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About a year ago I watched this video in the dark days of winter, and it inspired me to do a big bike trip on my own. 2 weeks after I finished high school this year I found myself in Paris, heading down south towards Lisbon. It took me three weeks, about 2000 kms through western europe. It has been the time of my life so far, doing that all alone as a foreigner who whether speaks french nor spanish nor portuguese. Now I'm here back again waiting for warmer days to get back on my bicycle again, making plans for a good destination. Thanks for inspiring me to do what I did.
@@marymiron03 I had a huge accident on the first day, a car crashed me from behind on my way to Orleans. Somehow I made it without any major injuries, just some bruises. After that I was extremely lucky and nothing happened. France was extremely nice to cycle, especially the way from Orleans to Tours and the coastline from Bordeaux to the spanish border (even though there were wildfires at that time). Spain was kind of boring and exhausting to cycle between Vitoria Gasteiz and Salamanca, just plain desert more or less. Also no good cycling paths. San Sebastian and the pyrenees were thrilling tho. Portugal was a great end of the tour, I've never been to a country with this welcoming and friendly people before. I'd suggest a longer bit of france and probably another route through spain than the one right through it, probably the coastline is better. Also take your time whilst cycling, I was in a rush at some point... and also start the tour at the end of august, it's still warm enough then. Mid of july was a huge mistake, I was the only person cycling a trip like that at this time, met nobody else who was actually bikepacking. Elseways, absolutely do it, it's a life changing experience!
What a great trip you are on. I travelled around Europe, North Africa and the Middle East in 1970 to 72. It was a very different world back then. I ended up staying in afghanistan for about 8 months. I didn't bike. I started with a motor cycle I purchased in England and after crashing it in Germany, bus and hitch hiking and short flights was the way I got around. My entire trip was 18 months. I slept in very cheap hotels, hostels and outside in my sleeping bag. My trip was more about getting somewhere and staying until I got to know locals. I regret now having not had a camera. What you are doing is a spectacular experience that very few do during their lives. You will never forget this trip.
Wonderful story! My Afghan parents told us there used to be a lot of hippies and foreigners that came to Afghanistan to visit and pass through when it was safe in the 60s and 70s. They showed me pictures of blonde people and Americans in front of the statues of Buddha in Bamiyan. They showed me images of white people sitting down and drinking chai with our family for breakfast. They told me how they let a couple stay in their house for weeks just for free. They told me about how they were trying to teach the couple Farsi and they managed to pickup a lot of phrases! When war struck the country one of the first places my parents chose to immigrate to was America because they had this image of friendly hippie people that had visited them during the 70s. I was born and raised in Arizona but hearing their stories about Afghanistan before the war is always fascinating. It makes me so sad that the country is in the state it is now.
If you'd managed a camera&cine 8mm and filmed your time traveling that would be off the scale RUclips views...but cameras were a luxury and a 8mm cine camera was for the wealthy in the early 70s so a shame but what an experience fair play..
I don't care what anyone says. Staying at the side of the road in unfamilar countries is brave shit. Well done Josh. You're either mad, brave, or both.
@@metal87power It's actually standard for foreigners staying in China to be monitored by the police daily, with them having to report their location to them every night.
i've stayed in my room and done drugs for the last 28 years due to depression and this man has inspired me to cycle to the park on my bike to pick up, thank you
Its tough, but that's apart of it. Figuring out how far you can actually go you might surprise yourself. You figure that out and that is some happy shit right there. Figuring out what you're worth is an evolving story.
same here, thought I'd watch for 3-4 minutes to see a bit of the beautiful scenery but stayed for the entire video! All these wonderful landscapes made me realize once more how beautiful our world really is and how much there is to explore and how much I personally have not seen yet / and want to see at one point
These are the kind of videos that I long for in RUclips. Independently made, no stealth advertising and just simple editing. This may be a late comment but this is so awesome dude, good on you. This deserves wayyy more views. EDIT: Your adventure made the Tour de France and Dakar Rally seem like child's play. There should be a Tour de Josh from Shanghai to London
@@LoscoeLad totally agree, the hell those people go through just to finish. Absolute respect. Especially for the Dakar rally, its basically mad max but without the fighting part.
@@B--en4db I mean did you see his limited fotage from china... the forced police escort and how police stormed in to his hotel becouse he cant be there as an outsider. It all just goes to show how hard the chinese want to keep their dark secrets hidden.
At exactly this time last year in 2022, I watched this video and felt something start to boil inside (in a good way). I did my own maiden journey this summer of 2023, took me 3 months to ride from the capital of Wales to the capital of Bulgaria. I've got the bug and can't wait to do it again, so I'm here again. Thanks, Josh!
So everyone needs to do a journey like this once in their lives..out of their comfort zone just a little and makes them rely on the kindness of strangers. Think of how much better the world would be if we did?
Just received this Video on RUclips 2 Years after it was posted!Josh I've got to say Thank you for this fantastic Video! I'm going through real tough times as my wife of 39 years has Stage 4 Cancer I've really got into E bikes as a distraction and use RUclips to watch anything to do with bikes!This for me was so good! Mate I hope this Video has furthered any Career moves for you! It made me cry tears of joy for you! You are an awesome individual! You've brightened my day and made me realise this world isnt such a bad place and I really wish you all the best in your life! Once again Thankyou
Can we just appreciate the 1000's worth of hour footage he went through to put this documentary together. Just wow. Bet Josh enjoyed every minute of it. Well done. Trip of a lifetime!!
on the contrary, I think he knew what to shoot, and used most of it. I`ve done similar vlogs, ofcourse with not so much footage, but if you know what youre going for, you wont end up with 90% unused footage.
The feeling of approaching Europe, like an ancient traveller. Entering a city slowly must give a totally different sense of space. Also, seeing the countries, the culture change...
