We previously listed some fun facts about Australia that we thought many riders on the upcoming Trans-Oceania Cycling Tour might not have known. In fact, our research uncovered so many interesting tidbits about the country that we decided to follow up that post with a sequel.

So without further ado, here are 10 more fun facts about the country of Australia. Enjoy!

1 – Australia has over 60 separate wine regions

Australia, whose wine history began at the end of the 19th century when vines arrived from Europe, is now the 6th largest wine producer in the world. Probably best known for its rich, juicy Shiraz it also grows cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, sémillon, riesling, viognier, pinot noir, grenache, sangiovese, mourvèdre and pinot grigio.

2 – Australia was the second country in the world to give women the right to vote in 1902 

The movement for female suffrage began when South Australian women achieved the right to vote in 1894. It continued across the country until the right was enshrined in the 1902 Commonwealth Franchise Act. This achievement was only surpassed by New Zealand (1893) and was far ahead of such countries as the USA (1920) and France (1944).

3 – Canberra was selected as the capital because Sydney and Melbourne could not stop arguing which city should be the capital 

Australia’s Parliament, Canberra

Similar to the compromise (Ottawa) between Montreal and Toronto in Canada, the intense rivalry between Australia’s 2 largest cities led to the naming of Canberra as an alternative, a decision that satisfied no one. It is an entirely planned city, designed by Walter Burley Griffin, a major 20th-century American architect.

 4 – Australia is home to the longest fence in the world, the Dingo Fence

Australia is a big country and they like to do big things. This fence is one of them. It stretches 5614 km across Queensland and South Australia, the second longest man-made structure in the world. Largely constructed of 2 m high wire mesh, the fence was completed in the 1950’s and was built to protect sheep from the predatory dingos (wild dogs).

5 – Australia has around 800 varieties of eucalypt trees

More commonly known as gum trees, eucalyptus trees are an iconic sight across the country. There are over 800 varieties and have adapted to survive Australia’s harsh climate. The leaves are thick and leathery, perfect for hot, dry conditions and their incredible ability to re-sprout after fire or drought is essential.

6 – The only two mammals in the world that lay eggs are found in Australia – the echidna and platypus

Australian platypus

Australia’s platypus and echidna are unique. They are the only 2 mammals in the world to lay eggs – a couple strange characters, for sure. For instance, the male platypus has a spur on the hind foot that delivers an extremely painful venom while the echidna has no teeth, so it breaks down food by grinding it between the bottom of its mouth and its tongue.

7 – Kangaroos and emus were chosen for Australia’s coat of arms because they lack the ability to walk backwards

Australia wanted a coat of arms that represented its continual forward progress so they decided to put both the kangaroo and the emu into the design. Why? Well, it was believed that neither animal could walk backwards. Seriously, that was the concept. It turns out that they both can move backwards, albeit with great difficulty!

8 – Australia is home to more than 1,500 species of spiders 

Huntsman Spider

Suffer from Arachnophobia? Australia may not be the best spot for you. The country is home to more than 1500 species of spider, some of them poisonous, but like the country’s snakes, their reputation is somewhat overblown. A death in April 2016 was the country’s first recorded spider-caused death since 1981.

9 – Australia is the only continent covered by a single country

Canada and the USA may each be bigger than Australia but they are stuck sharing a continent. Australia stands alone.

10 – Waterproof, made of polymer and notoriously hard to counterfeit – The Australian dollar

Australia’s currency is not only safe from counterfeiters but is pretty much indestructible. No more taping together faded, dirty torn bills. Besides being very colourful so it it is easy to know the bill’s value (I’m looking at you, America!), it is entertaining. If you move the $5 bill a certain way, you’ll even see the image of an eastern spinebill (a native bird) moving its wings and changing colours. Cool.

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Yanez Novoa is a long time TDA staffer who was helping out on the 2024 Tour d’Afrique Expedition in Rwanda & Uganda.

What do you get if you mix 50 strangers and several tons of steel, food supplies and bikes together? Something like a TDA expedition.

And what is a TDA expedition really? I have heard it being described in many ways: a forced march, a circus, a family. What it is, is big and noisy with lots of sharp and shiny bits; it is high vis-vests and flashing bike lights, chain lube and back up derailleurs. Add up all these miscellaneous parts and you end up with a TDA tour.

In the beginning it starts with the banging of pots and truck doors too early in the morning; soft chatter that grows into a chorus of questions, complaints, compliments, and laughter. And eventually, a lot of laughter. But mostly is it the hum of idle chatter as the 50 strangers get to know each other better.

Showtime

When we arrive in a village, we are often the main attraction. Young and old come together to watch us set up camp and live our new lives on the road. At organized campsites and hotels, we often catch management on the back foot as we slowly dominate the space that they usually control and make it our own – the TDA takeover we call it.

Mia getting ready for her birthday celebration at Via Via

This was the case at Via Via in Entebbe, Uganda, which was our home for three nights. The team at Via Via were super helpful and surprisingly adept at handling something like us. It is a definite stopover for anyone visiting Uganda. On the second night it was Mia Hunter’s birthday and she and Hans bought everyone a drink at the bar. I sat back and watched the 50 strangers bond and move towards what they inevitably will be, 50 people from different cultures that rely on each other and look out for one another to reach their final destination.

The mud bath roads require some walking every now and again

The next morning it started again with the rattling steel, the patter of rain and the rustle of tents being packed up. The hum slowly died down as riders finished their breakfast and the circus spread out over the 116 km of riding that day – made up of 36 km of tarred road leading to a jetty and a 15 minute boat ride. It took 7 trips to get all the riders across that rainy bay. After the boat ride it was a 20 km mud bath to get to the tarred road that would eventually lead them to the town of Jinja.

Uli and Eva hop off the boat after a short ride from Entebbe

The mothership, the big dinner truck, was the last to leave Via Via. Sharita and myself left the tour in Entebbe. As the big truck rattled away with all its pots and pans and assorted emotions we heard the birds and the sound of people starting their day, filling the space that had just been full of the 2024 Tour d’Afrique. A moment later, you would almost not believe that the circus had been in town.

All that was left were three black bags. One for organics, one for reusable and one for garbage. The garbage we often have to take with us until we can reach a site where local authorities can deal with it appropriately. The reusable gets recycled or used by locals to keep and do… just about anything they want. The organics goes to a farmer, some wandering goats or, as at Via Via, a compost heap. We try to have as little impact as we practically can and when we do that it will be a positive one.

It might not be our country, but for this little slice of time, it is our home.

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Benjamin Levin is the Content Creator on the 2024 Tour d’Afrique Cycling Expedition. He reports on the recent TDA Foundation bicycle donation that took place in Livingstone, Zambia.

Why do we ride bikes? On a TDA tour we ride bikes for an adventure, for the experience of cycling in a place you never have before – we bike for fun. In Africa, and many places around the globe, people bike for a different reason. They bike because school can be up to 30 kilometres away and elephants have prevented them from leaving on time. They bike because it is the only way that they can carry their goods to the market; they bike because their bicycle is their taxi; they bike because it is what they need to do.

>>Related Post: Local Bikes In Africa: An Appreciation

TDA Global Cycling wanted to create a great cycling adventure through Africa, encourage the use of bicycles and also contribute to helping people in some communities we cycle through by donating bicycles. Over 2300 bikes have now been donated to people across the globe over the lifetime of the TDA Foundation. Most recently, on the 2024 Tour d’Afrique, 34 bikes were donated to young scholars in Livingstone, Zambia so they would be able to overcome challenges and pursue their goal of obtaining a strong education.

Memory, the TDA Foundation partner in Zambia, and Charles Mioba, District Education Board Secretary, during TDA’s bike donation ceremony

Currently, the TDA Foundation partners with African Impact Foundation, a grassroots organization that works on the ground in Zambia, finding appropriate beneficiaries for the bicycle donations. “We partner with them [the Zambian Ministry of Education] for recommendations every year to identify which schools should benefit from this bicycle donation,” says Memory Mundia, Operations Manager of African Impact and the TDA Foundation’s main point of contact in Zambia. Memory and the Ministry of Education are looking for schools that are located in areas where their student body is spread out across a large area and face unique and challenging problems when attempting to commute to school. Once the beneficiaries are chosen, the school works to find which students are the most in need of the assisted transportation, and they are given the bicycles.

The five recipients of bikes at Twabuka Primary School

One of these schools is Twabuka Primary School located roughly 25 kilometres outside of Livingstone, Zambia and inside of the Mosi-oa-Tunya Game Park, a protected wildlife reserve where animals such as elephants, lions and buffalo roam free. “Being in a game park we have deadly animals like elephants,” explains the headmaster of the school. “In the morning the elephants will be traveling back towards the river [Zambezi River] and during that period it is really dangerous for the pupils… giving them these bicycles, they will start off late [to avoid the elephants] but still arrive on time to school.”

It was clear, when visiting the school in early April 2024, that these students wanted to be there on time and ready to learn. Nonetheless, when elephants are on the road, it is extremely dangerous for the students to try to get by them and get to school. Only a few years ago a pupil in 5th year was killed by elephants while attempting to make it on time. “Those times where I didn’t have this bicycle and there were elephants, I used to stay back at home, but now even if there are elephants, I can still come after they are gone… those times I would miss some topics in class, I would find the teacher had started without me, but now I can still come early and find the teacher before he starts teaching,” said one young woman we talked to at the school.

A young TDA Foundation beneficiary smiles as we chat about her bike

Not only are these treks to school at times dangerous for the children, but they also are tiring. Students in this district near Livingstone are expected to be at school at 7:15 in the morning and ready to learn by 7:30. If they have had to cover many kilometres while walking to school, by the time they get there, they are tired and have less energy to learn. “I used to miss classes because I was late and tired because of the distance I covered… having the bike helped me be active in class,” says Mathews Kanyemba, a former recipient of a TDA Foundation’s bike donation. Mathews has now graduated and is currently waiting to hear back from university in Lusaka, where he is planning on studying engineering. “If it was not for the bike, I doubt I could pass the way I did.”

As anyone who has ridden the Tour d’Afrique with TDA knows, education is available all over Africa. Countless mornings we have found ourselves cycling with hundreds of uniformed school children as they make their way to morning classes. The majority of the kids we see are walking, some are biking, and very few are in vehicles. Across the board one thing is very clear; these students are hungry to learn and go to school. Education represents opportunity for these students, a way to fulfill all the potential that each of them has. While we understand that there is still a lot of work to be done, we are thrilled that our bicycle donations help bring these intrepid young learners one step closer to achieving what they set out to achieve every time they make that journey to school.

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New Zealand is a long way from anywhere else and that distance has created a singular identity, one that is full of fascinating surprises and captivating anomalies. Previously known as God Zone, Māoriland, The Shaky Isles and Pig Island, this country will certainly delight and amuse the riders on the Trans-Oceania Cycling Tour.

Here are 13 fun facts about New Zealand.

