Seek Travel Ride

What's the wildest thing that's happened to you during a bike adventure?  I asked this question and got inundated with responses so this week I'm sharing them with you.Responses range from marriage proposals, dog chases, nudist beach encounters to being kidnapped by the Taliban! I also share some of my own crazy bike adventure experiences including how I've twice managed to find myself starting a mountain descent wit no brakes (don't recommend!)Also a big shoutout to Adam Leathwood who has been tuning into the podcast for some inspiration to get out there for his own bike adventures and has now gone and done the thing! You can read more about Adam's adventure here:  Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Hannah Simon has raced ultras in four different continents, but you'd be wrong to assume she is only focused on racing.  She also enjoys strapping gear on her bike and riding through new landscapes.  This year she chose to combine them all by riding to the start line of three seperate events across Europe. I enjoyed exploring her experience as a photo journalist and how she blends her desire to see the landscapes with the competitiveness it takes to race through them as well.Her racing pedigree speaks for itself, she has successfully completed  the Triple Crown (Arizona Trail, Tour Divide and Colorado Trail) as well as the Triple Nelson (all three mountain races, Atlas, Silk Road and Hellenic).  In 2024 she finished as first woman across the line at the Silk Road Mountain Race, which required her to ride on a pedal spindle for over 400kms due to a mechanical.But did you know she only learnt how to ride a bike so that she would be able to go horse riding? That her favourite riding food is humous from Lidl and that she enjoyed being humbled by the weather and terrain in Scotland's highlands during the Highland Trail 550?Be sure to follow Hannah's future adventures via her instagram - @HannahSimon_ Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Considering riding an Ultra? You need to listen to this episode!A few months ago Anna Ruddiman was on the podcast talking about cycling from  London to Turkey, and mentioned she might try an ultra cycling race. Well, she just went ahead and did it. Anna has just finished El Piri, an unsupported 800km race through the Spanish Pyrenees (with 20,000m of climbing no less), and she's sent through a full debrief.TL;DR: you're never going to feel ready, you're more capable than you think, and the only way to find that out is to go anyway.Follow along with Anna's future adventures via her instagram @annaruddiman Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Belgium bikepacker Jimmy Vervoort shares his awesome journey riding from Alaska to New York City. This was a trip split into two parts with the first starting in the middle of winter which made for some very cold riding days in Alaska.  One of the golden rules of bike travel is being adaptable, so Jimmy changed up his route, flew to Vancouver and then cycled south down the Pacific Coast trail. When he ran out of funds he flew back to Belgium worked and saved up to restart the journey this time in Louisiana. Eventually he'd ride all the way to New York incorporating sections of the Arizona Trail and Colorado Trail, where he admits there is some 'unfinished business' to take on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route in the future. You can follow Jimmy's future adventures via his instagram @Jimmy_Two_Wheels Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Twenty kilometres outside Mumbai, sitting in a half-flooded slum with the rain hammering down,Daragh Cronin had what he calls one of the lowest moments of his life. This week he's filling us in on what happened since his last update during his adventure of cycling from Ireland to Mount Everest Base Camp. To keep up with Daragh's future adventures you can follow him via instagram @RoaminWithConin Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Juan Pablo's first bike trip was a huge solo journey over 16 months. Then he came home to Chile, met Paula, they got married and six weeks after their wedding they both got on bikes and started bikepacking together.. All up they hope to spend two years on this adventurous version of a honeymoon.We discuss:Bikepacking as a couple: a newlywed honeymoon covering 20,000kmSolo bike touring: 19,000km across Turkey, the Middle East, and AfricaBikepacking Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia: expectations vs. realityRoute planning and gear for long-distance cycle touringRelationship and communication tips for touring as a coupleBike mechanical failures and storm survival on tourJuan Pablo's 104 tips for bike travel Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

This week's episode is dedicated to Heinz Stücke, who passed away on July 22 aged 86. Heinz is a legend in the bike travel community, the holder of the world record for the most travelled person in the world. He spent over 51 years cycling to every single country and territory in the world. In Sept 2025, I visited Heinz in his home in Hovelhoff and spent the day chatting about this adventures. This episode features excerpts from that conversation. You can listen to the original episodes in full here - Part 1 and Part 2.RIP Heinz. I like to think you are still out there travelling now. Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Marielle Jauring has ridden roughly 89,000 kilometres across the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe and Asia since her first tour in 2017.This interview was recorded midway through her current ride from Poland to Sri Lanka. The conversation ranges from lighter moments (a turtle sanctuary in Malaysia, blue lava in Indonesia, petting a bear in Canada that turned out to be drunk, not dead) to genuinely hairy ones (heatstroke in the Australian outback, a car accident with her sister, and getting stranded cashless at the Russia–Kazakhstan border before hitchhiking 750 km back into Georgia with two truck drivers). Marielle also opens up about grief, and how cycling has become a form of meditation for her.Follow Marielle's adventures via her instagram - @_the_biking_viking_This episode was first released in Nov 2024 Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

