Thanks for covering my ride 🤘 Funnily enough, media is one of the requirements of the Guinness world record, but it's been an uphill battle (except in India, where I was published in three local newspapers, ha!). Lesson learned: I need to invite Brian Tamaki next time I do something cool.
And thank you to everyone for all the lovely uplifting comments! How good is the webworm comments section??
What an amazing achievement Robbie!! It would have been amazing to have a film crew with you to document your experiences! Lots of NZers would have loved to share that with you.
Beautifully touching and refreshing to hear such great news for someone that is trans. They achieved something so amazing and in record time, that is truly inspiring. Their story is crazy and I can agree with them that we in the US waste so much food, it’s ridiculous. But what a journey for them.
And fuck those people trying to bring that cat shit back up. This world is such an awful place at times. Thank you for calling it out and the nonsense of it all on Instagram. I saw your post and it did my heart good to see you at work. It’s already hard enough for people to transition that they don’t need some insecure, ignorant prick spouting out misinformation because they couldn’t take the 2 seconds to look it up. Sorry, it just upsets me.
Stoked to see this piece and Robbie’s story getting told in an NZ (adjacent) publication. The lack of coverage absolutely baffles me - to my mind this story is such a slam-dunk for any editor, even if it’s a few lines and an outsourced pic, but apparently newsrooms are weird about positive coverage of trans folks? Like it would be somehow biased to tell a *good* news story about them? Which is just nuts to me. This is another Kiwi world first, like the first summit of Everest. Don’t we love those? Isn’t that NZ’s *thing?* Everyone in the damn country should know about and be celebrating this achievement imo.
I agree. And it' not just trans folks' achievements either. It seems often that if the sport isn't sailing or rugby or cricket or netball, it just slides by under the radar. Last year a New Zealander won the first women's Red Bull downhill mountain biking event in Utah - same course and level of difficulty as the men's event. (Just looking down at the course was enough to bring on vertigo.) Also last year, a pair of canoeists from Nelson won the Yukon 1000 mile race, paddling from Canada to the Arctic Circle.
Robbie's achievement is massive and we should be celebrating it nation-wide.
Ugh, good shout. It's always the same here, isn't it? Rugby, netball, cricket. Boring, boring, boringest. No disrespect to the people who play and excel at those sports, or those that love them - I've played and enjoyed watching plenty of rugby - but our national obsession with only a select set of activities and achievements is one of the most notably parochial and embarrassing things about this country.
Also a kiwi winning a downhill mountain biking event is huge, I do a bit of MTB strictly recreationally and I can't even walk down most of those courses. They're objectively nuts.
Wow! Thank you for sharing this, what an incredible story! I hadn't heard about Robbie before, what an amazing feat. Wow wow wow 🤩
Also, I was deep in the furry fandom as a teenager (I, an unknowingly neurodivergent queer trans person stumbled across an extremely neurodivergent queer trans space and felt immediately at home there, who'da thunk?) I can absolutely confirm no litter boxes were involved. At least, none that I knew of 😂 Furries are very often queer and trans, so blaming it on them is just yet another proxy to those who can hear the dog whistles. Bleh
David, I don't exaggerate when I say that Webworm is one of only a few things keeping me from the certainty that all is lost right now. Thank you for this.
I feel really proud of this place, and the community that's built up around it. Thanks for the kind words, and being here. And also HOW FRIGGING AMAZING IS ROBBIE MY GOD
This triggered memories. I cycled around Europe 46 years ago mostly on their own. The 5000 km I did was huge. I cannot imagine trying to go around the whole world.
When you have to rely on your own instincts and skills, you certainly do learn who you are and how much you can do
"Congrats" doesn't seem big enough to cover Robbie's accomplishment, but it'll have to do until we come up with a better word. So awesome and so inspiring!
The cat stuff again, ugh. So many people in the media come across as deeply incurious and interested only in telling people what they want to hear. There's being unbiased, and then there's complete moral vacuuousness, and too many people don't know the difference. Makes me appreciate Webworm all the more.
What I am slowly clocking is that in the world of Instagram photos and podcasts, no-one is willing to read a piece that explains, calmly, what is going on.
It's infinitely easier to send someone a link to The Telepathy Tapes than to read a few articles about why it's BS. I mean, I still have friend spreading TTT and they are also watching my stories linking to the Webworm piece. It's - 2025 life I guess.
Same with the kitty litter stuff in schools. A stray comment in a podcast that goes out to millions - Webworm just can't keep up.
Unfortunately, even if you could keep up, I'm not sure how much good it would do. Misinformation often feels emotionally true to people, and accepting it as false would require them to confront truths they'd rsther not face. I think it's not dissimilar to the kerfuffle with your deer photo. Social media let's us live in our own little bubble, and when someone tries to pop that bubble, it can make people really really angry.
Robbie is such a BAMF! I have so many logistical questions that no neurotypical would care about 😂 I will venture over to the newsletter to see if any are answered.