1. Just A Baby

Original flag, Waitangi Treaty Grounds

New Zealand was the last country settled by humans. The Māori were the first to arrive around 1300 AD, followed by Europeans in the 17th century. The 1840 Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document, established British law in the country while at the same time recognizing Māori ownership of their lands and properties.

2. Deep South

Wellington is the southernmost capital on the planet. New Zealand also has the most southerly railway station, pub and vineyard in the world.

3. Ahead Of Its Time

The Beehive, NZ Parliament Building

In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to grant women the right to vote and the country has three official languages: English, Māori, and New Zealand Sign Language. Over 150,000 New Zealanders can hold everyday conversations in Māori and the language has become increasingly popular in recent years. The country legalized same-sex marriage in 2013 and New Zealand was the first country with women in the top three positions simultaneously – from 2001 to 2006, Helen Clark was Prime Minister, Dame Silvia Cartwright was Governor-General and Sian Elias was Chief Justice. New Zealand is also home to the first transgender Member of Parliament.

4. New Zealand Is Green.

The country is known for its efforts in conservation and environmental protection, including being nuclear-free and having numerous initiatives to protect native species and ecosystems. About one-third of New Zealand is protected national parkland and marine reserves and about 80% of the flora is endemic, including the iconic silver fern.

>>Related Post: 10 Fun Facts: Australia & The Trans-Oceania Cycling Expedition

 5. Wild Wildlife

Kea

New Zealand is home to: the world’s smallest dolphin species, the Hector’s dolphin; the largest flightless parrot, the kakapo; a giant carnivorous snail, Powelliphanta; more species of penguins than any other country; the heaviest insect in the world, the Giant Weta (heavier than a sparrow and looks like a giant cockroach); the Waitomo Glow worm Caves, the world’s only glow worm cave and the Kea which has a well-deserved reputation for dragging windscreen wipers off of cars. There are, unlike their Aussie neighbours, no snakes and bats are the only native land mammals in the country, the rest having been introduced by Maoris and Europeans. And although now extinct, giant Moa birds were native to New Zealand – they were 3.6 meters tall and weighed a whopping 230kg.

6. Abra Cadabra

The country was the first in the world to appoint an official national wizard. Ian Brackenbury Channell was named the Wizard of New Zealand in 1990. Just magical!

7. Inventions

Although actually invented in Vanuatu, bungee jumping really came into its own in the late 1980s in New Zealand. Other Kiwi inventions include the self-sealing lid, the postage stamp vending machine, the bobby pin, the electric fence and the jet boat.

8. Hobbits

Hobbiton, New Zealand

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies were filmed entirely in New Zealand largely due to its stunning landscapes and as a result it is the only country in the world that has permission to put hobbits on its legal tender!

9. Rugby

The national sport. The New Zealand national rugby team, the All Blacks, is one of the most feared and successful international rugby teams in history.

10. Kiwis

Kiwi has three different meanings in the country. A dry Kiwi is a person who was born in New Zealand, a Kiwi bird is a bird that is also used as a national symbol and there is the delicious Kiwi fruit. Originally, Kiwi was just the name for the flightless bird but then also became the name for the fruit when some marketing experts realized its original name – Chinese gooseberry – wasn’t a good selling point. Ironically, the logo of the Royal New Zealand Air Force is indeed the Kiwi, a flightless bird!

11. Baa, Baa. Moo, Moo

A substantial portion of New Zealand’s economy is centred around agriculture, particularly dairy farming which produces a large part of the world’s dairy products. Every year, the country produces around 100 kgs of butter and 65 kgs of cheese per person. Oh, and sheep. For every person living in New Zealand there are at least 10 sheep. No surprise then that it is the world’s 2nd largest producer of wool.

12. The longest town name in the world

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. Wow, quite a mouthful. This is the name of a town in New Zealand. Translated from Māori, it goes something like this – “The place where Tamatea, the man on the big knees who slipped, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as the land eater, he played the flute to his loved one.”

13. Aotearoa

The Māori name for New Zealand commonly translates to ‘The Land of the Long White Cloud.’ The sky in New Zealand is often covered in long, white clouds and, interestingly, the country is also the shape of a long cloud when seen from space. Coincidence or what?

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Benjamin Levin is the Content Creator on the 2024 Tour d’Afrique Cycling Expedition. In this report, he looks at some of the bikes being used on this year’s ride.

What is the most important thing that you can bring on a bike tour across Africa? Well, a bike of course. Simple, right? In a way yes, but it is also a huge decision that will potentially impact four months of your life if you are riding the entire Tour d’Afrique from Cairo to Cape Town.

Do you want a carbon fibre bike, light on the road but potentially fragile? Maybe, maybe not. Do you want a steel tank of a bike that destroys the gravel sections but is a bit more difficult to climb the base of Kilimanjaro with? Maybe, maybe not. The truth is there is not one bike that answers all the demands of this long, challenging journey. A lot simply depends on what you are comfortable with. We asked some of the riders about the bikes they are currently using on the 2024 Tour d’Afrique so they could inform future riders of the pros and cons and the nitty gritty details of their bikes.

Jim Flynn (Australia)

Jim is riding a Curve bike. It is a full titanium frame that is set up for long distance riding and endurance cycling, particularly off road. Jim likes the titanium frame because of the flexibility that it provides along with the strength. The bike has been modified by adding aerodynamic extension bars to the handlebars. “Probably the most important thing I have got, which is essential for long rides like this, is the extension bars.” He says that having another hand position gives him a lot of relief on long rides. “I would spend all my time on those bars if I could.” Jim explains how people can get neuropathy from using the same generic grip every single riding day and that the options that his extension bar provides are very helpful.

He also has a suspended headset which gives him a bit of deflection which he appreciates on the dirt and gravel. Another thing Jim talks about is his choice to opt for a mechanical one by twelve gearing set up for simplicity. Though he has ridden with electronic gearing in the past, with different set ups, he says when cycling through Africa he prefers to keep things simple, and importantly, parts source-able. It can be difficult to find more modern/complex bike parts in many parts of Africa so keeping things basic is a sensible way to go.

What Jim recommends: Try to have a system that allows you to have multiple hand holds. Also, unrelated to biking but still very important, come with an open attitude and a love of adventure he says. “I think you have got to have a bit of a love of adventure and be prepared to put yourself out a little bit!”

Justene Wilkes (United States)

Justene is riding a Surly Bridge Club that she purchased specifically for this trip. She says that in the past she has ridden an aluminum road bike with a carbon fork but for this trip she wanted something that could handle a wider range of terrain and climbs. Her Surly Bridge Club is all steel and sized up so it is more robust. She loves the steel but says it is heavy and it makes some of the climbing days that much more challenging. However, on the dirt, this bike is a rock star. “We recently had a day of 55 kilometres of rock and dirt and I just plowed right through it… I attribute that to the steel bike and the wide tires that it came with,” she says proudly.

Justine explained that she did not exactly know what to look for when buying a bike for this tour so sensibly she went to her local bike shop to get some recommendations and this was one of the bikes they recommended for her. “One feature that I quite liked is the single chainring in the front, one less thing to break and go wrong for me, and so far I have been very happy with that choice, but the downside is that when we have a really wicked tail wind, I sometimes cannot keep up because I have a max speed I can do.”

What Justine recommends: Carry snacks and Tylenol!

Helen Smith (United Kingdom)

Helen is riding a Hardtail mountain bike, a specialized rockhopper. “I decided to ride the Tour d’Afrique on this bike mainly because I absolutely love riding it!” Helen explains that with the combo of off-road and tarmac, this bike is perfect for her riding style. “The main features that I like about my bike are the front suspension and the ability to turn it on and off, also the three gears that I have on the front chain ring.” She says that for her personally, this gear set has an advantage because she can quickly change between the large and the small cog at the front.

She knows that she does, however, have some limitations, but not the ones you may expect on a bike. “The main limitation of this bike is actually probably me myself. I am the smallest rider on the tour and have the smallest frame size, a 13 inch.” Because of the bike’s small size, she can only carry two water bottles on the frame and does not have any mounting points on the front fork. This, she says, is her biggest battle on tour because she has to carry extra water in a pack which is an inconvenience in her opinion. Helen also carries around something key to her success on tour that no other rider does, a little Scottish teddy as a mascot!

What Helen recommends:  Get a pro bike fitting and make sure that you have enough space to carry a sufficient amount of water.

Henry and Linda (United States)

Henry and Linda, one of our husband and wife couples on this year’s Tour d’Afrique, are both riding the same bike, Fuji Touring bikes. “They are about as basic a bike as you can get,” Linda exclaims. “We have caliper brakes and bar end shifters which are virtually unbreakable!” She explains that bringing a simple bike to Africa was a big thing for her. “I think almost anyone in Africa can fix our bikes,” she says laughing.

The bikes are steel which means they are heavier than many bikes on tour; however, this also means they are rugged and are able to put up with the beating that they get on these African roads. Another feature of their bikes they believe is valuable is having wheels with 36 spokes. With all the dirt roads, the couple believes that having that amount of spokes protects them from potential damage to their rims.

What Linda recommends: Simple bikes! They are easy to fix and maintain.

What Henry recommends: Take a saddle that you are comfortable with and have ridden before. “Saddle sores can take you out,” says Henry. He also recommends double handlebar tape and handlebars with multiple handholds to avoid sore hands while riding.

Jannes Nijland (Netherlands)

Jannes is riding a titanium gravel bike that he bought specifically for this tour. His number one criteria for picking a bike was to find a durable bike that could handle all the elements, specifically the gravel which he loves. “The best days are the gravel days. We had a 400 kilometre straight gravel stretch which is really unique…”

Riding a bike made for the most physically taxing stretches allows him to cruise through the difficult stretches and deal efficiently with the sealed roads as well. He explained that he would rather have a bike that can handle all of the riding as opposed to just some of it. Jannes rides with a double chainring in the front because there is so much climbing and descending that having a wide range of gears to rotate through is a big help.

What Jannes recommends: “The most important thing to bring is your bike!” Jannes says, chuckling. He also thinks that having a double chainring for your gears in front is important because there is more climbing than he expected! Further, he recommends making sure you bring gear that is new. “Do not show up with a cassette that has been riding 6,000 km back home.” Finally, he echoes what other riders have said. If something breaks and you cannot find a replacement, your tour is finished so bring a simple bike with simple parts.

Closing thoughts

As you can see, everyone comes with different opinions on the best sort of bike and suite of features to go with it. Helen and Jannes really find value in having multiple chain rings on their front gears whereas Jim and Justine ride with one and enjoy the simplicity that it brings. While many opinions differ, there are a few common threads that everyone agrees on. First off, you are going to cycle through Africa. This is not Europe where there is a proper bike shop in every town you go through – finding parts to replace can be difficult. Bringing simple parts and ones that are source-able can save your tour. “If something breaks that you cannot replace then you cannot ride anymore… that is the consequence [for bringing parts hard to replace],” Jannes exclaims.

