My life has been a journey of exploration
G'day and welcome!
I'm John Paul, the founder of Global Bikepacker.
I believe the world is an incredible place, and I know that for some of us there's no better way to see it than from the saddle of a bicycle. My goal is to help you take the skills you already have and confidently plan to do that big international adventure you've been dreaming of.
From Unlikely Beginnings to a Life of Adventure
My story doesn't start on a podium. Back in England I was the 'fat kid in class', not an outdoor enthusiast. That all changed when my family took a holiday to Australia in 1998. The sheer scale of the landscape and the possibilities for adventure sparked something in me and, at 16, we emigrated.
A free bike from my cousin became my key to this new world. I started exploring local parks, then national parks. I was inspired by the 90km "Sydney to the Gong" ride, but without the money for the entry fee, I decided to do it on my own. It hurt. It was scorching hot, I was underprepared and my saddle felt like an enemy. But when I finished, the feeling of accomplishment was immense. That was the real beginning. Soon, my weekends were spent exploring the Royal National Park and the Blue Mountains, taking the last train home on Sunday night to be ready for school the next day. A gap year hiking and biking through the USA and Central America at 19 was all it took to turn local exploration into a lifelong passion for international adventure.
Lessons Learned in the Workshop and on the Trail
Like many riders, I started as a self-taught mechanic working on my own bikes. My first professional experience was building and servicing bikes at an outdoor store during university. After a ten-year career in community development work and a further five years in the travel and tourism industry I found myself - like many people - needing to pivot during the COVID-19 pandemic. My travel agency business was failing, so I returned to my first love: bikes. I started again in a bike shop in 2021 and quickly progressed to managing three stores.
But the most critical lessons haven't come from the workshop; they've come from the wild. I have a strange history of breaking rear spokes, and each time has taught me something crucial. On a three-week tour across the rough backroads of Laos, I broke a spoke nearly every week. During the 1000km Hunt 1000 event in Australia another spoke snapped, forcing me to do a repair in the freezing rain of the Australian Alps. And on the Silk Road Mountain Race in Kyrgyzstan, it happened again just four days in!
My key learning from all of this is simple: prevention is better than cure. Your rear wheel should be as strong as your bike frame. This isn't just theory; it’s a philosophy born from fixing my own rig in the middle of nowhere, and it's the kind of hard-won experience I want to share with you.
Why We Ride: It's All About Connection
As important as skills and gear are, it's the human connections that define a journey. Five days into the Silk Road Mountain Race, I rolled into the remote town of Baetov and found all the rooms at the main hotel were taken. Using the best Russian I could manage, I found a guesthouse around the corner with eight beds available.
My first thought was of the riders I’d shared hours of conversation and countryside with over the last few days—a mix of Italians, French, Americans, Koreans and Kiwis. I went back to the town centre and waited, gathering them up as they arrived so we could fill the house. That night, we all had the chance to enjoy a hot shower and the comfort of a warm bed. A 2000km mountain race can be a lonely challenge and sharing that moment of relief and hospitality reminded me of what matters most.
This is the spirit I want to bring to Global Bikepacker.
My drive comes from my parents, who bravely left the Philippines to start a new life - and from a childhood love for Star Trek's mission to "boldly go where no one has gone before"! I see too many people go through life uninspired, and I know that for a handful of us exploring foreign countries on a bike can provide that sense of meaning and purpose.
I genuinely want to help you. My hope is that by sharing my experience—battling through the challenges and reaching my own goals—I can help you achieve your own adventure goals too.
Let's get started!
John Paul
