Intrepid Global Citizen Podcast

In 2017, Josh left his front door in England on a journey of a lifetime to cycle the length of Eurasia and travel from Bristol to Beijing. 2 years and 25,000km later he arrived, having crossed the Kyzl-Kum desert, the Mongolian Steppe and the frozen wastes of Siberia. During his trip he dodged gun-toting border guards, fished out scorpions from his tent and endured nights of -27 degrees Celsius (-17 Fahrenheit), but came out the other side with a new appreciation of humankind's generosity and a hatful of stories for the pub.

He now lives in the north of England, getting out into the hills to cycle, run and camp as often as he can, while taking a few months off a year to get out there on longer adventures. 

Josh writes at cyclingfordays.bike and is on social media @cyclingfordays.

You can support the podcast by subscribing and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app. 

Email me at intrepidglobalcitizen@gmail.com if you have an inspirational adventure story you'd like to record or reach out to share your thoughts and feelings about any of the episodes. 

Anne Winkler-Morey has a PhD from the University of Minnesota and taught history and ethnic studies at colleges and Universities in the Twin Cities for three decades. In the 1980s she was the Director of the Central America Resource Center in Minneapolis and in 2010 she was instigator of the National Ethnic Studies Week. Her Minneapolis Interview Project includes 100 life stories with a social justice lens. She lives in Minneapolis with her spouse, David. In 2011-2012, they rode the contiguous perimeter of the United States. Allegiance to Winds and Waters: Bicycling the Political Divides of the United States is her story of that trip.

"I have been thinking about super-spreader events. Not the kind that makes hundreds of people sick, but the kind that transforms lives in a good way. Justice-rippling events: prayer vigils, Zoom gatherings, marches, rallies at the Capitol, where we the people, super-spread our messages of the world we are building. Though we may never trace each drop and wave — we know, there will be ripples."
-Anne Winkler-Morey-

Find the book here-  https://annewinklermorey.com/

The Minnesota Interview Project- https://turtleroad.org/

You can support the podcast by subscribing and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.

Email me at george@intrepidglobalcitizen.com if you have an inspirational adventure story you'd like to record or reach out to share your thoughts and feelings about any of the episodes.

You can purchase my book Unhinged in Ethiopia: Two Thousand Kilometers of Hell and Heaven on a Bicycle about my adventure in 2019 across Africa's most mountainous country here- https://intrepidglobalcitizen.com/

In this episode My Back 40 Podcast host Steve O'Shaughnessey and I talk about the great outdoors, bikepacking races in North America, mental health, and the wisdom gained from being on a bicycle.

Steve has raced the AR 700, a 700 kilometer gravel race through the Alberta Rocky Mountains, the BC Epic 1000 in four days and four hours while raising money for The Masaka Cycling Club in Uganda.

As I type these words he is now in the midst of action on The Tour Divide, which roughly follows the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR). The route crisscrosses the Continental Divide from north to south starting in Banff, Alberta, Canada and finishing at the US/Mexico border in Antelope Wells, New Mexico.

Check out Steve's podcast at myback40.org and follow him on Instagram at the link below-

https://www.instagram.com/myback40_podcast/

You can support the podcast by subscribing and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.

Email me at george@intrepidglobalcitizen.com if you have an inspirational adventure story you'd like to record or reach out to share your thoughts and feelings about any of the episodes.

You can purchase my book Unhinged in Ethiopia: Two Thousand Kilometers of Hell and Heaven on a Bicycle about my adventure in 2019 across Africa's most mountainous country here- https://intrepidglobalcitizen.com/

In this episode Pierre Moreau pauses for a breather in bear country, British Columbia to recap his journey across the Americas by bicycle.  He celebrates his one year anniversary on the road with a stop at Diary Queen to record a conversation and recounts encounters with narcos in Mexico, camping next to volcanic eruptions in Guatemala, a wild boat ride from Panama to Colombia, and hiding from bears in northern Canada. Pierre's story is a testament to human endurance and the desire to make your dreams a reality.

You can follow Pierre on Instagram at the link below-
https://www.instagram.com/pierre.qui.roule.2021/

Track his journey and take a look at his pictures and videos at https://www.polarsteps.com/PierreMoreau4/4017460-seattle-ushuaia

You can support the podcast by subscribing and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.

Email me at george@intrepidglobalcitizen.com if you have an inspirational adventure story you'd like to record or reach out to share your thoughts and feelings about any of the episodes.

