Seek Travel Ride

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.
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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 Evil
How bike touring gave them access to homes and lives no other travel could
Riding as a woman through deeply traditional societies across the Middle East and Central Asia
The moment the Arab Spring broke and the helplessness of watching those places burn
How the hospitality they received on the road led them to sponsor the first Syrian refugee family into Scotland
Helen'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 Manzanita Cradle from Old Man Mountain
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Brian Sampson is  cycling through China for the second time, and this update is packed with everything you'd actually want to know before attempting it yourself. He covers the apps that make daily life manageable (WeChat, Alipay, trip.com, and a VPN you'll need from day one), how to find hotels that accept foreign passports, what border crossings look like, and why cycling in northern China is a completely different experience to the mountainous south.
 Brian also shares his highlights so far including the Terracotta Warriors, the Great Wall at Yanmen Pass, and a hidden ancient town in Hunan Province he thinks deserves far more attention than it gets. 
Be sure to follow Brian via his instagram @brian.sampson4 - to keep up to date with his adventures. 
Check out the Manzanita Cradle from Old Man Mountain
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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 ride
Managing Central American heat by riding from 4:30am and being done before the worst of the day
Getting blown clean off her bike in the winds of Patagonia
Two back-to-back 4,000-metre passes in Peru and the moment she knew she could finish this
Riding through Nicaragua despite every travel warning, and what she actually found there
Traveling solo as a woman through South America
The unexpected shift in her relationship with her four kids
An Antarctic cruise, a book, and what she's planning next
Leonie's book When We're Not Afraid is available at leoniekatekar.com - order direct for a signed copy.
Check out the Manzanita Cradle from Old Man Mountain
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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!)
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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 Manzanita Cradle from Old Man Mountain
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