DAY 101 | Ukraine| How To Move The Stars | A bicycle ride around the world

How To Move The Stars is the day by day retelling of a bicycle ride around the world. Start from the beginning to get the whole story. 

My adventure was a modern day epic, a solo, self-supported bicycle ride spanning 38,000 miles across six continents. There were moments I barely survived, and times I cried tears of joy, but mostly, this is a story about the thousands of people I met along the way.  I moved through their cultures, and dramatic landscapes. I ate their food and slept on their land. I was constantly arriving to the open arms of strangers who were excited to help me achieve a feat that few could imagine. I did this for years, immersing myself in the world and meeting the people who live here. The story I returned with is a snapshot of humanity, captured in a lived experience. Thank you for joining me on my journey.

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Join Jacob on a bicycle tour! He leads week-long bicycle tours in Colorado during the summer. Sign up here,⁠ ⁠www.MountainHighBicycleTours.com⁠⁠.

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#bicycletouring #travelblogger #bikepacking #adventure #narrated #series #bicycle #bicycleculture 

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
May 25th, 2013 A BBQ with Eugeneon the final day of my parents
visit. Eugene invited us to join him
for dinner at his home with his wife and two daughters.
We drank wine and ate BBQ pork kebabs in his backyard.
Eugene taught me a few of the local drinking customs.
He told me that empty bottles never go on the table.

(00:21):
They were placed on the ground and called dead soldiers.
When we drank cognac, the chaserwas a slice of lemon coated in
sugar. Perhaps his most sage wisdom was
to never drink alone. But he said if you have to, get
a mirror so you can drink with agood man.
His advice for my journey was equally useful.

(00:42):
He said to never eat more than half of my food in a sitting.
This way I'll never run out. As the night was winding down,
Eugene borrowed my guitar for a song.
He began with a sad melody, softand lonely with his eyes closed,
he started to sing in Russian. His voice was clear and moving.
The lyrics delivered with heartfelt emotion, a sorrowful

(01:05):
song of loss and mourning. I was moved even without
understanding the words. When he ended, I asked what the
song was about. He said it's the story was
skier. It was sad that the ski season
is over when the party was ending.
I thank Eugene for taking me around and sharing his
knowledge. I'm always passing through

(01:26):
places without knowing anything about them, so having him along
was a treat for me. Eugene shook my hand and wished
me luck for the rest of my journey.
My parents were happy to be guiding around as well, and they
were especially glad to get to see me.
They were nervous about me heading into Russia, and worries
weren't distinct, just unease about what I'm doing.

(01:47):
They could imagine Europe, but now that they don't know what's
ahead, for me, that's scary. I understand their sentiment,
but I'm undeterred. The nature of this journey is to
go into the unknown and I trust myself to handle any situation I
get myself into.