- 21 minutes 1 secondThe Single Best Moment From a Bikepacking Adventure
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!
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music15 September 2026, 5:00 am - 1 hour 20 minutesSolo Cycling 12,000km From Poland to Vietnam (and Back) Oktawia Van Tienderen
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_
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music12 September 2026, 5:00 am - 11 minutes 33 secondsTransAmerica Trail Angel: Your Stories About the Legend
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.
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music8 September 2026, 5:00 am - 1 hour 24 minutesBikepacking Italy to the Swiss Alps with no plans or itinerary: Daniel Troia
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
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music5 September 2026, 5:00 am - 20 minutes 54 secondsJust Go: Beginner Bikepacking Tips From the Seek Travel Ride Community
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.
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music1 September 2026, 5:00 am - 1 hour 22 minutesCycling the TransAmerica Trail: 4,000-Mile Ride Across the USA with Becky Gilbert
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.
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music29 August 2026, 5:00 am - 28 minutes 59 secondsCycling Across Scotland, the Netherlands & Belgium with Brian Sampson
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.
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music25 August 2026, 5:00 am - 1 hour 23 minutesSolo Bikepacking the Nordics: Finland, Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands with Marcello Pacifici
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
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music22 August 2026, 5:00 am - 23 minutes 24 secondsWild Things Happen on Bike Adventures
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:
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music18 August 2026, 5:00 am - 1 hour 39 minutesBlending Ultra Racing with Bikepacking: Hannah Simon
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_
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music15 August 2026, 5:00 am - 34 minutes 13 secondsFrom Bikepacking to Ultra Racing: Anna Ruddiman's El Piri Experience
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
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Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music11 August 2026, 5:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App