It all began with a Christmas present, a book about 1 mans attempt to cycle around the world. Little did we know that 1 book would have such an impact. That book was Moods of Future Joys, by Alastair Humphreys. And after finishing it, we both thought - that sounds like fun!

We´re Ben and Manon, a twenty something French/Australian couple on an adventure to cycle the ancient silk trading routes. We met when Manon ran away from family and friends to spend 1 year "studying" on the sunny beaches of Sydney. After managing to convince Ben to leave his beloved Bondi for Paris, we've jumped back and forth between the 2, and the rest is history...

This website is a reflection of our bicycle journey along the "Silk Road", an ancient set of trading routes that connected East with West, joining some of the world´s most interesting cultures. We travel by bicycle because we believe in the beauty of simplicity, and we love its power to inspire curiosity. There´s no concrete plan, nor a set route, but we hope to cycle from Europe to Asia, sharing stories from the places we see and lessons learnt from the people we meet.

Who we are

Ben

Ben was born a wanderer, a unique species which doesn't survive long if left indoors for extended periods of time . With stars in his eyes and drool in his mouth every time the peak of a mountain is to be seen, he is a skilled rock climber, hiker, skier, and surprise, surprise, a great cyclist. He`s a born tour leader, never getting tired, and always up to cheer on his team at the top of a tough climb. As the Australian part of the team, he`ll always make sure our cycling team gets enough vitamins and regularly stretches. As a food lover, he also makes sure we get enough energy through daily kilos of cheese and piles of middle eastern deserts. In between wanderings, he writes content and designs websites for anyone trying to make the world a better place.

Manon

Manon´s the brains behind the adventure, the one who convinced Ben to quit his job, pack his bags and cycle off into the sunset. She´s always smiling, even at the top of a 1km climb in 40 degrees at the peak of Greek summer, which is probably the reason so many people come and say Hello. The social butterfly of our team, she´ll be friends with the whole town when left alone for 5 minutes. Being the French half of Cycling the Silk, Manon loves a a good conversation, and wastes no time learning about cultures we visit. With a Masters in Environmental Policy, she´s done research in İndia and Australia, as well as working for NGOs. These days her skills are better used as our economic manager, making sure Ben doesn´t waste our hard earned cash on too much food and fancy gear.