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Synopsis
When Aaron Pufal was unceremoniously fired by the billionaire family he’d served for over a decade, he did what any reasonable person would do: he bought a microphone, straddled his BMW GSA, and started tracking down the legends of adventure motorcycling.
What began as a scrappy podcast recorded in garages and cafés became something unexpected—a map of invisible connections linking fifty years of motorcycle storytelling. From Ted Simon’s kitchen table in France to the rooftop of The 59 Club in East London, from Lyndon Poskitt’s father’s Yorkshire workshop to the hallowed forecourt of the Ace Café, Pufal discovered that the adventure motorcycle community is far smaller and more interconnected than anyone realised.
Chasing Legends captures three seasons of conversations with the riders, filmmakers, and authors who shaped modern adventure motorcycling:
Ted Simon, who at 94 still wonders what motorcycles talk about in the dark
Austin Vince, the schoolteacher who conquered the Zilov Gap and proved you don’t need sponsors to circle the globe
Charley Boorman, still crashing his way to wisdom on vintage bikes with questionable tyres
Claudio von Planta, who failed his motorcycle test a week before filming Long Way Round—and went anyway
Lyndon Poskitt, the aerospace engineer who built his own rally bike and raced it 234,000 kilometres across six continents
Joey Evans, who went from a 10% chance of walking to finishing the Dakar Rally
Sam Manicom, living on “gifted time” after 200,000 miles on the same BMW frame
Sterling Noren, the filmmaker behind the Backcountry Discovery Routes
Elspeth Beard, who circumnavigated the globe in 1982 and packed it all away for thirty years because nobody cared
But this isn’t just a collection of interviews. It’s a meditation on mentorship, mechanical failure, and what happens when you stop asking permission and start asking questions. It’s about blood bikers racing through London nights with neonatal transfusions. About a Kansas technician holding 86.5 mph for 32 hours across America. About fathers teaching sons in workshops, and the tools we inherit—both literal and metaphorical.
Part memoir, part oral history, part navigation chart through adventure motorcycling’s past and future, Chasing Legends reveals the stories behind the stories—the missed opportunities, the fumbled questions, the moments of connection that only happen when you show up with curiosity and a willingness to listen.
For anyone who’s ever looked at a map and wondered what’s there. For anyone who understands that the road isn’t an escape—it’s where life is lived most honestly.
Author Bio
Aaron Pufal is a storyteller, adventurer, and creative visionary whose life and work embody the pursuit of meaning through motion. As the host and producer of the ADV Cannonball Podcast, he has built a reputation for turning raw, real-world adventure into rich cinematic storytelling, capturing the grit, humor, and humanity of long-distance motorcyclists pushing themselves across continents. His work blends the authenticity of travel writing with the tension and intimacy of narrative fiction, creating a bridge between modern adventure culture and timeless storytelling. He is also the author of Chasing Legends: Motorcycle Stories from the Podcast Trail, a book that brings together the most compelling voices and journeys from his years behind the microphone. Before stepping into the world of podcasting and event creation, Aaron spent over two decades as a professional yacht captain, commanding vessels for billionaires, royal families, and heads of state around the world. His maritime career took him from the turquoise waters of the Caribbean to the storied harbors of the Mediterranean and the rugged coasts of the Pacific Northwest. In that world of quiet luxury and constant movement, Aaron developed a sharp understanding of logistics, leadership, and human psychology. The insight he gained from navigating both storms and social hierarchies now informs much of his writing and storytelling, revealing the contrast between privilege and perseverance, comfort and authenticity.