What's the best country to take a bike adventure? I put that question to the Seek Travel Ride Instagram community, and the answers poured in, from expected favourites to a few genuine curveballs. This episode is dedicated to running through every single one.It comes on the back of a scorching European summer and a roadside afternoon spectating the Tour de France, which got me reflecting on how the race first brought me to France  and ultimately to the Pyrenees back in 2013, where I now live.Countries featured in this episode:Most votes: France, Turkey, SpainMountain destinations: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Bolivia, NorwayOff the beaten path: Tunisia, New Caledonia, El Salvador, Saudi ArabiaClassic bike-adventure countries: New Zealand, Thailand, Japan, China, Peru, IranThe philosophical answer: "Wherever you haven't been yet" (and "any country" will do)Got a country to add to the list? Get in touch and let me know your pick for the best country to take a bike adventure.Mentioned in this episodeSlauka' Macurak's Norway episode (recently re-released)Leonie Katekar's episode on cycling solo from Antigua to UshuaiaMy YouTube series on crossing the Pyrenees coast to coast Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

In 2022, German psychologist Rieke Schmees swapped a desk for a bike and cycled 12,000km through 16 countries. This adventure took her from Germany to Turkey, via Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Italy and the Balkans. It was the first type of adventure like this she'd taken with almost no camping experience prior to setting off as well. Rieke shares the reality of taking this adventure as a solo female, the toughest weeks in Morocco which also became teh most rewarding, and how it came to be that she rescued a puppy in Bulgaria. This episode originally aired in June 2024.Be sure to follow Rieke's future adventures via her instagram - @riekeschm Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Rob MacLennan is back on the pod, this time mid-adventure sharing updates as he bikepacks from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia to the start line of the Silk Road Mountain Race in Kyrgyzstan. We learn about how Rob has transitioned from long-distance touring (London to Cape Town) to getting into the world of ultra-cycling and how he ended up signing up to one of the hardest off road ultras out there in the SRMR!He also tells us why he is now out there combining both disciplines on this trip, and what it's actually been like riding through Mongolia's empty grasslands, staying in gers with hospitable nomadic families. He also shares a crazy story of ending up driving a minivan full of people after his bottom bracket failed after teh water exposure from 30 river crossings in the Orkhon Valley.You can listen to the original episodes featuring Rob's adventure from London to Cape Town here - Part 1 and Part 2.Be sure to also give Rob a follow via his instagram @Robbo_On_The_Road Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Back in 1986, two Englishmen in their early twenties flew to Delhi with brand new mountain bikes and a paper map, and set off to ride through the Himalaya. James Baile takes us back nearly 40 years to a trip that saw him carrying his bike over three high mountain passes, reaching Kalapattar at 5,545 metres as one of the first cyclists ever to do it, and crossing into India solo after his riding partner's frame gave out.Highlights from the episode:Two 20 year olds, no maps of their own making, no local language, and a bike that had barely existed as a category three years earlierTwo weeks of carrying rather than riding, before the terrain eased into Namche BazaarReaching Kalapattar at 5,545 metres, among the earliest cyclists to have done itThe transition from cycling with a friend to riding solo across northern IndiaThe hospitality of strangers shown throughout the journeyFive days in McLeodganj giving Tibetan kids bike rides outside the Green HotelFollow along with James' future adventures via his instagram - @JamesB.AdventuresThis episode originally first aired on Feb 01 2025.  Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Ever wondered what it's like to cycle across a mountain range? Well in 2023 I loaded up my bike with gear and set off from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean at St Jean de Luz, to cross the Pyrenees mountains all the way to Argeles-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean Sea. The route we took was a mix of the Classic Raid Pyrenees road bike and touring routes and we took nine days to complete the crossing. All up it was 803kms, 24 Cols and almost 18,000m of climbing. You can watch the visuals behind this adventure via our Raid Pyrenees video series on YouTube Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Ever wanted to go bikepacking in South America? This episode is for you. After being laid off from her job in Barcelona, guest Marta Ballús decided to take back control of her life by loading up her bike and taking an adventure in South America. I spoke to her while she was nine months and over 9,000 kilometres into her solo South American journey. A trip taken to help her reclaim her confidence and learn to trust herself. Marta's mantra on this trip is 'Do what scares you until it doesn't'. Highlights have included:Southern Chile/La Carretera Austral: Her emote and rugged starting point heading southArgentina desert: So boring she ditched the bike, hitchhiked instead and learnt to paraglidePeru: Demanding bikepacking routes Bolivia (Salar de Uyuni): Cycling across the salt flats and seeing the sunset and stars in the night sky was like a dream.Colombia: Brought with it a tropical climate and an explosion of exotic fruits.Ecuador: Where she witnessed the incredible strength of Indigenous women doing hard physical labourGalapagos Islands: Unique wildlife experience most bikepacking journeys never get to seeFollow Marta's future adventures via her instagram @MartasWay Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Planning a bike adventure through South East Asia? Olly and Ellie just rode Thailand into Malaysia, dealt with Ramadan closures, ferry logistics, and hit some gnarly climbs. Tune into this episode for intel on what it's like to go bikepacking in South East Asia plus a masterclass in pivoting when ferries only run once a month.Follow Olly's adventures on Instagram - @sagas.of_olly.hargreaves Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