A hundred percent. It gives a completely different perspective from doing it with a car. Next level is that one guy Christoph Rehage, who walked from China to Germany. The world has to seem massive for him. Seen his documentary years ago
@@Skyl3t0n I traveled by hitchhiking/ trains across the USA/Canada, took me 1 month but damn was it an amazing journey. One day Ill go to the Old World
risky is missing from your adjective list. He got closed to being detained in China for political questioning. With small local corrupted police it can degenerate into false accusations. As some westerners have documented china in remote provinces exposing the corruption of the locals, now when they see a foreigner off the beaten path, they already consider that a fault.
30 years ago I tried to ride from Midland, Texas to Houston, about 500 miles. My ear got so sunburned, I had to have a friend come pick me up in Austin. I feel little less like an adventurist after watching this.
Don't give yourself too hard of a time. There's a lot of things to think about for a trip. An adventurer is someone who goes out to a place they don't know, it need not be 500 miles
@@searaph I was just admiring how brave he was. On my trip I even mailed my luggage at a Greyhound Bus Station to the next town 100+ miles away to get a motel. I am an air conditioned adventurer.
I basically did that this summer. I took a train to Milano, Italy and rode home to Germany via Cannes, France. It was worth the experience. Just do it, if you need something new in your life.
This is the real essence of RUclips. No asmr, no food vlogging bullshit, no tiktok shorts. Just random people around the world, sharing their surreal experiences for the rest of us.
@@ConstantThrowing seriously doubt he saw them. If he did, he would still be in Chinese jail right now. Why do you think they escorted him off to a restaurant and a hotel?
Why do some people always have to complain? Can't you just say "this video is good" without dragging someone else down? And who even makes only videos about breakfast?
props, especially going from xinjiang to almaty. that part of northwestern china on the high, dry, desert plateau must have been one hell of a grind to get through
I can only imagine how difficult this must have been , especially those shots where you had to film yourself riding away and then come back for the camera . Great job man , great production quality for a single person.
@@trieupham3524 ok 150m a day walking, compared to 200km cycling through a sand cyclone in a bumpy road in Afghanistan seems pretty insignificant effort to me.
He mentioned a few : local china police appeared in combat equipment to take him somewhere for questioning then at last minute let him go, broken fork bolts, scary wild dogs attacks or possible wolf packs at night in the remote cental asian landscapes, food poisoning, staying in an unoccupied half broken down house in afghanistan (still trespassing). It's almost like the fee for adventure is a certain level of dangers and odds. I guess you have to take those risk to get something in return.
Thank you for such an inspiring video. I watched the whole thing today and it brought back so many happy feelings from our travels. Looking forward to seeing more!
Fantastic achievement, it was really interesting and inspiring to watch. Glad RUclips recommended it. Many years ago I went from the UK to Singapore via train, bus, tuktuk, horse, bike, moped etc etc. Best adventure of my life, but cycling the entire thing is absolutely next level.
@@jackp492 I don't recall exactly, but I do remember it was almost the same cost as a flight for just the travel. Obviously not including hotels, food, tourists trips and plenty of beers.
I’ve done the Silk Road trip in a vehicle and it was tough enough. To do it on a bike! Cyclists have my respect and admiration but I still think they’re all slightly mad! We’ll done, amazing effort and self discipline to continue when it gets tough.
Bicycles are driven, and ARE vehicles btw. It's best to refer to you 'driving a motor vehicle' to make the distinction. Bicycles are one of if not the most efficient human made machines so they're ideal for a lot of transportation / touring needs. It is then up to the operator / driver of a bicycle to provide the mental will and physical capability to essentially tour half of the world by land using one.
That was probably the most humble ending to a video like this, on youtube. "Feels good." No sun falling over the horizon, or overly drawn out teary monologue. Just a guy returning home, and just watching the video itself explained all there is that needed to be said.
Your stamina and fearlessness is breathtaking. I cannot even in my wildest dreams imagine doing this but then, I'm 75. Congratulations. That is so awesome and I really enjoyed looking at all of the countryside your video was wonderful.
Bloody brilliant mate! As a Giant employee, I was so happy to see you ride a Giant and this is a fantastic showcase of the Giant Revolt. You seriously put mine to shame with the amount of miles you've put on it! I would love to see a "behind the scenes" style video with what you packed, spares, your mechanical issues during the trip etc. Well done once again...
@@gravey07 it seemed a bad choice of bike for this type of journey, seen a couple of people similar trips and they keep buying road bikes then spend about half their time on bumpy and bad roads. It looked good until he got to Afghanistan, the bumpy roads then started to break things, but thats not the bikes fault, the bike and parts and designed for smoother roads. I think using a mountain bike for this would have be a lot better, the parts and bikes are designed for roads and paths like that and you get some suspension up front at least to reduce the bumps, it also gives you more choice on routes and your not stuck looking for roads all the time.
@@shroomiestshroom3655 The Giant Revolt was the best bike choice for the varied terrain as its a gravel bike. An mtb would have been good for certain sections but a drag most of the time. Difficult to get a bike that is designed for that sort of trip but I think it faired pretty well...
@@SC-hk6ui doesn’t necessarily have to be a giant gravel bike. This pretty much goes for all gravel bikes, as they are probably the best choice for these kind of trips.
What an absolute legend! The planning, resilience, resourcefulness and sheer grit that you have shown, especially at such a young age is beyond impressive and inspirational. The force is truly strong in this one! Your parents must be so so proud. Hats off!!!
You should really watch the video of a man being alone for 1 year on a vulcanic island. Its really interesting. I need to find the video first but when i find it i will send the name as a comment below this one ⬇️
A ride you'll remember when you are an old man. Love this film because it shouts about the simplicity of journeying without all the "stuff" we're told we need. Nice one :)
Absolutely amazing journey, congrats!!! In 23:15 i was surprised when seen woman who pulled her cart. After short research i found out at that was Rosie Swale Pope - 73 years young lady on her journey from England to Nepal.... Sky is the limit.