You can purchase my book Unhinged in Ethiopia: Two Thousand Kilometers of Hell and Heaven on a Bicycle about my adventure in 2019 across Africa's most mountainous country here- https://intrepidglobalcitizen.com/

Julianna has been cycling since she was seventeen, and has always had an adventurous heart with a love of travel. Roland has been cycling since the days of stingrays and banana seats, enjoys road trips and far-off places, and a love of film and editing. Together, now retired, they see themselves as bicycle tourists, travelers who who believe that bicycle touring is a comfortable, safe, and pleasurable way of traveling for people of any age. Their YouTube channel, Roland & Julianna: Bicycle Tourists, was created to share their adventures, and hopefully to get people excited to leave the house, get out of the car, and really experience this incredible world.

Please visit their YouTube channel at the link below-

https://www.youtube.com/c/RolandLeppekandJulianna

You can support the podcast by subscribing and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app. 

Email me at george@intrepidglobalcitizen.com if you have an inspirational adventure story you'd like to record or reach out to share your thoughts and feelings about any of the episodes. 

You can purchase my book Unhinged in Ethiopia: Two Thousand Kilometers of Hell and Heaven on a Bicycle about my adventure in 2019 across Africa's most mountainous country here- https://intrepidglobalcitizen.com/

In 1978, William Spencer, author of the book "Far Sweeter Than Honey, Searching For Meaning on a Bicycle" cycled from England to India. Along the way, he was thrown from his bicycle while trying to avoid negligent drivers, chewed shirt buttons for water in Afghanistan, and was infected with hepatitis in Pakistan. 

Despite all his setbacks he still managed to fast and write letters to friends and family every Sunday while maintaining a vegetarian diet. 

Strap on your headphones tightly and listen as William shares the wisdom only a seasoned adventurer with several decades of meditation experience can accrue. 

Find William's book, "Far Sweeter Than Honey, Searching For Meaning on a Bicycle" at the links below.

Available as an eBook, paperback or audiobook. Find it on Amazon, iTunes, Google, and at any independent bookseller globally.

 Amazon: https://amzn.to/3377f0v

Google Play: http://bit.ly/CF_FarSweeterThanHoney

Blurb from the book-

"This is the true story of a young man’s epic 8,000 mile bicycle journey from England to India. He encounters all manner of adventure and arrives finally in mystical India, with an understanding of what it means to be free."

Follow William at the links below.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/870373953763578

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/england_to_india_by_bicycle/

You can support the podcast by subscribing and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app. 

Email me at george@intrepidglobalcitizen.com if you have an inspirational adventure story you'd like to record or reach out to share your thoughts and feelings about any of the episodes. 

You can purchase my book Unhinged in Ethiopia: Two Thousand Kilometers of Hell and Heaven on a Bicycle about my adventure in 2019 across Africa's most mountainous country here- https://intrepidglobalcitizen.com/

In this episode, three of my coworkers interview me about my adventure travel experiences in South Korea. It started fourteen years ago with a rusty, third-hand bicycle on a freezing winter day when I decided to leave home and put my nonverbal communication and beginner Korean skills to the test. No map, no smart phone, no GPS. I was armed with curiosity and a thirst for the unknown. After that I was hooked.

Check out the Seoul Patch Podcast on your favorite podcast app and leave my friends a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or your favorite podcast app.


Visit the Seoul Patch Podcast website for more stories and lessons learned from a combined 45 years of experience living in South Korea.

http://theseoulpatch.com/

Email me at george@intrepidglobalcitizen.com if you have an inspirational adventure story you'd like to record or reach out to share your thoughts and feelings about any of the episodes.

You can purchase my book Unhinged in Ethiopia: Two Thousand Kilometers of Hell and Heaven on a Bicycle about my adventure in 2019 across Africa's most mountainous country here- https://intrepidglobalcitizen.com/

This week's conversation is with a very special couple whose love of nature and openness to change is infectious. Listen as they share priceless wisdom gained from over 300 days of cycling through Europe and the Deep South in The United States. 

Debs spent her career running a bike shop in Scarborough, England. For years she met people who were cycle touring with no real plans but to have an adventure. Her desire for exploration strengthened with every encounter and she devoured every story about their trips. She wanted what they had, to ride day after day. 

Tom worked improving parks, green spaces and play areas, helping connect people with the environment. A love of the outdoors, interest in photography, and thirst for adventure meant he was open to the idea.