This week we're re-releasing one of our favourite episodes. 1,500 kilometres through Arctic Norway on a fully loaded bike. Our guest Slauka had never done a bikepacking trip before this but she didn't let her lack of experience get in the way of a good adventure. Slauka's journey took her from the Lofoten Islands all the way to the North CapeIn this episode we Cover :Why May could be a perfect time to go bikepacking in NorwayWildcamping in NorwayPreparation, testing gear in bad weather, and packing strategyWhy flexibility in your schedule matters more than having the perfect planAn Italian photographer who rode her bike up a mountain for herCycling through the North Cape Tunnel GUEST: Slauka Macurak (Instagram: @allridegirl) Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

We are going to hear what it's like to spend a month cycling in Ireland thanks to the latest update from Brian Sampson who just completed a 1500km loop around Dublin and Belfast that proved tougher, more beautiful, and far more rewarding than expected. After cycling through England and Wales, Brian discovered Ireland's slower pace, where he enjoyed cycling on empty farm roads. The standout moment was a hike to Comshagan Lough, a glacial crater lake. He skipped the touristy Dingle Peninsula due to the busy traffic and 40mph wind gusts, opting instead for the quieter Sheepshead Peninsula. Key takeaways: the Irish hospitality is peak (work crews offering shelter, locals offering directions), the scenery rivals NZ and Tasmania, and yes, the weather will get you wet every morning. Cycling in Ireland may not be easy, but it absolutely is worth it.You can keep up with Brian's adventures via his instagram - @brian.sampson4 and also his personal blog https://justfeltlikebiking.blogspot.com/ Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Katy and Alan spent five years dreaming about this adventure and then went ahead, put their careers on pause and spent a full year cycling 20,000km around the world. Halfway through the adventure, a monotonous desert section through Central Asia nearly broke them, so they threw out their initial planned route and let the trip become something even better.These are the key lessons from their journey:You don't need to wait for retirement to take a big adventureA plan is a starting point but it's ok to change and adapt themThe less you know about a place, the more it can surprise youPeople will help you, almost everywhere, almost every time.Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.Fear of the unknown is usually worse than the unknown itself.Shared goals matter more than shared stats.Hard days don't last, but you will have hard days on big adventuresYou don't need a year to have an adventure.Be sure to give Katy and Alan a follow via their account @CycleTheLongWayHome Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

When we last heard from Milica, she was in Northern France and just a few days into her ride from London to Croatia. In this update, she reflects on what the bike adventure has actually looked and felt like across the weeks in between. Milica shares about:What her worst day on the road looked likeWhy keeping yourself fed is actually one of the most important things you can do out thereWhen a bad day turned into a genuinely good oneWhy she loves AustriaInsights from  riding solo across EuropeCycling into Croatia knowing her family had to flee the same villages she's now riding through freelyFollow Milica's adventures via her instagram page - @2Wheels1Milikov Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Dreaming  about taking a huge bike adventure? Then this episode is for you.Ellie Mitchell-Heggs shares her insights from her solo journey where she cycled 10,000 kilometres  across Africa from Rwanda to Cape Town. All up her trip was nine months long and took her across ten countries. It was also a ride that was layered with both a personal family connection to Africa and loaded up with a huge sense of purpose as well.Alongside the cycling, Ellie spent time in every capital city meeting with over 100 local NGOs, social enterprises and community organisations working in education, youth empowerment and gender equality. Ellie shares how those conversations, got her through the toughest stretches on the road.In this episode we cover:How Ellie got into bikepacking starting with the Vélodyssée down the west coast of FranceWhy she chose to start in Rwanda and ride south The communities and landscapes that shaped each country, from Uganda's warmth to the brutal isolation of Botswana's flat roads70 kilometres being swarmed by tsetse flies in a Tanzanian national parkCanoeing four days down the Zambezi river as a mid-trip resetGrieving her father on the road Cycling through Namibia with two fellow bikepackers.Food poisoning two days from Cape Town, and the unicycle escort into the cityWhat made those NGO conversations so energising Find Ellie on Instagram: @ProjectCycleAfrica Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Daragh Cronin is back with a wild update from his Cork to Everest Base Camp ride. This time he shares with us the extraordinary hospitality of Turkey and Iraqi Kurdistan.  Then every bike travellers nightmare, a flat refusal at the Federal Iraq border crossing derailing his plans for his route. This led Daragh to have to re-route through Dubai and Kuwait City where the intensity of the trip got turned to the max when he found himself trying to cycle through the desert in extreme heat leading to a stint in hospital to be treated for heatstroke. Follow along with Daragh via his instagram - @roaminwithcronin Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

This is a live show, recorded on stage at the Antique Bar in Melbourne. Joining me on stage were three guests who between them have cycled through some of the most remote, challenging and eye-opening places on earth, Fergal Guihen, Em Hulbert and David McCourt.Fergal cycled from Roscommon, Ireland to Sydney via Mauritania, Iran, Afghanistan, the Tibetan Plateau and beyond. Em Hulbert is mid-journey on a solo ride around the world, delivering water filters to communities in need through her project The Water Cycle. David McCourt set off from Melbourne bound for Northern Ireland, taking a route through Central Asia, Iran, Bangladesh, Nepal and Turkey that took years and produced stories he'll be dining out on forever.In this episode we cover:Going from thought bubble to turning pedalsLuxury items on the bike and what actually earns its placePerceptions versus reality: China, Iran, Bangladesh and ThailandGetting drugged and robbed in the Iranian desertA sex dungeon in rural Thailand at 4am after 250 kilometresThe Nullarbor without music, podcasts or any distraction at allSolo female bicycle travel and the extra layer that comes with itThe spaces in between and why that's where the magic happensWhy the hardest moments are the ones you'd go back and reliveWant to hear the full individual episodes with each guest? Find them here:Em Hulbert: Ep. 127: David McCourt: Ep. 99: and Ep. 120. Fergal Guihen: Ep. 144 and Ep. 145: Follow the guests on Instagram:Em Hulbert: @emhulbertFergal Guihen: @rossi.to.aussieDavid McCourt: @longwayhome__2022 Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

