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Iohan Gueorguiev

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Iohan Gueorguiev
Born(1988-01-20)20 January 1988
Bulgaria
Died19 August 2021(2021-08-19) (aged 33)
Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada
NationalityCanadian
CitizenshipCanadian
Occupation(s)Cyclist, photographer, writer
Known forCycling from Alaska to Argentina
Websitewww.bikewanderer.com

Iohan Gueorguiev (20 January 1988 – 19 August 2021) was a Bulgarian Canadian long-distance bikepacker from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. He was known for cycling from Canada's Arctic Circle to El Chalten, Argentina which he completed in six years from 2014 to 2020 and for documenting his cycling adventures in his YouTube channel The Bike Wanderer.

Biography

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According to his website The Bike Wanderer, Gueorguiev was born and raised in Bulgaria. At age 15, his parents sent him to live with an uncle in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada to search for better opportunities.[1] In his 20s, he studied engineering for about two years at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. In April 2014, he began cycling from Alaska down to Canada's Northwest Territories following the Arctic Circle and documented his ordeal on his YouTube channel.[2][3] He left his studies in the university in 2015 after he was accepted as a recipient of a sponsorship and stipend from the bicycle company Blackburn as part of its Out There program, which involves the selection of six or seven ambassadors known as the Blackburn Rangers. That year, he cycled the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route from Canada to New Mexico as part of Blackburn's Out There program.[4][5][6]

After completing the cycle tour of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route, he continued cycling through Central and South America, eventually reaching El Chalten, Argentina in 2020.[2][4][5] Along the way, he was named one of the Ambassadors of the Year by the cycling website Bikepacking.com. In February 2020, he attempted to hike Ojos del Salado, the highest mountain in Chile.[7]

During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, Gueorguiev returned to Canada and was unable to travel due to border restrictions. This prevented him from cycling and creating new content for his over 97,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel and he developed depression as a result. That year, he was diagnosed with insomnia caused by central sleep apnea, which contributed to his depression.[2][3][4][5][7][8] During this time, largely unable to travel, a battle with latent insomnia took its toll on his psyche.

Death

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He was diagnosed with central sleep apnea, a condition in which a person's airways relax while sleeping, preventing the flow of oxygen to the brain. This lack of oxygen to the brain causes it to react, waking the person in order to deal with the problem. Gueorguiev died by suicide on 19 August 2021 in Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada.[2][3][4][5]

References

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  1. ^ Gueorguiev, Iohan. "About". BikeWanderer.com. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Watts, Logan (20 September 2021). "A Tribute to Iohan Gueorguiev (1988-2021)". Bikepacking.com. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Denham, Alee (21 September 2021). "A Tribute To Iohan Gueorguiev (1988-2021)". CyclingAbout.com. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d Traub, Alex (11 October 2021). "Iohan Gueorguiev, 'Bike Wanderer' of the Wilderness, Dies at 33". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Von Drehle, David (12 October 2021). "A man, his bicycle and an incredible gift to the world". Washington Post. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  6. ^ Giddings, Caitlin (29 April 2015). "Blackburn's Ranger Program Is a Dream Come True for Bike Adventurers". Bicycling.com. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  7. ^ a b Bardeen, Matt (30 September 2021). "The Hard Road: Insights Into Iohan Gueorguiev (From A Close Friend)". Retrieved 13 October 2021.
  8. ^ Donahue, Bill (29 March 2022). "The Story of Iohan Gueorguiev". bicycling.com. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
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