Mark Lutz

Douglas Percival

There is a great sense of satisfaction seeing a Rider finishing their day with a smile on their face, and that Day by Day, we have Taken someone safely to a place on this planet that Most People will never see, and all whilst by Bicycle.

I am a South African that has lived a life of itchy travel feet, and found myself Living in Sweden. Being a passionate cyclist in my teenage years, my Bike Mechanic Brother, taught me to fix my own bicycles, a vital bit of knowledge not only for a teenager trying to save money on bike repairs, but how it would shape my working career.

I've worked in all corners of the Bike industry,... shops, import and distribution, race teams, and even now for the Swedish Cycling Federation, as well as personal Guiding for a huge mix of private clients. They have all added up into helping me grow my knowledge of a bicycle, and how I can make one operate even in the worst environments with rider abuse,....which then played into the hand of being a confident TDA mechanic.

Guiding and Leading Tours came organically through my knowledge of Traveling, mixed with my knowledge of fixing bikes, thrown into the pot of being a passionate cyclist, and large desire of being on the Move.... Quite a mix.

TDA tours have the ability to provide one with a gift. It is a gift that keeps on giving...and that is: just when you think you have seen it all, there is always something else to surprise you with! From sleeping inside the Great Wall of China, to swatting flies off your sandwich in 49celcius Australian outback, or watching stars in the Sudanese Sahara, to Sipping Expresso's in an Italian cafe. From the Orderly bike lanes of Denmark to the chaos of Freetown, Sierra Leone.... There is so much that happens daily!

For any future rider that is wondering how to make their experience better. Set your expectations reasonably, ask questions, And come prepared... and Know your equipment!

Know how your bike feels, make sure it has arrived on tour Fully serviced. Know how to put up your tent if you're not confident with it.

And Figure out your bag packing! I have watched too many people lose an hour of their precious day (and some everyday for 4 months).. because they don't have their equipment organized.

Cheers..and happy riding!

Tim Millikin

I love travel and more importantly travel by bicycle. It brings the freedom and adventurous spirit that any other way of travelling cannot match. I love that I am able to share this with our guests and show them the world in the best possible way.

I currently live in Oxford, UK but have had a relatively nomadic lifestyle from my mid-twenties. Call it an early mid-life crisis! I am best known for a three-year, mostly solo, 46500km bike ride from Reading, UK to Reading, USA. It was truly transformative and gave me a motivation to pursue a life of travel and adventure. It also saw me leave my career in television for one in cycling, and I haven’t looked back. I have also written a book about this adventure, available in all good book stores!

TDA for me brings the beauty of bike travel with the ease of some support, but that does not mean it is easy. For me, my favourite days are the ones you will remember forever. The Blue Nile Gorge day in Ethiopia is a real stand out. Beautiful scenery and rough roads as you descend 1800m into the Blue Nile Gorge before then climbing 1800 back out of the Gorge on the same rough roads, with children running past you, cars honking, each rider riding their own battle against the gradient. The beer at the campsite on the top never tasted so good! Roads and stories like this happen on each and every TDA tour and that is what is so special. No matter where in the world you are going, you are going to have epic, mementos days.

My best tip for any future TDA rider is bring a positive attitude. It is the most important tool in your kit bag. This will keep the spirit of adventure burning throughout the tour, which can be up to five months for some. It will ensure you are able to see the beauty in the world around you even when you are tired. It will mean that the hard moments pass quickly and the memories will last a lifetime.

Holly andrews

Hello! I'm Holly and I am the medic on the trip. I am an anaesthetist from the UK with a passion for bringing my job outside of the hospital 4 walls as much as possible. I have practised medicine on multiple expeditions across the world from the Nepal Himalayas and the Honduran rainforest to assisting multi stage ultra marathons in the wild and wet North of Scotland. I am a keen cyclist and having completed multiple long distance cycle tours myself, I maintain it is the best way to travel and be absorbed in all a country has to offer. I am currently living in the French Alps and training for the tour with mutli - day ski mountaineering adventures and a lot of trail running whilst waiting for new snow! Looking forward to meeting and adventuring with the tour team :)

Micah Markson

“A mountain biker at heart, but bike touring pays the bills!”

Most of the time, I work at the TDA head office in Toronto as the IT Manager, but I also sometimes work on the tours as needed, either as a guide or a bike mechanic. I landed here because my uncle mentioned to me he had a friend—Henry—with this crazy bike company, the friend and I met, and the rest is history.

I studied Business and IT at university, and my previous job was at an exotic car dealership. In my own time, I do more mountain biking than touring, and usually find nice trails to ride wherever our tours take me. Outside of TDA, I’ve cycled across Europe and half of Canada.

The Pamir Highway was a peak experience for me! As a mountain biker, I always love the roughest, crappiest roads our tours travel on. My favourite day of the entire Silk Route was actually the day that most of the other riders thought was the worst—it ended with a long switchback descent on a rough gravel road.

Every day brings a new challenge to solve, whether here in the office or on the side of a road in the desert. I really value that element of my job and relish it immensely.

Mats Fredrix

I remember the first time I had tears of joy running down my cheeks on a descent, and screaming every syllable of 'Paradise by the Dashboard Lights' to endure the pains of a full day in the headwind. This might just be one of mine, but you'll experience plenty, beautifully weird 'joys of riding' of your own, and when those happen, I'm your man. To tell your story, your adventure. Or you might just want a cool looking picture of you and some mountains. See you out there, Rouleurs. Live Slow, Ride Fast.