Secondly, bring a bike that you are comfortable riding. This is an epic adventure, something that very few people in the world ever have the chance to do. It is tiring, thrilling, treacherous, and exhilarating. You do not want to be uncomfortable with the bike you bring. Trust yourself and bring a bike that you know you will be comfortable with, a saddle that you have ridden on, and, as Jim says, an attitude for adventure never hurts!

Watch our accompanying video to hear the testimonials from the riders themselves along with some additional tips!

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Australia is a unique place – a one of a kind destination, a once in a lifetime opportunity…well, you get the idea! This large country (6th in the world) contains some famous landmarks, like the Sydney Opera House and Bondi Beach, that the riders on the Trans-Oceania Cycling Tour will have the opportunity to visit but there is a lot more to the ‘Lucky Country’ than that.

Here are 10 fun facts that may surprise you about Australia.

1 – Tasmania has the cleanest air on earth

Yup – straight from the cold, cleansing shores of Antarctica, the air in Tasmania, delivered by strong westerly winds unimpeded by any other land mass is, indeed, the cleanest in the world.

2 – The Great Ocean Road is the world’s largest war memorial

Built between 1919 and 1932 between Torquay to Allansford to honour fallen Australian and New Zealand soldiers from World War 1, the road stretches a total of 243 km and offers some spectacular coastal views as well as sobering military history.

3 – The first Police Force in Australia was made up of the most well-behaved convicts

It is a well-known fact that many of the first European settlers in Australia were convicts, most exiled for non-violent crimes. To police them, Governor Arthur Phillip established the Night Watch in 1789, a group made up of convict volunteers with a record of good behaviour.

4 – Over 80% of Australian animals are endemic to the country

The only developed country categorized as ‘mega-diverse’, 87 per cent of mammal species, 93 per cent of reptiles, 94 per cent of frogs and 45 per cent of bird species are found only in Australia. Koalas, emus, wallabies, wombats, Tasmanian devils – it is quite a list!

5 – A beach a day…for 29 years

If you started with Bondi in Sydney and visited one of Australia’s 10,685 beautiful beaches starting on January 1st, 2025, you would reach the last one on Saturday, April 4, 2054. Probably with an amazing tan…

>>Related Post: Big, Bigger, Biggest. Is Australia Obsessed With Size?

6 – Over 1 million feral camels roam Australia’s deserts

When you think of camels, do you think of Arabia? Think again. Australia’s wild camels are descendants of animals imported in the 19th century and then allowed to roam free when they were not longer needed.

7 – Aboriginal culture is the oldest on Earth

Estimated to be over 65,000 years old, Australia’s aboriginal culture is known around the world for its distinctive art, oral histories and the haunting sound of the didgeridoo.

8 – Australia is home to 21 of the world’s 25 most venomous snakes

Red Bellied Black Snake

While Australia does indeed have many dangerous snakes, the chances of encountering one are very, very low. Most of them, like the one pictured above, are not aggressive and generally retreat from human encounters.

9 – Australia boasts 20 World Heritage Listed sites

The Royal Exhibition Palace in Melbourne (pictured here) is one of the lesser known sites, the first building in Australia to be awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. It contains elements of Byzantine, Romanesque, Lombardic and Italian Renaissance styles.

10 – There are 4 species of kangaroos in Australia

Red kangaroos

Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus), Eastern Grey Kangaroo (M. giganteus), Western Grey Kangaroo (M. fuliginosus) & Antilopine Kangaroo (M. antilopinus). A Red can weigh up to 90kg, hop along at 60 km/hr and jump 8 m in a single bound.

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Benjamin Levin is the Content Creator on the 2024 Tour d’Afrique Cycling Expedition. In this report, he takes a look at TDA Global Cycling’s method of navigation for the riders on tour.

TDA’s Navigation History

In the company’s not so recent past, GPS mapping software was not as readily available as it is today. That meant in order to navigate groups of cyclists across continents, they used biodegradable flagging tape. Yes, flagging tape. Imagine biking 10,000 km down the entire length of Africa and only being directed by little pieces of bright orange tape hung on whatever the staff could find. Sometimes, they even used energy drink powder….needs must!

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Well, luckily for everyone who would be involved in what seems like a stressful process, TDA has changed with the times and now employs a new way of herding the groups of sometimes 60+ riders across continents. They use GPS mapping and the Ride with GPS interface (with only the occasional flagging tape for areas that may prove confusing).

>>Related Post: Navigation And The Tour d’Afrique: On A Wing And A Prayer

So, what is Ride with GPS? Ride with GPS is an interface that allows users to plan routes as well as map, analyze, and share their rides with friends. Similar to other apps such as All Trails which is used for hiking and running and Polar Steps which specializes in general travel tracking, Ride with GPS is designed for bike travel. With an extensive database of maps, Ride with GPS allows TDA to navigate its plans accurately and efficiently along the routes that they plan out.

Currently, Ride with GPS is being used on the 2024 Tour d’Afrique and 3 months into the tour it has worked without a hitch. We have travelled through deserts in Egypt, mountains in Rwanda, and the savannahs of Kenya and Tanzania, all while having Ride with GPS telling us where to turn, where to find refreshment, and most importantly, how far until lunch!

Ride with GPS is a flexible app that can be customized to best fit the users’ preferences. Most riders on TDA tours use a smartphone with the RWGPS app as their main navigation method. While this presents some challenges (weather resistance and battery drain), in our experience, it is the easiest setup to use, especially for anyone who is less tech-savvy. Riders can bring a battery pack as a back up. Others prefer to use a Garmin or Wahoo GPS device – these are also a good option, but require much greater effort and patience both for initial set up and to load the daily tracks. If you do not already use a Garmin or Wahoo device, a smartphone is the best option

Below you will find testimonials from the 2024 Tour d’Afrique riders explaining how they use the app to best suit them on their rides.

Henry

Henry uses a Wahoo when he rides, while also having Ride with GPS app active on his phone. The Wahoo gives him vocal cues which he thinks are helpful but keeps the app open on his phone because it provides him more information than is displayed on his Wahoo. “I check the app a lot on those long climb days because I need to proportion my energy properly.” He says he will also check information like the speed he is going and the distance he has left until the next stop he plans to make so he can estimate how long it will take him to reach his destination. Henry uses physical cue sheets as well (printed out versions of the cue sheets on Ride with GPS). “I have [used the sheets] to look for coke stops… if we are at kilometre 115 and it says there is a coke stop at kilometre 120, I know that I will have the chance to stop soon.”

Linda

Linda uses a Wahoo during her rides while also keeping the Ride with GPS app active on her phone. However, unlike Henry, she says she rarely opens the app during her ride. She does not use voice cues, simply following the arrows presented to her on her Wahoo. Linda says that riding without checking so many metrics and specifics is “just her style” and that it would be the same way if she was riding solo and not in a large group. “I very rarely look at the physical cue sheets,” Linda exclaims. “I bring them just in case I get separated and need to know what’s going on…I have a lot of trust in my arrows [on the Wahoo display].”

Jannes

Jannes uses a Garmin in order to navigate on the Tour d’Afrique. He jokes that it really is not all that difficult to navigate in Africa. “Well actually it’s not too complicated to ride in Africa cause most of the road is straight and has little turns!” He keeps his Garmin screen on throughout the entire ride because it has enough battery life to last the entire day without dying. The most important metric, and really the only one he says he looks at, is the distance to the next stop on his route. He mentions that he will occasionally look at the speed he is going, or what was going on during the ride, but not consistently.

Kenny (one of our bike mechanics)

Kenny uses his phone as his GPS as opposed to a Garmin or a Wahoo. He chooses to leave the screen blacked out but rides with the audio cues which he listens to in one earphone. He turns his screen on periodically to make sure that he is on route, but when he does, he does not use any of the specific metrics on his home screen. “I like the simplicity of just a line to follow and the avatar.” He says he does not use a physical cue sheet but will use the one provided on the Ride with GPS app when he needs it.

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]]> https://tdaglobalcycling.com/2024/03/herding-riders-across-africa-ride-with-gps/feed/ 4 https://tdaglobalcycling.com/2024/03/australia-new-zealand-are-beckoning-the-awe-some-trans-oceania-cycling-tour/ https://tdaglobalcycling.com/2024/03/australia-new-zealand-are-beckoning-the-awe-some-trans-oceania-cycling-tour/#respond Mon, 25 Mar 2024 16:44:32 +0000 https://tdaglobalcycling.com/?p=57845   “I was totin’ my pack along the dusty Winnemucca road When along came a semi with a high an’]]>

“I was totin’ my pack along the dusty Winnemucca road When along came a semi with a high an’ canvas-covered load.”

Are you familiar with the song  – I Have Been Everywhere – whose lyrics I quote above? The version that most people associate with this song is performed by Johnny Cash but the original version comes from Australia. It goes like this – “Well, I was humpin’ my bluey on the dusty Oodnadatta road, When along came a semi with a high and canvas-covered load…He asked me if I’d seen a road with so much dust and sand, I said, ‘Listen, mate, I’ve travelled every road in this here land.”

When I turned thirteen my family left Czechoslovakia and ever since I have been on the move a lot. Many people even say I have been ‘everywhere’. Of course, that is nonsense. I have travelled a lot on a bicycle since our little company came into being but also before that, whether it was my work that took me to faraway places or simply because I suffer from serious case of Adventuritis. It is also possible I may have a Restless Gene (or as I label it, the Adventure Gene) as described by David Dobbs in National Geographic article as “the compulsion to see what lies beyond that far ridge or that ocean is a defining part of human identity and success.”

I bring up the Australian version of the song because later this year I will be joining our Trans Oceania Cycling Tour through Australia and New Zealand. Frankly, I am as keen to go to these places as I ever was, particularly when I will travel to places I have never been to such as Tasmania and New Zealand. How does one explain, at my age, having such unquenchable wanderlust?

Adventuratis is a disease that I invented and I may or may not have a Restless Gene but I do know that when I travel, I often experience a strong emotion of ‘awe’. In a book that came out over a year ago Professor Dacher Keltner – Awe: The New Science Of Everyday Wonder And How It Can Transform Your Life – the author defines awe as “the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends your current understanding of the world.” I am not sure I would go that far but I do think we all know when awe strikes us.

The author goes on to write about the secrets to a good life. “Twenty years into teaching happiness, I have an answer: FIND AWE.” Keltner, a psychology professor at University of California, Berkeley writes that “awe is an ennobling experience, one that can foster wonder, creativity and collaboration.” Yes, it can. I mean without wonder, creativity and certainly collaboration, the idea of crossing continents on bikes would have never happened. It was simply ‘awe-some’ when we first started doing that and it is ‘awe-some’ today for every participant on these tours.

Obviously ‘awe’ can be found in every sphere of life and anything and everything can be a stimuli. Though I look for awe everywhere, it is when I travel, or rather when I am on the move, that it seems to come easily and instantly changes my mood and transforms all my emotions. I remember walking the streets on a rest day in Tokyo during the inaugural Journey to the East Cycling Tour less than a year ago and suddenly, as I was looking at nothing in particular, a sense of awe hit me – how does such huge city seem to work so effortlessly. Trains arriving on time to the minute, multiple public transport options, clean streets, light traffic, lovely green spaces where you would never expect them, beautiful gardens. I stood there, spinning around, struck with awe.

