Why I Bike (Part 2)

Biking to Japan - Week 16

I used to be addicted to heroin.

I was 22 the first time I tried it. And over the next 7 years I went back to it again and again.

Before I go further, I don’t want this to turn into an addition pity party. I’m not writing this for sympathy. I’m writing because I’ve been thinking about what got me here. Why I’m biking across all seven continents. And I want to give you the full, honest version of that story.

For years, I’d use for a month or two. Then run out. Quit cold turkey. For maybe a year or two. And then one day, back again.

I had a system if you can call it that. I bought online. So when I ran out, it’d take a week for shipping. The first 2 days were hell. But once I got through it, the withdrawals would ease up. And then I’d stay away from the stuff. Until I didn’t.

Eventually I was doing it every day. At work. A little high during every waking hour.

I’ve always had this kind of restless brain. ADHD, diagnosed in 4th grade. Overthinking everything. Working an office job just never felt right. I could do it—grind, get promoted, I even looked successful from the outside. But inside, it felt like I was watching someone else live my life. I didn’t know what I actually wanted, just that I wanted to escape.

Biking across continents comes from that place. Not as an escape exactly, but as a replacement.

I needed something long and hard. Something that took everything I had. A challenge I could own.

I wanted to see the world. Learn about it. Experience how people lived their lives in ways I’d never even imagined.

And I didn’t want to escape anymore. Not in the same way.

People tell me what I’m doing is impressive. That biking across all seven continents is extreme. But I’ve never thought of it like that. Because I know what the alternative was.

There were nights, more than once, where I felt like I could’ve just gone to sleep and never woken up. I didn’t hope for that. But the idea of not existing felt like a kind of relief. And I think that’s what scares me now. How close I came.

Is it dangerous to bike across these continents—yes. Three days ago I almost got smoked by a semi truck.

But I’m not scared of that. Because I don’t have anything to lose. And somehow, everything to live for.

Route Recap

• Start: Lisbon, Portugal

• End: Tokyo, Japan

• Total distance: ~10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers)

• Key gear: stove, patch kit, tent, cigs

• Key stops so far: Lisbon, Barcelona, Rome, Istanbul

• Key stops coming up: Iran

Last Week’s Vlogs

044 - Iranian Visa = Granted

045 - Visiting the Iranian Embassy in Ankara

046 - Back on the Bike

047 - Taking a Day Off

048 - Biking 100KM in Turkey

Progress on the Map

Seven continents overall progress

Portugal to Japan progress - link to the map

Last week’s distance ridden: 216 miles (365 km)

Total distance ridden: 3,581 miles (5,791 km)

Have a lovely week,

Ian