In September of 2011, in a desperate attempt to escape his corporate existence, Rob Lutter left his home in the U.K. to cycle around the world, documenting his journey through photographs along the way. He called his adventure The Lifecycle and for a year and half he rode across Europe and Asia. His journey took him through numerous countries as he passed over the Alps and Himalaya while enduring the blistering heat of deserts and the cold chill of mountain passes. To date, he has spent 720 days on the road, passed through 21 countries and ridden more than 15,000 km (9320 miles).

In January of this year, he arrived in Hong Kong where he has been working to raise funds to start the next phase of his journey. He intends to set out again before the end of the year, this time heading south towards the Equator and I would assume an eventual ride across Australia. Before he leaves, Rob worked with filmmaker Edwin Lee to release the video below, which tells a bit of his tale and serves as an inspiration for the rest of us to get off the couch, leave the mundane life behind and go find our own adventures. It is a very well done clip that I'm sure many of you will relate to.

Also, be sure to check out some of Rob's photos on his website. He has some really nice shots from his ride so far.

A RIDE REBORN from Edwin Lee on Vimeo.

A few years back there was a real race in the sailing world to see who would become the youngest person to sail solo around the world. For a time it seemed that there was always someone who was trying to lower the bar further, even if it was only by a few months. I followed most of those sailing journeys closely, posting regular updates on their progress while occasionally wondering just how young is too young for that kind of adventure. The race seems to have come to a halt, at least for now, culminating with Laura Dekker's successful circumnavigation last year at the age of 16. She bested the previous record older, Australia's Jessica Watson.

If you've ever wondered what has become of these young sailors than I have just the blog post for you. A sight called Nourishing Obscurity has written a short update on each of them including the likes of Americans Zac and Abby Sunderland who each had their own solo circumnavigation attempt – Abbey's ending in near-disaster off the coast of Australia – as well as Brit Mike Perham. Each of them has gone on to pursue other adventures and activities of course, some are more out of the limelight than others. As you can imagine, it is difficult to follow-up with a solo sailing adventure around the world when you accomplish that kind of feat while still in your teens.

This blog post actually comes at an unusual time for me. It was just a few days ago that I was actually thinking that it is odd that we haven't seen someone try to break Laura's record just yet. There was such an ongoing race between these young sailors for several years that it now seems unusual to not have someone attempting to lower the age record yet further. In the midst of all of the media attention surrounding these attempts I was rather critical of Laura's initial attempt in particular. When she set out she was just 15 years old and I felt that was a bit too young for someone to attempt something so bold. Fortunately, she made it round in one piece and by all accounts she might be the best sailor of the entire lot. But at the time, it seemed really daunting for her to take on the seas the way she did. Now, a year and a half after she's finished, I have nothing by respect for what she has accomplished.

So, it seems that the golden age of teen solo-sailors has come to an end, at least for now. But something tells me we'll be hearing from at least one or two of these young men and women again. After all, several of them are still in their teens and have a lot of adventures ahead of them yet.

Dimitri Kieffer is a lot of things. Born in France, he now holds dual citizenship in that country and the U.S. He is an international businessman, member of the Explorers Club, an ultrarunner and adventure racer, amongst other things. He also happens to be making a human powered circumnavigation of the globe, a journey he is making in stages as he explorers the cultures and histories of the places that he visits along the way.

Dimitri's adventure began in Alaska back in 2005 when he set out on foot from Anchorage. Walking west he eventually reached the Bering Strait, which he trekked, skied and swam across in order to reach Russia at Uelen, Chukotka Okrug in April 2006. From there he continued on foot through the remote eastern regions of that country before reaching Omsukchan where he decided to take a break from the expedition to pursue other goals. He returned to that city in 2011 and began the next phase of the journey on a bike. He, and his then girlfriend and now wife Gulnara, rode 1962 km (1219 miles) along the infamous "road of bones" to reach the town of Yakutsk. Last year, Dimitri returned to that city and rode another 4049 km (2515 miles) to Khakhorin, Mongolia. He is currently in Ulaanbaatar preparing to resume his journey aboard his bike once again. He now has his sights set on China and Kazakhstan.

So far, over the course of his travels, Kieffer has covered 11,391 km (7078 miles) with a total of 409 days of riding, walking and skiing.  Of those, 5230 km (3250 miles) were covered over six winters stretching from 2005-2008 and again in 2010. The past two summers he has covered an additional 6161 km (3828 miles), primarily on his bike. Of course, he has a long way to go before he is completely done, but you have to admire Dimitri's focus and dedication to seeing this project through to completion.