I went to Afghanistan in 2002 as a soldier fighting a war. The people (no combatants) were lovlely people they are like everyone else just trying to make it from day to day. And the country was beautiful. i had never seen a desert or mountains till i went to that country and i fell in love with the varity of landscapes. if the country could ever find peace it wold make a fortune from tourism as it has so many opportunities to be more than it is .
@@LoscoeLad I bet they were too. Sadly if you go back 2000 years it has always been a country stuck in the center of other people's fight , Russians Americans, british, india, Iran, the Mongol all the way back to alexander the great the Afghanistan people have been overlooked by people wanting to use their land more then work with the people of the land
Afghanistan looked peaceful from past pictures I have seen of it before various countries ruined the place.Anyway I would like to cycle through it someday myself.
Congratulations on a stunning achievement. Most people that do long distance cycling would use a purpose built mountain/hybrid bike of some suit, but you did it on a standard Giant road bike. You must have some legs of steel, huge lungs and an extremely strong mental attitude. It was great to see how much genuine hospitality and human kindness you experienced along the way.
You absolutely would not use a mountain bike for just riding on roads like he's doing. The road bike is much much more efficient than a mountain or hybrid bike.
26/07/21 - UPDATE - I relapsed for 7 days, but I’m now two weeks clean again. If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Thank you for all your comments there is too many to reply to, I appreciate you all. Thank you. 05/01/21 I’m a recently recovering alcoholic and drug addict, my addictions made me fall out of love with cycling even though I’ve always loved it, I really needed to watch this video right now. Just thank you.
awsome! double thumbs up to you for doing so while in a pandemic! so much strength! i hope you plan an adventure with your bike and use that to keep you motivated and something to look forward to! all the best :)
Josh, congratulations on a truly awesome feat. You are inspirational on many many levels. I wish you the best for the rest of your life and the new adventures I expect you will seek out. God Bless. Jeremy Robson
Thank you for sharing this adventure with us. It brings tears to my eyes to see people like you doing amazing things. Time for me to plan a (much shorter) bike trip of my own!
I vote this as the single best video on the internet. Well done man. Nearly 10,000 miles in 4 months, nearly 90 miles A DAY!!!! I KNOW PEOPLE WHO WOULDN'T DREAM OF DRIVING THAT FAR IN A DAY!!!! You sir should receive some kind of medal or something. That is a feat of mankind exceeding going to the moon in my opinion. I'm jealous, admiring.and honoring you for your accomplishment. I just don't have the words to tell you how much i look up to you. Well done man. Well done indeed.
yes, 120km/day with luggage, bad roads, filming, high mountains... cycling every single day, no break days, no injuries or broken parts... sounds almost too good to be true...
@@kudosbudo Unless you're feeding your children or have a mortgage, you can do this. You can rent your apartment if you have it and use that money to cycle. Sure, you would not be able to afford some luxuries on the road but I assure that you need less than 6, 7 dollars per day to cycle the Balkans. If you pay the rent and your children depend on you, it will get better. Children will grow up and hopefully, you'll live better life than you do now. So if you really want it, I wish you all the best. I want to do the same. And I will!
"using anything i could find and ride into frame, i would then come back to retrieve my phone" thereby doing the trip twice! hahah in all seriousness this is quality watching!
this video is beautiful. i have the biggest respect for you and i envy you for all the experiences you had during this journey. this has really opened my eyes
The world is an amazing place. I hope one day soon we all realize how much of an absolute present we've been given. And try to explore it with childlike vigor.
One day, before I die, I hope I get to travel through the silk road. How those western and eastern people must have felt the farther they are from home and the closer they are to the other side of the world, I want to to experience it too. Thank you for this.
This is a remarkable combination of tenacity and self-belief that can only expand this young man's view of life. Anyone wishing for a similar adventure should start planning without delay.
Great video bro. I did a drive when I was 27 from Singapore to UK in 2015 in an old camper and travelled more or less the same route overland so it’s nice to see the Silk Road again! I haven’t done anything like it since because work, mortgage etc is in the way but that time in my life was probably the happiest Ive ever been. Seems so long ago now. I wish life offered more freedom to experience these journeys more often! Subbed 👍🏻
Honestly just heroic. A truly inspiring thing. So many questions. But yes I could only dream of such adventures. You are blessed with an awesome powerful mentality. Thank you for sharing.
It's crazy what some people do to avoid delivery charges...
Wonder how this works with import taxes 😂
This dude is the real life Norman Reedus from Death Stranding.
😆 lol
Underrated comment 😂
And it's broken when it arrives - chinese quality xD
This is exactly how my parents got to school
Can't be, I distinctly saw him going downhill at several points. 🙂
@@dodsg True! My parents did say it was uphill both ways!
they lived in china but went to school in Newcastle and had to cycle !?!?!?!?!
@@garybrown5769 both ways!
@@floofyboi3112 quality HAHAHA proper made me chuckle
About a year ago I watched this video in the dark days of winter, and it inspired me to do a big bike trip on my own. 2 weeks after I finished high school this year I found myself in Paris, heading down south towards Lisbon. It took me three weeks, about 2000 kms through western europe. It has been the time of my life so far, doing that all alone as a foreigner who whether speaks french nor spanish nor portuguese. Now I'm here back again waiting for warmer days to get back on my bicycle again, making plans for a good destination. Thanks for inspiring me to do what I did.
I’m glad it provided some inspiration and sounds like a good trip. Thanks for watching the video.
pin this !
