Seek Travel Ride

This week’s episode features a really thoughtful conversation with Claire Sharpe, a mountain bike instructor, community builder, and the founder of the Bristol Rally. It's a great listen if you’re curious about bikepacking, interested in community-led events, or if you’ve ever talked yourself out of an adventure because you thought you weren’t “ready” yet.
In this episode, we talk about:
Coming to cycling later in life and learning by doing
How community can be a gateway into bike adventure
Claire’s journey into mountain bike instruction and coaching with empathy
Why lived experience matters when helping others build confidence
The Bristol Rally and how it’s designed to feel welcoming and accessible
Breaking down barriers through inclusive event design
Route planning, rights of way, and riding with confidence in the UK
Misadventures, muddy trails, hike-a-bike moments, and why they become the best stories
Why you don’t need to be “fit enough” before starting
All Terre (Claire’s website): https://allterre.net/

The Bristol Rally: https://allterre.net/the-bristol-rally/

Follow Claire and her bikepacking projects via the links below:
Instagram: @ClaireSharpe, her website - All Terre.
Check out her event - The Bristol Rally

EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/STR Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee 
Check out Old Man Mountain for the perfect way to carry gear on your bike.
Support the show
Buy me a coffee!
I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:
👉 Zorali
👉 Helinox
👉 Ombraz
👉 CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)
Follow us on Social Media!
Instagram - @SeekTravelRide
Facebook - Seek Travel Ride
YouTube - @SeekTravelRide
Seek Travel Ride Newsletter
Leave me a voicemail message

Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

Seek Travel Ride has just turned three, and for this mid-week episode I wanted to do something a little different.
Instead of a highlights reel, I’m sharing why this podcast exists in the first place, and what three years of conversations with bike adventurers from all over the world has taught me.
In this episode we talk about
Why Seek Travel Ride has always been about experiences, not gear
How experience comes after you start, not before
Why you don’t need to identify as a cyclist to travel by bike
Choosing your own adventure and letting go of comparison
Riding as transport and sustainability
The bike as a connector to people and cultures
The Seek Travel Ride community and the power of shared stories
I also share insights from a recent article by Alee Denham from CyclingAbout, which analysed years of Seek Travel Ride episodes to identify the best places in the world to travel by bike, based entirely on guest stories and lived experience. Very cool!  Listen to my previous episode with Alee here.
Finally, I reflect on the community that has grown around the podcast, how it has helped people take their first adventures, and why that community is the reason Seek Travel Ride has made it to three years.
Thank you for being part of the journey!
EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/STR Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee 
Support the show
Buy me a coffee!
I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:
👉 Zorali
👉 Helinox
👉 Ombraz
👉 CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)
Follow us on Social Media!
Instagram - @SeekTravelRide
Facebook - Seek Travel Ride
YouTube - @SeekTravelRide
Seek Travel Ride Newsletter
Leave me a voicemail message

Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

Why does riding a bike feel like the purest way to experience the world?
In this episode, I sit down with Mark Beaumont to talk about bike travel, wanderlust, and what he's learnt after spending two decades taking human powered adventures.
Beyond his achievements as a world record holder, Mark also shares how his relationship with adventure has evolved over time. Why endurance is often more mental than physical, and how cycling reveals the gradual shifts between cultures, geography, and ways of life.
We discuss the accountability in professional adventure, and the key differences between riding for yourself and riding for work. 
We also touch on how Mark’s travels have shaped his work in sustainability, using his experience and platform to connect people, ideas, and projects that can create meaningful impact.
If you’re drawn to long rides, empty roads, and travel that prioritises experience over outcomes, this conversation will resonate.
EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/STR Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee 
Check out Old Man Mountain for the perfect way to carry gear on your bike.
Support the show
Buy me a coffee!
I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:
👉 Zorali
👉 Helinox
👉 Ombraz
👉 CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)
Follow us on Social Media!
Instagram - @SeekTravelRide
Facebook - Seek Travel Ride
YouTube - @SeekTravelRide
Seek Travel Ride Newsletter
Leave me a voicemail message

Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

What is it really like to bikepack the Tour Aotearoa on New Zealand’s North Island? In this midweek episode, Rebecca Gross shares her experience riding the TA, including the Timber Trail, Warm Showers hospitality, lush North Island scenery, and how well the route is managed with clear detours for trickier sections.
If you are planning your own TA ride or curious about what makes this route so unique, Rebecca's update offers up great practical insight into terrain, logistics, the NZ Bike Adventure community, and what to expect when riding the trail.
Later in the episode I also share where our Seek Travel Ride listeners on Instagram are planning to ride in 2026 
Also be sure to check out the  Snailblazers events happening in Ireland by @SnailBlazers.cc - You can sign up for more info about them via their contact form.
EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/STR Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee 
Support the show
Buy me a coffee!
I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:
👉 Zorali
👉 Helinox
👉 Ombraz
👉 CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)
Follow us on Social Media!
Instagram - @SeekTravelRide
Facebook - Seek Travel Ride
YouTube - @SeekTravelRide
Seek Travel Ride Newsletter
Leave me a voicemail message

Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music

What would you do if you suddenly had four months free to take a bike adventure?
For London-based outdoors lover Anna Ruddiman, the answer was simple: buy a touring bike off Facebook Marketplace, catch a ferry to Spain with her girlfriend Fran, and start pedalling east across Europe.
In this episode, Anna shares how that idea turned into a four-month ride through 11 countries, wild heatwaves, Balkan backroads and dreamy alpine passes. Along the way they wild camped in secluded spots, rerouted around wildfires, dodged territorial shepherd dogs, and survived on a heroic amount of pesto pasta.
We cover:
 • The serendipity of both losing work & suddenly having time
 • Buying second-hand touring bikes for the trip
 • Why rigid planning doesn’t work for long bike travel
 • Ferry crossings, river valleys & heatwaves
 • The wild camping learning curve (and mysterious eyes in the dark…)
 • Mechanical drama & flat tyres in Albania
 • The shepherd dogs outside Athens that forced a 60 km detour
 • Finishing the trip in Turkey and what comes next
 • Why comparison steals the joy from adventure
Route Highlights:
UK → Spain → France → Italy → Slovenia → Croatia → Bosnia → Montenegro → Albania → Greece → Turkey
Follow Anna on Instagram - @annaruddiman
Music Pick:
Anna adds “Oysters In My Pocket” by Royal Otis to the Seek Travel Ride playlist.
EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/STR Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee 
Check out Old Man Mountain for the perfect way to carry gear on your bike.
Support the show
Buy me a coffee!
I’m an affiliate for a few brands I genuinely use and recommend including:
👉 Zorali
👉 Helinox
👉 Ombraz
👉 CycPlus– ePumps (enter code STR for 5% off!)
Follow us on Social Media!
Instagram - @SeekTravelRide
Facebook - Seek Travel Ride
YouTube - @SeekTravelRide
Seek Travel Ride Newsletter
Leave me a voicemail message

Seek Travel Ride Music Playlist available now on both Spotify or Apple Music