Seek Travel Ride

Poli Berber started out being fearful of riding her bike in traffic. Then she went on a 10 month tour from Paris to Yereven which ended up being life changing. She returned back to Mexico City and through bikepacking rediscovered her own city. Since then she's taken to mapping out off-road routes around Mexico as well as lining up for ultra racing events, such as Tour de Frankie and the Japanese Odyssey. We talk about how she managed to overcome her fears and what it's like to look at a map and transform it into a bikepacking route others will enjoy. Poli also shares her experiences of having to problem solve a broken rear derailleur at 5000m of elevation in an ultra race in Peru! Be sure to check out Poli's video from her Tour de Frankie race and give her a follow via her instagram to keep track of her future adventures. @Berber.Poli Check out Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

If you could relive one moment from your bike adventure what would it be? Earlier this year I hosted a series of live shows in Melbourne featuring previous podcast guests Fergal Guihen, Em Hulbert and David McCourt. This exact question was posed during one of those Melbourne Live shows and the answers were so good I'm sharing it with you today. Fergal takes us into the Taklimakan Desert in China, stranded with no food or water until a local guide turned up out of nowhere on a tiny bike. Em goes right back to the very first pedal stroke of her trip, heading up the coast out of Margaret River. David remembers a night in Malaysia, being chased by a storm in an area inhabited by wild elephants and I couldn't resist sneaking my own moment in too which will transport you to the Ireland at the Cliffs of Moher at sunrise. Plus, in this week's listener shoutouts, Anthony shares his own wild camping story from the Goulburn River in Victoria involving a very determined possum! Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

Imagine a bike adventure that takes you from Europe SE Asia and back again. Now imagine doing it solo. That is exactly what Oktawia Van Tienderen did and in this episode she is sharing her experiences of taking a journey on like this as a solo woman. Oktawia's original plan was to set off from Poland and continue travelling East. Then she realised that would entail enduring temps of minus 30C by the time she reached Kazakhstan so a change was needed. Instead she got a ticket to Hanoi in Vietnam and the began travelling back to Europe. Oktawia's prefaced taking smaller roads through quiet areas, and prioritised travelling slowly in order to connect more deeply with the locals she would meet along the way. She also says that traveling solo allows you to embrace solitude - even when riding on routes such as the Pamir Highway. You can follow along with Oktawia's future adventures via her instagram accont - @UnicornTravels_ Check out Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

Often the highlights of many bike adventures come from the people you meet along the way. In my recent episode with Becky Gilbert she mentioned being hosted by Wes in Missouri, while making her way across the USA on the TransAmerica Trail. Since that episode went out countless others have gotten in touch with me to share their experience of staying with Wes. Even better, Wes himself also got in touch to share why it is he loves hosting people who are cycling across the country. If you've got a story about being hosted by Wes, or perhaps you've hosted cyclists yourself, get in touch with me, I'd love to hear about your experiences. Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

Daniel Troia initially got off a plane in Milan, Italy initially thinking he'd go bikepacking to Slovenia. But then as he set off he decided to change things up completely. He got rid of the entire plan, dumped his itinerary and let strangers he would meet along the way guide where he should go. He ended up in the Swiss Alps and in this episode I'm chatting to him all about it. We discuss the importance of getting out into Nature and how getting away from structure and adventuring without a goal can be enriching. For the visuals behind this adventure you definitel want to check out Daniel's award winning documentary film which he made about this journey called The Child Within. You can also keep up with Daniel's future adventures via his instagram - @the_travelin_dude Check out Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

If you are thinking of taking a bike adventure but find yourself holding back this episode is for you. I put the question out to our instagram Seek Travel Ride Community of 'what's one tip you'd give to someone looking to take their first bike adventure' and in this episode I'm sharing all the answers with you. There's one overriding theme throughout most of them and that is - don't overthink it! Just get out there and give it a go. There are also some great tips in terms of how to get yourself to commit to going on the adventure in the first place as well as some key pieces of spare equipment you may want to take with you. If you have a beginner tip you'd like to share, get in touch with me and I'll shout it out on a future episode. Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

Becky Gilbert shares what it was like to cycle from Oregon to Virginia on the TransAmerica Trail. She undertook this adventure with her partner and Ash and all up spent three months cycling coast to coast across the USA. This was the first long distance bike adventure Becky had undertaken and she admits that she had doubts about being able to complete the journey right from day one. In fact it wasn't until she was two months into the trip that she let herself believe she'd get to the finish! What made this journey that bit extra special was that Becky's Grandparents had themselves cycled the TransAmerica Trail almost 30 years earlier. For Becky she was out there pedalling the same route and reconnecting to storieds she'd been told about for so long. One of the highlights was the conversations had with countless strangers all along the way, including Trail Angel Wes from Missouri, who is renowned for hosting numerous people who are cycling the TransAmerica Trail as they pass through his town. Check out Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

Guest Brian Sampson is currently on a bike adventure connecting up 1000 places to see before you die. In this update he gives us the lowdown on what it's like to go cycling in Scotland, Belgium and the Netherlands. If you are planning on riding in Scotland you'll love the ease of wildcamping there and hiking ot the top of Goatfell, the highest peak on the Isle of Arran should definitely make it on your list. But beware of the midges and ticks! Then Brian shares his thoughts on the cycling infrastructure in the Netherlands as well as how he actually plans out his cycle routes. Working out how to join the dots of places he wants to see on a google map and then the reality of physically standing in the Grand Place in Brussels, and then taking in the history right at the site of the the battle of Waterloo. Be sure to give Brian a follow via his instagram - @Brian.Sampson4 to keep up to date with his bike adventure. He is now currently making his way through Europe and the Balkans and plans to wrap up this leg of the journey in Athens, Greece. Check out Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

Guest Marcello Pacifici shares his experiences of bikepacking in some of the most isolated places in the Nordics. Originally from Rome in Italy, Marcello now calls Helsinki home. He got into riding bikes as a cheap way to get around the city, then expanded that to bikepacking as a way to discover Finland. His first bikepackign trip was 800kms and would take him all the way to Finnish Lapland. He's since taken many other adventures including time spent on the Arctic Post Road as well as three weeks spent riding in Iceland. When snow blocked the roads on the Iceland Divide Route, Marcello changed his plans and cycled the Westfjords Way. More recently he has just completed a solo journey on teh Faroe Islands. A place he says needs to be seen to be believed and which left him feeling he was standing on the edge of the world. You can follow Marcello's future adventures via his instagram - @WhereIsMarcello and read his ride reports via his substack blog Check out Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

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 show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave 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 Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave 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 Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave 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 Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave 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 Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave 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 20,000km Solo bike touring: 19,000km across Turkey, the Middle East, and Africa Bikepacking Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia: expectations vs. reality Route planning and gear for long-distance cycle touring Relationship and communication tips for touring as a couple Bike mechanical failures and storm survival on tour Juan Pablo's 104 tips for bike travel Check out Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave 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 show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave 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 Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave 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, Spain Mountain destinations: Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Bolivia, Norway Off the beaten path: Tunisia, New Caledonia, El Salvador, Saudi Arabia Classic bike-adventure countries: New Zealand, Thailand, Japan, China, Peru, Iran The 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 episode Slauka' Macurak's Norway episode (recently re-released) Leonie Katekar's episode on cycling solo from Antigua to Ushuaia My YouTube series on crossing the Pyrenees coast to coast Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave 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 Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave 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 Old Man Mountain's Ponderosa Panniers Support the show Buy 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 - @SeekTravelRide Facebook - Seek Travel Ride YouTube - @SeekTravelRide Seek Travel Ride Newsletter Leave me a voicemail message Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music