You can follow his updates on both his website and Facebook page. Since he will be departing on the next leg of the journey very soon, you should start to see regular dispatches on his progress in the near future. It should be interesting to read about the expedition as it continues to unfold.

This past weekend one of the toughest rowing events on the planet, the GB Row Challenge, got underway at the Tower Bridge in London. It was from that point that seven teams set off on a 2000-mile long journey to circumnavigate the British Isles while rowing non-stop and unassisted. If history is any judge, most of them won't complete this journey, which is incredibly demanding both physically and psychologically.

The teams who have entered the race vary in size from as small as two crew members up to teams of six. Most are in traditional row boats designed for the challenges of open water, although one three man team is actually attempting to pedal a pedalo around the course. Some of the challenges they'll face will include rough seas, fast moving and ever-changing currents and unpredictable weather. They'll also have to navigate through some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, while fending off the fatigue that comes with rowing a boat day in and day out for an extended period of time. All the while they'll be in sight of land, which presents a strong lure to quit when things get particularly difficult.

Just how long it will take to complete the race remains to be seen. The current record for completing the circumnavigation of the islands is 26 days, 21 hours and 14 minutes. That record was set by a crew of four men back in 2005. The women's record was set in 2010 and currently stands at 51 days, 16 hours and 42 minutes.

The GB Row does offer a substantial prize package for the winners. First place in any category goes home with £15,000 ($22,944), while second place wins £6,000 ($9177) and third place gets £4,000 ($6118). Additionally, any team that breaks the world record for the course will also receive an additional £100,000 ($152,960).

Each of the boats is carrying a Yellowbrick tracker that updates their position every hour on the hour. You can follow their progress on the race tracker page. Considering they've only been out on the water a few days, there is still a long, long way to go until someone reaches the finish line back at the Tower Bridge.

Thanks to Sylvia for sharing news of this race with me. It is much appreciated! Sylvia's friends Jason McKinlay and Josh Tarr are competing in the event as Team Savoir Faire. Good luck guys!

Long distance cyclists who are still stinging from the fact that they missed out on the chance to ride in last year's World Cycle Race will be pleased to find out that the event will return in 2014. Our friends the Adventurists are bringing the WCR back for another go, while putting their own unique stamp on the race as well.

The World Cycle Race 2014 is scheduled to get underway on March 22 of next year. That is the Spring  Equinox and was specifically selected to allow riders plenty of time to prepare and because it means that daylight conditions won't be more favorable in one location over another. This is especially of concern this time out, because the race will get underway from three different locations. In order to encourage more participants from around the globe to join the WCR, riders will be allowed to set out from three different locations – London, Singapore and Auckland. Those sites were specifically selected because they have routinely been stops for past cycling circumnavigation attempts as well.

Once on the road however, the cyclists are free to choose whatever route they feel is best. Like last year's race, they can ride in either direction around the globe but they must cover a minimum of 18,000 miles (28,968 km) and they must pass through two antipodal points while doing so. The first person who returns to their starting point will win the race. Riders can choose to compete in three different categories. Supported, Solo and Partners. A winner will be crowned in each category for the overall fastest time.

Last year, Mike Hall won the race in a blazing fast 91 days, 18 hours. This year's competitors won't have to worry about facing Hall this time out though. He has come on board as a WRC Ambassador and is working with race organizers to ensure the event goes off without a hitch.

Registration for the World Cycle Race is completely free. You simply need to fill out the form found on this website to express your intent for joining the race. Further information will follow soon there after.

Another milestone in the world of adventure that went relatively unnoticed on Sunday was Sarah Outen's return to the Pacific Ocean.  The British adventurer was finally able to relaunch her London2London Via the World expedition after having it halted due to storms last spring and delayed this year due to weather as well.

London2London is Sarah's attempt to circumnavigate the globe completely under her own power. The expedition began on April 1, 2011 when she set out down the River Thames in London, paddling a kayak into the English Channel and across that body of water to France. Once there, she hopped on her bike and started riding east, crossing Europe and Asia in the process. Last April she set out from Japan to row across the Northern Pacific, but a tropical storm rolled in, damaging her boat and forcing her to abandon the attempt. It has taken her a year to recover from that incident as she needed to find a new boat and launch her next Pacific crossing at the most opportune time.

