As I have visited South Africa two times my anttention was particularly drawn to these pages about South African every day bicycle culture.  SA is great country to travel around by bicycle but not a lot of people seem to do so.  Yes we’ve have seen mountain bikers and road racers (mostly white South Africans) but only very few other South Africans travelling by or using a bike. You may want to check out our travel reports

Stan Engelbrecht and a friend and fellow bicycle enthusiast, Nic Grobler, and started a project investigating South African bicycle culture, and the lack of cyclist commuters out there on our roads.

They want to raise the funds to turn this project into a self-published full-color hard-cover photographic book They’ll be shooting the entire project from their own bicycles while traveling around the country – this will enable them to meet everyday South Africans out there while they use their bicycles.

Bicycle Portraits from Bicycle Portraits on Vimeo.

Through publishing this book, they want to be able to assist the underprivileged cycling community through their project – be it teaching bicycle maintenance skills, providing necessities like helmets, tires, tubes, locks…

I live in the Netherlands where in the past years the elctric bicycle has become more and more popular. On a recent bike and camp trip around the Norhern provinces of my country we were overtaken several times by speeding seniors on their powerbikes! Although we were working hard on our heavily loaded bikes and riding 20 km per hour average.

Of course you will still have to pedal because, at least here in the Netherlands, electric support stops when you reach a speed of 25 km per hour. Beyond that speed you enter there range of small “motorbikes” with other legal requirements.

Browsing the web I stumbled upon the power bike made by Optibike. See  the stunning video on this page where a rider conquers Pikes Peak in the USA climbing 7000 feet /  2130 m in 19 miles / 31 km just in one hour and 30 minutes!

Also have a look at this video (language is Dutch) were a electric bike simply beats a whole pack of hard core racers on one of Belgiums infamous cobble stoned climbs.

And then finally there is Guim Valls Teruel, He’s aiming to be the first person to ride around the world on an electric bicycle. OK, he’s probably carrying a ton of batteries and a heavy solar panel but now I’m very sure that the electric bike will change the future of around the world cycling!

You may think that it still will be difficult to recharge your batteries in faraway places? Yeah, I guess  you’re right now. But when I started cycling around the globe I had almost no electric equipment with me. And nowadays I carry two digital cameras, a mobile phone, and a lot of other stuff that runs for weeks or even longer without recharging! So that will also change for the elctric bikes!

electric bike around the world

Vladislav Ketov is a Russian who has really developed and implemented a project  of the first trip made really around the world (land) along the coastline of the continents.

This was a cycling trip lasting 20 years! Unaccompanied  he traveled to Europe, Africa, south and south-east of Asia and both Americas (except Arctic coast) and left behind 144 000 km.

The trip started in 14th, May, 1991 from Leningrad. The main transportation mode was a bicycle as the most affordable kind of eco-friendly transport.

His trip becomes even more unique as Vladislav has no money. During his traveling he earns by drawing portraits.He tells that in all countries he was welcomed and people were kind and hospitable.

His website is worth a  look at

Canals, houseboats and bicycles are all part of the furniture in Amsterdam. Anyone who has visited the city will tell you that, round here, the humble cyclist rules the road.

Cycling lanes are as important as major motorways and official figures from the I am Amsterdam organization estimate about 600,000 bicycles circulate amongst the 750,000 inhabitants. Amsterdam is ideal for bike holidays because it is so flat!

Many Amsterdam hostels and accommodation providers are geared up to be cycle friendly. All the main attractions are close-by and with an estimated 600,000 bikes in circulation, residents know that cycling is the most authentic and convenient way to experience the city thanks to the huge cycle lanes and road signs.

So, to join in with the other pedal pushers, and stay at stay at one of the Amsterdam hostels They’ll kit you out with accommodation and transportation all in one go.

And best of all, you have up to the 30th April to be in with a chance of winning your bike rental for free!

And while you are there, why not expand you bicycle adventure beyond the capital. Like Amsterdam, the rest of the country is best seen from a bicycle saddle.

