Blog
The Oman Sprint
Road construction. Sand bank spilling across the shoulder. I brake hard, try to swerve and jump the curb. Wheels slip, I hit pavement. Luckily there are no vehicles passing just then or I’d be roadkill. Lucky too I hit my left knee. The right had gotten 6 stitches from my last bad fall and the doctor […]
Life Lessons from the World’s Most Extreme Cyclists
(As written for Outside Online, Sept. 19, 2017) Early one August morning in 2013, I joined a small group of cyclists gathered on London Bridge. I could feel the nervous energy as we did a final gear check and said goodbye to family and friends. As the second hand on Big Ben ticked out the […]
Keeping Mike Hall’s Legacy Alive: Why the Transcontinental Needed to Continue
(As written for Cycling Tips, Sept 13, 2017) I was somewhere in the middle of the Australian desert on that fateful morning of March 30th, racing from coast to coast in the inaugural Indian Pacific Wheel Race. The news came via a Facebook message that seemed too incredible to be true. My friend, fellow racer […]
In Memory of Mike Hall, the Man Who Inspired a World of Cyclists
(As written for Outside Magazine, April 11, 2017) My wheels whistled in the hot crosswinds, and I gulped down a mouthful of water to moisten the dryness in my mouth and throat. I had set off from Ceduna, on the southern coast of Australia, in the freezing, pre-dawn darkness of late March 2017, with the target […]
Trump’s War on Women’s Rights Begins
One of Donald Trump’s first acts as president of the USA was to sign an executive order which prohibits organisations that receive US family planning assistance from using non-US funding to provide abortion services, information, counselling or referrals, making it impossible for organisations not only to deliver the service of safe abortions, but also to […]
Kindness
It was my second puncture halfway through the day and I had used up my spare tube. This came shortly after managing to find water at a creepy abandoned train station with rusty trams and cars scattered halphazardly around a derelict building with a caretaker who could not figure out how I got there. “You […]
Do Not Sell Your Soul to SoulCycle
I was recently asked what I thought of the latest pop fitness fad in the US called Soul Cycle, made ever more popular by the clamour of celebrities who grace their bright yellow-themed studios to take a “soul journey”. Fortunately it has not moved into Europe yet, so I had to go online and look […]
Keto Baby!
You know that downer at the party who turns down a dish because ‘oh sorry, I don’t eat flour’? Yeah, that’s me. I never used to be “that guy”. I was the one polishing off every dish in front of me with the raging appetite of a hungry cyclist. Until a year and a half […]
What I learned from RAAM
Something’s wrong, I thought, laying in the semi-darkness of the dysfunctional Winnebago Warrior that served as my “sleeper” base. My heart was racing a mile a minute and it felt like there was a fire raging in my insides. Billy, my crew chief, peered into the camper. ‘Rise and shine sleeping beauty. We got a […]
Ride of the Two Sicilys
Here we go again, I thought in that long second when time slowed and the pavement came rushing up to meet me. It had been some time since I last crashed. So long, in fact, that I was beginning to think something was wrong. My first thought after initial impact was, “I hope my bike […]
Winning over failure
‘What are you most afraid of?’ the journalist asked me at the starting line of the 2015 Transcontinental Race, the dictaphone in his right hand hovering uncomfortably near my mouth. This was an interesting question, one that I have often asked myself before embarking on any particularly grueling or potentially dangerous challenge. Well, it isn’t […]
My Hardware Needs an Upgrade!
‘Irony,’ my brother wrote, ‘brought to your knees by your knees.’ Actually, it was my stubborn head that did that. You know how they say you are your own worst enemy and your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness? It all strikes painfully true right now. I have functioned throughout all my rides and […]
Riding the Trans Am Bike Race
People were turning into trees and trees into people. Objects and animals leapt out at me from nowhere, but when I looked again, there was nothing. The road ahead appeared fluid and immaterial. “Woah! Either I am in the matrix,” I thought, “or the stress of the last 19 days is finally getting to my […]
Here we go again
There’s some good news this year! Scratch that, it is downright earth-shattering fabulous news. I have a sponsor for my races. Those who have followed my rides and races will know that this has been a dearest wish since the day I clipped into a bike for the first time and decided to cycle the […]
The Trans Am Bike Race
On June 7, 2014, Juliana participated in the first unsupported race across the USA. The Trans Am Bike Race is the toughest, longest non-stop race following the Trans America Trail with no outside support, no entry fee, no prize money and “nothing to win or lose but honor”. Starting in Astoria, OR and finishing in Yorktown, […]
Raaaaaace!!!