But getting hooked on finding awe is not the only reason I am excited about cycling in Australia and New Zealand. In a newly released book  -Live To Ride – Peter Flax writes, “Bikes truly shine when they carry us from home into the natural world.” The little I do know about Tasmania and New Zealand is that the natural world is their main attraction. I have not read Flax’s book but I think the summary on Amazon sums it up – “The bicycle is one of the greatest inventions in human history. It can literally transport you to places you want to go—to your school or office, to the summit of a local hilltop, to some objective in your pursuit of fitness—but it can do more than that. A bicycle can also transport you to an entirely different mindset, a place where you can embrace the unexpected and live in the moment.”

The subtitle of Live To Ride is Finding Joy And Meaning On A Bicycle. To those of us who already cycle, this is not news, but for many who may still be hesitating – to borrow a famous meme – Just do it, sign up! Australia and New Zealand are beckoning. I would like to end this little blog about awe, travel and the joy of cycling with a saying I found in an obituary in the Economist on an evolutionary architect and forest dweller, SunRay Kelly. Kelly liked a Native Americans saying – “Each human being had a song, and once you found your song, you needed no other blessing. For everything would come to you.”

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“As we cycle through these vast lands in the heat and sun, with our Camelbaks and water bottles full we know that if we run out of water we will have a source at the end of the day.” – from ‘The Water Shuffle‘ on our blog

As a participant on one of our tours, you can feel rest assured that there will always be enough water to drink. This is a relatively easy achievement for the support staff on our Touring and Adventure category tours where we stay mostly (if not entirely) in hotels each evening and where water is either filtered or we treat it using water purification chemicals. On our Expedition level tours, the search for water is more challenging and takes up a significantly larger amount of the staff’s time and energy. This video from the North American Epic is a great behind the scenes look at a ‘water chase day’ in remote northern Canada.

In a blog by Ryan Matthews, he explains in detail his efforts to keep our roadside lunch stocked with drinking water day after day as the tour travelled through drought-prone regions of Africa. “A lot of behind-the-scenes logistics goes into allowing cyclists to put their focus and energy on riding throughout the epic expedition-style tours that TDA Global Cycling is famous for. A reliable water supply can easily be taken for granted, whereas in some places it’s a formidable challenge…Wells, hand pumps, donkey carts, tankers, hoses, water stewards, jerrycans… they’re all just a sampling of elements that go into providing riders with a relaxing oasis for their daily lunch break!”

In the video below, Tour Leader Yanez Novoa gives us a tour of the support vehicles for the Tour d’Afrique and their large water storage tanks:

How Much Should I Carry During the Day?

Our advice has always been to carry more water than you think you will need. We recommend to come set up for a water capacity of 3 litres. That could be with water bottles, or a hydration pack, or extra reserve water in a handlebar bag or frame bag.

You will have opportunities to fill your bottles and containers each morning before the ride, and each day at our roadside lunch stop. Our support vehicles always have drinking water too – so don’t be shy to flag them down as they pass you on the route. Once you arrive to the end of the ride you can either source water from the hotel or campsite or local shops or from our water reserves on our camping-based tours in remote regions.

The key is to sip water throughout the day. Don’t wait until you get thirsty. You also need to remember that when you sweat you are losing salts along with the water from your body. So it’s important to replenish both. So electrolyte sports drinks and getting salt through the foods you eat at our roadside lunch help replenish you. On some tours we are able to provide an electrolyte drink that is available at breakfast and lunch, while on other tours participants can bring a small supply for the first days of their tour and buy local equivalents where possible along the way. Our staff also keep a supply of oral rehydration salts for the days that are particularly long and hot with a lot of sun exposure.

World Water Day

It is not lost on us that such easy access to drinking water for our participants is not the case for everyone in the world – far from it. The search for water is much more consequential for people living in the drought-prone regions. Today is World Water Day and so it is also an occasion to reflect on how lucky we are to have water from our taps at home and in our bottles as we ride. As Stephanie rightly pointed out in the The Water Shuffle, water is life. As TDA’s founder Henry Gold recommended previously on World Water Day, as a cyclist “take a minute and drink your clean water slowly, mindfully. Think how fortunate you are and think a bit also about those who are not. It may even make you a better cyclist.”

We have been running cycling adventures in India since 2011 and these adventures remain amongst the most unique on our tour calendar. As we noted in our introduction to our 2023 Hippie Trail rider reviews, “India is like no other place on the planet! The colours, the people, the sounds, the smells, the food – it really is a multi-dimensional journey and the most immersive way to experience this kaleidoscopic trip is, of course, on a bicycle.”

Check out these videos from the 2023 ride and then get ready to join us in 2025 on this incredible cycling experience! Spaces are limited.

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“I think your social media content is very good. My husband gets jealous every time you make a posting which prompts us to open your website and register for another tour! Well done!!! 🙂”

As we roll into another exciting year of amazing cycling adventures, let’s kick back and dive into fascinating results of TDA Global Cycling’s annual survey. Before doing that, we want to take a moment to extend our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you who participated. Your suggestions and kind words fuel our passion for exploring and improving. Whether you’ve joined us on tours in the past, or are following our adventures from afar, your support means the world to us.

We’ve crunched the numbers, sifted through the comments and brewed a blend of insights and chuckles to share with our wonderful cycling community. Now, let’s pedal straight into the highlights:

North America? Present!

With 63% of our alumni from North America we’re keeping the cycling spirit alive and kicking on this side of the globe. But hey, Europe, you’re giving us 22% of the riders and counting!

Ladies Lead the Way

Move over, gents! This year, we’re celebrating a boost in female power, with 42% of respondents being fabulous women. Let’s strive for gender parity on our rides, as we continue to pedal forward together!

Tour Types Galore

Adventure? Expedition? Touring? We’ve got it all! With 37% of you favouring Expedition tours, 30% opting for Adventure and 33% for Touring, it’s clear that our diverse offerings ensure there’s something for every type of cyclist.

Spread the TDA Love

With an impressive 72% of you happy to recommend us to your friends, we’re truly touched by the support! Keep spreading the word – there’s always room for more riders on our tours!

Planning Ahead

They say the early bird catches the worm, but at TDA, it catches the best tour spots! A whopping 76,2% of our past clients and 55% of the newsletter subscribers have already penciled in your next adventure within the next two years. We’ll be waiting with bells on!

Let’s look at the most favourite content in our newsletters and blogs! Here’s a glimpse into what keeps our community coming back for more:

• Captivating Tour Blogs
• Insider Tips and Tricks
• New Tour Previews
• Videos That Bring Tours to Life
• Stories from the Road

As we continue to curate content that resonates with our readers, we’re committed to delivering the stories, tips, and insights that keep the cycling community inspired and informed. After all, our readers aren’t just subscribers – they’re fellow adventurers on the journey of a lifetime!

Our readers are particularly intrigued by a variety of our tours, with each offering a unique flavour of adventure. Among the top contenders, the legendary Tour d’Afrique captures the imagination of nearly 20% of our audience, while the enchanting Viva Italia, magnetic Orient Express, and exotic Silk Route each command the interest of 7 – 8% of our readers.

We’ve also received an abundance of positive feedback about our incredible crews. From our knowledgeable tour leaders to our dedicated support staff, our riders consistently praise the professionalism, expertise, and warmth they bring to every tour. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences and for shining a spotlight on the incredible individuals who make every TDA tour an unforgettable adventure.

As we pedal forward into the unknown, let’s carry with us the memories we’ve made, the friendships we’ve forged, and the lessons we’ve learned along the way. Together, we’re not just cyclists on a tour – we’re a community bound by our shared love of exploration and discovery on two wheels. Whether you’re a seasoned rider or a newcomer to the world of cycling, or the dearest reader of our blog, know that there’s always a place for you on our tours.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s to many more miles of adventure and unforgettable moments together.

Gonzalo Pastor is a sectional rider on the 2024 Tour d’Afrique Cycling Expedition. In this post, he reports on his experiences, religious and otherwise, in Tanzania.

We are in beautiful Tanzania. A few days ago, we camped under the impressive Mt Kilimanjaro and last night we saw Mount Meru from our campsite. Two jewels of Tanzania! I will be taking with me many wonderful memories from this beautiful land, spiced by the magic of the Tanzanian people. People from different tribes (Maasai, Chagga and other 118 tribes, living in peace with one another) and 3 of the world’s main religions, mainly Christian, Muslims and some Hindu.

I would like to note a material thing that makes many young men and women happy in these lands: the colourful T-shirts from leading international football teams (Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Real Madrid and others) that are seen all around on the youngsters (and not-so-young!). Dress codes that can be distinguished a mile away while biking, because of their bright colours. The amusing thing is that if you, for example, ask some young Maasai ladies about the team T/shirt that they are wearing, they may look at their shirts and reply that they don’t really know what are those t-shirts all about! But that is, however, immaterial to the smile that you receive from these ladies as a curious tourist! We just like football, and that is why we use those shirts, Jazz told me at the hotel counter! A little gift from the Champions League’s organizers that makes so many people happy down here. Muchas gracias Champions League!

The story of the Maasai people does not finish there. The Maasai, in Arusha and maybe in other places, may be facing some tough times once you look deeper. Modernization has arrived and many large fertile areas are now fenced, thus somewhat limiting the space available for grazing their cows, goats and sheep. Lands that were open fields not so long ago, are now private property and beyond reach for them. My observation is that the Maasai are adjusting to the times. Some are more engaged in agriculture than in the past. Others work in the services sector, in tourism or retail. Those working in the tourist sector may not even carry their traditional bright-coloured shoulder blankets and walking sticks used by their parents and grandparents.

Tanzanian society, overall, is very religious and that may be a source of cohesion in these changing times. The names of our local assistants along the road have been, among others, Emmanuel, Ezequiel, Ruth, Naomi, and Sarah. Even the wifi passwords give you a hint – for example, “Blessing 2023.” The Maasai are also a very traditional social group. Tradition! Tradition! It impacts the way they live and eat. For example, according to their religious practices, not all portions of the cow are eaten and some portions are reserved for men and others for women. I have received many blessings along the road these last two months, including some requests to keep some people in my prayers. My last name is Pastor, which is Swahili reads Mfundisi, or leader of a congregation. Thus, some people think that I am, in fact, a religious leader. That makes me very proud and I now carry that name with great pride and responsibility!

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Judith Gold, sister of TDA Founder Henry Gold, is currently cycling the 2024 Tour d’Afrique from Kigali to Cape Town. In this piece, she looks back at her experience cycling through Kenya.

We have now completed cycling through Kenya. Our first rest stop in the country, after an intense 5 days of riding from Entebbe – through mountains, on dirt roads, in fishermen’s boats and on local trucks – was in Eldoret, the town where Kenyan runners and cyclists train. It was home for the recent Chicago marathon champion and world record holder, Kiptum, who died in a tragic car crash a week before we arrived.