In the summer of 1997, Tim Doherty set off alone on a daunting round-the-world cycle tour, which turned out to be even more awe-inspiring than he could have hoped. For this book, he has taken the most fascinating and humorous experiences from his diaries and woven them together into a collection of true short-stories.

With many beautiful photographs, sketches and maps, “This Breathtaking World” is a vivid and very personal account of life on the road. The title has a double-meaning, as the author is a chronic asthma sufferer. Tim encountered many problems, but the varied cultures and fantastic scenery along the way were his daily rewards. What remains with him most, however, is his impression of the people in each of the countries he cycled across; their remarkable generosity and hospitality.

Tim completed his tour successfully, finishing up in his home town of Sheffield, England, more than two years after he’d cycled off from there, having pedalled a total of 21,688 miles.

Although Tim finished his trip more than 10 years ago his report is timeless, as is cycling around the globe.  The black and white pictures and some drawings add a personal touch to this book.  A nice read for cyclists and arm chair travellers.

Doherty, Tim
This Breathtaking World: Around the World by Bicycle 1997 – 1999.
London, Lulu, 2009. 978-1-4452-2150-2. This title is for sale at both Amazon and Lulu as paperback.

A 38,000 mile around the world without a single CO2 molecule emitted! It’s hard to believe but to raise £1m for charity , the 23-year-old a British cyclist is attempting a 38,000 mile trip around the world over three years — without creating any carbon emissions.

Of course, it is virtually impossible to do anything without creating carbon emissions of some sort, but Kevin’s aim is more about avoiding internal combustion than reducing his carbon footprint to zero. He will be cycling when on land and sailing when on the sea — no fuel needed, and no direct emissions.

“The only time I will be creating emissions will be when cooking. Everything else is battery powered and I’ll recharge all electrics with solar chargers”, he says.

For the trip Kevin will be using a 2008 Specialized Rockhopper with an Extrawheel trailer to carry his equipment.

Get all the details here or here. And of course have a look at his own website

Sure, it feels fantastic to traverse the vast stretches of the best roads in the world. But cycling a complicated road, one that twists and turns, or has downright congested traffic, or unforgiving terrain? They might give you a headache, but it sure feels good when you’ve conquered them.

Here is the  list of the world’s most complicated and dangerous roads I spotted on WAVE,  a website providing free turn-by-turn navigation based on the live conditions of the road. OK it’s for car people, but we have one thing in common with them, we share these roads with them.

two cyclists on death road Bolivia

Some of these complicated mountain passes can be dangerous if not negotiated with utmost caution, while others are complicated sets of roads and bridges, erected to ensure a streamlined flow of traffic at busy junctions (best to be avoided by cyclists). Some of the roads metioned here are probably even off  limits to cyclists.

the 45 km descent from Lava to Gurubathan in India

Amazingly enough on some of the pictures that illustrate this article you can spot cyclists! Yes, we  can go everywhere! Even beyond where cars can go, as we always can push, or even carry our bikes.

Read the full post at http://www.waze.com/blog/the-19-most-complex-and-dangerous-roads-in-the-world/ .

New photo book by American photojournalist Shirley Agudo

The Dutch are bicycle crazy, but never before has anyone captured the essence of the Dutch cycling culture – until now. American photojournalist Shirley Agudo – a long-term resident of the Netherlands – captures it all in her new book full of surprising and humorous images. Depicted are people transporting ‘anything and everything’ on their bikes – from tables and mattresses to the wildly popular bakfiets overflowing with children – along with witty and bizarre bike designs, and the practical (and not so practical) side of a country having more bicycles than people.

Old, young, barely-walking and, yes, even naked cyclists have been captured in all their glory in Shirley Agudo’s fascinating volume of photography and facts about the Dutch cycling mania.