Evidently I am the queen of last minute. When I decide to do a race, I will have no money, bike or kit until the last possible moment. Something like a parachute opening seconds before it is too late. I would love to turn up to a race one day well prepared, well trained, with […]
(Italiano) Mi Ricordo…
Sorry, this entry is only available in Italian. For the sake of viewer convenience, the content is shown below in the alternative language. You may click the link to switch the active language. Mi ricordo….. Sarò anche di parte ma gli elementi sono abbastanza oggettivi. Juliana Buhring nel luglio 2012, dopo solo 8 mesi di […]
Top Tips for the Lone Female Bikepacker
If you’re one of a growing number of lone women pedaling their way across countries and continents, you’ve inevitably gotten the full range of reactions from ‘It’s too dangerous’, and ‘aren’t you afraid?’, to ‘you must be mad’. Grant it, the world is not as dangerous as most people believe it to be, but there […]
The Great Debate: Supported vs. Unsupported Cycling Records
The current discussion of supported vs. unsupported world cycle records was brought into the spotlight by a couple more recent round-the-world cyclists who have gone with a support team, as opposed to all previous records, involving a few mad adventurers with a couple changes of clothes, a gas stove and a bedroll. As it started […]
TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE…UNLESS YOU’RE A CULT BABY
There are many kinds of prejudices in the world; political, religious, cultural, racial, gender. You name it, they’ve got it. Most, if not all, are born from ignorance and fear of what is “different”. My little brother had a dream that was almost destroyed by prejudice. It was not prejudice against his idea; it was […]
The Transcontinental Race
It was about the time the saddle sores started bleeding, the dull ache in my knees got sharper, the sun burned some crazy degrees too many and headwinds slammed into me at 60 kmph, that I began to think participating in the Transcontinental Race had been a really bad idea. When Mike Hall originally told […]
(Italiano) DICHIARAZIONE AI MEDIA
Sorry, this entry is only available in Italian. For the sake of viewer convenience, the content is shown below in the alternative language. You may click the link to switch the active language. Stuprata, violentata in nome di Dio, sopravvissuta al culto del sesso, cresciuta nello stupro, stuprata in nome dell’amore, vittima del culto del […]
The Best Day Ever
When I landed in Brisbane on my world cycle, I was met by a couple who were old friends of mine from back when we all lived in Africa. They put me up for the night and the following day, the husband, an avid cyclist, pedaled the Gold Coast with me; a route he traveled […]
WHAT WOMEN WANT
I was flying from Wellington to Brisbane with Virgin Australia last year, when I happened upon an interesting article in the inflight magazine. It was all about today’s explorers and adventurers, featuring 8 different guys who had done or were doing interesting things. One had walked the length of the Amazon, another climbed so many […]
The Adventure Aftermath
After the high of any great accomplishment, follows the inevitable low. Explorers and adventurers the world over know it. This ‘after low’, or withdrawal, doesn’t really have a name, but it’s depression alright. I often found myself staring out into the horizon, into the sky, and I didn’t know how long I’d stood there. It […]
The sky is not the limit
From the beginning, everybody told me I wasn’t ready. Without a sponsor or money, without a technical and medical support team, with only eight months of training on a bicycle, I was not ready to leave and should delay the entire endeavour for at least another year. I got a lot of laughs in the […]
Storie on the road…
“Hey Man, stop ” sento da lontano mentre esco dal parcheggio del motel nel quale avevamo passato la notte. “Hey buddy ” finalmente vedo un uomo di circa 50 anni che corre verso la mia auto e mi fa cenno di fermarmi. Juliana è già partita da mezz’ora direzione Nullarbor . Io aspetto l’apertura del […]
What Can Possibly Go Wrong?
The first day in India starts with a literal bang. Trying to get out of Kolkata, weaving through the seething, moving chaos of trucks, motorbikes, buses, rickshaws, bikes laden with pots, animals and merchandise, pedestrians, dogs, cows, goats, garbage, potholes. Everywhere an interminable stench of rotting rubbish, feces and incense. Between a truck coming up […]
Three months in…
Today the little kid in the street nailed it when he pointed at me and shouted ” look, it’s a phalang!” That’s exactly what I feel like. A guava. Pink-faced, rough bruised skin, slimy with sweat. I feel less human these days and more like a feral wild woman. Even after a shower I feel […]
Make it Harder!
Eventually, perhaps inevitably, comes that moment. I realize that hard as my legs are pedaling, the bicycle is simply not moving. Another 100 kmph gust of wind slams into me accompanied by a sheet of icy rain. My shoes are heavy with water, squishing between my toes as I labour against the pedals. 100 kilometers […]
Usa …verso il West
Da Boston a Seattle , 6000 km , 26 giorni , Route 66 , deserti , Mississippi , cowboy …. Basterebbe aggiungere le numerose avventure causate dal vento contrario e la pioggia , per fare credere a tutti che stiamo citando libri di Mark Twain o Jack Kerouac . È semplicemente l’avventura di Juliana negli […]
The Conclusion of Europe part 1
By Antonio Zullo Many times I asked Juliana “why cycle the world”? Her first reply, before expounding, is always the same. “”Why not?”. True freedom, that which scares most human beings, those constrained to live under the teachings imposed by society, who fear the opposition between desire and duty, leaving the latter winner. Juliana, with […]
It’s the Final Countdown!
