The Next Challenge

Tag: Cycling Around the World

  • Escape from India

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    Tim Moss
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    India has been difficult for us, as anyone following our tweets or the undertones of recent blog posts will know. This is not to say that it is not a wonderful and fascinating country. Even from our brief weeks here, seen through the prism of sickness and stress, it is abundantly clear that this is…

  • You’ve Got to be Careful in India

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    Tim Moss
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    They say you’ve got to be careful in India. Everyone’s out to rip you off. Even the locals get overcharged and they’ll see you coming a mile off. You can’t trust any food and don’t even think about trying the tap water. Even the purified stuff gets tainted by leaky sewage pipes and as little…

  • Four Examples of (the lack of) Personal Space in India

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    Tim Moss
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    The thing which I have found hardest about cycling through India is dealing with the entirely different rules of etiquette here. The concept of personal space seems to be alien. As an introvert, this has been very tiring. Here are a few examples from our experiences so far. Please do share any stories of your…

  • Cycling in Rajasthan

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    Laura Moss
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    We wake at dawn and move quickly to beat the crowds and the heat. The village is already alive and our friends from the previous night have gathered to see us off. After the obligatory photos, we roll out of town, facing the desert and the day ahead. This is not the wild, desolate landscape…

  • Cycling across Arabia: a photo diary

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    Laura Moss
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    We cycled from Sharjah in the UAE, via Dubai, to Muscat in Oman.  Although cycling is very popular with expats, few cycle tourists make it to this part of the world and it’s a shame.  With wonderfully smooth roads (oil money put to good use), frequent cafes to rest at and plentiful opportunities for wild…

  • Our video about cycling through Persia and Arabia

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    Tim Moss
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    Our last two months’ cycling has been through some wonderfully historic areas of the world, principally Persia (now Iran) and Arabia (in our case, the United Arab Emirates and Oman), and we have made a short video of our time there. Personally, my favourite so far. In the space of a week, we experienced a…

  • Iran: the good, the bad and the downright crazy

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    Laura Moss
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    The Good The people We had already been warned about the extraordinary levels of hospitality we should expect to find in Iran. After a month of cycling across the country, we can confidently confirm that the Persian reputation for generosity and warmth is well-deserved. On our first night in the country, we were cycling around…

  • Inside Iran: Images from the Islamic Republic

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    Tim Moss
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    Before setting off to cycle around the world, there was one country that we both looked forward to more than anywhere else: Iran. Here is a little taster of what we found when we got there… Cycling in an Iranian winter We cycled approximately 900 miles in Iran, from the northwest to the south. It…

  • Honk Once for Hello, Twice for P*** Off

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    Tim Moss
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    I am developing an involuntary reflex. At the sound of a horn, without volition, my right arm rises into the air. Though this may happen against my will, I am quite aware of the cause. Almost every day for the last six months, I have spent several hours at the right hand side of a…

  • Managing knee pain and back pain for cyclists

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    Laura Moss
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    Knee, hip and back pain are common complaints among cyclists. They are certainly my weak points, with a gait that is often more akin to an old woman, rather than a relatively fit thirty-one year old. I am not a physio and have no training in sports massage, personal training or anything similar. Over the…

  • What have we learnt from six months of cycling?

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    Laura Moss
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    We sit here in a cavernous waiting room, waiting for a ferry to take us from Iran to the United Arab Emirates. We have six months’ of cycling behind us, as evidenced by our sun-lined faces, our scuffed panniers and our super-strong thighs. What has the last six months taught us? That we love cycling,…

  • Ever wondered what Armenia looks like?

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    Tim Moss
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    Laura and I recently cycled through the small but historic and proud nation of Armenia. Here’s a little bit about the place and a few wintery snaps so you can see for yourself what it looks like… We entered from Georgia and followed the hotly disputed Azerbaian border. Large boulders on either side are painted…