Shanny Hill

I’ve been fortunate to travel all over the world. I learn so much each time I travel and with each new project and new tour we launch.

I first found a TDA brochure when I was a sales manager at Duke's Cycle in Toronto. I met Henry and convinced him to give me a job in the office. That was over a decade ago now.

My love of all things bicycle started when I was in high school: I lived in the country and my friends were six kilometres away, in town. A bike was the easiest way to meet up with them on weekends. This started my interest in cycle touring and I did my first big trip at age 17 with some friends—a month of biking around Lake Erie, covering 3,400 kilometres from our hometown Kirkland Lake, in Northern Ontario.

Some of my favourite TDA travel memories are from Kyrgyzstan. Also Ethiopia, as well as France. And of course can't forget Namibia, and Ireland, and, well...

I love to travel and I feel very fortunate to have had an eclectic mix of travel experiences. Whether it’s trying fermented mare's milk in a yurt in Kyrgyzstan, eating “spagbol” prepared by our talented tour chefs after a long day of riding, sipping strong espresso in Venice, or sitting street-side for lunch in Paris, my travels always have food at their centre. Food and cycling—the combination can't be beat!

Working with TDA is all about variety—food, cycling, challenge, problem-solving, meeting people from all over the world, getting a glimpse into the way others live elsewhere and gaining knowledge from them, and learning to be humble.

Ryan Rice

Is there a more challenging, charming, or humbling way to travel the World and discover it’s people and treasures? If there is, I haven’t come across it yet, and perhaps I wish not to. I have been a bicycle mechanic for over ten years and it has led me towards new adventures and friendships. Here’s to clean and lubed chains, straight wheels, and a comfy saddle! See you on the next adventure!

Yanez Novoa

A long time ago, I had a ten minute conversation on the beach with Steve who had been on a TDA tour through Africa. I didn’t know it then but it planted a thought in my head that would soon change the course of my life.

It seemed that everything I had done before had in some way prepared me for this. A life in hospitality and a few years at sea - from some grand establishments to some very inhospitable vessels and anything in-between.

There were a variety of less stimulating occupations I had explored before I landed at TDA. I think this is what has kept me here for so long, the almost overwhelming stimulation that one gets from daily life on tour, which is miles apart from my quiet country life in South Africa.

That, and the other people. There is always such a variety of people from all walks of life and from all over the world that I would otherwise not have met.

Sheelagh Daly

Hey there! I'm Sheelagh. My two favourite things are bike touring and making videos about bike touring... maybe that's one thing ;) I have absolutely loved bike touring on my own and I am so excited to be a part of others' bike touring adventures as a member of the TDA team. My bike touring videos on YouTube: youtube.com/sheelaghdaly

Coby Werlin

Cycling, photographing, video-ing, and traveling -- what could be better?! I cherish the many precious and unique experiences that these tours have unlocked for me over the years, so let's keep 'em coming! You might see me out on the road snapping pics, shooting a short rider interview at lunch, or editing on a rest day in the lobby. My goal is always to bring the tour to life through visual media -- to share with friends, family, and the greater TDA community, and as memories for riders to cherish for years to come. See you on the road!

Miles MacDonald

I caught the travel bug young, while staring up at airplanes and wondering where they were going. It hasn’t ever really left me.

Before TDA (which is quite a while ago now), I had several relevant passions. I was a serious bike racer for quite a few years. Then I lived long summers in the boreal forest planting trees, followed by winters of bike couriering in Montreal. The next step in the skill set—cooking—was acquired at culinary school and by working for some of the best chefs in Montreal and Vancouver. And all of this was interspersed with traveling however and wherever I could around the globe.

With TDA I’ve experienced so many incredible sights, smells, sounds, and more. The memories to ponder later on while in the communal rocking chair are endless. In particular, I feel exceptionally lucky for the professional and personal relationships developed with people from around the world over more than a decade—it’s in these relationships that windows to so many cultures have been opened, so many ways of being witnessed.

I also feel fortunate to get to watch tour participants as they delve into nomadic life on our journeys. Each day, whether easy or grueling, is a trip into the unknown; the simplicity of these days brings people together while at the same time offering grand rewards.

