17,000 miles, 32 countries: Man’s epic, solo ’round the world’ trip on his bike
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>> 90 YEARS AGO THIS SUMMER, THEY’RE WILEY POST WAS STILL BASKING IN THE GLOW OF HIS AROUND THE WORLD SOLO FLIGHT. >> AND WONDERING WHAT TO DO NEXT. CHALLENGE OVER HAS THE STORY OF A BICYCLIST WHO JUST COMPLETED HIS OWN ROUND. THE WORLD TRACK ON A MACHINE. HE ALSO NAMED THE WINNING >> BUILT FOR LONG TRIPS. ELLIOTT, THE GALLONS BICYCLE IS A COMBINATION OF RUGGED IMPRACTICAL ACTUALLY TRY AVOID PAVED ROADS. A SHORT RIDE ON THIS BIKE PATH AROUND WILEY POST AIRFIELD IS A MERE LEGS STRETCHER COMPARED TO WHAT HE’S BEEN DOING FOR THE PAST 2 YEARS PADDLING 17,000 MILES THROUGH 32 COUNTRIES FOR 2 YEARS OF MY LIFE, I KNEW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS DOING. A HAD A GOAL IN FRONT OF ME AND I WAS GETTING CLOSER TO IT EVERY DAY. HE’S BEEN BACK IN THE METRO SINCE APRIL, STILL COLLECTING HIS THOUGHTS AND HUNDREDS OF PICTURES FROM HIS TRIP. HE DIDN’T DO ALL THIS JUST TO POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA, THOUGH, UNLIKE A LOT OF OTHER ADVENTURES, THIS ODYSSEY WAS ENTIRELY HIS OWN, KNEW THAT THIS WAS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY. AND SO I DON’T WANT TO WASTE IT ON OTHER PEOPLE. GUESS YOU COULD SAY HE STARTED IN 22 WITH A 3 MONTH RIGHT ACROSS THE UNITED STATES WEST TO EAST THAT HE TACKLED EUROPE ROUGHLY ALONG THE SAME LATITUDE I WANTED TO DO LIKE THE CLASSIC JUST STRAIGHT ACROSS LATITUDE IN LEE LEAD GOT AS FAR AS GREECE WHEN WINTER ROLLED IN. SO HE BOOKED A FLIGHT TO SOUTH AFRICA AND BIKE ALL THE WAY BACK TO GREECE. HE KNEW HE WAS FINISHED THIS SPRING WHEN THINGS STARTED TO LOOK FAMILIAR. ONCE STARTED WRITING ON THE SAME ROAD RIG A YEAR PRIOR, I KNEW THAT WAS. >> THAT WAS LIKE TYING THE KNOT. HE DIDN’T HAVE LONG-TERM TRAVEL COMPANIONS. MCGOWAN CAMPED OUT AMONG ROADSIDE TREES AND HEDGES CULVERTS WERE HIS FAVORITE. THE TRIP WAS SO LOW, BUT THE EXPERIENCES WERE PERSONAL. ALL KINDS OF PEOPLE TO COME IN AND FED THEM, RESCUED HIM EVEN HELP REPAIR THE WHEN HE MAY. SO WE COULD GET BACK ON THE ROAD. THOSE SMALL EXPERIENCES, THE EVERYDAY MARVEL’S. THOSE ARE WHAT HE TOOK AWAY. I JUST KIND OF IMAGINE THIS BEING A KIND OF A LONELY BICYCLE RIDE AND THEN SEEING SOME FEW SITES LIKE NATIONAL PARKS. BUT THE THINGS THAT HAD HAPPENED WHERE THINGS I’D NEVER DREAMED, COULD HAVE BEEN. >> THERE ARE OTHER ROADS TO TRAVEL. STILL, HIS SIGHTS ARE SET ON THE ASIAN CONTINENT. NOW, 2 NEW HORIZONS, ONLY PILOTS LIKE WILEY AND COULD EVER KNOW IN OKLAHOMA CITY GALEN, CULVER, NEWS 4. IS THIS A GREAT STATE OR WHAT? >> THAT’S AN ADVENTURE. AND AS A MATTER OF FACT, ELLIOTT JUST GOT HIS FINAL. OKAY. AND HE LEAVES SOON FOR A NEW JOB IN CHINA AS A REPORTER FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE,