gMack makes cover of 2011 Tours Catalog

Greg just completed a 49-day bicycling adventure of 2,402 miles from British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico (BC 2 BC). Adventure Cycling Associations (ACA) newest -- and arguably the hardest -- route in their 40,000 mile network of mapped trails is called the Sierra-Cascades bicycle route. The fabulous maps take cyclists along the paved-road equivalent of the backpackers' Pacific Crest Trail. The challenging, arduous route takes you along the spine of the volcanic peaks of the Cascades www.AdventureCycling.org dramatic scenery of the Sierra Nevada. gMack cycled with his buddy Gregg Bleakney (see his stunning pics/website at www.gbleakney.com).  Gregg got this cover shot selected for Adventure Cyclings' 2011 Tours Catalog! His stunning photo of the lake and me was taken at Crater Lake on October 13th. Take a siesta in a dramatic spot on the hottest October 13th ever recorded at Crater Lake and look what happens!  You end up on the cover of the Rolling Stone...or even better, the Adventure Cycling Tour Catalog. Consider taking one of their fabulous tours by going to www.AdventureCycling.org!!!  I can attest to the wonderful job the cartographers have done and have heard a ton of positive feedback from participants on their tours.

gMack featured on cover & 13-page spread in Adventure Cyclist

McCormack traveled to East Asia and Indochina in late 2009, bicycling incredibly varied terrain with adventure cycling partner Gregg Bleakney. The two cyclists enjoyed island hopping and eating the delicious cuisine of kimchi in South Korea before heading to Vietnam and Cambodia for more adventures. Vietnam was a bit challenging for cycling due to the countless millions of scooters that drive on all parts of the road and sidewalks, particularly on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).  However, this did not deter the two intrepid travelers as they covered the northeast, northwest, central, southern and mountain regions of the communist country. Bicycling through Angkor Wat --a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Cambodia was a delight. In case  you missed it, there is a link to a video "On The Kimchi Trail" about our travels in South Korea, posted by Gregg Bleakney on my home page.

gMack in Olympic National Park rain gear article

It was an incredibly enjoyable assignment:  Test out rain gear in beautiful Olympic National Park, my backyard for almost 20 years We decided to go in the middle of winter along the Quinault River and found nothing but sunshine for our 3-day tour. Here's a quote from the author Scott McCredie:  "Ben, a software designer and avid two-wheeler, had agreed to help test out gear with me, along with photographer Gregg Bleakney and his buddy Greg McCormack, a well-traveled naturalist. Between them, the two Greg(g)s had logged hundreds of miles of rainy days in their cycling portfolios.  On separate trips, they had bicycled from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Tierra del Fuego, and together had traversed the length of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline."

gMack in photo of article “Traveling with a Bicycle”

We did not pay a dime to travel overseas with Singapore Airlines.  A bike is included as one of your checked bags. Traveling from South Korea to Indochina was a bit more complicated, particularly because we wanted to see so much of Vietnam. McCormack and photographer Bleakney had to keep the same box for numerous flight and bus legs through China, Vietnam, Cambodia and back through South Korea before flying back to the States. The only draw-back of the free baggage was that the bike box had to be under 22 kilos or less than 50 pounds.  That left lots of un-utilized space in the box.  A bike with racks and water bottle mounts and tools weighs over 40 pounds.

Salsa Cycles uses gMack in two advert campaigns

These two images were used in Salsa Cycles online advertising campaign on their homepage and for the "Vaya" road adventure bike.

Cycling partner Gregg Bleakney shot the image below while standing on the upper part of the Sucheunggyeo Bridge.  You can see gMack straddling his bike and looking at the rocky beach on the west shoreline of Ulleungdo Island.

gMack in Salsa Cycles “Fargo” Advertising Campaign

The last two years I've been using  a durable and dependable touring bicycle called the Salsa Fargo. My cycling partner, Gregg Bleakney took this photograph in Vietnam.  Obviously my attention was on the bucolic scene of lazing, cud-chewing water buffalo. I like how the advertisement encapsulated in one word the ineffable qualities, the lure! of foreign travel.  I am psyched this ended up in a major advertising campaign by Salsa Cycles. Below is a more recent photo of my fully loaded Salsa Fargo leaning up against cut logs in Central Washington.

Welcome

Greg McCormack, aka "gMack" is a professional interpretive naturalist, marine educator and endurance athlete.  In late 2010 he became the first person to bicycle the new 2,389-mile Sierra Cascades Bicycle Route entirely in the Fall season. Greg is interviewed and pictured on the cover of a new book called SeaVoices. Click Here to see part of his interview and buy the book. McCormack passionately articulates his marine conservation ethic and is joined by many famous and important people such as Dr. Sylvia Earle, Julie Packard and Robert Ballard of Titanic fame.

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