Peter Millikan

I am 75, a retired emergency physician, married since 1973, three children and five grand children, living north of Seattle on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. Travel highlights: half year backpacking and tent camping in East Africa and South America, four weeks trekking in Nepal, half year living in Andalusia, Camino de Santiago on mountain bike, road bike trips from Seattle to Bath, Maine, Natchez Trace, Seattle to San Francisco via Oregon Coast, TDA Transeuropa, TDA Odyssey, TDA North American Epic (Banff to Yuma), mountain bike trips in Northern Rockies, around Moab, and various rides around California and Washington with friends, bike clubs or solo. I've summited the volcanic peaks in the Cascades as well as Mt Whitney. Besides hiking and biking I like windsurfing and skiing. I can say a few things in Spanish or Russian.

Jackie Silverberg

I’m a retired high school teacher . Im very fit and love riding my bike . I have ridden in Patagonia , the Atlas Mountains , Rwanda and Uganda , Laos, Thailand ,and Borneo .Road Egypt and Sudan., southern US and Transoceania , Japan and Korea with TDA Heading off the cycle NAE from Mexico City to Panama City

Karen McCloskey

My husband and I live in the US, north of Boston. I am an average rider, and love the challenge of each TDA tour. I am very much looking forward to exploring this part of the world, meeting new riders and reconnecting with TDA alumni!

Brian McCloskey

My wife Karen and I reside along the seacoast north of Boston. I've loved riding with TDA on over a half dozen adventures, most recently Morocco and Viva Italia. Very much looking forward to reuniting with old friends and exploring new and exciting landscapes.

Bill Wilson

I am looking forward to another challenging and adventurous tour with TDA, my 14th.. I retired eleven years ago, after more than 35 years prosecuting criminal cases for the Ontario government, and spend the bulk of my time cycling, golfing, reading and travelling. It will be great to get together with some old and new friends.

Erika Lindquist

Retired biology scientist Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Mayumi Stroy

I am a 59 year old retiree who enjoys bicycle touring, traveling, hiking, and downhill and xc skiing. I live in Soda Springs and Alameda, CA. This will be my fifth trip with TDA - 2020 Tour d’Afrique, 2021 Great American Road Trip, 2022 Bamboo Road, and 2024 Cape to Kili. When I am not cycling or skiing, I enjoy cooking, eating, listening to music, watching Premier League futbol, and reading. Traveling along the Silk Road is a dream of mine. I’m interested in the history, music, people, and food. I have a particular interest in Genghis Khan.

Tom Perlmutter

This will be my fifth TDA tour. The first was in 2019, Tour d'Afrique, the last full one before Covid. It was exhilarating and somewhat addictive. After a year and a half of confinement I was happy to jump on a bike and do TDA's inaugural Great American Road Trek. I did the full North America trek in 2022 and completed the north to south by riding the full South American tour in 2024.

Susan Rankin

Love cycling. Totally over pandemic isolation. Let's do this!

Stephen (Neil) Slotnick

Looking forward to slowly making my way through Italy and Corsica with a fabulous group of people.

Katherine Slotnick

I am a retired public health nurse and live in Juneau, Alaska. I’ve done several TDA tours with my husband Neil.

Wayne Grover

Wayne Grover is a retired Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, his professional life encompassed time with the military, with Bell North Research as a Research Engineer, then as founding VP Research for TRLabs, and as a full Professor (ECE) at the University of Alberta. He has over 150 peer-reviewed published articles, one book, and 38 patented inventions. Among other awards and recognitions he is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Commonwealth Scholar to the UK, Fellow of the Institute of Electrical Engineers, Life Fellow of the Alberta Association of Professional Engineers, Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, and Professor Emeritus University of Alberta. As a cyclist, he is a past Hawaii Ironman and an Alumni of five other TDA rides before Trans Europa. From July to December last year he rode 14,500 km from Fairbanks, Alaska to the Panama Canal, accompanying fellow TDA Alumnus Bob Fletcher as he set the Guinness World Record for the longest e-bike ride to date. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada with his wife Jutta. Their son, Ted lives and works in Vancouver, B.C.

Henry Gold

Founder, TDA Global Cycling

Fred Stanton

Of interest might be: I bicycled to every place I ever worked, not every day but every place. I live near Chicago so winters can be challenging. My Facebook page has very brief summaries and maps of my prior international bicycle trips.

Richard Morneau

I am looking forward to this great trip which should provide various beautiful landscapes, and, perhaps, meet again friends I made on previous TDA’ trips.

David Stein

Ex nerd, now older and cantankerous. This is my third TDA trip -- I very much enjoyed the Great American Roadtrip in 2021 and the Golden Buddha in 2023.