James Baile, along with two complete strangers (one of which hadn't ridden a bike since he was 13!) packed their Bromptons into IKEA bags and flew to Dakar. What followed was two weeks riding through Senegal and The Gambia: navigating Dakar rush hour, camping on school playgrounds by invitation of village chiefs, pushing loaded folding bikes through sand that felt like treacle, and sparking conversations with strangers over football allegiances.In this episode we talk about:How a Facebook post about the Tropic of Cancer set the whole thing in motionWhat it's actually like to tour on a Brompton Riding a route that goes from the edges of the Sahara Desert  to the beginnings of West African forestThe reality of border crossings into Senegal and The Gambia for European travellersTaking an overnight ferry back to Dakar with Bromptons as hand luggageWhy going somewhere with zero expectations means everything exceeds themJames's next big adventure  connecting a journey he started back in 1986Give James a follow via his instagram - @jamesb.adventures and you can also listen to the previous episode with him here. Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Roisin Gallagher has cycled over 17,000 kilometres across two continents. Her adventure started by riding the Baja Divide with her partner before continuing through Mexico and Central America. After seven months on the road together, their relationship ended and instead of flying home, Roisin bought a one-way ticket to Japan and kept riding.Roisin has now arrived in Istanbul to share the story so far. We chat loads about her route, the physical and mental side of bike travel and a whole heap about food!In this episode:The brutal physical reality of bikepacking the Baja DivideCycling the Nicoya Peninsula route in Costa RicaThree months cycling in JapanWildcamping solo as a womanCycling the Transdinarica Route through the BalkansThe Croatian bora wind that trapped her for five days Getting to Istanbul on a sushi delivery truck A night in Bosnia drinking rakia with three war veterans until 3amDurmitor National Park as an unexpected landscape revelationFood - glorious food!  You can follow Roisin's adventure via her instagram - @ontheroadwithro Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Brian Sampson is cycle touring the world to tick off every destination from the book 'The Thousand Places to See Before You Die'  This month's update covers the end of his time in China and his first stretch riding through England and Wales.Brian shares his experiences of:Sleeping in temples and stealth camping in multiple continentsVisiting Tiananmen Square and  the Forbidden City.Daily routines and how they change with climate and daylight hours.Welcome to My Garden vs Warmshowers A crazy experience of encountering a mountain lion on the Pacific Coast Highway Reverse culture shock going from China to cycling through England and Wales.Follow Brian via his instagram page - @Brian.Sampson4 You can also check out his blog for a breakdown of his experiences so far. Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

A few weeks ago Robbie was 500 kilometres into the Monaro Cloudride, a thousand-kilometre ultra race through the Australian high country, when a night-time Snowy River crossing went very wrong. They ended up stranded on a tiny island in the middle of the river with their bike, waiting for a rescue helicopter to winch them out.Robbie shares their experiences of this event including he decision to cross at night, what happens when fast water takes you down, the hours of calm problem-solving from a very small island, and what every bike adventurer should know about calling for help without shame.Since recording, I'm glad to say Robbie has been reunited with their bike, and Guinness World Records has officially confirmed their record as the first openly trans person to circumnavigate the globe by bike. What a legend!Listen to the first episode with Robbie about their world record ride.Follow Robbie via their instagram - @DirtDropRobbie Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