How did the trip go? I´m finishing high school in fall and planning to do a similar journey
@@marymiron03 I had a huge accident on the first day, a car crashed me from behind on my way to Orleans. Somehow I made it without any major injuries, just some bruises. After that I was extremely lucky and nothing happened. France was extremely nice to cycle, especially the way from Orleans to Tours and the coastline from Bordeaux to the spanish border (even though there were wildfires at that time). Spain was kind of boring and exhausting to cycle between Vitoria Gasteiz and Salamanca, just plain desert more or less. Also no good cycling paths. San Sebastian and the pyrenees were thrilling tho. Portugal was a great end of the tour, I've never been to a country with this welcoming and friendly people before. I'd suggest a longer bit of france and probably another route through spain than the one right through it, probably the coastline is better. Also take your time whilst cycling, I was in a rush at some point... and also start the tour at the end of august, it's still warm enough then. Mid of july was a huge mistake, I was the only person cycling a trip like that at this time, met nobody else who was actually bikepacking. Elseways, absolutely do it, it's a life changing experience!
@@pauldechering7236 what bike did you do it on? thinking of doing something similar after I finish school in a few months.
What a great trip you are on. I travelled around Europe, North Africa and the Middle East in 1970 to 72. It was a very different world back then. I ended up staying in afghanistan for about 8 months. I didn't bike. I started with a motor cycle I purchased in England and after crashing it in Germany, bus and hitch hiking and short flights was the way I got around. My entire trip was 18 months. I slept in very cheap hotels, hostels and outside in my sleeping bag. My trip was more about getting somewhere and staying until I got to know locals. I regret now having not had a camera. What you are doing is a spectacular experience that very few do during their lives. You will never forget this trip.
Nice sir.. what a wonderful experience..
Wonderful story! My Afghan parents told us there used to be a lot of hippies and foreigners that came to Afghanistan to visit and pass through when it was safe in the 60s and 70s. They showed me pictures of blonde people and Americans in front of the statues of Buddha in Bamiyan. They showed me images of white people sitting down and drinking chai with our family for breakfast. They told me how they let a couple stay in their house for weeks just for free. They told me about how they were trying to teach the couple Farsi and they managed to pickup a lot of phrases! When war struck the country one of the first places my parents chose to immigrate to was America because they had this image of friendly hippie people that had visited them during the 70s. I was born and raised in Arizona but hearing their stories about Afghanistan before the war is always fascinating. It makes me so sad that the country is in the state it is now.
I'm going to do it too & create lasting memory of my world tour & sleeping on road side .
I am envious of your journeys in simpler, better times.
If you'd managed a camera&cine 8mm and filmed your time traveling that would be off the scale RUclips views...but cameras were a luxury and a 8mm cine camera was for the wealthy in the early 70s so a shame but what an experience fair play..
I don't care what anyone says. Staying at the side of the road in unfamilar countries is brave shit. Well done Josh. You're either mad, brave, or both.
He was under a constant supervision, my ass. He was sheltered.
@@metal87power did he say that?
@@jackyl1209 in china
@@metal87power It's actually standard for foreigners staying in China to be monitored by the police daily, with them having to report their location to them every night.
@@RicksonGM No its not. Source: foreigner in china.
i've stayed in my room and done drugs for the last 28 years due to depression and this man has inspired me to cycle to the park on my bike to pick up, thank you
To pick up your drugs? Lol
@@rjai4890 haha
maybe you can bike the trek to Afghanistan or Columbia, get primo gear where its made
Its tough, but that's apart of it. Figuring out how far you can actually go you might surprise yourself. You figure that out and that is some happy shit right there. Figuring out what you're worth is an evolving story.
So how are things working out? Never too late to change.
I was like “ have a look…” - couldn’t stop watching, what a awesome Dokumentation and unique experience!
same here, thought I'd watch for 3-4 minutes to see a bit of the beautiful scenery but stayed for the entire video! All these wonderful landscapes made me realize once more how beautiful our world really is and how much there is to explore and how much I personally have not seen yet / and want to see at one point
Me too. 😄
Same, clicked to check it out. Ended up watching the whole thing lol
I have been thinking about traveling by trains from UK to China and people said I'm crazy. You bring "travel" to another level.
That's actually a nice journey. Just do it man
永远不要来成都，这里是盆地；冬天的雾比伦敦都大，很难看到太阳。
These are the kind of videos that I long for in RUclips. Independently made, no stealth advertising and just simple editing. This may be a late comment but this is so awesome dude, good on you. This deserves wayyy more views.
EDIT: Your adventure made the Tour de France and Dakar Rally seem like child's play. There should be a Tour de Josh from Shanghai to London
Plot-twist...it was a 30 minute ad for Giant Bicycles. The stealthiest of all.
@@MakeCriminalsIllegalAgain never thought about that, sneaky indeed!
don't underestimate what they do in the Tour. Paris-Dakar, though, no drama!
@@LoscoeLad totally agree, the hell those people go through just to finish. Absolute respect. Especially for the Dakar rally, its basically mad max but without the fighting part.
@@AnthonyStJames-yn8nr yeah but they are still sitting down in their cars.. Maybe pretty hardcore, but not the most
This is probably the longest and best advertisement for a bicycle I've ever seen. Good job!
Can you make a video of the map you used to make this trip?
it is also a great advertisement of how the chinese are suppressing minorities
@@Erik3E Where in the video they do that?
@@B--en4db I mean did you see his limited fotage from china... the forced police escort and how police stormed in to his hotel becouse he cant be there as an outsider.
It all just goes to show how hard the chinese want to keep their dark secrets hidden.
@@Erik3E what where
At exactly this time last year in 2022, I watched this video and felt something start to boil inside (in a good way). I did my own maiden journey this summer of 2023, took me 3 months to ride from the capital of Wales to the capital of Bulgaria. I've got the bug and can't wait to do it again, so I'm here again. Thanks, Josh!
