Joris Brants

Born and raised close to Antwerp in Belgium, I was so lucky to grow up in a family of mountain lovers. When my dad would go cycling in the Alps (he rode the 100 cols tour in France), we would cheer him on from out of the car. It's in my blood. More of a winter sports lover myself, I chose to focus on skiing, became a ski racer and eventually coach and ski guide. During the last winter season, I worked as a ski instructor and guide in Central Hokkaido, Japan. The Journey to the East '25 from Seoul to Sapporo was my first trip as bike mechanic for TDA and I'm very happy to be going on this Cape to Kili adventure next!

Benjamin Levin

Hi all! I'm Benjamin. I have worked several TDA tours over the last two years and cannot wait to meet you all on this one! I love traveling and being part of something bigger than myself and TDA tours are just that. I am an exceptionally adequate naturalist (I have a B.S in Zoology), lover of sports and athletics, and type two fun enthusiast (as I am sure many of you are as well). The combination of sport, being outside, and working towards a goal all come together for me on the seat of a bike, the best seat in the house. When you're on a bike, you're not just passing through the landscape, you are part of it. Exposed to the elements and open to encounters, you are in a position of vulnerability that break the barrier between traveler and local. That openness invites connection, allowing you to immerse yourself in new cultures and, more often than not, be welcomed by the people you meet. This is a great thing you are all doing. These tours are life changing experiences. Hope you are ready! See ya soon

Colleen Gordon

I just love Africa. I love introducing Africa to people that have never been here or have never done anything like this. You can just see their eyes open, and all of their prejudices drop as they ride through it. The bike is just such an amazing way to do it, I’ve done tours in the past where the passengers are in the vehicle with me, and it’s just not the same. [On a TDA tour] you stop at coke stops all the time, and are constantly interacting with your environment. You often rely on locals for something like water, that interaction is absolutely essential to the tours. In the end, it’s one giant road trip with people that become your family. I love camping. You get addicted to the camping lifestyle, to see the sunrise and sunset everyday. You’re in the mix, you’re hearing the hyena’s and the owls. The amount of times I’ve had elephants come through our campsites in Africa, it’s magic.

I have been leading tours in Africa for over a decade, but I started at TDA as a chef. I love shopping at local markets in Africa, the interactions with the mama’s, and just buying everything they’re selling in bulk.

I love the behind the scenes moments. Everything it takes to keep the show on the road. Trucks getting stuck, and us having to try and pull vehicles out with help from the locals and their tractors. I remember another time on the North American epic, on the Arctic section, we had such a hard time trying to source water, that we sent up the drone to find the local water tank in a little First Nations village. It’s stuff like that that I love, the behind-the-scenes challenges. I like the spontaneity, the natural chaos of Africa.

[As a tip for future participants of our expedition tours], get comfortable with all your camping gear. Set up your tent first, maybe even sleep in it for a night or two in your apartment. Test your mattress, take it up and down a couple of times, because you’ll be doing that a lot. People don’t always realise this. You’ll be coming into camp after a long ride, and having to set your tent up and then tearing it down again in the middle of the night, just day after day after day, it’s relentless. So packing well and being comfortable with your set-up is absolutely essential in my opinion.

Harald Hälbich

Looking forward to join another section of this amazing tour.

Mitch Long

I am a retired emergency physician living in Ketchum/Sun Valley, Idaho. My wife and I have two kids, and after dropping our youngest off at college, we moved here from Boise, ID so that we could have easy access to skiing, biking (both road and mountain), and hiking. My first taste of bike touring was when I joined a college buddy for just four days of his several month ride that went the length of the Mississippi River. I truly enjoyed the comaraderie and the travel. Seeing the countryside change fast enough to feel you were seeing new sights, but slowly enough to enjoy them seems the ideal way to explore.

Matthias Kramer

In 2025, my son and I did the TDA tour from Cape Town to Kilimanjaro. Although this tour took us far outside our comfort zones, it was a fantastic experience. I’ll be retiring in 2027, and I’m already looking forward to my next adventure in Africa.

Laura Wren

Craig Tingle

Looking forward to another trip with TDA

IAN TINGLE

I am 63 , retired and live in Hermanus, South Africa

Kevin Willson

Alex Yale

I'm an MD that does research most recently in Fort Collins, Colorado. I'm crazy about birds and I love to photograph wildlife and landscapes. I started mountain biking in 2019 and have since been obsessed by mountain, road, and everything in between.

Jerome Lourme

I am French-born and now split my time bettwen the French Alps, Switzerland and the United States where I resided most of my adult life and where my children (and grandchildren!) live. I have always been passionate about adventure travel and endurance sports and cycling has now mostly replaced trail running as my activity of predilection. TDA was part of the adventure last year with Tour d’Afrique and this new tour looks too good to pass!

Walter Sayer

I am 60 years old and work as a managing director in a medium-sized company in the mechanical engineering sector. I have been passionate about climbing in the Alps as a hobby for over 45 years now. I have less experience with bicycles. I have cycled once through Morocco to Marrakesh and once across the Alps with my daughter. Africa has always been my centre of attraction. I can't explain it, but that's the way it is. Even though I have travelled less personally in Africa. So far I've been to Morocco, South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Last yeard I did the first section of the Tour d'Afrique in Egypt. It was a brilliant time! I can spare two months, so I’m looking forward to this new tour across Africa from west to east.