You're four days out of London, somewhere in northern France, and every evening you check in with your body to decide how far you'll ride tomorrow. Nobody is telling you where to be. This is your life now.Milica Kovačević was commuting through London on her bike, listening to this podcast for inspiration to take her own bike adventure. Then she decided it was time to leave the city, and that's when she started dreaming about cycling from London to Vukovar, Croatia, where her grandmother and mother are waiting for her.Milica let's us know how she prepared for the trip, including practicing bike mechanics on friends' bikes before she left, and how she plans out her days on the road. She also shares about the nervousness that creeps in the days leading up to going, and how turning the pedals is the best way to rid yourself of them.This is the first of several check-ins as Milica makes her way across Europe. Follow along as she rides home.Topics covered:Cycle touring from London to CroatiaHow to prepare for a long-distance bike tourSolo cycling as a woman in EuropeTouring with minimal planningBike mechanics for beginnersWhat to pack for a long bike tourCycling through France, Belgium, and beyondHuman connection on the roadFollow Milica's journey: @2Wheels1Milikov Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Eleanor Hulm left Bangkok on a loaded bike she'd just assembled in a hotel room at 6am, sleep-deprived, slightly terrified, and laughing her way through the traffic. Four months later she's ridden solo through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Taiwan and Japan and she's just getting started.In this episode you'll hear about:The 20km of peanut butter mud in Laos that nearly broke herPushing a loaded bike up a 20% gradient in Thailand until her cycling shoes had to come offPako, a bikepacker from Chengdu who taught her to knock on strangers' doors and trust what comes nextWhat Eleanor calls the mind prison, and why the road gave her the mind palace insteadThe moment of awe when she cycled past Mount FujiSigning up for the Transpyrenees ultra race with half the world still left to rideEleanor is heading next into China, the Stans, Georgia and Turkey before cycling home to the UK. Be sure to follow her adventures via her instagram - @elbybike Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Daragh Cronin has been on the road for 68 days. He left Blackrock, Cork, on a loaded bike with Everest Base Camp as his final destination, and this week he is checking in from Istanbul.This is a midweek update episode, and it covers a lot of ground. Daragh has already cycled the length of Africa, Morocco to Cape Town, so crossing Europe was his second continent. In this episode we discuss:Arriving in Istanbul after 68 days cycling from Cork across EuropeThe hardest moments of the journey so far and how he kept goingWhat it meant to have a riding companion join him through Croatia and AlbaniaThe reality of solo cycle touring and what it does to your head over timeRoute planning through the Middle East amid conflict in IranAbout Daragh Cronin: Daragh Cronin is a solo cyclist from Cork, Ireland, currently riding from Ireland to Everest Base Camp via Africa and the Middle East. Before this leg he completed a solo ride from Morocco to Cape Town. You can listen to the episode where we discussed that adventure in full detail here:  Follow Daragh via his instagram - @roaminwithcronin and check out his fundraiser for the Children's Unit at Cork University Hospital.  Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Megan Young is a UK-based ultra cyclist and bike packer from Dorset. She's raced the Atlas Mountain Race in Morocco as a pairs entry with her husband Angus, taken fastest female honours on the Dorset Divide, spent six months cycling through Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Chile on sabbatical, and then finished that stretch with the Tour Te Waipounamu, a 1330km ultra race down the South Island of New Zealand. And right now she is  lining up for Lostdot 101, a women-only road race across Spain and Portugal where riders plan their own routes.In this episode we discuss:How Megan got into ultra racing and what it was like competing as a pairs team at the Atlas Mountain RaceThree months in the Andes: kit, food, altitude, wild camping, and choosing when to get a busMax, the stray dog in the mountains who became their guardian for a day and then vanished on the descentThe Tour Te Waipounamu: 30km of hike-a-bike, river crossings she'd never trained for, and a DNF 100km from the finish lineHer mindset heading into Lostdot 101, planning her own route, and racing with six friends from Girls That Ride BikesWild camping confidence, the earplugs trick, and what she learned from getting her food strategy badly wrong on her first ultraWomen in ultra racing, what's changed, and why communities like Girls That Ride Bikes are helping to get more women to the start lineYou can follow Megan via her instagram - @MeganOnTwoWheels Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Chris Petermnn has been cycling across the world for four years. When he set out to cross the Sahara on the final leg of his Africa circumnavigation, he was craving one silence. After months of never being alone in West Africa, the desert felt like it might finally offer him some peace. Unfortunately, what he got instead was 1,500 kilometres of relentless headwind.In this Tuesday snippet, Chris takes us through his ride north from Nouakchott in Mauritania, through Western Sahara and up toward the Atlas Mountains. Fair to say it was a stretch that pushed him to rock bottom more than once. He talks about sandstorms, sleep deprivation and a strange sense of envy from watching other cyclists cruise past with the wind at their backs.It's a raw and honest account of what long-distance cycling in one of the world's most extreme environments actually feels like and how the headwind becomes a relentless mental battle. Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

What does it take to cycle 15,000 kilometres from Scotland to China along the ancient Silk Road? And what happens when the countries you just rode through are plunged into war the moment you get home?In 2009, Helen Watson and her husband Ed clipped in at Glasgow and pointed east. Their route took them through Syria, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and into China, riding one of the most remote, politically charged and culturally rich corridors on earth. Months after they got home, the Arab Spring broke. And the world they had just ridden through started burning.We discuss:What it really means to cycle tour through the so-called Axis of EvilHow bike touring gave them access to homes and lives no other travel couldRiding as a woman through deeply traditional societies across the Middle East and Central AsiaThe moment the Arab Spring broke and the helplessness of watching those places burnHow the hospitality they received on the road led them to sponsor the first Syrian refugee family into ScotlandHelen's book Tea and Grit: A Bicycle Journey Along the Silk Road is out now and available for purchase here here: https://www.helenwatsonwriting.com/  If you've ever wanted to cycle Central Asia, ride through Iran, or just hear one of the most extraordinary bike adventure stories to land on Seek Travel Ride, this is the episode for you. Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Leonie Katekar was 56 years old when she set off solo from Guatemala to cycle 12,000 kilometres to the tip of South America and had no prior solo bike travel experience. The whole adventure was driven by one question: what would you do if you weren't afraid?In this episode:The chaotic Day One in Guatemala: lost, dehydrated, and rescued by a stranger before finishing half the rideManaging Central American heat by riding from 4:30am and being done before the worst of the dayGetting blown clean off her bike in the winds of PatagoniaTwo back-to-back 4,000-metre passes in Peru and the moment she knew she could finish thisRiding through Nicaragua despite every travel warning, and what she actually found thereTraveling solo as a woman through South AmericaThe unexpected shift in her relationship with her four kidsAn Antarctic cruise, a book, and what she's planning nextLeonie's book When We're Not Afraid is available at leoniekatekar.com - order direct for a signed copy. Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