At long last departure day is just around the corner. People keep telling me the hardest part is leaving, and this has certainly proved to be the case. From the beginning, finding sponsorship for this endeavor has proved difficult. Were it not for the generous donations of friends and well-wishers, even getting to this point […]
Why Cults are an Unsafe Environment to Raise Children
‘Cult’ is a skunk word, that is to say, its meaning, whether positive or negative, is variable depending upon who is using it and in what context. The Latin origins of the word ‘cultus’ simply meant a group worshiping or giving reverence to a deity. There is much debate over whether a cult is just a […]
A lot of Kony Baloney?
A couple of days ago, my facebook account was subjected to a fusillade of links to a video called Kony 2012. If you are reading this, then it is possible that this half-hour film, currently running viral across the internets, also made its way to you. It is doubly possible that you contributed to this […]
Here’s to 2012
The last day of 2011 was crisp and clear. I mounted my bike onto the car and headed to Lake Patria for the last cycle of the year. I was leaving to Africa the next day and figured I’d better go for one last training session, since I was fairly certain the next ten days […]
In Memorium
In order to live alone, said Aristotle, one must be either an animal or a god. The third case is missing, added Nietzsche, one must be both – a philosopher. I knew a man who was all three. He jokingly called himself ‘The Great White Explorer’. I preferred ‘river god’ and if you’d seen him […]
In Bocca al Lupo!
Italiano A few things have changed since my last training update, not least important of which has been the addition of a logistics manager, Antonio Zullo and two professional trainers to the endeavour. It started with a meeting set up by my bike sponsor, Mario Schiano, with professional cyclist trainer, Stefano Minichino. Stefano has long […]
The Fear of Nothing
After getting hit by a mammoth truck last Monday, following the ‘did that just happen?’ shock, the anger that the driver didn’t stop and the gratitude that I got off with a few light scrapes, a bruised arm and a really sore neck, brought me to the inevitable moment of inner evaluation. The potential dangers […]
A Question of Identity
I padded barefoot across my loft apartment, relishing the cool tiles, typical of Mediterranean homes, under my feet. Outside, dewy vineyards stretched down the hill, disappearing into the mist and beyond them, the silhouette of Ischia rose from an iridescent Mediterranean Sea. The sun had not yet reached its zenith and a fresh wind blew […]
African Cult Killers
In the new year of 2005, while sitting down to breakfast at the Sheraton gardens in Kampala, I met John Prendergast, former advisor on African affairs for the Clinton administration and co-founder of ENOUGH. At the time, he was working for the International Crisis Group, and was on his way up to Gulu to try […]
Just to be Clear…
The first time I entered the Church of Scientology’s grand structure in San Francisco, was with suitable equanimity, armed with a great deal of research on what I could expect. My friend, who admittedly enjoyed trolling culties, decided to come along as much to satiate his curiosity as to stir the hornet’s nest. We were […]
Training Days
My current training program involves waking up at the crack of dawn and since it’s impossible to drive anywhere within Naples (crazy drivers and roads), I have to put my bike on the back of my car and drive an hour out into the countryside. This is actually proving challenging for me, as I’m usually […]
Rebel Lab Rats
American psychologist John Watson famously said, “Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select…regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations and race of his […]
World Cycling Record
In mid-March 2012, I will be setting out to make the first women’s world record for fastest circumnavigation by bicycle. This will mean cycling a minimum of 220 km, or roughly 135 miles a day over nearly 5 months. The current Guinness World Record for circumnavigation by bicycle is held by Vin Cox who completed […]
Safe Passage Foundation
Through my world record cycle I hope to raise awareness about the basic human rights of children and money for Safe Passage Foundation‘s assistance fund to provide education, resources, support, advocacy and a safe transition for those born and/or raised in extremist, isolated or high-demand organizations. The mission of Safe Passage Foundation is to ensure: […]
God’s Warrior Twins
It was a sizzling day in July last year and I was walking down the main shopping street of Napoli, when my phone beeped with a text message. Dodging between stalling motorists and a crowd of Napoletans swearing loudly and throwing up their arms in impatience, I found shelter under the stall of a fruit […]
A shameless plug for Christopher Owens
I’m just gonna use this space to promote Christopher Owens, lead singer and writer of the band Girls. Owens’ new album Father, Son, Holy Ghost is gold. The Guardian has recently posted an exclusive album stream which can be listened to HERE. Owens was born into the Children of God and tells quite a story, […]