Seek Travel Ride

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 o...

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 f...

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 ev...

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...

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...

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&apo...

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.toro I also opens up about my own bikepacking bucket list, and throws the question out to you: where is the destination you'...

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 borde...

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...

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 rec...

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 her...

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 place...

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, an...

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 bik...

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 h...

Ultra cyclist Lotti Power has completed the Atlas Mountain Race, the Hellenic Mountain Race, and the Silk Road Mountain Race in a single season. Often the youngest rider on the start line, Lotti did not come into ultra cycling through a traditional racing background. Instead she embraces the idea of learning by doing  and it has to be said it has served her well! Lotti first came into long distanc...

You are descending from the Annapurna Circuit when one pothole changes everything. A crash, a broken collarbone, and the ride comes to an abrupt halt. In this midweek update, Olly Hargreaves shares what it was like cycling through India and Nepal. He drops us right into the chaos of riding out of Delhi before reaching the huge peaks of the Himalayas in Nepal. He talks through the aftermath of his...

Ever thought about bikepacking across multiple countries? In this episode, I chat with Belgian bikepacker Xiao, known online as @Ciao_Xiao, who set off on a long journey from China back to Belgium. Xiao first got into bike travel as a teenager, riding with his mum and later heading off with friends when time was plentiful and money was not. That curiosity eventually grew into a much bigger ride, b...

How long would it take to cycle your way through A Thousand Places to See Before You Die ? This week I am introducing you to Brian Sampson, who has been doing exactly that since 2018. Brian shares an update from his journey so far, and across the year he will be checking in with audio updates as his adventure unfolds. Follow Brian's adventure via his instagram - @brian.sampson4   and check ou...

This week’s episode features a really thoughtful conversation with Claire Sharpe , a mountain bike instructor, community builder, and the founder of the Bristol Rally . It's a great listen if you’re curious about bikepacking, interested in community-led events, or if you’ve ever talked yourself out of an adventure because you thought you weren’t “ready” yet. In this episode, we talk about: Co...

Seek Travel Ride has just turned three, and for this mid-week episode I wanted to do something a little different. Instead of a highlights reel, I’m sharing why this podcast exists in the first place, and what three years of conversations with bike adventurers from all over the world has taught me. In this episode we talk about Why Seek Travel Ride has always been about experiences, not gear How e...

Why does riding a bike feel like the purest way to experience the world? In this episode, I sit down with Mark Beaumont to talk about bike travel, wanderlust, and what he's learnt after spending two decades taking human powered adventures. Beyond his achievements as a world record holder, Mark also shares how his relationship with adventure has evolved over time. Why endurance is often more m...

What is it really like to bikepack the Tour Aotearoa on New Zealand’s North Island? In this midweek episode, Rebecca Gross shares her experience riding the TA, including the Timber Trail, Warm Showers hospitality, lush North Island scenery, and how well the route is managed with clear detours for trickier sections. If you are planning your own TA ride or curious about what makes this route so uniq...

What would you do if you suddenly had four months free to take a bike adventure? For London-based outdoors lover Anna Ruddiman , the answer was simple: buy a touring bike off Facebook Marketplace, catch a ferry to Spain with her girlfriend Fran, and start pedalling east across Europe. In this episode, Anna shares how that idea turned into a four-month ride through 11 countries, wild heatwaves, Bal...

This week I'm  sharing some awesome bike adventure gear hacks from those of you in the community.  I also have an update from Giacomo Turco, who is currently on a huge ride from Cape Town to Italy. Giacomo is updating us from Benin and sharing how the journey has been so far on his bikepacking adventure. He talks about the intensity of the trip, how each day comes with new experiences, and al...