NYT article on the American cycling couple killed in Tajikistan

[fiamme red]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/07/world/asia/islamic-state-tajikistan-bike-attack.html

“You read the papers and you’re led to believe that the world is a big, scary place,” Mr. Austin wrote. “People, the narrative goes, are not to be trusted. People are bad. People are evil.

“I don’t buy it. Evil is a make-believe concept we’ve invented to deal with the complexities of fellow humans holding values and beliefs and perspectives different than our own … By and large, humans are kind. Self-interested sometimes, myopic sometimes, but kind. Generous and wonderful and kind.”

“No greater revelation has come from our journey than this,” he wrote.:(

[charliedid]

The world is a big wonderful place until it sometimes isn't.

R.I.P.

[Drmojo]

I rode in Yemen in 1997
Pakistan in 2005
granted the political climate was different then
however--I would never post to the web in real time--via Instagram or blog, my exploits/itinerary.
It strikes me this is akin to placing an American flag target on one's back.
I do not mean to blame the victims in this tragedy-- but caution is indicated when riding anywhere. Broadcasting your location seems unwise to me.
This is why US many backpackers have placed Canadian flags on their gear for many years now. Like it or not, Yankees are not universally welcomed in other countries. Just this old adventure cyclist's opinion.

[fiamme red]

I rode in Yemen in 1997
Pakistan in 2005
granted the political climate was different then
however--I would never post to the web in real time--via Instagram or blog, my exploits/itinerary.
It strikes me this is akin to placing an American flag target on one's back.
I do not mean to blame the victims in this tragedy-- but caution is indicated when riding anywhere. Broadcasting your location seems unwise to me.
This is why US many backpackers have placed Canadian flags on their gear for many years now. Like it or not, Yankees are not universally welcomed in other countries. Just this old adventure cyclist's opinion.But wasn't their murder done on the spur of the moment? I doubt that the murderers had been looking at their Instagram or blog. And I don't think that people would have known that they were Americans unless they asked.

http://www.simplycycling.org/blog/2018/6/15/37

We pedal into Almaty. It's twenty kilometers from the airport, and we take a leisurely route through some quiet suburban backstreets. It's easy to find our way: just head for the mountains. Off in the distance, big snowy peaks tower over the city's tall, shiny buildings. All of it, due south.

Kazakh drivers pull by and stare. They poke their heads out the window and crane their becks and look back. "Otkuda!?" they shout. Where are you from?

America!, we call back.

"America!" they exclaim. "Then why are you here?"

That's a good question.

[tylercheung]

I want to remember their journey as a success. Look at all the things they accomplished.

[oldpotatoe]

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/07/world/asia/islamic-state-tajikistan-bike-attack.html

:(

RIP, to bad he was dead wrong about ‘evil’...

[Seramount]

while 'evil' is a loaded word, there are unquestionably many humans who are extremely sociopathic and have no qualms about doing harm to others.

believing otherwise is a tragically naive world-view...

[Mikej]

Its just ****ed up -

[fa63]

while 'evil' is a loaded word, there are unquestionably many humans who are extremely sociopathic and have no qualms about doing harm to others.

Believing otherwise is a tragically naive world-view...

+1.

[beeatnik]

When I was a kid in the 80s my best friend's family would drive to Central Mexico from LA every summer. They would spend a couple days preparing logistically and psychologically. My best friend's dad was a hunter and master marksman so my pal was handy with a rifle by age 6. So part of the preparation involved figuring out which roads were passable (Mexico didn't have the most developed infrastructure in the 80s) and making sure there would be no driving after sundown. The family would be filled with fear and anxiety but my friend and his dad tried to reassure them that there would be enough gas in the van and enough guns in the floorboard. In those days, the threat only came from bandits but there were endless stories about theft and suffering (being left by the side of the road in the desert). And, yet, there were no Narco Gangs and 50,000 plus Mexican nationals weren't being murdered each year. Short story long, you just plan as well as you can and hope for the best. That's life, man.

