A Fundraising Bike Ride for Re~Cycle
In late July 2011, we set off on our greatest adventure to date: a charity bike ride through 20 countries in 100 days. Our aim was to highlight the work of the bicycle charity, Re~Cycle, and hopefully to raise some money to support their excellent work sending bikes to Africa.
Starting in Rotterdam, Holland, and ending in Ljubljana, Slovenia, our trip took us from the Benelux to the Balkans. Until finally reaching the Greek Island of Thassos before turning back up the Dalmatian Coast.
Road to Tirane, Albania
A Really Big Charity Bike Ride
The goal was simple: raise money for Re~Cycle, the bikes-to-Africa charity, and prove what’s possible on two wheels.
A Grand Tour of Europe
We followed the River Danube from its source, a ribbon of water that carried us across borders and deep into the heart of the continent. We climbed Alpine passes in falling snow, pushing the bikes through white silence before rolling into valleys and sunlight.
Most nights were spent in our tent, camping wild in the fields of Europe. In Albania, friendly locals invited us to share their food and stories. In Bosnia, we weren’t so lucky: robbed on a night train, stripped of cash but not of spirit.
Each day brought new challenges. Long roads, hard climbs, mechanical failures, weather that turned against us. Yet every setback was met with the same answer: keep riding. Friends and strangers offered help when we needed it most.
A Fundraising Bike Ride For Re~Cycle
In the end, we completed the challenge. Twenty two countries in one hundred days. Thousands of kilometres for a cause that mattered. More bikes for Africa, more freedom for those who need it most.
This ride wasn’t about glory. It was about grit, determination, and the belief that adventure can change lives. Looking back, it remains one of the defining journeys of my life.
Just don’t forget the padded shorts!
Read Our Blog As We Crossed The Continent
20 countries in 100 days was a true cycling challenge; a race against time requiring grit and determination. Were we successful? Read on to enjoy the whole story as it happened:
- Part 1: Bye Bye Blighty!
- Part 2: Buzzing Off Belgium
- Part 3: Valleys, Villages And The Swiss
- Part 4: And Then Came The Alps!
- Part 5: Munchen and the Mosselandlsee Massacre
- Part 6: A Small Story About A Big River
- Part 7: Turn Left at Jesus
- Part 8: The Time Travelers Bike
- Part 9: Rila Round the Mountain
- Part 10: The Land of The Gods
- Part 11: Pretty Ohrid
- Part 12: Albania Uncovered
- Part 13: Unlucky for Some
- Part 14: Majdas Touch
- Part 15: Home
Connect with Re~Cycle, the bikes to Africa charity, to arrange your own charity cycle.