When Debs’ brother Chris died suddenly, alive and well one day and gone the next, it hit home. Don’t delay, seize the day. There will always be a list of reasons not to do it, but there is one big reason that beats them all – life is a fast moving target.

After that, Debs sold the shop and started planning. They sold most of their belongings and packed the pannier bags. Tom finished his last project and the first day on the road approached quickly. They swapped their solid roof for a tent and began their journey on June 20th, 2021, weaving their way around the world while dodging COVID.

Sit back, strap on your headphones tightly, and enjoy the journey with Debs and Tom!

You can follow their adventure at the links below-

https://www.debsandtom.com/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNu10xJEJIj4aY5RrMd1nyA

You can support the podcast by subscribing and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.

Email me at george@intrepidglobalcitizen.com if you have an inspirational adventure story you'd like to record or reach out to share your thoughts and feelings about any of the episodes.

You can purchase my book Unhinged in Ethiopia: Two Thousand Kilometers of Hell and Heaven on a Bicycle about my adventure in 2019 across Africa's most mountainous country here- https://intrepidglobalcitizen.com/

Home to Guinness World records- the longest single line of moving bicycles at 1,186; and the fastest four-person, twenty four-hour, 1,670 kilometer (1,037 mile) relay, the cycling and adventure travel community in Bangladesh is thriving. In this episode, Fahadul Islam tells us about BD Cyclists, a non-profit social community that aims to promote healthy living and reduce traffic congestion and pollution by encouraging locals to get on a bike and pedal. I had the honor to stay with Fahadul and his family during my five week cycling trip in Bangladesh in 2017. It was there I learned the true meaning of friendship and hospitality. Be sure to visit Bangladesh for the adventure of a lifetime.

To find out more about the cycling community in Bangladesh, visit BD Cyclist's Facebook Group or contact Fahadul Islam on Facebook.

You can support the podcast by subscribing and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.

Email me at george@intrepidglobalcitizen.com if you have an inspirational adventure story you'd like to record or reach out to share your thoughts and feelings about any of the episodes.

You can purchase my book Unhinged in Ethiopia: Two Thousand Kilometers of Hell and Heaven on a Bicycle about my adventure in 2019 across Africa's most mountainous country here- https://intrepidglobalcitizen.com/

Roman Onillion is a photographer, adventurer, YouTuber, and blogger who has been covered in mud on the Pamir Highway in Kyrgyzstan, pushed his bicycle through sandstorms in Mongolia for seven hours while moving a whopping fourteen kilometers, and was accosted for money along the Kazakh border with China by the police only to be taken on a surprise tour of a nearby canyon.

He has also raised money for women who have fallen prey to forced marriages in Sierra Leone by eating a 1,000-year-old Chinese egg and taking a dip in the freezing waters of the world’s highest elevated lake in Tajikistan.

Roman is preparing for his next challenge coming up this June- a five hundred kilometer walking trip across Malaysia with his wife during the steamy monsoon season while picking up garbage in order to inspire others to keep our planet clean.

Subscribe to his YouTube channel and follow his adventures at the links below-

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DiscoverEvolution

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/discoverevolution

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discover_evolution/ 

Enjoy the conversation and go make your life an adventure!

You can support the podcast by subscribing and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast app.

Email me at george@intrepidglobalcitizen.com if you have an inspirational adventure story you'd like to record or reach out to share your thoughts and feelings about any of the episodes.

You can purchase my book Unhinged in Ethiopia: Two Thousand Kilometers of Hell and Heaven on a Bicycle about my adventure in 2019 across Africa's most mountainous country here- https://intrepidglobalcitizen.com/

This episode is an introduction to the podcast and a chance to get personal with the host. George Balarezo, the Intrepid Global Citizen,  is an adventurer, engineer, university lecturer, and writer who is striving to become a better global citizen. Educated as an engineer through books and office research, he had the audacity to leave his corporate job behind and embarked on a new venture as one who inspires South Korean college students, friends, and family and to live fearlessly. He has traveled by bicycle for over 15,000 kilometers throughout twelve countries in Asia, The Middle East, and Africa and enjoys life as an expat in Seoul, South Korea.  

Come be part of this historical day and strap on your headphones tightly. 



“By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”

-Confucius

You can purchase my book Unhinged in Ethiopia: Two Thousand Kilometers of Hell and Heaven on a Bicycle about my adventure in 2019 across Africa's most mountainous country here- https://intrepidglobalcitizen.com/