So everyone needs to do a journey like this once in their lives..out of their comfort zone just a little and makes them rely on the kindness of strangers. Think of how much better the world would be if we did?
Like Pippa Bacca...
I wish but I can't ride a bike
Not all of us
Huh just don't rely on stranger's kindness, most of them are not give an f.
@@sebasbandera wheelchair travel around the world it is then
*I would have 2 big fears along the road:*
1 - survive the trip and get back home safe
2 - no data corruption on all my SD cards
Other YTbers hype their adventures. This guy humbly cycles home from China.
YouTubbers?
YTbers is the same as RUclipsbers
@@TYsdrawkcaB umm yeah?
Reminds me of the guy who walked 350 days across china
when you don't have to worry about a job,kids,bills,... yeah i guess "humble" may come to mind.
Just received this Video on RUclips 2 Years after it was posted!Josh I've got to say Thank you for this fantastic Video! I'm going through real tough times as my wife of 39 years has Stage 4 Cancer I've really got into E bikes as a distraction and use RUclips to watch anything to do with bikes!This for me was so good! Mate I hope this Video has furthered any Career moves for you! It made me cry tears of joy for you! You are an awesome individual! You've brightened my day and made me realise this world isnt such a bad place and I really wish you all the best in your life! Once again Thankyou
Sorry your wife is going through a very tough time. Glad my video could help in a small way.
You made the trip I dreamed of as a young soldier stationed in Germany 30 years ago. That’s a ride that takes guts. Thanks for sharing.
👍🏻
Can we just appreciate the 1000's worth of hour footage he went through to put this documentary together. Just wow. Bet Josh enjoyed every minute of it. Well done. Trip of a lifetime!!
on the contrary, I think he knew what to shoot, and used most of it. I`ve done similar vlogs, ofcourse with not so much footage, but if you know what youre going for, you wont end up with 90% unused footage.
You think he filmed every minute of it lul
I bet there's another cut of this that is just his encouners with aggressive dogs that would make it look like one four month long chase scene
The feeling of approaching Europe, like an ancient traveller. Entering a city slowly must give a totally different sense of space. Also, seeing the countries, the culture change...
A hundred percent. It gives a completely different perspective from doing it with a car.
Next level is that one guy Christoph Rehage, who walked from China to Germany.
The world has to seem massive for him.
Seen his documentary years ago
@@Skyl3t0n thanks for pointing me in his direction
@@Skyl3t0n I traveled by hitchhiking/ trains across the USA/Canada, took me 1 month but damn was it an amazing journey. One day Ill go to the Old World
@@caleb2507 what is old world?
@@hithergirlsomeone2775 I think Old World refers to Europe
That is one completly insane journey, mentally, physically, financially, socially. Absolute respect, I enjoyed every second of this journey.
risky is missing from your adjective list. He got closed to being detained in China for political questioning. With small local corrupted police it can degenerate into false accusations. As some westerners have documented china in remote provinces exposing the corruption of the locals, now when they see a foreigner off the beaten path, they already consider that a fault.
30 years ago I tried to ride from Midland, Texas to Houston, about 500 miles. My ear got so sunburned, I had to have a friend come pick me up in Austin. I feel little less like an adventurist after watching this.
Don't give yourself too hard of a time. There's a lot of things to think about for a trip. An adventurer is someone who goes out to a place they don't know, it need not be 500 miles
@@searaph I was just admiring how brave he was. On my trip I even mailed my luggage at a Greyhound Bus Station to the next town 100+ miles away to get a motel. I am an air conditioned adventurer.
@@DataJuggler you are a very coordinated adventurer. And air conditioning is amazing to have
This is hugely inspiring. Anyone else feel an urge to book a one way flight somewhere just to cycle back home?
No. LOL.
awesome, yes absolutely. Once in a lifetime experience
I basically did that this summer. I took a train to Milano, Italy and rode home to Germany via Cannes, France.
It was worth the experience. Just do it, if you need something new in your life.
Yes but weirdly I don't even particularly enjoy cycling!
Amazing job Josh , great documentary as well. It made me start looking out for a bike straight away .. :)
This is the real essence of RUclips. No asmr, no food vlogging bullshit, no tiktok shorts. Just random people around the world, sharing their surreal experiences for the rest of us.
True true true..
Yeah well the world is cracking down on anything authentic. NO CONFORMITY!!
Agreed! This is such a great video and story.
True👍 (but not that bad word)
The essence of RUclips is learning Python
Incredible work, was sad at the abrupt ending but loved every second of this, well done
So beautifully done. Loved the entire ride! All 29:24 minutes captivating, but I didnt even know it ended! Kudos on an AMAZING achievement and trip!
Yes, i expected some reflecting on his trip at the end but realized he is still a teenager and that's not something he felt doing.
I cannot even begin to fathom all the life-changing experiences you've had during htis ride that didn't make it into the video... truly amazing
Saw the camps. Ignored the camps. Truly amazing.
@@ConstantThrowing seriously doubt he saw them. If he did, he would still be in Chinese jail right now. Why do you think they escorted him off to a restaurant and a hotel?
@@tijmen131?
This is how I imagine myself when I ride 20 minutes to school
@@nigelgibson4777 Why is living in Istanbul a problem? I don't mean to be aggresive, i'm just curious why.
@@genericpseudoname160 dude thats so offensive
@@dapperfob6194 lol, but really, why?
love how he made a solid documentary under 30mins rather than having to watch 1524 bloody clips of how he makes breakfast. impressive !
Why do some people always have to complain? Can't you just say "this video is good" without dragging someone else down? And who even makes only videos about breakfast?
@@xgon7645 I expressed my thoughts how I found best. My hats off to the author, to the trip, and to the video. EXCELSIOR !!!
Well, I would have also enjoyed a daily vlog to watch how he managed all the difficulties on the way.