Had been following Robbie on insta for most of their ride, an amazing achievement. It was great to join the group that accompanied them riding the last few km into Auckland Airport. The link below has my photos from the day.
I've been following Robbie since they were in the US and it's amazing to see them accomplish their goal! Not so secretly hoping this means more people will get into cycle touring/bikepacking as it is, in my most humble opinion, the best way to see the world. Go Robbie! You're incredible!
I must confess I glanced at the 10 Commandments barn wall pic and for some weird reason I thought the last one was "Thou shalt not visit the vet" as an up-to-date religious prohibition of furries.
What an awesome read! What an awesome adventure! What an awesome person! As someone who would probably not be that enthused to bike to the dairy, let alone around the globe, there is still something so human about getting out into the world and feeling the simultaneous bigness/smallness and like someone said above….so many questions for my ND brain that I’m in awe!
When I heard they'd done this, my brain almost broke. Like - how? But yeah, this interview raised so many things, including how open people are to helping and welcoming you in when it's just you and a bike. People can be really, really good. But also fuck doing this in America rn!
I do think, in spite of the hideousness we see in the media, that people are inherently good. So, I’m ever hopeful that when push comes to shove and it’s a person and their bike, it’s just one person helping another, irrespective of background. But also, I wouldn’t be chancing it around the US right now, so I’m pleased for Robbie that it didn’t sound like it was a dreadful experience there.
Congratulations Robbie!! Your trip sounds amazing and incredible, and would make a fantastic book and/or TV series. What an accomplishment!
Thank you also for the tips in how to help fight the rampant transphobia swirling around the world. I have trans loved ones and always struggle with how to help, even though I know I'm far more engaged than many cis people. Education is important but there also comes a point where you are just dealing with the wilfully ignorant and you're right, transphobia is so silly. And trans people do amazing shit! I have loved ones with incredible careers, who've done fantastic travel adventures, who are talented creatives, who have achieved amazing feats of sport and so much more. That's way more interesting than some nong who just wants to spread hatred of people they don't even know.
I’ve been following Robbie the whole way via Instagram, feeling such a sense of pride for what they are doing. An amazing human, and a great achievement.
Thanks for covering my ride 🤘 Funnily enough, media is one of the requirements of the Guinness world record, but it's been an uphill battle (except in India, where I was published in three local newspapers, ha!). Lesson learned: I need to invite Brian Tamaki next time I do something cool.
And thank you to everyone for all the lovely uplifting comments! How good is the webworm comments section??
What an amazing achievement Robbie!! It would have been amazing to have a film crew with you to document your experiences! Lots of NZers would have loved to share that with you.
Beautifully touching and refreshing to hear such great news for someone that is trans. They achieved something so amazing and in record time, that is truly inspiring. Their story is crazy and I can agree with them that we in the US waste so much food, it’s ridiculous. But what a journey for them.
And fuck those people trying to bring that cat shit back up. This world is such an awful place at times. Thank you for calling it out and the nonsense of it all on Instagram. I saw your post and it did my heart good to see you at work. It’s already hard enough for people to transition that they don’t need some insecure, ignorant prick spouting out misinformation because they couldn’t take the 2 seconds to look it up. Sorry, it just upsets me.
I think I would literally not survive that much cycling. My body would shut down.
You and me both. I could however eat my way around the world.
Stoked to see this piece and Robbie’s story getting told in an NZ (adjacent) publication. The lack of coverage absolutely baffles me - to my mind this story is such a slam-dunk for any editor, even if it’s a few lines and an outsourced pic, but apparently newsrooms are weird about positive coverage of trans folks? Like it would be somehow biased to tell a *good* news story about them? Which is just nuts to me. This is another Kiwi world first, like the first summit of Everest. Don’t we love those? Isn’t that NZ’s *thing?* Everyone in the damn country should know about and be celebrating this achievement imo.
I agree. And it' not just trans folks' achievements either. It seems often that if the sport isn't sailing or rugby or cricket or netball, it just slides by under the radar. Last year a New Zealander won the first women's Red Bull downhill mountain biking event in Utah - same course and level of difficulty as the men's event. (Just looking down at the course was enough to bring on vertigo.) Also last year, a pair of canoeists from Nelson won the Yukon 1000 mile race, paddling from Canada to the Arctic Circle.
Robbie's achievement is massive and we should be celebrating it nation-wide.
Ugh, good shout. It's always the same here, isn't it? Rugby, netball, cricket. Boring, boring, boringest. No disrespect to the people who play and excel at those sports, or those that love them - I've played and enjoyed watching plenty of rugby - but our national obsession with only a select set of activities and achievements is one of the most notably parochial and embarrassing things about this country.
Also a kiwi winning a downhill mountain biking event is huge, I do a bit of MTB strictly recreationally and I can't even walk down most of those courses. They're objectively nuts.
