Latest news with #IanAndersen
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US man's biking dream cut short in Iran as he flees Israel-Iran conflict
Ian Andersen was biking through Iran last week when Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and the country's military leaders, drawing Tehran's swift response with barrages of missiles. The 32-year-old from Minnetonka, Minnesota, said he did not expect to get caught up in what looked like a real war zone. He fled to neighbouring Azerbaijan on Monday.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
American cyclist's global adventure derailed when 'bombs started falling' in Iran
A Minnesota man with a dream of cycling across all seven continents was forced to come up with alternative plans after Israel launched a barrage of air strikes on Iran's military leaders and nuclear facilities, close to where he was riding. The Associated Press said 32-year-old Ian Anderson of Minnetonka, Minnesota did not plan to get stuck in a real war zone, so he rode to neighboring Azerbaijan on Monday. "The bombs started falling," Andersen told the wire service on Wednesday, while speaking on Zoom from a hotel in Baku. "It was extremely scary." Andersen was touring through Iran as part of a yearslong mission to ride his bike across all seven continents. While in Iran, Andersen had a local guide, and he had shared videos of his adventure with tens of thousands of followers on social media, since the beginning of June. "The day the bombs started falling" was Friday, and Andersen and his guide were heading south along the Caspian Sea coast, from Chalus toward the capital of Tehran. Andersen had reportedly hoped to apply for a visa to Afghanistan in Tehran, with ambitions of crossing into Central Asia and onto Russia. "It was really just, like, the worst timing possible," he told the AP. Once the bombs started falling, Andersen and his guide sheltered in place and spoke Spanish to avoid people suspecting he was from the U.S. He also said he saw long lines of vehicles fleeing Tehran, and at the same time, his own family, friends and social media followers had concerns for his safety. The U.S. State Department notified Andersen in an email that he should leave for Azerbaijan or Turkey. A friend of Andersen's in Los Angeles applied for a visa to Azerbaijan on his behalf, which was ultimately granted by the U.S. Embassy in Baku. Biking, Andersen said, was his dream and escape, and in the past, he had struggled with addiction and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. And while his dream of cycling the seven continents may have hit a speed bump, he has no regrets from going on the journey. The bombs in Iran were not his only brush with death. In fact, he said he was in northern Kenya in 2023 when a tribesman threatened to chuck a spear at him while biking through a rural area. "There's always going to be risk, and you have to accept it," he said. Now that he is out of Iran, Andersen said he is planning to ferry across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan, then head east into Uzbekistan. But from there, Andersen said he does not know where to go.
Washington Post
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
A Minnesota man's biking dream is cut short in Iran as he flees the Israel-Iran conflict
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Ian Andersen was biking through Iran last week when Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and the country's military leaders, drawing Tehran's swift response with barrages of missiles. The 32-year-old from Minnetonka, Minnesota, said he did not expect to get caught up in what looked like a real war zone. He fled to neighboring Azerbaijan on Monday.
San Francisco Chronicle
9 hours ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
A Minnesota man's biking dream is cut short in Iran as he flees the Israel-Iran conflict
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Ian Andersen was biking through Iran last week when Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and the country's military leaders, drawing Tehran's swift response with barrages of missiles. The 32-year-old from Minnetonka, Minnesota, said he did not expect to get caught up in what looked like a real war zone. He fled to neighboring Azerbaijan on Monday. 'The bombs started falling,' Andersen said Wednesday, speaking to The Associated Press over Zoom from a hotel in Baku, Azerbaijan's capital. 'It was extremely scary.' Andersen was on a yearslong, personal mission to cycle across all seven continents. He had been touring Iran with a local guide, which is a must for U.S. visitors to Iran, and sharing videos of his journey with tens of thousands of his social media followers since the beginning of the month. On Friday — "the day the bombs started falling' — they were on the road from the town of Chalus, on Iran's Caspian Sea coast, driving south to the capital of Tehran, where Andersen hoped to apply for a visa to Afghanistan, with the goal of crossing into Central Asia and eventually Russia. 'It was really just, like, the worst timing possible,' Andersen said. They sheltered in place and decided to speak Spanish so no one would suspect Andersen's American identity. He saw long lines of cars on the road fleeing Tehran. Family, friends and social media followers were worried for him. Eventually, the U.S. State Department sent Andersen an email advising him to leave for Azerbaijan or Turkey. With his VPN blocked, a friend in Los Angeles applied for an Azerbaijani visa on his behalf, which was granted with emergency approval from the U.S. Embassy in Baku. Andersen said the circumstances made him abort his biking plan — at least for now. To have kept going would have been 'a little nutty,' he said. 'I was crazy for going in there in some people's eyes in the first place,' Andersen said. 'And then getting out I think was the safe, smart choice at that point.' For now, his plans are up in the air as he considers what to do next. Some time ago, he'd traded his job back home, working as a project manager at a construction company, to bike the world. Biking was his dream, his escape, Andersen said, adding that he had struggled in the past with addiction and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. 'Maybe I was a bit naive,' he said but added that he doesn't regret the trip. 'There's always going to be a risk, and you have to accept it,' he said. Andersen said he plans to take a ferry across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan, and then bike east into Uzbekistan. "But I don't know where to go from there,' he said.
CBS News
9 hours ago
- CBS News
Minnesota man cycling through Iran gets caught amid conflict with Israel
How a cyclist from Minnesota found himself in the middle of the Israel-Iran conflict How a cyclist from Minnesota found himself in the middle of the Israel-Iran conflict How a cyclist from Minnesota found himself in the middle of the Israel-Iran conflict For one Minnesota family, the conflict between Israel and Iran is hitting incredibly close to home after their son unintentionally found himself in the middle of it all. Ian Andersen is what you can only describe as a true adventurer. A Minnesotan through and through, his parents are in Wayzata, but he himself is in the middle of a nine-month bike trek from Portugal to Japan. It's something he started in February, and just this past week, he found himself in Iran in the middle of a geopolitical conflict, potentially stranded without a place to go. He posted the update to his TikTok and social media, saying his guide informed him they were running out of options. An encounter with police could at the very least lead to a detainment. That clip has since been viewed over 1 million times. Andersen's parents say a viewer was ultimately who helped him secure a visa and passage into Azerbaijan, where he's now safely planning the next leg of his journey. "We're just so happy when people reach out to him and offer him a place to stay, or a meal, or help with fixing his bike when it's needed," dad Mark Andersen said. "It's just really lovely when people reach out and help our son. It's just kind of like, wow, he's really benefited from that." Adam Duxter will have more on Ian Andersen's journey on WCCO News at 5.
