I Biked Across Korea So I'd Have Something to Tell VCs

I knew we were cooked when we didn't even know how to use the gears properly.

We were struggling just to get on the bikes and maintain balance while pushing off. My friend couldn't even go up the first hill we encountered because he didn't know how to downshift 😂. And this was km 1 of 633.

---

Let me back it up.

I biked the cross-country route from Seoul to Busan in Korea (633 km over 6 days) as a not-so-fit beginner biker. That's slightly longer than the distance from SF to LA.

My motivation for the trip was pretty simple: I'm currently on a 1 year sidequestmaxxing mission (basically saying yes to every random challenge and adventure I can) and I couldn't easily answer the question, "what was the hardest thing I've done in my life?" which is surprisingly a question VCs and startups often ask in interviews. So, when my friend came to me and asked "Hey, I'm going on this biking trip to Korea with my family, do you wanna join us?" I hesitated at first, but thought to myself, "Why not?"

---

Training for survival

I knew I was not physically fit to complete the trip, so I trained on the gym bike over 1 month. I would go to the gym every day to bike at least 45 minutes, with one day even biking for 3 hours. I was genuinely surprised that I was able to do this, because I have never before been able to push myself to go to the gym.

But this time, it was for survival. I already booked everything for the biking trip, and if I don't go to the gym today, I won't be able to make it through the trip. That mindset got me up from my bed and put me in my gym outfit. And after the trip, I agreed with that mindset 100%: if I didn't get myself to go to the gym every day, I would not have made it.

---

"Do you think I'll make it?"

Before the trip, I asked my friend, "Do you think we'll make it?"

He didn't answer, and instead just stared at me.

So, I changed my question and asked him, "Do you think you'll make it?"

This f**ker answered immediately without hesitation, "Yes."

Then, I asked him, "Do you think I'll make it?"

He answered immediately again without hesitation. "No."

Honestly, I agreed with him. The only experience I had with bikes were when I first learned how to bike from my friend in 2nd grade (I paid him generously with 2 quarters) and when I biked once a month at school to go get matcha ice cream in 4th grade. I knew that wasn't enough to survive 8-10 hours of biking every day for 6 days. However, while I was scared and excited, I delusionally didn't doubt myself.

---

Six days on the road

The first day

The first day was only 5 hours through 80 km. It was really enjoyable, stopping by a convenience store to get ramen by the Han River, just sitting on the riverbank eating while the Seoul skyline stretched out behind us. This day got me more excited and more confident in my journey.

The 2nd day

Some days were just doable: head down, pedal, repeat. The 2nd day was like that. Thigh and butt pain from the day before, but the terrain was not bad. Still fun.

The 3rd day

The 3rd day was the worst. There were many hills and even 2 mountains we had to go through. My friend (the one who was so confident he'd make it) was walking his bike up the hills at this point, looking like he was rethinking every life decision.

The weather did not help either, it started with some rain in the morning, by afternoon, it was pouring. I was not prepared for the rain and the cold. By late afternoon, I was shivering uncontrollably and my body started to freeze up. On top of that, my brake pads were fully worn down, and my brakes didn't work properly anymore. Our navigation started acting up, too, while the sun was starting to go down. And we still had the biggest hill to go up and down.

We ended up deciding to call it a day and taxi'ed to the motel for the night. Sooo, while I say I completed the cross country, we did end up skipping 2 stations.

The 4th day

The 4th day was the best. Maybe it was resting enough the day before, maybe it was the better weather, or maybe it was getting used to the biking, but everything was perfect. The path wound along the river through the countryside, green everywhere, mountains in the background, quiet little towns you'd pass through in 30 seconds. The perfect amount of challenge, the perfect energy, and the perfect amount of energy bars.

I learned from previous days that I need to continuously recharge myself with food throughout the entire 100 km if I was to have enough energy, so I always stocked up to 10 bars every time we had a chance to buy. Actually saved us every day.

The 5th and 6th days

The 5th day was the longest at 120 km, but doable. The 6th and last day was "just do it." Thankfully the road was mostly flat, because otherwise I don't think I would've made it.

---

Aftermath

Surprisingly, the whole trip was easier than I made it out to be. There was almost no muscle pain while riding, mostly hand, wrist, and butt pain. All the leg muscle pain came when you were getting off the bike or the day after. Near the end of the trip, it got so intense that even sneezing would be enough to make the legs hurt. But when you are riding, you don't feel the pain and you just go into a flow state as you ride.

Something interesting is that the trip feels easier as time goes by. During the trip, it was the hardest thing ever. Right after the trip, it was one of the proudest things I've done. A week after the trip, it was hard, but it was a very doable challenge. I think we do perceive past events differently through memory than as we experience them. Or maybe it is that my physical and mental capacity has increased after the trip that the same challenge now looks easier.

Another interesting thing was how the things I would think about while riding changed over the days. First day was, sure, appreciating the ride, but mainly thinking about my work and my startup, and what needs to get done. Maybe it was not being able to advance further than those thoughts since I couldn't do any work on the trip. But gradually, my thoughts shifted. I started thinking about people I'd been meaning to reach out to, things I'd been putting off actually sitting with. By the end, my thoughts had gotten to places I hadn't given enough time or effort to fully process.

---

I went into the trip with rather shallow motivations: just for sidequesting and a story to tell during my interviews. I came out with a new standard for what is hard and impossible. Now, I can ask myself for anything that seems daunting and scary, "Is this harder than the cross-country biking trip?" and the answer will most likely be no, unless I'm doing a Mount Everest hike.

There's other things I can be like, this is what biking taught me about life. But honestly, I don't think any of those made a bigger impact than just being able to ask myself that question.