Richard Schingler

I love to travel and see the world from the seat of a bicycle. This will be my fifth tour with TDA.

Mary Potyrala

Terry Scheikowski

I am a retired lecturer in Food Science living in Melbourne and have been cycling as an adult for 40+years. I completed Cairo to Cape Town with TdA in 2019 albeit in stages having started back in 2013. I have previously cycled across Canada with Tour du Canada. some years back I rode with two friends from the north to the south of the UK (John O'Groats to Lands End) taking a wandering route and enjoying English and Scottish B&Bs and the odd pub.

Stephen Hyde

Just retired, I have been looking for a cycling adventure and this trip fits the bill. I have lived in Abu Dhabi for the last 22 years and I am now back in the cold of the UK. Hoping for some good weather, great cycling and looking forward to meeting everyone and starting.

Maureen Stone

Looking forward to seeing how the mud roads of West Africa en Velo compare to Tanzania! Cairo to Capetown 2018 was amazing beyond words, will be so good to hit the road with TDA again. So.....that didn't happen - Now excited for Morocco instead!

Jonna Koch

I feel alive when I am riding on my bike. At home in Denmark I ride flat so I prefer to ride in the mountains when I am cycling abroad. I did the Trans-Himalaya in 2019 and the Kingdom of the West in Morocco in 2022 and Trans-Caucasus in 2022.

Christopher (Kit) Campbell

Transecting Africa remains an unfinished project, but we'll plan for '23 to complete if the body allows. Like many others in the TDA diaspora, we're all eager to get back on tour.

Mike Jakeman

Bike and travel.....it's a retirement thing.

peter link

retired MD who likes to travel and can ride a bicycle. Will be visiting our fellow primates in Uganda before joining in Arusha.

Michiel van Wijk

I’m not looking for smooth cycle paths, gentle traffic and tail wind, because I can find that at home. When on holiday I prefer dirt roads, deserts and diarrhea. That’s what I hope to find again cycling with TdA.

Libby (Elizabeth) McMullen

I love to travel and I love to bike so I can't imagine a more exciting adventure especially in this country. This will be my first TDA tour and I am looking forward to the challenge, meeting the group and exploring Morocco

David Paterson

I am 69, retired, and live in the Okanagan Valley of B.C. Canada. Really only cycle to travel. Went on tda trips in Africa and India and the Himalayas.

Dennis Joe

I'm looking for the next adventure and new places. And I look forward to meeting and traveling with my fellow travelers and sharing this adventure. See ya soon!!

Erik Snucins

Retired Land Surveyor , gentleman farmer, and enjoy long rides

Brad Gray

Tour D'Afrique Alumni 2019. Morocco 2022. Silk Route was a goal but geopolitics threw a wrench into my plans. South America is a challenge I now embrace. Brad

Karin Lind Hansen

I love travelling. I love biking. I love visiting new places. I completed my first trip with TDA in December 2019 and just returned back home now from a TDA tour in Morocco - and I just cannot wait for the next trip.

Nicolas Teng

Looking to get fit, while visiting exotic places, experience culture, history and sampling great food. Really surprised that TDA offered this kind of trip now in the middle of Pandemic. It is my first, looking forward already the next one.

Anthony Rock

I'm a Canadian-American and split my time between urban urban life Brooklyn, NY and on the Northumberland Strait in Atlantic Canada. The Golden Buddha will be my 5th ride with TDA.

Emily Hillstrom

An active, adventurous 30-something year old who might be crazy for deciding to do her 2nd TDA Tour after the Hippie Trail in 2016. Looking forward to Morocco, seeing old friends and meeting new ones. See you soon!

Roger Palmer

Hello fellow adventurers. I’m from Melbourne Australia, occasionally the worlds most liveable city! Im looking forward to cycling new roads to exciting places with a great bunch of people. I've been a regular cyclist for many years. Recent trips have been to the Dolomites /Tuscany in Italy, Morocco with TDA in 2022, Nice to Annecy doing some of the TDF classics along with great local food and wine and finishing 2022 in Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. The subtropical north east coast of Australia a few years back was a great regional food and wine experience. Pre covid adventures also included backcountry skiing in Iceland, Norway and Japan along with sail and ski trips in Norwegian fjords and the northern coast of Iceland. I had planned some backcountry skiing in Kyrgyzstan early 2022 but covid got in the way of that. Was then re inspired by Joanna Lumleys Silk Road adventures.

Rae Simpson

I'm a retired test pilot/engineer/other aviation things. I took up cycling when arthritis and a double hip replacement ended my running career. My wife, Ursula, and I have done a number of TDA trips starting with Africa in 2008, using them as our window to places we haven't been before. We've enjoyed every one. We only signed up for Morocco in 2022 after JTE was again delayed and we're looking to riding with some friends from previous trips as well as meeting new ones. After that, we're hoping that Shangri-La and JTE will be able to go in 2023.

Ursula Simpson

I am a retired database analyst. Enjoying life in Squamish, on Canada's West coast. Either hiking, biking, or skiing. Having fun with my two grandsons and one grand daughter or hanging out with friends. My husband Rae and I are seasoned riders with TdA. Tour d’Afrique in 2008, Rome in 2012, Bamboo Road in 2013 and Australia in 2014. New Zealand in 2016. The Magical Madagascar tour in 2017. Hippie trail in 2019 and The Himalayas in 2019. Morocco in 2022.