to the roar of Niagara Falls. From there we pay a visit to our neighbors to the north until crossing back through both peninsulas of Michigan. After a long jaunt across the northern plains we dip down to meet our old British cycling friend, Theo, in Jackson Hole.
A stunning ride back north through the Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier N.P. takes us back to Canada. From here we return to the US, cross the Rockies, and finish into the Pacific Waters of Puget Sound in Seattle at the end of August.
Well, at least that’s the plan...
The North American adventure crosses almost 5,000 miles of evergreen forests, open plains, snowcapped ranges, and inland lakes from the north Atlantic to the north Pacific. Four of us start pedaling from Boston harbor at the beginning of June and head west to the roar of Niagara Falls. From there we pay a visit to our neighbors to the north until crossing back through both peninsulas of Michigan. After a long jaunt across the northern plains we dip down to meet our old British cycling friend, Theo, in Jackson Hole.
A stunning ride back north through the Tetons, Yellowstone, and Glacier N.P. takes us back to Canada. From here we return to the US, cross the Rockies, and finish into the Pacific Waters of Puget Sound in Seattle at the end of August.
Well, at least that’s the plan...
View Revolutions for Relief US in a larger map
Route - Eurasia 2011
The Eurasian route spans 16,000 km of jungle, mountain,
grass, sea, and desert between Pacific and Atlantic. In late March 2011, I (Kellen) will be
meeting Ben in Hong Kong to depart on our pan-Asian adventure. From the island, we will pass through Chengdu
and the Tibetan plateau on our way to Urumqi.
Battling visas, mountain passes, and Turkic languages through the ‘Stan
countries, the plan is to eventually reach the Kazakh coast of the Caspian Sea.
Here I will cross into a land of hot tea and doner kebabs en route to a rendez-vous with Bill in Istanbul. Together we will follow the southern edge of Europe until crossing the Pyrenees. From there it will be a finishing straight to the city of Lisbon and waters of the Atlantic at the end of October.
Here I will cross into a land of hot tea and doner kebabs en route to a rendez-vous with Bill in Istanbul. Together we will follow the southern edge of Europe until crossing the Pyrenees. From there it will be a finishing straight to the city of Lisbon and waters of the Atlantic at the end of October.
View Revolutions for Relief Route in a larger map