If you're planning to cycle Southeast Asia, or just want to hear what it's actually like, this one's for you.Olly Hargreaves is back with an update and this time he's sharing how his girlfriend Ellie has decided to give bikepacking a go.Olly rode to Thailand from the UK and Ellie's longest ride prior to this, was about 30km!  We'll hear how they got on, Ellie's first big day on a loaded bike straight out of Bangkok heading south through Thailand and into Malaysia.This episode covers what cycling this route is actually like. Riding on the coastal roads, dealing with the intense heat and humidity, the dog chases, the scenery, the thunderstorms, and a border crossing that nobody could confirm was open. It also covers the wildlife at Khao Sok National Park, getting scuba certified on the way through, and the honest reality of long days on a loaded bike when you've never done it before.Thailand gets a 10 out of 10. Malaysia is a different story.Be sure to give both Olly and Ellie a follow on instagram via [email protected]_olly.hargreaves and @Ormerod_Fitness Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Javier Carrasco rode from Austria to the other side of the world on a bike rescued from a dumpster. Over 20,000 kilometres and 200,000 metres of climbing travelled on a bicycle that cost him exactly nothing.Javi is the partner of previous guest Rebecca Gross, and while Rebecca made it back to Austria after a year on the road, Javi wasn't quite ready to stop. I got to catch him in person here in Canberra before he headed north, and we sat in the sunshine at the National Arboretum and talked about all of it.It's been a huge journey that's taken him through the Balkans, Turkey, Iran, into Iraq, through Tajikistan's remote Bartang Valley, across Mongolia, solo onto the Tibetan Plateau at minus 20 degrees, through China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, and all the way to Australia. Be sure to follow Javi's adventures via instagram on - @hackerbikepacker Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

In this solo episode, I'm talking about post-adventure blues. The experience of coming home after a big journey and finding it so much harder than you ever expected. It's a theme that has come up again and again across three years of conversations on this show, and one I've been deliberately exploring with guests for the past year.The prompt for this episode was a brilliant piece of research by previous guest Alee Denham of cyclingabout.com. Alee fed every transcript from Seek Travel Ride into AI and surfaced the seven biggest lessons bike touring teaches you across 170 podcast guests. The findings are genuinely fascinating and I'd really encourage you to go and read the full article here:But when I read it, one thing was missing and it was dealing with post adventure blues.In this episode I dig into why it might not have surfaced in the data, share what I've picked up when interviewing guests and beyond them, and lay out my own three-part hypothesis on why it hits some people harder than others.Guests referenced in this episode include Steph Devery, Luke Grenfell-Shaw, Alastair Humphreys, Daragh Cronin, Mark Gresser, Claire Wyatt, Paul Edkins, Samer Abouhamad, Tristan Ridley, Madeline Hoffmann and Jesus Estrada.And if you haven't read Alee's previous article ranking the top cycling destinations by podcast guest, that one is worth your time too and you can check it out here. Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

What if the whole point of racing ultras wasn't the race at all? Claire Stevens is a surgeon and ultra cyclist who rides for the experience of pure presence in wild places.She has lined up for events such as the Indian Pacific Wheel Race, Silk Road Mountain Race, Race to the Rock, Rhino Run and GB Duro. We get into what happens to your senses when you push into the night, what it actually feels like to cycle in the huge mountain landscapes of Kyrgyzstan, the flooded river crossing at Race to the Rock that nearly went very badly and the experience of rolling into Uluru at sunrise. There is also a genuinely wonderful amount of time talking about birds.Be sure to follow Claire's future adventures via her instagram - @surgeonabikeOther guests mentioned in this episode:Katrina Hase Seek Travel Ride is a podcast about cycling adventure, ultra endurance cycling and the stories of people who ride to experience the world. Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Rebecca Gross has been sending updates from the road all year and  After cycling from Austria to Australia across something like 30 countries this is the final one!In this update Rebecca talks us through cycling theTassie Traverse, a relatively new bikepacking route running from Hobart up to Launceston through the Highlands and along the east coast. She covers a detour to Maria Island (wombats everywhere, no cars, highly recommended), a night in a tent that was decidedly not waterproof, a private waterfall at sunset after the worst day of the whole traverse, and a Huntsman spider making a last-minute appearance on her handlebars on the final day into Melbourne.She also reflects on what it feels like to come home after a year on the road and why the whole thing already feels like it happened to someone else. Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

