Alikhan Ormakhanov of Kazakhstan is 100 days and 5,000km into a round-the-world bike journey that the young man hopes will transform him into a seasoned world traveler.
Ormakhanov left Astana, his country’s capital, on June 5 and has been pedaling ever since — through Kazakhstan, China, and Vietnam. Details are scarce, but we know that his first major destination is Australia. However, that is not the end of his ride. He told TV7, a Kazakh television station, that he plans to continue cycling through Europe and the Americas before eventually making it back to Astana.
Although he had no experience in long-distance cycling when he began, he prepared meticulously for a year before leaving, collecting touring gear and training. Of the three countries he has traversed as of late September, Ormakhanov says Kazakhstan was the easiest, because of the hospitality he experienced. Truckers and motorists often stopped to give him water and food — sometimes so much, he couldn’t fit it all on the bike.
Alikhan Ormakhanov. Photo: TV7
Dealing with the heat and humidity of China was a different experience, but he made it through to Vietnam in good time and is ready to continue south. Every night, he sets up his tent by the roadside and camps.
Ormakhanov hasn’t said how he intends to cross the water sections to Australia. The distance from Astana to Australia is approximately 10,000km, depending on the route.
Photo: Alikhan Ormakhanov