[bicycletricycle]

Naive and dangerous.

while 'evil' is a loaded word, there are unquestionably many humans who are extremely sociopathic and have no qualms about doing harm to others.

believing otherwise is a tragically naive world-view...

[el cheapo]

What I will never understand is people touring areas near combat zones. The "Stans" are not a real good option for a vacation. ISIS or Taliban makes no difference...dead is dead. Want to go to a combat zone...join the Army.

[Jaybee]

Counterpoint: most people, regardless of culture, race or homeland believe in our essential humanity and kindness. Without this trait, there wouldn’t be 7 billion of our uniquely social animal on the planet.

These two were murdered, and it is tragic. I’m guessing on a purely actuarial level, it’s probably more dangerous to ride your bike on public roads or eat a bunch of hamburgers than spend a couple weeks in Tajikstan.

Good on these two for living full, if tragically short, lives.

[thwart]

Counterpoint: most people, regardless of culture, race or homeland believe in our essential humanity and kindness. Without this trait, there wouldn’t be 7 billion of our uniquely social animal on the planet.

These two were murdered, and it is tragic. I’m guessing on a purely actuarial level, it’s probably more dangerous to ride your bike on public roads or eat a bunch of hamburgers than spend a couple weeks in Tajikstan.

Good on these two for living full, if tragically short, lives.

This.

Unfortunately, the amount of media coverage of their deaths fuels the cynicism and fear abundant in our country right now. It doesn't take much to do this in our post 9/11 world... especially when our elected leaders stoke the fire.

I suspect they went into this well aware of the dangers but willing to take their chances in order to experience the adventure... and the generally good people they would meet.

[marciero]

What I will never understand is people touring areas near combat zones. The "Stans" are not a real good option for a vacation. ISIS or Taliban makes no difference...dead is dead. Want to go to a combat zone...join the Army.

I am curious about this too. According to the one article this route was "popular" among Western cyclists.

[marciero]

while 'evil' is a loaded word, there are unquestionably many humans who are extremely sociopathic and have no qualms about doing harm to others.

believing otherwise is a tragically naive world-view...

Undoubtedly true, but also worth noting that in this case, naivete does not appear to have played any role.

[gdw]

I am curious about this too. According to the one article this route was "popular" among Western cyclists.

The region has been popular with bikepacker/adventure cyclists for the past several years. I know riders from my area, the Colorado front range, who are currently over there and others who are planning to go. This blog is worth checking out if you want to see what the area looks like and learn the author's views concerning travel in the remote areas of the world and how he reacted to the attack.
https://worldspinsby.wordpress.com/2018/08/05/one-more/

[woodworker]

Really beautiful. Thanks for linking it.

[ultraman6970]

This is super sad, but there's some places which you really have to avoid, specially places ending in TAN.

When it happened to those european mountain bilkers that died in mexico? 8 months ago or so?

[nalax]

This blog is worth checking out if you want to see what the area looks like and learn the author's views concerning travel in the remote areas of the world and how he reacted to the attack.
https://worldspinsby.wordpress.com/2018/08/05/one-more/

Gdw, thanks for sharing the link. It helps me to understand why one would choose to do this.

[fiamme red]

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/21/the-weekly/isis-bike-attack-tajikistan.html

Episode 4: “Collision”
Producer/Director Singeli Agnew

An American couple quit their Washington office jobs to bike around the world in search of experiences they couldn’t find from behind their desks. After thousands of miles through more than two dozen countries, Jay Austin and Lauren Geoghegan’s journey came to a violent end on the side of a highway in Tajikistan. That’s where five men who had pledged their allegiance to ISIS ran the couple and their travel companions down and stabbed them to death.

Watch the story of the attack in the next episode of “The Weekly,” on FX this Sunday and streaming on Hulu starting Monday...https://www.fxnetworks.com/video/1541585475665