4 ms·

It's not like "going round the world" is even well defined either - you could just walk in a circle around one of the poles. Thing is, are you doing it because

by dTal 6y ago

It's not like "going round the world" is even well defined either - you could just walk in a circle around one of the poles. Thing is, are you doing it because it's an amazing experience, or because you want to have satisfied some arbitrary criteria? And quite frankly, if you manage to pass through every line of longitude while lugging a bicycle the whole way, I don't give two hoots how many boat rides it took. That's heroic.

lmm 6y ago
> It's not like "going round the world" is even well defined either - you could just walk in a circle around one of the poles. The traditional answer to that is that you have to pass through a pair of antipodal points. > Thing is, are you doing it because it's an amazing experience, or because you want to have satisfied some arbitrary criteria? I find having a goal makes for a more fulfilling experience, and can help me push myself a bit further than I would otherwise. I'm planning to ride around Shikoku starting in about a week, and I'm glad there's an official organisation with a set of rules to follow for that (collect stamps at these given places). Every version of "cycling around the world" I've heard seems a bit unsatisfying somehow. To the point that I think maybe aiming for Shanghai-Paris or similar might be more fun. > And quite frankly, if you manage to pass through every line of longitude while lugging a bicycle the whole way, I don't give two hoots how many boat rides it took. That's heroic. It really isn't though. If you take that challenge literally, you can just book a cruise ship and take a folding bicycle along.
- nkrisc 6y ago
  > It really isn't though. If you take that challenge literally, you can just book a cruise ship and take a folding bicycle along. You could, but that’s not going to impress anybody when you tell them about it. People do this kind of thing for their own personal satisfaction, or to impress other people. That accomplishes neither.
- teh_klev 6y ago
  > Every version of "cycling around the world" I've heard seems a bit unsatisfying somehow. Well make up your own version, no-one's stopping you.
  - lmm 6y ago
    That's why I bring it up for discussion :). Maybe there's a satisfying standard that I've missed.
- JKCalhoun 6y ago
  > The traditional answer to that is that you have to pass through a pair of antipodal points. Tedious. I would be happy defining it as a journey greater than 40,000 km since that constitutes the circumference of the earth.
- dTal 6y ago
  Thanks for replying. I've no idea why you're getting downvoted. I do understand the drive towards some kind of exterior criterion to "keep you honest", and I didn't know about the antipodal criterion - which seems too stringent if I'm honest! I don't think I'd begrudge someone the accomplishment if they made it all the way around a single hemisphere.
- twic 6y ago
  > The traditional answer to that is that you have to pass through a pair of antipodal points. Really? I believe that for ocean circumnavigation the rule is that you had to cross the equator, which rules out polar shenanigans.

by dTal 6y ago

lmm 6y ago

> It's not like "going round the world" is even well defined either - you could just walk in a circle around one of the poles. The traditional answer to that is that you have to pass through a pair of antipodal points. > Thing is, are you doing it because it's an amazing experience, or because you want to have satisfied some arbitrary criteria? I find having a goal makes for a more fulfilling experience, and can help me push myself a bit further than I would otherwise. I'm planning to ride around Shikoku starting in about a week, and I'm glad there's an official organisation with a set of rules to follow for that (collect stamps at these given places). Every version of "cycling around the world" I've heard seems a bit unsatisfying somehow. To the point that I think maybe aiming for Shanghai-Paris or similar might be more fun. > And quite frankly, if you manage to pass through every line of longitude while lugging a bicycle the whole way, I don't give two hoots how many boat rides it took. That's heroic. It really isn't though. If you take that challenge literally, you can just book a cruise ship and take a folding bicycle along.

nkrisc 6y ago
> It really isn't though. If you take that challenge literally, you can just book a cruise ship and take a folding bicycle along. You could, but that’s not going to impress anybody when you tell them about it. People do this kind of thing for their own personal satisfaction, or to impress other people. That accomplishes neither.
teh_klev 6y ago
> Every version of "cycling around the world" I've heard seems a bit unsatisfying somehow. Well make up your own version, no-one's stopping you.
- lmm 6y ago
  That's why I bring it up for discussion :). Maybe there's a satisfying standard that I've missed.
JKCalhoun 6y ago
> The traditional answer to that is that you have to pass through a pair of antipodal points. Tedious. I would be happy defining it as a journey greater than 40,000 km since that constitutes the circumference of the earth.
dTal 6y ago
Thanks for replying. I've no idea why you're getting downvoted. I do understand the drive towards some kind of exterior criterion to "keep you honest", and I didn't know about the antipodal criterion - which seems too stringent if I'm honest! I don't think I'd begrudge someone the accomplishment if they made it all the way around a single hemisphere.
twic 6y ago
> The traditional answer to that is that you have to pass through a pair of antipodal points. Really? I believe that for ocean circumnavigation the rule is that you had to cross the equator, which rules out polar shenanigans.