The story of a man who cycled 80 000 kilometres - and is still going!

Hi and welcome to our very first 'purpose people' interview! 

I (Nina) am so excited to be sharing lots of wonderful and inspiring stories with you all!

Every Wednesday we will be featuring different people with one thing in common -  they have decided to live their life with purpose!

It could be anything from finally taking that leap and opening up their own hair salon, enrolling into that art class despite self-doubts, or in this case, taking their love for cycling to an entirely new level!

We want to remove the pressure from the word 'Purpose' as something unattainable and difficult to define, we believe it's all about being true to yourself and doing what makes you tick!

Whether you have a clear idea of what you want to do with your life, or if you, like me, love to do lots of different things and are constantly moving from one thing to another. As long as your doing things that excite you, even if you don't know where that may take you just yet you are living with purpose!

Below you can read the interview with Alee, the founder of Cyclingabout we met while Alee was on one of his many cycle journeys in Bali mapping out new cycling routes to share with his many devoted followers.  I decided I have to share his story with you all as it is really inspiring! So here goes!

Tell us a little bit about you!

My name is Alee, I’m from Australia and my favourite things to do in life are riding my bicycle and travelling the world. I’m currently doing a lot of that - in the last six years, I have cycled over 80,000km across more than 60 countries. My current mission is a bicycle journey following the smallest roads from the most southern tip of South America all the way up to Alaska! It sounds monumental, but I take it week by week, so it actually feels quite manageable.

Do you believe you have identified your purpose, or are on the right track? If so how did you go about it?

What I’m doing certainly feels ‘right’. It all began as a hobby, but after years of sharing my journeys and advice, I can now pursue what I love doing full-time.

I think a great test to see if you’ve found your purpose is to think about what you’d do if you were gifted a monumental sum of money – let’s say a billion dollars. I honestly don’t think the way I live my life would change very much.

I’d still invest my time in all the things that are most important to me – cycling, travel, adventure, knowledge, nature. Sure, I might do everything with a few more luxuries, but overall, I’m living the life I’d choose if I never had to worry about making ends meet.

What does your everyday life look like?

My job is to travel the world with a bicycle! I make films, take photos and share my stories, thoughts and ideas while I travel full-time. It’s not just about my own adventures, I also provide a lot of advice for people wanting to explore the world on a bike (via my website CyclingAbout.com). I’ve also written books, been a guest speaker at events and guided people on bike adventures! I feel very lucky to be able to do what I do.

Do you have any tips or advice for people out there wanting to fulfil their ambitions? 

A lot of people are actively chasing ‘dream’ careers, but I don’t know if that’s the most useful way to find your purpose. It’s kind of like chasing happiness; these things are so hard to pin down when you actively seek them. I think it makes more sense to create an environment around you that allows you to explore the things you’re passionate about. Make sure to create lots of projects for yourself in your spare time, and who knows, there might be an opportunity one day to take it further.

Who has inspired you?

I think moral philosophers have perhaps taught me the most about myself over the years, keeping me on track. While I don’t necessarily agree with all their ideas, I like listening to people like Sam Harris, Peter Singer, Yuval Noah Harari or Jordan Peterson because they are incredible speakers who are brimming with knowledge about the human condition. Searching their names into your favourite podcast app will give you lots to think about!

Thank you so much Alee!

And thank you, reader! Should you have any questions for Alee, please comment in the field below or visit his website cyclingabout and follow his journey on Instagram @cycleabout.

Until next time!

xx