Surprisingly, at least to me, there was a huge difference upon entering Kenya. We saw many industrial farms, greenhouses, and evidence of industry. Sadly, there was virtually none of that in the parts of Uganda we biked, save for one Chinese industrial park. The roads in Kenya are less busy, houses set a bit further off the road and a lot fewer adults and children milling about and the majority of women are in modern dress. The land is also dryer, though still green, and we passed the occasional cactus and acacia tree, but no giraffes (they feed on the acacia). The land turned very green soon thereafter, as we entered the Great Rift Valley. An amazing ride, even among the many amazing rides we have already had.

Another highlight were the numerous crossing of the equator, which I have already written about,  as we snaked our way east from Uganda before turning south towards Nairobi. It’s just one of those things one likes to tick off one’s list, but we crossed it so many times that many of us lost count. A fellow cyclist, after she read the blog, reminded me that I forgot two crossings during our trip to see to the chimp sanctuary in Lake Victoria. As I said, we lost count…

The scenery in Kenya was impressive. It truly is a beautiful country (at least the part we cycled). It’s surreal sometimes to be the only cyclist on an empty long road, as the vast majority of the other cyclists are way ahead of me. I have to remind myself how amazing this really is. And it’s also remarkable how safe it feels. Especially when one considers that the interior of Africa was a completely mystery only 150 years ago.

We had two rest days in Nairobi, a vast and very busy city. We (Gonzalo and myself, and some of the other riders) took the opportunity to visit the Giraffe Sanctuary to see and feed the Rothchild Giraffes, which were nearly extinct before their numbers started to rise due to the work of the sanctuary. There are now close to a 1000 of these.

We also had a short game drive in the Nairobi National park, where we saw lots of game and visited the Sheldrick Elephant Nursery, watching orphan baby elephants being bottled fed and frolic. An interesting book about the founding of the nursery is Love, Life, and Elephants, an African Love Story, by Daphne Sheldrick. But perhaps the best part of the visit to Nairobi was the many interesting conversations we had with Uber drivers. The majority are university graduates who cannot get jobs making a decent living. They work 14-15 hour days. We spoke to several finance/accounting majors. Some lost their jobs during COVID and indicated that these jobs are unlikely to come back. Many complained of recent increases in taxes and how life was getting harder and harder. It was difficult not to put on our IMF hats and start dissecting the economy. Talk of debt was everywhere!

Our final day of riding in Kenya was around Mt. Kilimanjaro with clear views of the snow capped peak. Super lucky!

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TDA Global Cycling’s adventures take riders all over the world – through more than 80 countries on 6 continents – and we are proud of the planning and dedication it takes to both create these tours and make sure that they run smoothly and safely. Our team, both in the office and in the field, do much more than that, however. We also support the riders in preparing for their ride and provide them with the information and skills that allow them to complete these long distance cycling journeys.

Our website provides a wealth of information on such topics as What To Expect & How To Prepare. In addition, we have a comprehensive TDA Starter Kit available for download. We have also put together a number of instructive videos covering some common questions about supported cycling adventures in particular and cycling in general. Here are a 6 of our most popular TDA advice videos. Let us know if there are other topics you would like us to cover in the future.

Australia (‘The Lucky Country’) and New Zealand (‘The Land of the Long White Cloud’) have long had a sibling rivalry between them. For example, in sports, like cricket (point to the Aussies) and rugby (point to the Kiwis). Although the 2 countries love to tell jokes about their Trans-Tasman neighbours, they also consider each other as best friends on the world stage.

Our Trans-Oceania Cycling Tour covers both these unique countries and with the 2024 edition starting in about 7 months, we thought we would take a good-natured look at the debate and see who comes out on top.

Wildlife

Eastern Brown snake

Australia has kangaroos, wombats, emus & koala bears…but also some of the world’s most dangerous animals – salt and fresh water crocs, 93 types of poisonous snakes, spiders the size of a small dog and deadly box jellyfish!

Kiwi at night

New Zealand, on the other hand, has cute kiwis and a bunch of harmless birds and penguins

Winner: Australia, for both the variety and excitement of its animal population. Just keep yours eyes open!

Language

Australia – Aussies love to draw out their vowels and shorten words. Dean Frankel, an expert in communication at the University of Melbourne, claims that early British settlers “frequently got drunk together and through their repeated interactions, unknowingly added an alcoholic touch to (the) national way of speaking.” They call flip flops, thongs. Our favourite expressions include: Ripper (Awesome) and Arvo (Afternoon).

New Zealand – Kiwis also play with vowels. Everything feels a little more nasal, so a “I” has a “U” sound. They call flip flops, jandals and claim to have invented the footwear. Kiwis have pointed out that “Australia is literally the only country on earth that wears thongs on their feet rather than their bums.” Our favourite Kiwi expressions include: Munted (Broken or drunk) and Chur (Awesome, sweet, good, yeah).

Winner: This is a tough one. Both countries get points for originality and style but the sheer number of Australianisms gives the edge to the Aussies. If you are having a hard time deciphering the differences in accents, watch this instructive video to learn the difference.

Cultural Norms

Australia – Kiwis take pleasure in portraying Aussies as gregarious, loud, rude, ex-convicts who foolishly claim that Crowded House is an Australian band.

New Zealand – Aussies return the favour by suggesting that Kiwis are shy, disdainful, sheep shaggers who mistakenly think that somehow Crowded House was a New Zealand band.

Winner: Let’s call this one a tie!

Capitals

Wellington, New Zealand

Australia – Canberra. A true government town. One writer claimed “The most exciting thing to come out of Australia’s capital Canberra is the highway heading up to Sydney.”

New Zealand – Wellington. Despite the sometimes crazy wind (the locals call. it ‘Windy Welly), the city’s attractive waterfront and picturesque location are hard to beat.

Winner: Sorry this one is a no-brainer. Point to the Kiwis.

Indigenous Symbols

Australia – The Didgeridoo was developed by the Aboriginal people of Australia over 1,000 years ago and its unique sound is used to accompany ceremonial dances. The word didgeridoo is not of Aboriginal origin and various peoples use terms like yiḏaki, mandapul or mako to describe it. The instrument itself can be anywhere from 1 – 3 metres in length.

New Zealand – The Haka is a Maori ceremonial dance that is probably best known to the wider world as performed before New Zealand’s All-Blacks rugby games. It involves the intense stamping of feet, rhythmic shouting and vigorous gestures – really quite the spectacle.

Winner:  Another tie. Both these symbols have an incredible impact on those experiencing them and reflect the beautiful traditions of the Aboriginal peoples of both countries.

Size

Australia  is the world’s 6th largest country with a population of over 26 million people (and 42 million kangaroos). Kiwis would suggest that is all well and good but over 70% of that is semi-arid, arid or desert where virtually nobody lives (except those roos) and that Aussies are obsessed with size.

New Zealand, by contrast, is the 75th largest country with a tiny population of 5 million people (and 25 million sheep). Aussies would scoff at these two tiny islands and think that the difference in size gives the Kiwis a large (!) chip on their collective shoulders.

Winner: Australia. Size does matter.

Sports

Australia’s National rugby team is the Wallabies who play New Zealand’s All Blacks every year in the Bledisloe Cup. Unfortunately they haven’t been victorious since 2001. The country does get credit for inventing the rather insane Aussie Rules Football and more points for inventing something called polocrosse, which is exactly what the name suggests – a straight cross between polo and lacrosse.

New Zealand – The All-Blacks are widely considered to be the very best rugby team in the world. The country has also won the America’s Cup Yacht Race twice in the years since the Australians managed the feat back in 1983.

Winner: New Zealand gets the nod, not only for the incredible All-Blacks but also for Australia ‘cheating’ at cricket. In 1981 New Zealand was playing Australia in a cricket match and the Kiwis needed a six (the equivalent of a home run in cricket) to tie the match. The Aussie captain Greg Chappell made his brother Trevor bowl the ball underarm along the ground preventing any chance of the Kiwi batsman Brian McKechnie hitting a six. Whilst this wasn’t against the rules, it hadn’t been done before and was very much against the spirit of the game. Personally, I was in NZ at the time and still remember the outrage!

Weather

Australia – The dry. Forecast is hot and sunny…really hot and sunny.

New Zealand – The wet. Forecast is variable. Sunny periods with chance of rain and wind, perhaps lots of rain and wind.

Winner: If you can’t stand the heat, get out of Australia! However, the sun, gotta love the sun. A tie.

Food & Drink

Australia – Aussies prefer their malty, salty yeast spread in the form of Vegemite and consume on average 12 meat pies per person each year. The country is known for its rich Shiraz wines and take their XXXX beers to the beach in an Esky (cooler). They claim credit for inventing the Pavlova, a delicious desert named, oddly, after a Russian ballerina.

New Zealand – Kiwis prefer their savoury, earthy yeast spread in the form of Marmite and consume on average 15 meat pies a year. Their claim to fame in wines comes via the otherworldly flavours of Sauvignon Blanc while they cart their Steinlager brews to the beach in a chilly bin. They also take credit for the invention of the Pavlova, a disagreement with the Aussies that has lasted for almost 100 years.

Winner: Well, yeast spread is certainly an acquired taste (to put it mildly). Red wine fans will likely opt for Australia while white wine aficionados will lean towards New Zealand so this one is a tie.

Scenery

Australia: The country has so many beaches (11,761) you could spend your live exploring them and never see them all. It also has the stunning sandstone monolith of Uluru and the incomparable Great Barrier Reef.

New Zealand: This country has it all – Beaches, mountains, rivers, forests, lakes, volcanoes and hot springs for a start. It is no wonder that it was chosen as the location for the filming of the Lord of the Rings.

Winner: New Zealand, for its incredible variety of landscapes, takes this one easily.

Summary

The final score? Australia and New Zealand each take 3 categories while 4 others ended in a tie. How does that affect your decision on whether to cycle one country or the other on the Trans-Oceania?

Well, if you rate wildlife, language and size highly then you could cycle all 3 Australian sections – Great Ocean Road (Adelaide – Melbourne),  Tasmanian Devils & Tigers (Launceston – Devonport) & Wizards of Oz (Melbourne – Sydney).

On the other hand, if scenery, sports and capitals are more important you could ride the 2 New Zealand sections – Maori Magic (Auckland – Wellington) & Kiwi Country (Wellington – Queenstown).

Or judge for your self and pedal through both countries and send us your own scorecard.

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“Do I have to ride the whole day?”

This is a common concern for someone who has never done a tour with us before – there is a natural fear of being too slow or being left behind. Rest assured, our staff do regular attendance to ensure everyone is accounted for and are ready and willing to give you a ride in the support vehicles if needed.

The simple answer to this very common question is “No”. This is a supported tour and while we encourage people to ride as much as they are able to, and the goal is for everyone to be able to ride the full day, we do have space on our vehicles to pick up a limited number of riders who are too tired to continue, or have become sick or injured.