@@xgon7645 Americans :)
@@MegaMagicbeans We don't really use 'bloody' to describe interactions 'across the pond'
You’re an amazing person bro. Thank you for allowing us to vicariously live this moment with you.
props, especially going from xinjiang to almaty. that part of northwestern china on the high, dry, desert plateau must have been one hell of a grind to get through
Yes, he occulted the danger and didn't film the hardships too much.
Man, we need to help out the algorithm with this one. It needs to have tens of millions of views at the minimum.
He talked “bad” about China, RUclips won’t allow it.
I just got it in my suggestions
@@kx65andyx85rider china doesn't even allow google platforms in their country
@@march11stoneytony IKR what an idiot
I can only imagine how difficult this must have been , especially those shots where you had to film yourself riding away and then come back for the camera . Great job man , great production quality for a single person.
yea sounds like a pain to walk double the distance lol
dude fuck walking back 50m once or twice a day, what about the 200km he cycled DAILY in the worst conditions possible through whole fuckin Asia.....
No it’s tripple the distance, camera point A, you go to point B for the shot (1) come back to A to get the camera (2) then back to B and beyond (3)
@@trieupham3524 ok 150m a day walking, compared to 200km cycling through a sand cyclone in a bumpy road in Afghanistan seems pretty insignificant effort to me.
I love that he show's footage of him walking back for the cam
I can't imagine how many things could have gone wrong during this production, well done for pulling through
He mentioned a few : local china police appeared in combat equipment to take him somewhere for questioning then at last minute let him go, broken fork bolts, scary wild dogs attacks or possible wolf packs at night in the remote cental asian landscapes, food poisoning, staying in an unoccupied half broken down house in afghanistan (still trespassing). It's almost like the fee for adventure is a certain level of dangers and odds.
I guess you have to take those risk to get something in return.
Thank you for such an inspiring video. I watched the whole thing today and it brought back so many happy feelings from our travels. Looking forward to seeing more!
Just you wait till the algorithm picks this up!!
It has
Can confirm
i kept seeing this in my recommended for 3 days and just watched it now....SO glad I did!!!
Fantastic achievement, it was really interesting and inspiring to watch. Glad RUclips recommended it. Many years ago I went from the UK to Singapore via train, bus, tuktuk, horse, bike, moped etc etc. Best adventure of my life, but cycling the entire thing is absolutely next level.
You think so?
that sounds awesome bro how long did it take, respect to you !
That sounds pretty fun as well! and much more doable than this cycling trip haha
how much did the round trip cost in sterling?
@@jackp492 I don't recall exactly, but I do remember it was almost the same cost as a flight for just the travel. Obviously not including hotels, food, tourists trips and plenty of beers.
This was amazing. I'm so happy for you and so proud of you pulling off this amazing feat!
Thank you so much for putting this together and sharing your amazing journey! Loved watching this video!
I’ve done the Silk Road trip in a vehicle and it was tough enough. To do it on a bike! Cyclists have my respect and admiration but I still think they’re all slightly mad!
We’ll done, amazing effort and self discipline to continue when it gets tough.
Bicycles are driven, and ARE vehicles btw. It's best to refer to you 'driving a motor vehicle' to make the distinction. Bicycles are one of if not the most efficient human made machines so they're ideal for a lot of transportation / touring needs. It is then up to the operator / driver of a bicycle to provide the mental will and physical capability to essentially tour half of the world by land using one.
@@worlwr2 what type of bike makes riding more comfortable? also how can i start training for long distance?
That's not how the word "slightly" is used. We bonkers.
@@Menga213 aluminium gravel bike all the way
If you think cycling is mad, check up;
Christoph Rehage
Literally walking from China to Germany.
That was probably the most humble ending to a video like this, on youtube. "Feels good."
No sun falling over the horizon, or overly drawn out teary monologue. Just a guy returning home, and just watching the video itself explained all there is that needed to be said.
nice comment.
I like how their wasn't even a recap because the entire video was basically a recap.
I fully agree. Some people get stuck into philosophical monologues. This guy just knocks off with a "feels good". Very genuine and refreshing ending
@@ryanhernandez8388 Yeah, thats kind of what I was getting at.
What a trip. Thank you for sharing it with us. Well done
Thanks for taking us all on your journey. Happy trails.
Your stamina and fearlessness is breathtaking. I cannot even in my wildest dreams imagine doing this but then, I'm 75. Congratulations. That is so awesome and I really enjoyed looking at all of the countryside your video was wonderful.
Im 26 and neither can I haha
75 is the best time to do it sir, maybe not on a bike but get out there and see this Earth it is amazing!
@@JimNichols I agree
The lady at 23:17 is 73 years old and she ran from the uk to nepal it took her 5 years to complete all while carrying that trolley behind
@@garminbozia foreal? 5 years? is there a documentary on her or like is she have her own channel ?
Bloody brilliant mate! As a Giant employee, I was so happy to see you ride a Giant and this is a fantastic showcase of the Giant Revolt. You seriously put mine to shame with the amount of miles you've put on it! I would love to see a "behind the scenes" style video with what you packed, spares, your mechanical issues during the trip etc. Well done once again...
These are the questions i wanted to ask too! Im intrigued as to how it faired 👍🏼
@@gravey07 it seemed a bad choice of bike for this type of journey, seen a couple of people similar trips and they keep buying road bikes then spend about half their time on bumpy and bad roads. It looked good until he got to Afghanistan, the bumpy roads then started to break things, but thats not the bikes fault, the bike and parts and designed for smoother roads. I think using a mountain bike for this would have be a lot better, the parts and bikes are designed for roads and paths like that and you get some suspension up front at least to reduce the bumps, it also gives you more choice on routes and your not stuck looking for roads all the time.