In 2018, at 24 years of age, Luke Grenfell-Shaw was given a stage 4 cancer diagnosis and told he had months to live. Within weeks, he also lost his brother John in a freak accident. Most people would have pulled the covers up. Luke signed up for a half marathon, hopped on a stationary bike in the hospital ward, and started planning to cycle from Bristol to Beijing.On 1 January 2020, Luke set off on a tandem bike. Over the next few years he rode 32,000 kilometres through 30 countries, with more than 800 different people taking a turn on the back seat. Some were strangers he met on the road. Some were friends and family. One was a puppy named Tarzan. The ride became the award-winning documentary A Life in Tandem, which you should watch immediately after listening to this episode.In this episode we talk about:- What it feels like to be diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at 24- Why Luke chose a tandem over a solo bike and what that decision changed- The science behind exercise during chemotherapy and what the research now says- Dev, the Indian man who turned up in jeans, hadn't ridden in three years, and became Luke's longest-serving stoker- The brake failure at 50mph on a Kyrgyzstan mountain pass that ended in a medical clinic - Tarzan the puppy of Uzbekistan (fate: unknown but probably fine)- The post-adventure blues, identity after big goals, and what it means to turn 32 when you once didn't expect to see it- Luke's definition of a 'canliver' and why he prefers it to 'cancer survivor'- What it means to be a professional trail runner representing Great Britain, and what comes nextLuke Grenfell-Shaw is a professional trail runner representing Great Britain, adventurer, filmmaker, and speaker. His documentary A Life in Tandem is available to stream now.Links:- A Life in Tandem documentary - Luke's website and Instagram- Best Foot Forward short film (Luke and Dan in Sichuan): If this episode moved you, please share it with one person who needs to hear it. And then watch the film.  Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Daragh Cronin is 40 days into his solo cycling expedition from Ireland to Everest Base Camp, and I sent him four questions via Instagram to find out how it's actually going.He talks about the send-off from Cork that genuinely blew his mind, how it compared to the low-key departure for his West Africa ride, and why the first two weeks on the bike were so much harder than he expected. He gets into the reality of solo wildcamping for the first time, hitting big milestones across Europe, and a very special stop in Germany to see the man he cycled more than half of Africa with.Daragh's route to Everest Base Camp is also currently under a cloud with the war that's broken out in Iran putting his planned route through Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Oman into doubt. He doesn't have answers yet. Istanbul is where it gets real.You can also watch the new Daragh YouTube video  on our Seek Travel Ride channel.Here's the link to Daragh's Africa episode .Follow Daragh via his instagram @roaminwithCronin for his latest updates. Donate to his fundraiser. Old Man Mountain Big thanks to Old Man Mountain for supporting this episode of Seek Travel Ride. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Ever wanted to take a bike adventure through Scotland? This episode is for you!Guest Sheelagh Daley shares her experiences cycling Scotland's Highlands and the Hebridean Way. This was a trip she planned specifically to challenge herself to wild camp and tackle off-road routes solo. She had ALL the weather, sunshine, rain and of course wind.Find out about Scotland's Bothies, what it's like to wild camp solo, taking ferries between the islands on the Hebrides, and why Sheelagh says she could return to Scotland for all her bike adventures and be happy.Be sure to follow Sheelagh to keep up with her adventures. here are links to her instagram - @sheelagh.daley and also her awesome YouTube channel.  Links mentioned:Sheelagh's first STR episodeThe Hebridean WayPictish Trail on bikepacking.comLog Drivers Waltz route episode with Jen Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

This week, listeners Juan Pablo and Paula share a day from their cycling adventure in Mongolia which has to be one of the most remote and rewarding places you can ride a bike on this planet. You can keep up with their adventures via their instagram channel - @juan.pablo.toroI also opens up about my own bikepacking bucket list, and throws the question out to you: where is the destination you're dreaming of? Where would you go if you could go anywhere?Also mentioned this episode: A Life in Tandem — the incredible documentary following Luke Grenfell-Shaw, diagnosed with incurable cancer at 24, who set off to cycle 20,000 miles from Bristol to Beijing on a tandem bike. Watch it here.  Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Daragh Cronin booked a flight to Marrakesh before he even owned a bike. He had no cycling background, no camping experience, but he had a goal to ride the length of Africa from Morocco to Cape Town. Just over 200 days and 13,500 kilometres later, he arrived. In this episode, Irish adventurer Daragh talks through the mental and physical reality of cycling Africa's west coast: navigating borders, battling food poisoning, riding the notorious iron ore train in Mauritania, the strangers who became lifelong friends, and what it was like to finally arrive at the Cape of Good hopeThis episode was recorded when Daragh was days away from his next challenge: cycling from Cork to Everest Base Camp to raise funds for the Children's Unit at Cork University Hospital. Be sure to follow him on instagram - @roaminwithcronin and you can check out his fundraiser here.Other guests mentioned in this Episode:Rob MacLennanTomas Mac An T-SaoirFergal Guihen Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

What does it actually take to spend three months a year cycle touring through Europe? This week, Alison Fullerton shares how she and her husband make it happen every single year . She talks about the budgeting, the fitness worries, the accommodation, navigating trains with bikes, and the mindset that has turned their bike adventure dreams into a yearly reality.The thing I love is that Alison and her husband are retirees and they are making this work for them, but her tips are relevant regardless of your age  If you've been telling yourself a big cycling adventure isn't possible yet,  or isn't possible anymore, Alison's story might just change your mind.Follow Alison on Instagram: @loose.spokes Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

