Chris Wille

"The very core of man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun" Chris McCandless Into the Wild Extremely happy and grateful to have participated in and cycled the equivalent of twice around the world on some 10+ incredible TDA trips, Coast to coast, all EFI, on 6 of the worlds 7 continents. First rider to have completed all & of the TDA 7 Epics. Special thanks to the TDA and their amazing, dedicated staff for making such trips,. and the quote above, possible- there is an incredible amount of work that goes into scouting, logistics, bookings, vehicles, staffing food, etc etc. Nobody does it better than the TDA, No one runs tours like they do on roads less travelled. It's a wonderful lifestyle, Eat, Sleep and Ride. Learning lots every day from wherever we are on the planet. " The world is my classroom, I am it's student and class is in session" Thanks also to the many wonderful, strong willed fellow riders who have helped shape each unique journey and make it special. From ages 25 to 78, you are all very inspiring and show us what is possible, proving that age is just a number. Thanks also to my dedicated and understanding wife Linda. Together we started a charity in 2008, Bicycles for Humanity Victoria. Since inception we have collected, shipped and donated over 5500 good used bikes and spare parts to 3 African countries, Namibia, Uganda and Malawi. Our work continues, always collecting good used bikes and spare parts for the next container load.. It's a great way to give back and every donated bike helps change a life for the better. Our efforts are ongoing.

Bob Whitehead

Bob Whitehead Age: 75 Profession: Retired Chartered Civil Engineer Resident in Hong Kong: 31 years I was attracted to join my first bike tour in 2012 with TDA Global by the prospect of long distance adventure cycling in intriguing and sometimes remote and hostile environments. This was TDA's Silk Road tour. Some time later, when I saw their South American bike tour advertised, I was immediately attracted back to do my second long distance tour. I have now fitted bike touring into my already full & active lifestyle! So where have I come from? I’m a retired civil engineer and have lived in rural Hong Kong on and off for much of the last 40 years. There is a great range of outdoor activities on the doorstep, in particular excellent trail running and sailing. It’s also a good hub from which to take off to countries in the region and indulge in skiing, trekking and even simply just travelling! When one is still fit, why would you want to leave Hong Kong, even after 31 years? Well, I have at last now moved back to UK. As for what else got me into cycling……..Well, I’ve been a trail runner for most of my time in HK and reached the top level in my age category in cross-country, long distance trail running and mountain marathons at the ripe old age of 55. Then, after a few years, I decided to take after the great ultra-marathon runner, Marshall Ulrich, and diversify. This, as a way to keep motivated. It started with adventure racing and along with a team mate, we travelled around SE Asia competing at the top level for a number of years. Mountain biking was an important discipline and to help with my bike fitness, I brought my trusty 30-year old Carlton Gyro road bike over from the UK as my training steed. This had to go back recently to be sandblasted and painted after suffering from the ravages of Hong Kong's humidity for 10-years. Then in 2010, we competed in the Scottish Coast to Coast adventure race, for which I purchased a 16-speed cyclo-cross bike. I decided to "tour" back along the route over 5-days. This started me thinking about doing a "proper" bike tour and since I possessed a book about the Silk Road, such a bike tour loomed high on the agenda. I had also picked up a couple of books in a second hand bookshop back home in England. They were travel books on Morocco and Yunnan province in China. Glancing through those I rediscovered trekking, something I had experienced years before in Nepal in the early ‘80s. So long distance bike touring and high altitude trekking have been the focus more recently. In 2012, it was the Silk Road for 10-weeks for which I set up my mountain bike with road transmission components. In May 2013, I completed two solo treks in Morocco each based on the two highest peaks of Toubkal and Mgoun, both a little over 4000 metres. And from May 2014, China was the focus. It started with the Big Kora, a Pilgrims' circumnavigation of three 6000-metre peaks in western China involving seven mountain passes of up to 4700m. Since then, Habba Snow mountain has been the focus, with several trips (there being no maps available) culminating in a successful trip to the summit at 5,396m in 2019. Late in 2014, I completed a 5-day tour in Devon, UK on my cyclo-cross bike. This with a view to tackling LEJOG, a bike challenge of 970 miles taking in the UK from bottom to top (SW to NE). I needed to test out my gearing for the many hills on LEJOG. The idea was to take in LEJOG as a warm up for the SA Epic. The part of the LEJOG in Devon has the toughest hills on the whole LEJOG route, so this was an ideal testing ground for my equipment and gearing. And the result? I straight-away ordered a new MTB cassette and new rear changer for the bike! As for LEJOG, well I completed this in 12-days after Easter 2015 …….. and still had to walk up a number of the hills! For the South American Epic, starting in July 2015, I decided to take my mountain bike, which had proved very successful and trouble free on the Silk Road. I felt it more suitable and comfortable for the longer distances and longer climbs. And it featured yet again in the TDA West Africa tour in 2018. Meanwhile I'm still enjoying trail running and find it compliments biking very nicely. I also more recently introduced road biking to my activities and found a superb circuit in South Devon which takes me about 23kms there and back along superb coastal scenery.