@@shroomiestshroom3655 The Giant Revolt was the best bike choice for the varied terrain as its a gravel bike. An mtb would have been good for certain sections but a drag most of the time. Difficult to get a bike that is designed for that sort of trip but I think it faired pretty well...
@@SC-hk6ui doesn’t necessarily have to be a giant gravel bike. This pretty much goes for all gravel bikes, as they are probably the best choice for these kind of trips.
@@tima6585 Are you trying to reply to me? You tagged me in your post !
What an amazing adventure!!! Thanks for taking us along for the ride!
This was so awe-inspiring.
Thanks so much for sharing that with us!!!
What an absolute legend! The planning, resilience, resourcefulness and sheer grit that you have shown, especially at such a young age is beyond impressive and inspirational. The force is truly strong in this one! Your parents must be so so proud. Hats off!!!
Speaking of hats, that one out back ruined Josh's aerodynamic tuck
@@andrewvickery2912 I was thinking the same 😂
Indeed and getting Visa's and knowing where you will be at the start of them could not have been easy.
@@andrewvickery2912 Great mudguard though.
One of my favourite videos of all-time Josh, well done man
Same Matt
Same
You should really watch the video of a man being alone for 1 year on a vulcanic island. Its really interesting. I need to find the video first but when i find it i will send the name as a comment below this one ⬇️
Its named: “300 days alone… - The Movie”
By: Olivier Vettel
No actually you just ate a horse BALLS HAHAHAHA LOL 🤣🤣🤣🤣👍👍👍🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇨🇳🇻🇳🇻🇳🇻🇳🇻🇳🇻🇳🇻🇳!!!
Truly breathtaking on all levels! You are such an inspiration Josh. Congratulations on completing the trip and thanks for posting 👋🙏😍
Mad and brave this is. Incredible trip thanks for the work you put into making the footage. Insanely inspiring.
A ride you'll remember when you are an old man. Love this film because it shouts about the simplicity of journeying without all the "stuff" we're told we need. Nice one :)
His optimistic and friendly personality carried him thru. You can see it in his narration...despite his struggles he's laughing and smiling it off
The views are all beautiful, and the lighting on them makes me feel like you captured all of them at the right timing.
What an amazing journey and experience; kudos to you young man, you can be mighty proud of yourself 👍
Absolutely amazing journey, congrats!!!
In 23:15 i was surprised when seen woman who pulled her cart. After short research i found out at that was Rosie Swale Pope - 73 years young lady on her journey from England to Nepal.... Sky is the limit.
Wow, that's crazy!
I went to Afghanistan in 2002 as a soldier fighting a war. The people (no combatants) were lovlely people they are like everyone else just trying to make it from day to day. And the country was beautiful. i had never seen a desert or mountains till i went to that country and i fell in love with the varity of landscapes. if the country could ever find peace it wold make a fortune from tourism as it has so many opportunities to be more than it is .
i bet the combatants were lovely people too, before the foreign invasion.
@@LoscoeLad I bet they were too. Sadly if you go back 2000 years it has always been a country stuck in the center of other people's fight , Russians Americans, british, india, Iran, the Mongol all the way back to alexander the great the Afghanistan people have been overlooked by people wanting to use their land more then work with the people of the land
@@lostinpark4782 yes indeed. Never really conquered though
I was there in 2007 and I concur
Afghanistan looked peaceful from past pictures I have seen of it before various countries ruined the place.Anyway I would like to cycle through it someday myself.
Amazing and understated - what an incredible journey and achievement!!
Thanks for sharing the beautiful scenery from various countries. Inspiring ride Josh.
what a cliffhanger, i wonder if he made it back home
Lol yes! 😂
until we see him park his bike, we will never know for sure....
why did you do that to me
US Fake New Media: British cyclist imprisoned in Xianjiang camp and forced to build Giant bicycles. 🤣😂😅
@@johnh8186 like the brand Giant?
Congratulations on a stunning achievement. Most people that do long distance cycling would use a purpose built mountain/hybrid bike of some suit, but you did it on a standard Giant road bike. You must have some legs of steel, huge lungs and an extremely strong mental attitude.
It was great to see how much genuine hospitality and human kindness you experienced along the way.
You absolutely would not use a mountain bike for just riding on roads like he's doing. The road bike is much much more efficient than a mountain or hybrid bike.
@@Anon.G yeah, I suppose I was referring to the sections of rough terrain and not the tarmac roads
@@markdonovan1540 the "rough terrain" was gravel bike(a road bike with more aggressive tires essentially) terrain at most
Such a joy to watch this! Happy cycling, happy life!
Amazing journey I can only imagine how you felt to touch your home country again. Thank you very much for sharing with us 🙏
ADVENTURE MODE turned up to 11/10! Respect Josh ✌
Ok
love your content as well man!
A tremendous film, made with just domestic equipment! This is what RUclips is for.
Amazing journey. Thank you for sharing!
What an amazing journey! Thanks for sharing.
They should show this in schools to show the kids that you can do whatever you want to do. Utterly inspiring...
I mean u do gotta have the money tho
@@luke_222 actually a pretty cheap hobby compared to other ways of world tour
@@GEEZYEA777 just the cost of gettin all the Equipment is not so low but after u get it its quite cheap
26/07/21 - UPDATE - I relapsed for 7 days, but I’m now two weeks clean again. If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Thank you for all your comments there is too many to reply to, I appreciate you all. Thank you.
05/01/21 I’m a recently recovering alcoholic and drug addict, my addictions made me fall out of love with cycling even though I’ve always loved it, I really needed to watch this video right now. Just thank you.
Hope you're doing well buddy!
@@nima65 I’m staying sober so far, hope you’re well too!
congratulations on realising the issue and doing something about it, i'm sure you'll be back your bike in no time. keep it up!