>>RELATED BLOG: How far can I ride in a day

Planning Ahead

With our navigation system, you can review the upcoming stages and decide if you think it will be more than you can handle, or whether it’s a stage where you’ll attempt to ride the whole day and see how far you get. The Ride with GPS app (where we share the route information) will give you distance and climbing information. In addition each evening before dinner, the staff will host a rider meeting. This will cover the following day’s route, including navigation, hazards, interesting sites and accommodations. With this information, you can make a plan for the upcoming stage.

Riding Part of the Day

Our typical riding day is around 100 to 120 km. If you have reviewed the route and listened to the tour leader’s briefing the night before, you may want to ride only part of the day’s route.

Option 1: Start from the lunch stop

Our roadside lunch provides an excellent start or end location to do a half day of riding. If you let the tour leader know the night before (or the morning of the ride at the latest), they can load your bike onto one of the vehicles and drive you to the roadside lunch location. From there, once the crew have set up the lunch table and prepared the food, you can grab a sandwich and hit the road with the whole day to cover half of the day’s scheduled distance.

Option 2: End your ride at the lunch stop

Alternatively, once you arrive by bike to the roadside lunch, you might decide that you will not continue cycling – no problem. Let the lunch crew know, and after all the riders have finished lunch and the vehicle is packed up, they can drive you the rest of the way to our hotel or camp for the night.

Option 3: Pickup along the route

While the lunch stop is the simplest place to start or end your ride, there are also possibilities to get picked along the route if you can’t continue. Sometimes this might mean waiting for a vehicle to return to get you. On our tours, we don’t have a ‘sag wagon’ that follows the group, but we do have a staff person each day riding a bike as the ‘sweep’ – meaning they ride at the very back behind the last rider and can be helpful in the event you are unsure about the directions or if you need them to call for a pick up.

On longer or more challenging days we sometimes have an additional water stop part way thru the ride. Or in other situations a vehicle will drive along the route and stop to check in on each rider as they pass. This is another opportunity to refuel and prepare for the rest of the riding or to determine if you have had enough and need a lift.

Pacing Yourself on Long Distance Cycling Tours

Of course everyone’s goal is to cycle as much as possible – it is a cycling tour after all. We know that the people who are happiest on tour are usually the ones that don’t try to grind out every last inch, but instead they are more strategic and save some energy and save their body for the days ahead. Sometimes pushing too hard means you end up having to take more time off the bike to recover from fatigue or overuse injuries.

This is especially true in the first days and weeks of the tour where you are still getting into shape and your body is adapting to being on a bike so much. If you allow yourself to steadily get stronger and more fit, you will start to get more and more out of each day’s ride.

Settle in and Enjoy

“You feel so confident in the staff that you can let go of worrying and just focus on experiencing the world around you.”

That quote from one of our past riders says it all – let go! Trust the staff and challenge yourself to cycle some of the tough days, but also listen to your body and know when to take a break. Among the real joys of traveling by bicycle is the freedom to determine your own pace and to immerse yourself in new surroundings. Don’t get so caught up in making it to your day’s destination that you miss the pleasures of the journey. Stopping in villages and towns to meet the people or to visit an unexpected local attraction along the route will only add to your overall experience. Often the unexpected surprises turn into the best memories. Adventure travel is all about being spontaneous and relishing the unexpected.

The Ruta Maya Cycling Adventure is one of our toughest cycling adventures but the reward for taking on the challenge is priceless. We think our riders would agree.

Registration for the 2026 Ruta Maya is now open.

“It was an excellent, challenging and rewarding adventure.” – Cindy Rogers (Canada)

“It was a great opportunity to see the authentic side of Central America. The mountainous backroads were stunning.” – Wendy McDonald (USA)

“I loved the adventure from start to finish. The great staff, daily routine, variety in countries and landscapes, friendly locals and some magical spots we stayed and visited made it a trip to remember.” – Sjoerd van Berkel (Netherlands)

“This challenging route should be taken seriously. Bring a humble spirit, plan to take your time on course and you will be rewarded with remarkable scenery and a unique cultural experience.” – Justin Ripley (USA)

“The tour exceeded my high expectations. The terrain was spectacular, the combination of the Mayan ruins and Spanish colonial legacy was fascinating and the support of the TDA staff to get through the considerable challenges along the way was exemplary.” – James Tory (Canada)

“The Ruta Maya is a great tour.” – Hubert Schanne (Austria)

“I’ve been on many tours and TDA Global Cycling’s wealth of experience made the tour effortless for the riders.” – Sally Weatherald (Australia)

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“This was my first TDA tour and now I’m hooked. Halfway into this one I had already booked 2 other TDA tours.” – Raul, Golden Buddha Ride

“TDA has done it again! The tour exceeded all my expectations. The routes were well planned and never boring!” – Dennis, Trans-Himalaya

TDA has had a wonderful problem over the last 18 months: Our tours are very much in demand. But as tours sell out and waitlists grow, some of you are missing out.

In 2021 we made the registration fee transferable – meaning people could change their mind and switch to another tour anytime before the entry fee payment deadline. This was done to help people regain their comfort with travel planning amidst the uncertainty of the COVID-era. Since then, we have seen a significant increase in cancelled and transferred registrations. It is important for us as organizers, and for those of you hoping to join a tour, to know how committed other riders are to the tours they have registered for.

Registration Fee is Non-Transferable

It is for the reasons above that as of today, registration fees are non-transferable for all new registrations (existing registrations can still use their one-time transfer). Once you pay, the US$150 fee holds your place until the entry fee payment deadline (3 months before the tour starts). Registration fees remain non-refundable.

We are thrilled to see such strong demand for our tours. Our loyal cyclists have returned in force, and we had over 150 people join their first TDA Global Cycling tour last year. More and more people around the world are experiencing the unique pleasure of long-distance cycle touring. That is amazing!

We believe this small change will allow us as organizers and you as devoted riders to make future plans with as much certainty as possible. We are excited to bring you many more tours in the years ahead. Thank you for your support and see you on the road!

Judith Gold, sister of TDA Founder Henry Gold, is currently cycling the 2024 Tour d’Afrique from Kigali to Cape Town. In this piece, she looks back at her experience crossing…and recrossing…one of the world’s great dividing lines.

As loyal followers of TDA Global Cycling will know, the 2024 Tour d’Afrique had to rejig its traditional route to skip over Sudan and Ethiopia. Instead, we got to bike in Rwanda and Uganda and so had the pleasure of many new experiences that were not available on the usual ride. One of these is the numerous crossings of the equator.

The equator is one of those classic things that travellers like to tick off their list. Yes, it may be important to cartographers, and especially to navigators in days past (before Ride With GPS, haha), but really, what is the imaginary line that separates the earth into the north and south to us, everyday people, who like to bike, other than a photo op? Imagine our surprise when we experienced several crossings of this historic marker.

Our first crossing was in a long (about 4 hours) ferry ride on Lake Victoria. Unfortunately the day was bleak, with rather intense rain, and the majority of riders were packed like sardines in the belly of the ferry. It was actually fun, as we got to intimately know our fellow Ugandan passengers including details of their daily lives while exchanging stories and showing photos of our loved ones. We did not, however, mark the crossing of the equator. Not only was it raining hard, but any movement on the ferry was restricted by the large crowd and leaving your seat meant you got to stand the rest of the way. No problem, we knew there would be another crossing. But we did not appreciate just how many.

The second time was epic. It was during stage 23, cycling from Koriema to Nakuru, in Kenya, and we lunched at zero latitude. Very cool! Many of the riders made sure they got a video of themselves riding right under the equator sign, several times! A feeling of a real sense of accomplishment. Another milestone on this amazing journey. But just the very next day, on a ride from Nakuru to our Bush camp at Matura, we got to cross the equator two, or maybe three times. We are still debating this, as we ended the ride on our rest day in the town of Nanyuki, in the North hemisphere somehow, when we should have been in the Southern Hemisphere. Clearly one of our crossing was on either of the two long segments on dirt roads, where the road authority did not go to the trouble of marking this most important of passages.

Nanyuki is an attractive town, best known as the place to organize safaris to see the last surviving northern white rhino in the nearby Ol Pejeta Reserve. It is also directly on the equator and a short walk through town takes one right by yet another sign that announces to the world that one has crossed that imaginary line. The majority of the riders decided that they had enough crossings so they did not bother. In any case, we all crossed it one last time (at least on this trip) on our ride out of Nanyuki to Othaya. I am guessing that no one bothered to stop and take a picture.

All in all, we crossed the equator six times (not counting the crossing in town on our rest day). Maybe 4 more than needed? Even our illustrious tour leader lost count. Maybe TDA Global Cycling should try out a new route, the Equator Ride, snaking along the equator in this part of Africa?

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Benjamin Levin is the Content Creator on the 2024 Tour d’Afrique Cycling Expedition and a self described wildlife photographer. In this report, he looks back at his experience (and that of a few riders) had on the Musanze rest day visiting the mountain gorillas of Rwanda.

The riders had climbed for days and days to get to this point. Rwanda is known as the land of a thousand hills and whoever said that was certainly not exaggerating. But some riders on the 2024 Tour d’Afrique had a destination in mind that was worth the endless ascents; they were going to one of the only places in the world that can offer a wildlife experience as singular and intimate as the one they were after. The excitement in these riders was palpable as we headed to Musanze, Rwanda. They were going to have the opportunity to see endangered mountain gorillas in the wild.

A silverback gorilla lazily staring at us as he eats

There are just over 1000 mountain gorillas left on the planet. With their range restricted to the jungles of Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is imperative for the survival of this species that they are properly protected. Tourism is strictly regulated. In Rwanda, only 96 permits are given out each day to see the gorillas. Not only does this make the experience that much more special for the riders that had the opportunity, but it also ensures that the gorillas remain truly wild, not becoming habituated to human intrusion. Moreover, the money made from tourism goes directly back into gorilla conservation and the development of the local community. In a way, the gorillas are the catalysts for the successful development of gorillas conservation programs and growth of the Musanze area.

As it grew closer to the time to leave for the tour, everyone made certain their permits were correct, cameras were charged and clothes were primed for the bugs and rains. Then, in the early morning, we got picked up from camp. Soon we were placed in our groups; the time to search for these beautiful, powerful primates was upon us. The morning was mostly clear, we could see the volcano looming over the jungle. Rain clouds threatened, as they always do in this part of the world, in the distance above Volcano National Park. The bush was dense, more of a game trail than one regularly used for trekking. Ankle deep mud, the enemy of the day, welcomed us to the jungle. For 45 minutes, or maybe an hour, we pushed through the dense undergrowth. The game ranger led us confidently, explaining as he went that all of the gorilla tracking is done using landmarks, no GPS or satellites. Then we heard voices, voices and grunting. We stood still. The tops of the trees moved, rather, they were moved and rounding a corner suddenly, a silverback gorilla stared at us.

One of the most striking feelings you experience while viewing wildlife is being looked at. It is almost ironic, you search for these animals in order to look at them, to see them in their natural environment, undisturbed. So when they look at you, and you can really feel them looking at you, it is an incredibly special feeling. Primates in particular, so human in their appearance and actions, look at you with an intelligence that freezes you in place. We had cycled a thousand kilometres and hiked for many more to end up looking at these creatures, and instead, they were looking at us.