Sarah returned to Japan in March but had to wait until weather conditions improved once again. She is now a few days into the journey and making solid progress thus far. The Pacific crossing is expected to take six months to complete.

Once she has reached Canada, Sarah will then return to her bike and cycle across parts of that country and the U.S. Once she completes that coast-to-coast journey, she'll return to her rowboat once again to cross the North Atlantic, returning to where she started back in London. That probably won't happen until sometime next year.

It's good to see that Sarah is back out on the ocean at last. We've always known that she is a tough and focused individual but her resiliency and dedication in the wake of the challenges that have come her way is certainly inspiring.

Sarah Outen is preparing to resume her human powered attempt to circumnavigate the blog and is now simply waiting for a weather window to depart on the next leg of her journey. That leg will be a 7500-nautical mile (13,890 km) solo crossing of the Pacific Ocean that begins in Japan and ends in Canada.

As you may recall, Sarah began her journey on April 1 of 2011, embarking on an expedition that she called London2London via the World. After kayaking down the River Thames and paddling across the English Channel, she then proceeded to ride her bike across Europe and Asia, before making a short kayaking journey into Japan. She originally expected the L2L to take about 2.5 years to complete and upon arriving in Japan, it appeared that she was actually a bit ahead of schedule. That all changed when she started her Pacific Row last summer.

While out on the water, just a few days after departing, a tropical storm hit Sarah's position, damaging her boat and requiring the Japanese Coast Guard to come to her assistance. That incident was a setback that required Outen to regroup and find a new boat. It has taken until now for that to happen, and at long last she's ready to begin again.

Unfortunately the weather hasn't been all that cooperative thus far and it may be a few days before she can finally depart. Storms have been hitting the Japanese coast, making it impossible to launch right now. But Sarah is very patient and she'll wait for the right time to get underway. The forecasts indicate it could be the end of the week before she gets a few consecutively good days that will allow for the re-launch.

The Pacific crossing is expected to take about six months to complete and upon her arrival in Canada, Sarah will once again return to her bike for a scenic ride across North America. When she finishes that leg of the journey, she'll return to her boat once again and row across the Northern Atlantic, return home to London where the entire adventure began.

Good luck and godspeed Sarah. I hope you can get to pulling those rows again soon.

Professional kayaker Tyler Bradt is preparing to embark on his biggest adventure yet. Bradt, who holds the record for the tallest waterfall after run in kayak, has announced plans for what he is calling the Wizard's Eye Expedition – a five year journey around the globe in search of high adventure.

In March of this year, Tyler will set sail aboard a 45-foot, 20-ton steel hulled boat which will serve as his home for the next five years. The plan is to explore the planet, immerse himself in diverse cultures and experiences, while searching for unique possibilities for adventure where ever he goes. That can include anything from paddling wild rivers to diving into lost caves. Tyler and his friends will kite and surf massive waves, climb to the tops of tall cliffs and BASE jump off of them and of course, circumnavigate the globe in the process.

This ambitious project will begin in just a few weeks, when Tyler will set sail on the first leg of his journey from the West Coast of the U.S. to New Zealand. The first year of the expedition will be consumed with that journey and all of the amazing experiences that he finds along the way. Year 2 will send him from NZ to India, while Year 3 will cover India to South Africa. The 4th Year will be a return trip from Africa to the U.S. and the 5th and final year will include sailing through the Northwest Passage and a return to his starting point.

The video below will give you an indication of what Tyler has planned and some insights into what is driving this journey. In its purest form, this is a quest for adventure in the far flung corners of the globe and it looks like it'll be an amazing experience for those involved. I can't wait to follow along and see what they find along the way.

Thanks to my friends at EpicTV for sharing this!


THE WIZARD'S EYE EXPEDITION from Wizard's Eye on Vimeo.

In April of 2011, British adventurer Sarah Outen set out to circle the globe using only her own power. The plan was to row, bike and paddle her way around the planet. Sarah, who had already rowed solo across the Indian Ocean, had intended for the journey to take approximately 2.5 years to complete and she was well on track to achieve that goal, having paddled across the English Channel and ridden her bike across Europe and Asia. But last year she was hit by a hurricane while attempting to cross the North Pacific and the expedition has been stalled out since. In April of this year, she'll head back to Japan and start the Pacific crossing once again.

Yesterday Sarah released this excellent video to remind us of her journey so far. She is far from done, but Chapter 1 sure looks like it was an amazing experience.