Kaye Hudson

Have done 3 rides with TDA Trans Europa 2012, South American 2015 and NZ section of Trans Oceania in 2016 and m doing the Odyssey from Bosnia to Amsterdam in 2017. I look forward to catching up with riders from previous rides and meeting new ones on the Pub Ride plus catching up with old friends on the NA

Jason Becker

Like everyone here, I love my bike...as a glorious mode of transportation, but much more importantly as a freedom tool, taking me to places around the world I would never have seen if not from atop my bike. I have kept myself busy the past decade and a half as an art teacher and freelance artist and designer. I also love traveling, hiking, drawing, painting, building models, and anything else involving creativity. I currently live in Kansas, but look forward to the day, very soon perhaps, when I can wake up to mountains out my window.

John Stowe

My first thought about biking the SAE was: "I'm not letting Chris Willie, Chris Jones, and Dudley Jesser get all the glory...and drink all the beer!" :) ...and so begins my 4th tour with TDA. Can't wait to see you all again!

Catriona Kennedy

Mike and I have cycled from Istanbul to Beijing, Shanghai to Singapore, through India, Cartagena to Santiago and Brazil with TDA and done numerous cycling tours through Europe and across America. This trip through Seoul and Japan sounds fantastic and we're really looking forward to it.

Sharita van der Merwe

“The thing I love most about my job is watching the social dynamics unfold.”

For as long as I can remember I’ve been stripping, fixing, and riding bicycles. As well, I knew from a young age I wanted to explore, travel, and see the world—my dream at one time was to fly airplanes. However, it wasn’t long before I realized that flying in a straight line from point A to point B wasn’t for me!

When I left school I had no direction, no idea of where I wanted to be or what I wanted to do, once my dream of flying died. In 2003, I saw a magazine ad of a bunch of cyclists lined up in front of the Giza pyramids and I became hooked on the idea of doing that but I had to choose between taking a four-month cycling trip across Africa or going to Warriors Boot Camp to get educated. I chose Warriors and the programme equipped me for life by giving me a solid foundation. There, I was free to discover and explore who I was and to test physical and mental endurance. Having my attitude and my comfort zone constantly pushed readied me for all sorts of real-world challenges. I stayed at Warriors for three years, then cycled solo across Africa when I was 22 years old. In 2009, I landed the job as TDA’s assistant tour director on the Cairo to Cape Town trip—and the rest is history.

Ever since, Africa has been my baby and my favourite. I’ve worked on other tours—the Silk Route, the Bamboo Road, Ruta Maya, Magical Madagascar—but Africa is my full-time project and has lately included TDA’s complex tour of West Africa.

I’m based in beautiful Cape Town; when I’m not here, I’m scouting, exploring, problem-solving somewhere in the world and revelling in the adventure of being alive.

TDA has taken me to 80 countries and my most incredible off-the-beaten-track expedition was the West Africa scout in 2017, especially Guinea—I’d never been to a place so remote, rough or wild. I fell in love with Africa all over again on that trip. The stories are epic and endless!

There’s never a dull moment with TDA, because you absolutely never know what’s going to happen next.

Michael Netzsch

I am happy that I can join another tour with TDA.

Aloysius Carlay

This is my fourth TDA tour - did North America, South America, and India. Looking forward to this part of the world and reuniting with some old friends from previous tours. I currently ride with a full carbon moutain bike setup w/ 29 inch wheels and 2.35/2.2 sized tires and a 1x11 setup. It worked really well in South America where there was a good combination of pavement and dirt/gravel roads. Expecting something similar with the Bamboo tour.

