Press Release: Riding the TransAmazonica Highway; WideWorld Magazine talks to Doug Gunzelmann about his solo journey across one of the world's most remote routes.

Inspired by a National Geographic Magazine article, Doug Gunzelmann (www.amazonpilgrim.com) gave up his job as a lab worker to spend 10 weeks in the saddle on a 3000-mile solo journey along the Transamazonica Highway – an unpoliced track hacked out of the Amazon jungle. Writing for WideWorld Magazine (www.wideworldmag.com) , Doug describes how reading a few articles, some exploration using Google Maps and a second hand bike bought from e-Bay were scant preparation for up to 12 hours’ punishment each day riding on gravel or 6 inches of dust, sand or mud in 100+ degree heat. He calls it naivety, but we’d call it guts and positive mental attitude as Doug conquered the challenge of cycling across deserts and up mountains, coming face-to-face with the jungle’s big cats, struggling with stomach trouble and altitude and doing it all on a diet which included sheep’s brains and piranha fish. Doug set out on his journey to see the effects of deforestation at first hand, but learned a much greater lesson about the human spirit.

Established in May 2009, WideWorld Magazine is a leading site for adventure, outdoor sports and travel. Doug Gunzelmann’s extraordinary story appears on the WideWorld Magazine website at http://www.wideworldmag.com/features/the-amazon-pilgrim.