Wow! Thank you for sharing this, what an incredible story! I hadn't heard about Robbie before, what an amazing feat. Wow wow wow 🤩
Also, I was deep in the furry fandom as a teenager (I, an unknowingly neurodivergent queer trans person stumbled across an extremely neurodivergent queer trans space and felt immediately at home there, who'da thunk?) I can absolutely confirm no litter boxes were involved. At least, none that I knew of 😂 Furries are very often queer and trans, so blaming it on them is just yet another proxy to those who can hear the dog whistles. Bleh
David, I don't exaggerate when I say that Webworm is one of only a few things keeping me from the certainty that all is lost right now. Thank you for this.
I feel really proud of this place, and the community that's built up around it. Thanks for the kind words, and being here. And also HOW FRIGGING AMAZING IS ROBBIE MY GOD
You should be proud. Your goodness has attracted more goodness, and it's a very good place to be. AND ROBBIE IS SO AMAZING. More people like Robbie!
This triggered memories. I cycled around Europe 46 years ago mostly on their own. The 5000 km I did was huge. I cannot imagine trying to go around the whole world.
When you have to rely on your own instincts and skills, you certainly do learn who you are and how much you can do
"Congrats" doesn't seem big enough to cover Robbie's accomplishment, but it'll have to do until we come up with a better word. So awesome and so inspiring!
The cat stuff again, ugh. So many people in the media come across as deeply incurious and interested only in telling people what they want to hear. There's being unbiased, and then there's complete moral vacuuousness, and too many people don't know the difference. Makes me appreciate Webworm all the more.
What I am slowly clocking is that in the world of Instagram photos and podcasts, no-one is willing to read a piece that explains, calmly, what is going on.
It's infinitely easier to send someone a link to The Telepathy Tapes than to read a few articles about why it's BS. I mean, I still have friend spreading TTT and they are also watching my stories linking to the Webworm piece. It's - 2025 life I guess.
Same with the kitty litter stuff in schools. A stray comment in a podcast that goes out to millions - Webworm just can't keep up.
Unfortunately, even if you could keep up, I'm not sure how much good it would do. Misinformation often feels emotionally true to people, and accepting it as false would require them to confront truths they'd rsther not face. I think it's not dissimilar to the kerfuffle with your deer photo. Social media let's us live in our own little bubble, and when someone tries to pop that bubble, it can make people really really angry.
Some of us can, so all is not so in vain when if it feels like it
Robbie is such a BAMF! I have so many logistical questions that no neurotypical would care about 😂 I will venture over to the newsletter to see if any are answered.
Had been following Robbie on insta for most of their ride, an amazing achievement. It was great to join the group that accompanied them riding the last few km into Auckland Airport. The link below has my photos from the day.
https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCdJKu
I've been following Robbie since they were in the US and it's amazing to see them accomplish their goal! Not so secretly hoping this means more people will get into cycle touring/bikepacking as it is, in my most humble opinion, the best way to see the world. Go Robbie! You're incredible!
Fucking cool Robbie!!
Great interview and inspiring story! Thanks.
I must confess I glanced at the 10 Commandments barn wall pic and for some weird reason I thought the last one was "Thou shalt not visit the vet" as an up-to-date religious prohibition of furries.
It's definitely on my cats' list of commandments.
Agreed! The first operation any vet learns to perform is the surgical removal of the contents of your wallet.
Wow this was so cool and inspiring. Robbie you blow my mind 🫶
What an awesome read! What an awesome adventure! What an awesome person! As someone who would probably not be that enthused to bike to the dairy, let alone around the globe, there is still something so human about getting out into the world and feeling the simultaneous bigness/smallness and like someone said above….so many questions for my ND brain that I’m in awe!
When I heard they'd done this, my brain almost broke. Like - how? But yeah, this interview raised so many things, including how open people are to helping and welcoming you in when it's just you and a bike. People can be really, really good. But also fuck doing this in America rn!
I do think, in spite of the hideousness we see in the media, that people are inherently good. So, I’m ever hopeful that when push comes to shove and it’s a person and their bike, it’s just one person helping another, irrespective of background. But also, I wouldn’t be chancing it around the US right now, so I’m pleased for Robbie that it didn’t sound like it was a dreadful experience there.
Congratulations Robbie!! Your trip sounds amazing and incredible, and would make a fantastic book and/or TV series. What an accomplishment!
Thank you also for the tips in how to help fight the rampant transphobia swirling around the world. I have trans loved ones and always struggle with how to help, even though I know I'm far more engaged than many cis people. Education is important but there also comes a point where you are just dealing with the wilfully ignorant and you're right, transphobia is so silly. And trans people do amazing shit! I have loved ones with incredible careers, who've done fantastic travel adventures, who are talented creatives, who have achieved amazing feats of sport and so much more. That's way more interesting than some nong who just wants to spread hatred of people they don't even know.
I’ve been following Robbie the whole way via Instagram, feeling such a sense of pride for what they are doing. An amazing human, and a great achievement.
I missed their journey but very glad I am now following and updated! Just insane. Amazing. Inspirational.