What happens when you strap skis to a loaded bike and set off to cycle 1,700 kilometres around Iceland in winter? Skier and filmmaker Cody Cirillo did exactly that on a trip he took with his good friend. What's more he also documented the whole experience in his film A Hundred Words for Wind.Cody is a professional skier who's chased remote lines in Mongolia, Morocco, and Iceland. In recent years he's started cycling to his ski terrain instead of driving, something we have called ski bikepacking. Using human powered forms of travel has now completely changed how he experiences the places he travels through.In this episode we cover:- How ski bikepacking started — including his first trip from Telluride to Utah, off the couch, on a wobbly Walmart rack- Iceland's Ring Road in winter : The brutal crosswinds, iced roads, blizzards, and dealing with it on 50kg loaded bikes- Tips and tricks for surviving headwinds when skis add extra sail area?- Breaking eight ribs, a scapula, and puncturing a lung weeks before departure  and why Cody went anyway- The vinarbröð, hot dogs, Snickers, and tortellini that held the whole thing together- What it feels like to park your bike roadside, hike for hours in ski boots, and ski a line down to the ocean- How going slowly created the human connections that made the trip- Turning a 40-day expedition into a film — and why that was harder than the riding**Links:**- Cody on YouTube and also Instagram - @Cody.Cir- A Hundred Words for Wind — Cody's documentary- Steph Devery's ski bikepacking episode Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Ever camped in bear country in Japan? Brian Sampson has. This is his second update from his mission to cycle every destination in 1000 Places to See Before You Die.In this episode Brian shares stories from cycling through Japan, including encounters with bears and wild boars. He also shares his experiences exploring the Hiroshima Peace Museum.  From Japan Brian crossed into South Korea, where herides the famous Four Rivers trail and shares the buzz of cycling in the huge city of Seoul.Brian is now heading into China. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss what happens next. You can follow his journey on Instagram at @brian.sampson4 and his blog.If Japan or Korea are on your cycling bucket list, you might also love Terri Jockerst's book Biking to Busan, her nine-month solo ride through Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.And if you haven't seen it yet, come ride with me, Claire Wyatt and Marta Ballús in the Pyrenees over on the Seek Travel Ride YouTube channel.  Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

What would it look like to tour a concert by bicycle?Sarah Small is a viola da gamba player who did exactly that. Between May and July, she rode across the UK with her instrument on the bike, playing concerts in village halls, churches, community spaces, and remote locations. Along coastlines, across islands, as far north as the Hebridean Way and the Shetland Islands, bringing live music to places that rarely see it, under her own steam.We talk about the logistics of carrying a fragile instrument by bike, the warmth and generosity Sarah encountered when she arrived having ridden to get there, and why taking music to people rather than the other way around changes something about the experience. We also get into sustainable travel, what cycle touring does to your sense of self, and that particular hit of confidence you didn't know you needed until a bike adventure handed it to you.Sarah also shares her experience using low-impact transport options, including the SailLink ferry between the UK and France.You can follow Sarah's future adventures via her instagram - @SmallSarah Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Imagine cycling from Glasgow to China for your honeymoon! Well that's exactly what guest Helen Watson did with her husband Ed, back in 2010. That extended honeymoon turned into a huge 15-month adventure across Europe, the Balkans, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and into western China.Helen gives us an insight into what it's like to use cycling as a way of moving slowly through cultures, and about what it feels like to experience places that are often reduced to headlines. She shares powerful stories of hospitality in Iran and Syria, including an experience which left her husband needing treatment in a Tehran hospital.Helen has recently published a book about this journey, Tea and Grit: A Bicycle Journey Along the Silk Road Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Old Man Mountain Big thanks to Old Man Mountain for supporting this episode of Seek Travel Ride. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

What is it really like to cycle solo from Vietnam to the UK?In this episode, I’m joined by cyclist Matt Whitley, who set off from Ho Chi Minh City in March 2025 to ride home to the UK. Nearly a year into the journey, Matt shares stories from riding solo across the Tibetan Plateau, Central Asia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Europe.We talk about the intensity that comes with taking long-distance bike travel, choosing the remote mountain routes, managing mechanical issues when you are far from help, as well as how Matt was able to share parts of the journey with his Dad and sister. Be sure to follow Matt via his instagram - @Matty.Travelz Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music 

Ever wanted to cycle the South Island of New Zealand?Rebecca Gross shares an honest update from her time bikepacking the South Island. It was a bikepacking trip shaped by relentless rain and freezing summer temperatures. This led to long days of riding chasing weather windows that would allow for side quests such as hiking around Mount Cook.  From Te Araroa sections and west coast gravel to the high mountains around Mount Cook, the final days of riding saw her and partner Javi ride into Paradise near Queenstown.A must listen if cycling in New Zealand on the South Island is on your own bucket list. Be sure to give Rebecca a follow via her instagram - @Rebecca_Grb Check out the Elkhorn Rack from Old Man Mountain Support the showBuy me a coffee!I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:👉  CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)👉 Zorali 👉 Helinox 👉 Ombraz Follow us on Social Media!Instagram - @SeekTravelRideFacebook - Seek Travel RideYouTube - @SeekTravelRideSeek Travel Ride NewsletterLeave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music