Özgür Karataş

“Working outdoors is phenomenal.”

When TDA need local support for translations in Turkey in 2014, I entered the picture. Before TDA, I lived year-round there, in Izmir. Now I live on the road eight months of the year; the rest of the time I’m in Turkey, either applying for visas or rock-climbing.

Sometimes on a tour our failures are as incredible as our successes. Being defeated as my tour attempted to climb a new route on Koca Sarp, a rocky mountain in central Anatolia, is an experience I’ll always remember.

I’ve seen so much of the world with TDA. My favourite place I’ve been so far is Meteora, Greece. Probably the greatest pleasure of cycle-touring for me is never spending more than two days in a row in the same spot.

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.

Jordan Kadelbach

Seasoned Bicycle Mechanic and Enthusiast. I like coffee,beer and long smooth descents. Mud,Snow,Gravel and Road. I love it all.

Xufeng Cascketta

I am a traveling registered nurse and moving around the USA with my bike. I got inspired by my cousin in 2014, she did silk route bike tour. Since then I have been riding whenever my time allows me under the circumstances. I am more committed to ride/train this year in order to participate in Trans-oceania in 2018.

Mike Miller

I'm happily retired after a long career in consulting engineering and the aerospace field. While I have been an avid cyclist for decades, I finally did my first long distant tour last year - down historic Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles here in the US. I travelled a lot internationally for business but somehow never made it to Australia and New Zealand. This Trans-Oceania cycle adventure seems like the perfect way to correct that deficiency in my travel logs!

Christiane Selenz

This is my sixth tour with TdA. The first one was 2010 in the Eastern European countries which got me hooked to this kind of travelling. Now, I am anxious to explore the outback and what Australia has to offer from the saddle of my bike instead of behind the wheel of a car. So looking forward to meet old and new riders.

Jan Kremer

Traveling by bicycle shows you this wonderful world we live in, full of beauty, charm and adventures. It’s like a storybook, with 1.000 pages, and by cycling the continent, you will read it all! My last big bicycle adventure was cycling the Silk Road with TDA, beautiful experience, and I am really looking forward to cycle Australia and New Zealand and say hi to my auntie in Franz Josef village NZ.

Anthony Rock

Mike Busby

A serial cycle tourist always keen to escape winter in the UK! Recently retired and keen to stay active!

Jeffrey Lizotte

A veteran of TDA. A great company. Love touring. Retired. Always have a great deal of fun on these trips.

Neil Marshall

I met a guy in 1984 who rode over the Nullarbor, I thought he was crazy - I might be too! It's that time of life to do stuff.

Jetje Antonietti

Retired banker , loves cycling to new places , so excited about our upcoming trip to New Zealand.

Dave Yaeger

Live in Ottawa, Canada and have done a number of bike tours in Canada, Europe, Hawaii, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and India. Active in sports......running, cycling, swimming, skiing, triathlons. Retired professional engineer and find that the days are not long enough to do everything.

Rene Ritsema

After a first great India trip with TDA now looking forward to explore New Zealand.

Jane Bloodworth

I have recently retired from teaching and looking forward to this bicycle adventure.

Barb Sweeney

It's time to explore some more of the world on my bike.

Klaus Hofstaetter

just cycling

Hubert Schanne

After having been bitten by the TDA bug in India in 2016, I am back for more and look forward to meeting old friends and new on the road in Aus & NZ.

Sabine Sellin-Selling

Hi, I'm a bit late joinig the "TO-Club"...but early enough to wish you all the best for your start in a couple of days! It seems I'm the only one cycling just one NZ-section, Auckland - Wellington. I'm really excited to have a look at the northern part of North Island on my own before joining you. I fell in love with travelling by bike cycling Land's End to John O'Groates, a British Classic, some years ago. My last trip was a 7-day-charity MTB-tour for NaDEET (Namib Desert Environmental Education Trust) with a group of German students in south-west Namibia this summer. That was really tough riding but a once-in-a-lifetime-adventure! - I also love to cycle Germany's hilly Eifel or "Metropole Ruhr" near Essen und Düsseldorf. That's where I'm at home. Looking forward to meeting you. Ride on!

Richard Schingler

Excited for the cycling adventure, meeting new friends, and taking in the amazing sites and sounds of Australia.

Dafni Klozori

Hi, My name is Daphne and I am 39 years old. I am half Greek, half German. I grew up in Greece, studied in Germany, and am now living in Switzerland for over 10 years. I love rock climbing and last year I discovered bicycling. Due to a friend and his adventures with TDA, I decided to sign up for one section in Australia. I see this trip as a huge physical and mental adventure and challenge and want to find out, if I can make it. Looking forward to meeting more people who think that traveling on a bicycle is pretty cool!

Wayne Brown

I Love to cycle, and I love to travel. I had a great time as a sectional rider in South America last year. I’m looking forward to seeing some of New Zealand this year.

Barendina Hunt-Davis

Love exploring countries on my bicycle

Brett Lanham

In Nov 2012 I retired from a seagoing career to take up my passion for long distance cycling. Over the last 10 years I have completed 8 rides with TdA, plus one lap across Australia south to north, the Lands End - John o'Groats ride in the UK, and some touring in NZ. I look forward to catching up with friends from past rides and meeting new ones on The Pub Ride 2018 and sharing this great adventure with a beer, or two. In Sept 2018 I'm down to do the two new sections of the Trans Oceania, Perth to Adelaide, and to get the scalp of having crossed the Nullabor on the seat of my bike.

Elisabet Otterstedt

I am very much looking forward to experience countries I haven't seen yet. I know from previous bike rides that biking gives a fantastic dimension when visiting a country. I will probably one of the slowest riders. The route is the target!

Dianne Lizotte

This seems to be an exciting adventure through places I have not ridden before. Been on many TDA adventures and they are always memorable.

Stirling Lee

I probably like cycling more than cycling likes me. That means I will probably be at the rear of the group but I have completed every trip I have been on. I enjoy eating enormous amounts of food, cycling means I do not gain weight while eating. I also speak a little of any language in any part of the world we are likely to travel in.