A 100-day, 5,000-kilometre cycling trip would be a lifetime achievement for most of us. For Alikhan Ormakhanov, it's just the opening leg. The young Kazakh left his home city of Astana on June 5 with a plan to ride around the world, and after pedalling through Kazakhstan, China and Vietnam, he's now eyeing Australia as his first major checkpoint.
The full itinerary is ambitious by any measure. From Australia, Ormakhanov intends to keep riding through Europe and the Americas before looping back to Astana — a route that will eventually circle the globe. Getting to Australia is its own puzzle: the overland distance from the Kazakh capital is roughly 10,000km, and he hasn't explained how he'll handle the water crossings at the end of it.
What makes the story more striking is that he started with zero long-distance cycling experience. He spent a full year preparing, gathering touring gear and building up his riding before rolling out of the capital. Since then, life has been simple and disciplined: a roadside tent every night, and whatever food and water he can carry.
His verdict on each country so far is refreshingly candid. Kazakhstan, he says, was the easiest stretch — largely thanks to the hospitality of strangers. Truckers and motorists regularly pulled over to hand him water and food, at times so much that he couldn't fit it all on the bike. China brought a different challenge in the form of punishing heat and humidity, but he pushed through to Vietnam on schedule and is now heading south.
For travellers, it's a reminder of how much of Asia can be experienced at handlebar height — and how far a bit of local goodwill goes. Ormakhanov's route so far passes through some of the continent's least touristed riding: the vast Kazakh steppe, China's southern provinces and the length of Vietnam, which remains one of the world's great budget cycling corridors with its combination of quiet coastal highways, cheap food and easygoing guesthouses. If a round-the-world ride isn't on your cards, even a short stretch of it — say Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City — offers a taste of the same roadside-camping freedom.
The journey also highlights how accessible bike touring has become for newcomers. A year of preparation, a well-chosen touring setup and a willingness to camp rough took Ormakhanov from beginner to transcontinental rider within months. Whether he makes it to Australia — and how he crosses the sea to get there — will be worth watching as the ride continues.