Rita Tellerman

Hi! My name is Rita and I am a retired Public Health Nutritionist living in New York City. I can’t wait for the next TDA adventure. .

John Hemmen

I have been an avid cyclist all my life and have done many tours on both road and mountain bikes. Cycling is simply the best way to travel through country, for it lends itself to a relaxed and visceral connection to the land and its people. I am a retired Emergency Physician and have done the Trans Europa, Odyssey, Pub Ride, and NAE tours previously with TDA.

Dianna Hand

- Have been enjoying bicycle tours various places around world since 2001 (in between work requirements). I became aware of TDA Global Cycling tours in 2019. The list of tours made my imagination explode and my spirit soar. -Was able to join the final two weeks of GAR '21. The staff and cyclists that I met on that TDA tour were the most inspiring community of cyclists that I had ever traveled with. - Retired from a career at sea as a merchant marine captain one and a half years ago with a simple plan to enjoy cycling on TDA tours for as long as possible. The cyclists I met on that TDA tour confirmed my thought that these are my people. TDA Global cycling tours rank high on my bucket list.

Emily Currie

“‘Happiness is only real when shared’: I think this counts for a whole spectrum of experiences and emotions—pain, hardship, excitement, joy, for instance—and explains why sharing an adventure or journey with a group makes it so very real!”

Who would have thought that growing up on a farm and a career in rural healthcare would prepare me for a job like my job at TDA? I always had the desire to travel and even though I thought working here would be too good to actually come true when I sent in my job application, here I am, six tours and 28 countries later. I’ve learned more about the world and myself then I ever expected.

With so many incredible memories—and so much food shared, so many friends made along the way—it will take me years to process everything I’ve experienced courtesy of TDA. Highlights of my travels so far include finishing the North American Epic (NAE) in Mexico City on the Day of the Dead, cycling Central Asia’s Pamir Highway, Abdul’s pilaf in the parking lot, Colombia, pan con chicharron, Patagonia, a massive thunder storm in Zambia, Hami melon, Madagascar, Samarkand, walnut and honey spread on fresh bread and topped with whipped yak cream, eaten in a warm yurt… and the list goes on! It’s amazing to realize that everything I experience with TDA will have an impact on my life long after these adventures are over.

One adventure I don’t expect to have again is the one I had in Mexico, when we discovered Hurricane Patricia was heading right straight at us. Monitoring the storm’s progress through the night—from stage 4 to stage 5—seemed so unreal. By 5:00 a.m., CNN was calling Patricia the strongest hurricane ever measured on planet earth. A few hours later, we loaded all bikes, riders, kit and crew onto an extra van and bus … and took off, tails between our legs, because Patricia was shaping up to be a beast! By nightfall we were safe and sound in the heart of tequila country, and, as Patricia lost most of her fury at landfall, the party at our lodgings ramped up.

There are so many wonderful aspects to working with TDA but key amongst them are travelling with purpose, meeting people from all over—and the food!

Judith Gold

I am a casual cyclist, who has participated in several TDA Global Cycling trips, including the Bamboo Road, part of the Africa ride, and part of Korea/Japan ride. I am coming with my husband, Gonzalo Pastor. We are slow, and get to know the sweepers really well. We are really there to make all the other riders feel good! Looking forward to reuniting with some riders, and meeting new ones.

John Karwoski

I enjoy bicycling, camping, and hiking. Looking forward to sharing adventures on this tour with new and old friends.

Mark Brandjord

Hi, I'm Mark. I live near Seattle Washington, and I'm retired. I worked as a software developer for over 30 years, and I've been retired since 2013. I am looking forward to this ride because every day I'll get to ride down a road I've never been on before, and I'll get to experience so many new sights, sounds and tastes. And the frosting on the cake will be getting to share the day with so many other people who enjoy cycling as much as I do.

Geoff Clow

Don Holshuh

I participated in the 2018 Tour d’ Afrique as a proud certifiable non-EFI (every fucking inch) rider. I am also the president and founder of the 2018 Tour d’ Afrique Wimp Club where our motto is “ When in doubt, hotel it out” and “ We didn’t come to Africa to do our own laundry”. Looking forward to meeting a new group of riders.

Pixy Elliott

Completed several solo self supported bike tours in the US and Canada.

Cheryl Yates

This will be my 5th tour with TDA.