Eriberto Roana

Questo è il mio secondo TDA, nel 2010 ho fatto il Coast to Coast Los Angeles-New York, nel 2015 SudAmerican Epic, nel 2017 Il Great Divide, adesso andiamo ad affrontare questa nuova avventura e felice di incontrare alcuni ciclisti del SAE 2015.

Tim Padmore

I am a slightly rusty veteran of three TDA full tours (and of life in general I suppose). Ronda and I will tear ourselves away from three toddler grandchildren and our Gastown condo for a month on a fine new road with a few old friends and more friends to be.

Ronda Green

Hi, I am Ronda, one half of Mr. and Ms. 'Slow', Tim being the other half but we totally enjoy watching the world go by at a manageable pace. I have been a potter for forty years. Traveling to different countries gives me an intimate connection with the local culture. Pre-Columbian pottery of South America is amazing, detailing the life style and skill of the indigenous people before the Spanish invasion. Tim and I have traveled with TDA on four of the original excursion. I liken the experience to being a kid at camp: all of the adventure and fun with little of the work or management. Perfect, if we could just find someone to pitch the tents

Victor Beijen

Bob Briggs

My name is Bob Briggs, 71 year old State of Florida retiree. Since my retirement in 2001. I have completed bike tours in India, Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, TDA Africa, Silk Route to Xi'an before crashing and SAE to Lima. Have not done a tour in over a year. I am presently suffering from TDA Global Cycling withdrawal. I've also done numerous less formal long distance tours prior to hooking up with TDA. Went to college in Salzburg, Austria in 1966 but have never done any cycling in Europe. Really looking forward to it!!!!

Theo de Klein

Theo de Klein from the Netherlands,

ray harder

i am a 73 year old male from missouri, usa. i have ridden on bike tours across the us, and this will be my fourth out of country. i am glad that we are going north to south as it seems downhill to me... i am looking forward to this trip... email me -- harderr@umsystem.edu if you want to talk... ray

Klaus Michael Jensen

I'm 70 years old. I have done Africa-tour and South America Epic.

Peter Hodges

Kiwi who enjoys getting out and exploring. (tda veteran)

Erwin Attenberger

Hi, I´m Erwin, already 69, retired. My first long tour was TDA 2014, where I went from Khartoum to Nairobi and on my own through Uganda, back to Kenia and from there down to Southafrica, Lesotho, Swaziland and Mozambique. Meantime I´ve been on several TDA-Tours including South America, Silk Route and Trans-Himalaya. Looking forward to meet you on the next tour with TDA.

Nicholas Harrison

I live in Perth Western Australia, married to Johanna (Jo) who is also on the Trip. I am reasonably active enjoying outdoor activities, ocean swimming, windsurfing, snowboarding and of course riding. I ride a hard tail mountain bike in preference to a standard road bike even when commuting, makes me work harder chasing guys on road bikes. Getting into single track riding, enjoy the physical and mental challenges. The longest bike trip I have done was in 2013 when we completed the 'Traverse of Costa Rica", which was the inspiration to take part in the Epic South America Trip. I have worked as a Surveyor for about 40 years on land and sea, remote areas to urban centres. Have travelled, worked and lived in a number of different countries including Southern Africa, Guatemala, Venezuela, Qatar, Mauritania and of course Australia.

Johanna Platt

What have I signed up for!!! I must admit my main sporting passion is ocean swimming, it doesn't sound like there'll be much of that on offer! We, that is myself, & Nick (husband, also on the tour) got a taste for cycle touring on a recent trip to Costa Rica - Challenging, yes, rewarding, absolutely. Not too sure how this long distance cycle touring will go, however, always looking for the next challenge, so will give it my best shot. At least it's heading south - that is downhill - isn't it? Chao Chicos, nos vamos en Julio.

Alex Glisson

I'm 27 and from the U.K. and will be undertaking two stages of the South American Epic 2015; from Lima to Bolivia. This will be my first Tour and am very excited! No idea what I am letting myself in for - but that's all part of the fun right?! Looking forward to meeting everyone :) Bring on South America! p.s. I'm on Facebook - so feel free to get in contact. I've got the same profile picture as i've uploaded to this profile page.

David Saevitzon