October 12, 2021
"[Iohan] Gueorguiev made his name overcoming challenges hurled at his body and spirit. He was a star in the world of 'bikepacking'..."
"... long-distance bike travel conducted off main roads. Calling himself the Bike Wanderer, he stood out for his Beatnik-like romanticism about the open road, in contrast to the competitiveness of many bike jocks and gear heads.... [H]e spent from April 2014 to March 2020 biking from the Canadian Arctic Circle to its South American antipode, the icy mountains and valleys of Patagonia.... He shot his videos with a simple GoPro camera charged by a portable solar panel.... Headwinds on desert plains required him to take long breaks sheltered behind rocks and make a campsite in a stray shipping container, which itself shook from powerful gusts.... A spirit of generosity helped him get by. 'Hey, beautiful!' he called out to a large bear staring at him. When a tanker truck passing him on the road kicked up a storm of dust, he waved cheerfully in response. When he was running out of food on a particularly arduous journey, he nevertheless fed tortilla-and-peanut-butter sandwiches to stray dogs.... With the onset of the pandemic, Mr. Gueorguiev found himself stuck in Canada, unable to cross borders because of travel restrictions.... Mr. Gueorguiev had in recent months discussed feeling pressure about being unable to produce exciting new videos for his patrons.... He was also suffering from insomnia. 'I think I can get some sleep when I’m dead,' he wrote in a suicide note...."
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15 comments:
Is it sleep itself that's so important or is dreaming enough? I sleep better when I tape my mouth shut.
After reading the first sentence of this post I knew it was not going to end well. I was thinking "bear", but apparently if you shout "Hi Beautiful" to bears, they don't eat you. Who knew?
This story could only have one ending and it was either going to be one in which the star dies doing what he loves, or one in which he dies by his own hands, anguished about no longer being able to do what he loves.
People come in all forms. And they are breakable in each.
This makes me sad. I don't have access to NYT. Did Iohan commit suicide? or die because something happened to him out there in the cruel wilderness? He suffered for his craft. I stand in awe.
A coincidence that you posted this as I have been watching the creations of a local named Ryan Van Duzer on Youtube. He hikes and bikes similar feats. Although - Chili all by itself appears more daunting than... anything around here.
That said, if you're interested in watching one dude complete the entirety of the Colorado Trail in about 10 days, I just did and it was very interesting and a nice change of pace from anything on the television. The Colorado Trail is about 500 miles from Denver to Durango. 72,000 feet of vertical elevation gain (over-all)(sh*t) with a lot of ups and downs. It looks grueling.
Ryan has trekked many miles and long distances on his bike.
Canada to New Mexico..(that was a fun series to watch) Mexico back home. Coast to coast USA, and other trips. He does all his own filming and editing... Using a go-pro!
It would have been cool if Iohan and Ryan met at some point. Perhaps they did?
No crashies, no flatties no whammies. (spoiler alert - final episode on his trek to Durango)
"Did Iohan commit suicide?"
Yes.
"Mr. Gueorguiev had in recent months discussed feeling pressure about being unable to produce exciting new videos for his patrons"
Work is important to self-esteem.
A very restless man driven by something to a place only he could go. I guess today's theme is "Eccentrics".
The Big Sleep
Poor woke feeling pressure to perform, something like most people feel at their work, but he special woke.
The Big Sleep who killed the chauffeur and why, and what was the make of the car?
*Important*
My link above, after ads play, do make sure to push the little red button all the way to the LEFT so you can see the Dork Dance. Very important. The dork dance.
____________________
So sad that Iohan is gone. Government restrictions take another soul.
*Dork dance in front of the LaPlata Range!
If he only shot videos with his GoPro, how is it that in the embedded video we see him from a distance?
I assume that anyone who produces lots of personal lifestyle content for a living is unhappy. Existence as public performance sounds like a nightmare. "How should I now live to please this crowd?"
Sydney - sometimes the people who video themselves, place a recording device (is it the go-pro? I dunno?) in a stationary position, and then back-track and move along the trail to give the illusion of someone else filming.
Tho in the case of Iohan - from his video - he often had someone with him.
Into the wild...
You can only outrun yourself for so long.
I absolutely loved Iohan's videos and have been watching (and often re-watching) them for 4-5 years and couldn't wait to see his new adventures. I watched his most recent posting from August 2021 a couple days prior to learning of his death, which I had hoped was fake news.
That scene in the 1st episode of the truck driver yelling out "I love you" to him made me laugh out loud. For as long as I can remember, driving home from work on a Friday evening, I often thought how cool it would be to skip the off-ramp and continue driving into the unknown and experience life rather than routine. Iohan did that and I loved seeing every minute of it.
I will miss him greatly.
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