Shirley and contributing photographers Trevor Waldron, Ben Deiman and Max Rubenacker take us along some of the 29,000 kilometers (18,000 miles) of bike paths and into the heart of Amsterdam and other Dutch cities to show us how pervasive, practical and incredible the Dutch cycling culture really is. It’s all here – the history, the infrastructure, the mentality and the global reputation of a culture gone completely mad about bikes.

Makes a great souvenir for anyone who has been cycling in the Netherlands or a great gift for someone who is planning to do so.  Included are practical ‘Rules of the Road,’ ‘The Lowdown on Fines,’ and many more handy tips, plus a wealth of cycling-related websites. Available now at bookshops throughout the Netherlands and www.bicycle-mania.nl. For international orders, please see www.hollandbooks.nl.

Planning to visit the Netherlands by bike?  Then a visit to this website is an absolute must.

ISBN 978 90 5594 698 3, 180 pages, 150 photos, published by XPat Media with Scriptum.
20 x 20 cm, Paperback, Price € 16

dutch cyclist moving a matress

Thousands of photographs sit on my harddisk waiting to be viewed. Many end up on the trip report pages on Cycling Around The World.  And a few of them I keep using every time again. These  images that tell a story, are now collected on this page. Some of these pictures go back as long as twenty years, when I made my first really long   bike trips.  Read previous post on part 1

Cycling the east coast of Sri Lanka

This photo was taken somewhere along the troubled eastern coast of the island of Sri Lanka. The year is 2004, just a few weeks before the tsunami would hit and destroy most of this coastline. At that moment there was a heavy military presence as you can see from the barbed wire on the right side of the picture. A bit down the  road were checkposts protected by mine fields and heavily armed soldiers. Cycling here was no problem.

Camping on the shores of a glacier lake in Iceland

This a Lake Jokulsarlon and as you can see  it’s cold out there. After a long day of battling a strong head wind we just had to stop there, The next campsite was still miles away and here we found a great shelter behind this stone wall already setup by previous campers. Later that afternoon the wind ceased to blow us away and seals came to have a look at us.

Exploring Denali National Park (Alaska USA)

Another icy picture. This is Denali NP in beautiful Alaska. Initially we had planned to take the park bus to the far end of the park road, camp there a night or two and then peddle back. Unfortunately it was half way september and the first snow swept in. The park road was closed, and would remain closed for the rest of the winter. We ended up at another park campsite but wre able to make a great trip along a deserted and snow covered park road.

Crossing a Amazonian river by canoe

Of of our earlier trips. This image is in the hot and humid jungle of Ecuador. The river is the Rio Napo, one of the tributaries of the mighty Amazon river. Just by following this stream we could have travelled to the eastern side of the south american continent, thousands of kilometres away. But we just crossed ;-) and explored some remote roads before climbing back to the Ecuadorian highlands crossing a mountain pass of 4200 m.

Navigating in the Namibian desert

This was really a very lonely place. Desert indeed must originate from the word deserted. Of course we had a map and knew where to go. But signposts were rare and by afternoon the sun burned on our heads. Swakopmund, our destination was still 1oo kilometers away. Yes, we  would finally get there.

Read previous post on part 1

There’s no better way to explore a place than by bike. Lonely Planet named the top 10 trips that should be on every cyclist’s wish list. Here’s is their list:

• OTAGO PENINSULA, NEW ZEALAND
• CAPE BRETON ISLAND, CANADA
• FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA, ITALY
• ISLE OF WIGHT, ENGLAND
• WEST COAST TASMANIA, AUSTRALIA
• LUBERON AND MONT VENTOUX, FRANCE
• SAN JUAN ISLANDS, WASHINGTON, USA
• COUNTY CLARE, IRELAND
• LA FAROLA, CUBA
• NATIONAL HIGHWAY 1, VIETNAM

Well I would put none of these on my top 10 cycling routes list, first of all for the simple reason that I have not been to most of these destinations (except the Otago Peninsula). But tha’s a story for another post ;-)

Read full excerpt on the Sidney Morning Herald website