@@miche2694 Thank you bro, feeling healthier + happier, looking forward to cycling!
awsome! double thumbs up to you for doing so while in a pandemic! so much strength! i hope you plan an adventure with your bike and use that to keep you motivated and something to look forward to! all the best :)
Incredible journey, very easy to listen to storytelling. Well done, sir, thank you for sharing this with the world!
Josh, congratulations on a truly awesome feat. You are inspirational on many many levels. I wish you the best for the rest of your life and the new adventures I expect you will seek out. God Bless. Jeremy Robson
Courier: ''Shipping the bicycle will cost an additional 100$''
Dads:
What an epic adventure! Amazing video and storytelling man, thank you for sharing this with the world 🤙🏽
Even the title _"Cycling home from China"_ was epic.
@@TonyEnglandUK agreed
What an amazing journey! Felt like I was beside you all the way. Thank you for sharing🙏❤️ Kudos on your journey!!💪💪💪
Thank you for sharing this adventure with us. It brings tears to my eyes to see people like you doing amazing things. Time for me to plan a (much shorter) bike trip of my own!
I vote this as the single best video on the internet. Well done man. Nearly 10,000 miles in 4 months, nearly 90 miles A DAY!!!! I KNOW PEOPLE WHO WOULDN'T DREAM OF DRIVING THAT FAR IN A DAY!!!!
You sir should receive some kind of medal or something. That is a feat of mankind exceeding going to the moon in my opinion. I'm jealous, admiring.and honoring you for your accomplishment. I just don't have the words to tell you how much i look up to you. Well done man. Well done indeed.
yes, 120km/day with luggage, bad roads, filming, high mountains... cycling every single day, no break days, no injuries or broken parts...
sounds almost too good to be true...
@@jzimmer11 ......yep ! ? ? ?
@Treetop Flyer - I suggest you watch the Bald and Bankrupt Channel for an insight into the various regions of The Former USSR.
@@jzimmer11 120km a day isn't actually that much, It took me 3 hours to ride 60km. According to this he stayed 18 hours of the day stationary.
I vote it second best, the guy that documented himself building a cabin in the forest is number one.
People who go out on a Sunday and call it an EPIC ride
Josh be like 🤣
Yes, this is EPIC!
We don't all have the time to do more than that. or the money.
@@kudosbudo very true
@@kudosbudo Unless you're feeding your children or have a mortgage, you can do this. You can rent your apartment if you have it and use that money to cycle. Sure, you would not be able to afford some luxuries on the road but I assure that you need less than 6, 7 dollars per day to cycle the Balkans.
If you pay the rent and your children depend on you, it will get better. Children will grow up and hopefully, you'll live better life than you do now. So if you really want it, I wish you all the best.
I want to do the same. And I will!
Stop your ride shaming. All bike rides are epic.
What an amazing adventure. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Absolutely unreal, what an incredible experience!
I won’t comment! I read the comments and all is said. However, I got tears from my heart of joy 🥲 🇩🇰👍❤️
I feel exactly the same... ;-)
What a wonderfull video. Send the link to my son of 20 who has similar plans
"using anything i could find and ride into frame, i would then come back to retrieve my phone" thereby doing the trip twice! hahah in all seriousness this is quality watching!
Cheers man what an incredible journey few will ever see the earth like you. Thank you!
this video is beautiful. i have the biggest respect for you and i envy you for all the experiences you had during this journey. this has really opened my eyes
you put a lot of faith in the world. I'm glad that it doesn't seem to have been misplaced. Mad respect for doing this.
The world is an amazing place. I hope one day soon we all realize how much of an absolute present we've been given. And try to explore it with childlike vigor.
What a journey man, it must have been quite an adventure. Really inspiring.
Just amazing. So much courage, and perseverance. I imagine it took months of planning and training. Thanks for sharing your experience!👏👏
“Being vulnerable makes you appreciate the kindness of others” word!
One day, before I die, I hope I get to travel through the silk road. How those western and eastern people must have felt the farther they are from home and the closer they are to the other side of the world, I want to to experience it too. Thank you for this.
nice way of putting it 😀
What an amazing journey! Well done! ❤️👍👏👏👏👏
thanks for posting the video was so motivating to go beyond the show and explore uncharted roads, that bravery is quite rare.
Clicked on a whim. Couldn't stop watching. You killed it with the music too, fucking amazing.
Totally agree. Fab watch. I made it last and watched it in little parts. Phenominal.
This is a remarkable combination of tenacity and self-belief that can only expand this young man's view of life. Anyone wishing for a similar adventure should start planning without delay.
Awesome memories. Thank you for sharing. I hope one day I can see all that places you've been in. !
great work, watching this feels I'm with you on your journey very inspirational mate.
Great video bro. I did a drive when I was 27 from Singapore to UK in 2015 in an old camper and travelled more or less the same route overland so it’s nice to see the Silk Road again! I haven’t done anything like it since because work, mortgage etc is in the way but that time in my life was probably the happiest Ive ever been. Seems so long ago now. I wish life offered more freedom to experience these journeys more often! Subbed 👍🏻
enjoy the slavery and the "freedom" it comes with ;D Life offers everything you can imagine as long as you allow it yourself.
The bit where he met up with his dad was so cool. His dad must have been so happy and relieved to see him safe.
Honestly just heroic. A truly inspiring thing. So many questions. But yes I could only dream of such adventures. You are blessed with an awesome powerful mentality. Thank you for sharing.
What a wonderful journey. Beautifully edited...wonderful images!!
"Back in Newcastle. One km from home. Feels good"
The most humble last words for the most epic journey 💪🏻
I myself always select the delivery option when ordering from China, but I truely believe this is way more satisfying. Well done!
This is just amazing. Thanks for filming this!
Fantastic achievement and I’m sure an amazing journey for you have a great sites to see. Well done you are an inspiration