"The Lifecycle Adventure" by Rob Lutter
A look back at Rob Lutter’s global journey – 40,000km around the world by bicycle.
40,000km around the world…by bike.
That’s right. The world. The whole globe. By bicycle.
Welcome to The Lifecycle. A creative expediton from London to London, on two wheels. A photographic & literary adventure project, a universal story about the need for change, creativity & happiness.
THE STORY
I’m Rob. A photographer & designer from a small village in Gloucestershire, England. Two years ago, on a wet autumn morning, I rode away from my brother’s flat in London, into a headwind, a rainstorm, on my commuter bike (turned world touring vehicle) with a tent, camera & really everything I then owned all strapped across the back wheel. I left behind friends, family & everything I had ever worked towards & cycled off, alone, into the storm, with a handful of money I’d saved & the dream of an epic creative adventure in my mind.
I wanted to be on the road with my camera in hand. Simply creating. Sharing my journey & captures back to those around the world who needed inspiration & felt trapped, like I had once been.
I was riding away from five years in the London film industry, away from a life of depression, a world without creativity or possibility & struggling to fight a battle against obsessive compulsive disorder. Out of necessity, a sheer survival instinct, I invented a project that could turn everything around. I was determined not to let every last trace of passion, creativity or childhood spirit I’d once had get totally removed from my soul by the pressures of city life or let my disorder overcome me.
On that first day exactly two years ago, though the road ahead was unknown, it felt full of possibility & prospect. I had everything I ever needed – the world & the tools to capture it. The aim was to document a journey around the world, the changing landscapes & cultures along the route, visually, lyrically. The lifecycle, hence the name, is a world photography & literary project that has turned my life around, bought me closer to the incredible lives of others in remote parts of the world, inspired the lives of people like you reading this.
Above: Kyrg burial grounds across golden meadow plateaus at 2000m, Tajik meadow harvester backdropped by the Pamir Mountains, Nantuan Riders journey home before the storms roll in, buddhist monk in the streets of Langmusi village.
The last few months, stuck without funds in Hong Kong, I’ve put myself to work designing a new website, writing up journals to turn into a book upon completing the trip & setting up social channels by which people can follow the next 20,000km of the adventure.
From Hong Kong I aim to cross South East Asia, Indonesia, Australia, the US from west to east, with a final stretch from Scotland to England & home. It’s a real life epic, that, when back on the road, will be shared through…
- Photography – potential publication, exhibition & prints post-trip
- Adventure Website – where I can be tracked & the story read
- Journal entries – potential publication post-trip
- Youtube – Regular Video diaries & travel films
- Twitter – The latest news direct from the roadside
- Instagram – Be right alongside me with instant photo updates
With limited funds & an entirely self-funded first leg, it was pretty tough just covering the distances.
Thank you so so much for taking the time to read my story & discover my journey.
Site: thelifecycle.roblutter.com
Twitter: @roberlutter
Facebook: @rwlutter
Instagram: @roblutter
Youtube: /theroblutter
Tumblr: roblutter.tumblr