As we observed these wonderful animals, our gaze reflected in theirs, we could not help but compare ourselves to them. Seeing these mountain gorillas in their home, playing, arguing, grooming, and relaxing was like looking at a mirror of the human condition. The tenderness of the mother, the gentle confidence of the father, all things that we have experienced in our day to day lives. Visiting the mountain gorillas was a deeply impactful experience. The unique blend of intimacy and awe of being seen through their eyes is something I will always remember and carry with me.

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It is no secret that Australia and New Zealand have a unique cultural footprint – be it Australia’s obsession with large objects or both country’s linguistic peculiarities – and cyclists on the Trans-Oceania Cycling Tour will certainly be entertained by some curious road signs along the route. Here are a few of our favourites.

New Zealand is full of Kiwis…and Oompa Loompas

Keep your eyes open (credit – left – Joachim Loeffel)

Local News

Welcome home! (Credit – top – Joachim Loffel)

Please follow the instructions

Good to know.

Be aware…

Nice views

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Australia and New Zealand are well known for having some of the world’s most unique wildlife.

Here are some of the most interesting ones we saw on the Trans-Oceania cycle tour in 2022:

Peacock

Echidna

Platypus

Crab

Koala

Emu

Kangaroo

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Benjamin Levin is the Content Creator on the 2024 Tour d’Afrique Cycling Expedition. In his second report, he looks back at his experience with Egyptian traffic and the different ways people use horns, something that our cyclists slowly learned about during their time in the country.

Arriving in any unfamiliar country can be overwhelming. For the riders beginning the Tour d’Afrique in Cairo, Egypt, with its constant and overwhelming stimulations, the experience is often a shock to the system. A thousand new sights, smells, and sounds welcome you to this great city. Through it all, no sense is as affected as is your hearing. Twenty-two million people live in the Cairo metro area and with an estimated 2.6 million licensed vehicles on the road, one sound rises above the din, honking. While the barrage of horns is often mistaken for constant anger on the road, it is really a nuanced language. Known only to the drivers of Egypt, the language of honking is as important for road literacy as reading street signs.

Many travellers to Egypt, hailing from countries where drivers tend to use horns to express anger or signal danger on the road, may find the constant deluge unsettling if they are not accustomed to it. Before acclimatizing to the honking culture, it would be easy to perceive everyone as constantly angry or in danger, putting you on edge. However, this conclusion would be misplaced. Spend any amount of time in the back of a taxi in Cairo, and you will begin to grasp the complex conversations that unfold on the matrix of streets, in the alleys, and throughout the 14-lane motorways of the city.

Yasser smiling as he chats about Egyptian drivers

As Yasser Mohamad, a Cairo native and a local bicycle mechanic in Egypt who was with us till Aswan to help support the clients, and I were driving, he explained the language of the road. “We have many words we can contact each other with [while driving], like ‘beep’ is like thank you, ‘beep beeeeep’ is like I’m angry from you, beep beep beep beep beep beep is like I love you habibi… some things like this,” he exclaims, laughing. This was just moments after he had honked at a car, passed it as it was honking back at him, then honked again to let them know his thanks. In just a few moments the two drivers communicated that one would pass the other, that it was ok, and then said thank you. All with a few touches of the horn. Yasser remarked that honking is part of everyday life in Egypt and makes driving much safer. “Without this, we would have many accidents on the road.” Lacking the traditionally enforced rules of the road, driving anywhere in Egypt is quite hectic and the use of the horns is a way to stay safe and aware on the busy streets.

Consider honking simply a form of social interaction; the same way that two people would make eye contact and nod to each other, is the same way two drivers honk. It makes sense. Polite people say please and thank you and ask for permission before doing something that may get in the way of others, but in a car we do not have the ability to speak this easily. Horns give people on the road a voice, a voice that people in many countries seldom use.

In Egypt, honking adds a layer of cultural richness to the chaotic song played on every Egyptian street. If you ever have the time to visit, take a moment to listen to the din of cars and trucks. Watch the skillful drivers weave in and out, taking cues from other drivers’ horns. You may just end up appreciating a sound you have been conditioned to dislike.

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Doug Percival has worked for TDA Global Cycling for over a decade as a Bike Mechanic & Tour Leader. In this post, our very own Hunter S Thompson takes us on a chaotic literary ride as he looks back at his experiences on the Trans-Oceania Cycling Tour.

A glorious decade.
That’s what’s it’s been since TDA first dabbed its toes and bike tyres onto the Australian continent.

In the last half of 2014, Having started their Journey in Sumatra, Indonesia..
TDA crossed several islands on ferries, passed by volcanos, rode questionable “official roads”, dodged scooters and roaming street animals…then jumped on a short flight and arrived in Darwin, Australia.

DARWIN is Possibly one of the quietest Cities on the planet.
Darwin is a small. (Population (+- 140 000)
It’s flat, the roads are wide, trucks are a prominent feature, beer is
the favourite meal of the day for some….
the population is small, It’s a world away from an Indonesian City!
Oh, and it’s outrageously hot. Swimming in the ocean is a NO NO,
because of basically every known deadly aqua marine creature lurks
there waiting for your plunge….including the crocodiles which
frequent the local beaches.
It’s a tough old spot, mildly intimidating.

As if that doesn’t set the scene for a tough start to a continent, how
about jumping on your bike and heading due south across the
Australian Outback for 2700km ?

I was there, its was Wild.

Credit: Joachim Loeffel

Flys, road trains, kangaroos, miles and miles and miles of desert
shrub.
Camping sometimes on the side of the road, or at a Road house with
basic services and a wonderfully over taxed refreshment.
That doesn’t stop a thirsty TDA client worldwide!!!… (and i’ve
witnessed that Globally with TDA!)
I recall riding My hottest afternoon sweep duty ever there, into a
small mining town called Coober Pedy. It was 49 degrees celsius on
3 of our devices.
It was a furnace.
Camping under the night sky in The Australian desert, is one of the
places on Earth where you still are just blown away at the clarity of
the night skies.
“The Hotel room with 5 Billion stars” as the new age ‘influencers’ of
the travelling scene may say…

We saw it. It was Wild.

After the desert, we rolled up the famous Southern coast of
Australia. Adelaide via the 12 Apostles, Melbourne had a dash of wet
weather, chilly evenings, and a Lavish dinner at the founder of
Lonely Planet’s house!
We continued on cruising through the million rolling hills of
Eucalyptus forests to reach Sydney.

The inaugural TDA Trans Oceania was complete.
It was a toughy.
It was Wild.

The 2nd visit for TDA repeated this Route, and faced all of the same
issues, similar epic stories of hardship still echo through the TDA
vehicles some afternoons on the road.

The 3rd Tour got changed up, and the Riders started their Tour in
Perth, on the West Coast of Australia.
They began their tour with a gentle 2700km across the Nullarbor desert.
Another one of Australia’s harshest environments. However instead
of wrapping up the fun in Sydney, TDA jumped across the water and
continued the tour from Auckland on the North Island of New
Zealand to Queenstown in the South Island.
A huge variation in scenery, climates, lifestyles and riding…

It was Wild.

After 3 tours across Some of the Worlds most desolate locations, in
2019, TDA sent me to scout a new route, connecting Darwin in the
North, to Cairns on the East Coast, and then Southerly to Sydney.
The idea was to Traverse along a road called the Savannah Highway.
With 500-600kms between drinkable water sources, roads that
required serious 4×4 vehicles, bull dust pits, corrugations shin deep,
deadly snakes and ‘comfortable’ camping sites non existing…..
Sadly the route had to be shelved due to rather obvious logistic impossibilities.

A global pandemic passed, we weathered that Storm. Borders
reopened, and enthusiasm to return to the Southerly Continent was
there!

So we returned. This time starting in Adelaide, rolling through Winelands to
Melbourne , back past some of the Eucalyptus Forests… although this
time we ventured south, to circle around Tasmania.

But mother nature had something to say again this time round…as
we were delayed in riding around Tasmania due to large scale
flooding…
Even the main harbour was ‘flooded’ and the Ferry from the mainland could not dock…(a concept I’m still trying to grasp 18
months later).

Tasmania was Incredible.
Big Mountains, fantastic cycling, but Wow, we got wet.
And the rain never stopped there, New Zealand Rained for a month!
All month.
Our saviour…Times have changed and this Tour was all in hotel
rooms.
A sanctuary to dry the clothes and to not be deafened by the driving rain.
It was tough.

And there was something to be thought about… and the topic on all
our lips, some Global Weather change, happening right In front of my
TDA eyes.
Same place, different years…

But despite the weather craziness, the kangaroos, and the eye
watering jet lag to get to that Southern Region, it somehow always
provides the Challenge, the comforts, the peculiar ways, and
strangeness and uniqueness that all the other continents provide.

Like the Kilimanjaro of Africa, or the Andes of South America,
Australia and New Zealand can equally provide a rural or “wow”
experience that makes you feel very alone on this planet…
And i put that to our Routing we create, which all starts at the Crazy
Scientist Headquarters Office in Toronto, is then handed to one of Us
Leaders to go scout, and if all aligns, becomes a Tour for clients to
join and cross a continent safely.

The 2024 version of Trans Oceania is on the Horizon.
It is almost guaranteed to have some sort of challenge, they wouldn’t
have it Any other way… The Aussies and kiwis make it tough, and it’s beautiful.

Nowadays we cross the Continent with hotel accommodation, the
days of camping have ended for now…. Both came with times of
challenge, and times of pure joy.

In some ways, i miss the brutal era of camping in those harsh
environments, most days i swore in discomfort..and ten weeks of
crossing a brutal environment is a great memory to share with those
clients who were doing tours in that era.

In other ways, hotel tours have brought some normality to the
situation, and made these wild environments Enjoyable to cross by bike.

Both equally satisfying.

So with the 10th year of TDA crossing this Wild Continent
approaching, i say to you the Reader…
Don’t underestimate this trip, don’t presume it’s ‘easy’ or just desert
and flys … Its a highly unique World down there!
You won’t forget your first encounter with an Australian Road Train
Truck driver in a hurry

And to the Reader who thinks the idea of the desert, the camping,
the real back country and the ‘going back in time and doing the Hard
Miles’ across a desert type tour…..
Speak up!
Let us know, One thing I’ve learnt from my 12 years of being apart of this Outfit, is the “Out of
the Question” discussion, is probably well and truly deep in discussion at the Toronto office.

Happy riding.

Doug

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“In the temple, we are reminded of our divine nature and our ultimate purpose in life. ” – Sadghuru

If you have any interest in temples and palaces, the second section of the Hippie Trail Cycling Adventure, Temple Caves & City Lights, is right up your alley. Beginning in the beguiling city of Udaipur, once considered the most romantic spot in India by early British colonials, and ending in Mumbai, the bustling financial capital of India, it offers riders 3 rest days along the way, each in a location featuring some of the sub-continents most spectacular temples and palaces.

Mandu (Madhya Pradesh)

The first rest day takes place in Mandu – a deserted city of remarkable splendour, with sprawling palaces, elegant mosques and impressive forts, all guarded by a series of stone turrets and gates. Unlike most other historical sites in India, Mandu features a variety of impressive Afghan architecture, a reflection of its founding by a Governor of Timur the Lame back in the 15th century. Known as the ‘City of Joy’ by its Muslim rulers for the number of lakes and ponds scattered amongst its buildings, visitors can enjoy the views out over the vast plains below the plateau. They might also notice the incongruous non-native baobab trees that populate the area, carried over through the years by visiting merchants.

Ajanta Caves (Maharashtra)

A few days later the tour makes a stop in Ajanta, allowing the riders a chance to explore a series of caves set along a U-shaped river gorge featuring incredible Buddhist religious art. A UNESCO World Heritage site, it dates back to the 2nd century BC and features 30 caves, all devoted to the life of the Buddha. The ancient murals are some of the best examples of cave painting in the region. A couple attempts to copy the images by the British in the 19th century ended in disaster. In 1830 a Major Robert Gill made 30 canvases which were taken to England only to be destroyed by a fire in 1866 while John Griffiths, principal of the Bombay School of Art, spent 13 years painting copies of the art, only to have them also all go up in smoke.

Ellora Caves (Maharashtra)

Kailasa Temple, Ellora

The next day’s ride brings them to Ellora, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, where ancient Hindu, Jain, Buddhist temples and monasteries are cut out of the Charanandri Hills. Unlike the caves of nearby Ajanta, these caves, constructed from the 5th to 10th centuries AD, feature Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain temples. There are over 100 caves on site but visitors are currently limited to 34 of them – 17 Hindu, 13 Buddhist and 5 Jain. Ajanta was located in a secluded valley but Ellora was situated on a busy Asian trade route. While this increased the latter’s popularity, it also contributed to damages inflicted on the temples during periods of Muslim rule. One particular highlight is the Kailasa Temple which was carved out of solid rock in 760 AD and involved moving 200,000 tonnes of rock, an incredible feat on the scale of building the Pyramids.

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The 2023 Golden Buddha Ride finished in Bangkok, Thailand just over a month ago. After cycling 4185 km through Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, we asked the riders what they thought about their experience.

The 2025 Golden Buddha Ride is now open for registration.

“This was my first TDA tour and now I’m hooked. Halfway into this one I had already booked 2 other TDA tours.” – Raul Costa (Portugal)

“Exceptionally stimulating, delightful, challenging and rewarding.” – Anne Thompson (USA)

“The Golden Buddha Ride took us through an incredible itinerary, ranging from ‘bucket list’ sites to remote rural areas that rarely see tourists. The riding was challenging and the scenery and cultural experiences were amazing.” – Karen Mazurek (Canada)

“I enjoyed the tour a lot. It was my first time in South East Asia and you made the discovery quite interesting.” – Marie-José Vasseur (Canada)

“The contact with the people was so warm. Especially, Laos is in my heart. The temples were amazing.” – Marco Panebianco (Italy)

“So cool.” – Lloyd Ypma (Canada)

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Benjamin Levin is the Content Creator on the 2024 Tour d’Afrique Cycling Expedition. He files his first report from Egypt.

The Tour d’Afrique is now leaving the moonscape deserts of Egypt for the fertile abundance of the Rwandan mountains. This shift, marked by the stark colour contrast between the yellow of Egypt and the green of Rwanda, is not the only change involving this particular Tour d’Afrique, and certainly not the most important. In fact, the most important change isn’t represented in the landscape and roads at all, but rather in the riders themselves, namely, the intrepid women of the 2024 Tour d’Afrique.

Sheila, Lois, Joanne, and Pam at the Pyramids

Although this tour has run for over two decades, this year marks a historic milestone – a perfectly balanced representation of men and women cycling the length of Africa, over 9,000 kilometres. When the tour first ran, 20% of the participants were women; 10 years later it was 34%, and now, 10 years after that, it is 50%. However awesome these numbers are, this is more than a statistical change. It is a testament to the amazing participants on this year’s Tour d’Afrique and an indication that the landscape of expedition cycling is becoming more inclusive and accessible.

So why is this shift taking place? Is it that the stereotypes that once restricted women to the sidelines of expedition cycling are being dismantled? Is it because the influx of women into this sport has motivated others to try and, subsequently, fall in love with it? Or maybe the Tour d’Afrique presents challenges that supersede gender? The truth is, it’s all of these things and more.

Cairo to Cape Town rider Margot explains how there is often a barrier to entry for women in cycling and how riders in Belgium, her home country, combat that – “For women, there seems to be a threshold to get onto that bike; We have organized a few female only backpacking weekends which is really cool…” Margot goes on to explain that these weekends empower women, new to expedition cycling, to take the leap and get on that bike. This camaraderie and encouragement is part of the process that becomes progress for women in the sport.

Sheila, a fellow Cairo to Cape Town rider, remarks that there are special things about women being on this trip – “Historically women did not have the wherewithal, the funds, or the ability to separate from a spouse… women have always been caretakers.” Sheila expressed how great it is that events like this are now more accessible to women due to the various social norms that have shifted. With progress being made toward gender equality, opportunities have opened up and women have taken full advantage of them. This TDA trip is an example of that.

Sheila joyously arriving at lunch!

The most brilliant thing about this wonderful trip and its amazing participants is that it is about more than men and women riding bikes. “The main glue that holds us together is tremendous adventure,” Sheila says. On a trip like this you do not quantify people by things like gender and age; you qualify them by their adventurous spirit, by their willingness to be brave, and by their wherewithal to struggle and struggle and struggle until they succeed. Bound by a common goal, these riders share triumph and defeat together as the trip continues. It is this shared purpose that dissolves gender barriers, bringing together individuals with a singular passion for adventure and resulting in an experience that creates an incredible bond between the riders and the ride.

This, ultimately, is what TDA is about.

RELATED
TOUR

Tour d'Afrique

Our original trans-continental journey and flagship expedition crosses Africa from north to south, covering 10 countries in all. Beginning at the...

Thinking about joining a TDA Global Cycling tour but still have some questions about the experience? To help you out, we will be holding an online information session, hosted by our Marketing Manager Shanny Hill, to answer all your pressing questions. Head of Customer Service, Michael Coo, and TDA Global Cycling’s Operations Manager, Miles MacDonald, will also be in attendance to share their insights.

From left: Shanny Hill, Michael Coo, Miles MacDonald

We’ll use this info session to share what we know and hopefully inspire you to sign up and join one of our exciting tours. Even if you can’t join one of these tours immediately, join us for the info session anyway. If you couldn’t find answers you were looking for on our FAQ page or in our TDA Starter Kit, this live online event is an opportunity to ask us anything – it could be related to any of our tours around the globe or any cycle touring questions you want answered by our experts.

DETAILS

When: Tuesday, February 13th starting at 13:00 in Toronto/New York (18:00 in London)

What: We will have brief introductions and summary of the 2024 & 2025 tours, followed by an open Q & A session.

Length: 30 – 45 min

Who should attend: Anyone interested in joining a TDA tour in the future.

Click here to register and we will alert you shortly before it starts. Even if you aren’t available for the live event, a recording will be emailed to everyone who registers.

Register Now

“To the Canadian organizer of the first Tour d’Afrique, cycling 11,000 kilometres from Cairo to Cape Town seemed like a good idea at the time. And after the lava fields, the bandit territory, the stone-throwing kids and the tire-swallowing sand, it seemed like an even better idea.”

Thus begins the introduction to the article I wrote for Explore Magazine about the first Tour d’Afrique. Crossing Africa from top to bottom on a bicycle was an idea that, when an article that publicized the expedition appeared in Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe Mail, resulted in a variety of reactions from ‘I am in’ to ‘this is simply not possible’ to ‘you have no idea what it takes to cross borders in Africa’ and ‘you have obviously not spent a day in Africa – if you had you would know this is simply impossible‘ or ‘this is mad, you are endangering your and the group lives’, finally ‘you are suicidal.’ Even friends who knew me well reacted with wonder – “Henry, this time you really lost it.” It turned out I wasn’t suicidal, nor apparently, mad.

2003 riders crossing Lake Nasser

Towards the end of the first Tour d’Afrique, with only a few days to go, riding through the Karoo, a semi-desert region in South Africa, with a handful of fellows that called themselves ‘the backpack’, as we were always the last people cycling into campsites, one of them popped a question – “Henry, now that we have crossed Africa, what is next?” I was neither thinking about this, nor prepared to answer. But an answer did, indeed, come out of my mouth – “The Silk Route, of course.”

Orient Express riders at the start

It turned out that the Silk Route was not the next tour, the next one was the Orient Express crossing Europe, but an idea was born then and there. We will cycle the world. We will create a company that will undertake cycling expeditions all over the world. At the tender age of 51 years old, I found a purpose for the rest of my life. To create a company that will enable regular folks, young and old, male and female, who are neither extreme athletes, nor dedicated lifelong fitness buffs – though both types are welcome to join – to get on a bike and simply have the adventure of a lifetime, get to know a bit of the world, experience different cultures and in the process change their perspective on this amazing planet we live on and perhaps even changing or improving their lives.

Riding the Bolivian Salt Flats

After the Tour d’Afrique came the Orient Express, then the Silk Route, then the Vuelta Sud America, then the Bamboo Road and so on and so on. Just click on our company calendar to see the extent of our reach. All created, organized and run by a small group of dedicated adventurists who work full or part time within our blessed company. One should keep in mind that each of those tours are unique and almost never the same as the previous. Each one requires an enormous amount of planning, lots of hard work and most of all a devoted and enthusiastic team that has the ability to prepare for the unexpected challenges that arise.

Cycling past temples in Thailand

And today as I write this, our little company is in the midst of running its 100th expedition. Yes, one hundred expeditions that have visited and traversed through 83 countries on 6 continents, with hundreds of riders from all over the world who have collectively pedalled over 15 million km on our tours.

To mark this little achievement, we have created an animated short that shows where we have cycled and illustrates that bicycles can reach anywhere in the whole world. Take a look. And keep on pedalling. Here’s is to the next hundred cycling adventures. May the force be with us, and with you.

One of the unsung joys of cycling the Tour d’Afrique is checking out the signs along the way. They can be amusing, entertaining and perplexing…all part of the African cycling experience.

Please add your own in the comments.

No scape for you

Good to know.

Make a smart investment

Great.

Leave the slaughtering to us/Sink or swim

Now, this is the place to be

Like cookies and cream

Fill ‘er up, Drac.

Just saying…

By the way…your order is ready

A little harsh

Sloppy area ahead

What flavour would Trump’s be?

Must be some tough scones

Super!

In the end….

RELATED
TOUR

Tour d'Afrique

Our original trans-continental journey and flagship expedition crosses Africa from north to south, covering 10 countries in all. Beginning at the...