A 10-Year Dream to Cycle the World I Riding East ep. 1

It's been quite a journey getting here, and it's only just beginning!

This is a video we've wanted to share for a long time. There have been quite a few hurdles, but I guess that's all part of the adventure.

Whether this is the first video you've seen or you've been here for a while, thank you for watching. We hope you'll join us for the ride!

Big love,
Josh & Sarah

Come Find Us :)

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#bikepacking #cyclingaroundtheworld #bicycletouring

[joshandsarahride]

Thank you for watching and for such inspiring well wishes for our journey. We're just adapting to life in the tent with limited battery/signal but we're excited to respond to your comments as soon as we're able 😊

[andrewdordal]

So many good words. Thank you.

I’ve written before about my wife’s cancer. We met in university. We had mutual friends all 4 years, but didn’t meet until three months before graduation. We married two years later. We expected many long years together.

The week of Oct 9 2022 she was admitted to the hospital for abdominal pain. She said “Andrew, if this is the end I have no regrets. We had so many adventures together. We had a great life.”

She died of liver failure due to metastatic breast cancer 51 days later.

Like you, we traveled and had great experiences. We lived in West Africa as peace corps volunteers (similar to VSO) as well as in multiple places in the USA.

I carry Anne’s memory as I travel now. I visited the Isle of Mull in October and shed tears in the shadow of a house Anne & I had visited 39 years ago. I bikepacked the Cairngorms solo and my heart ached to share stories & pictures with her.

Yes life is short & unpredictable.
Yes live it to the fullest
Yes celebrate the time you have.
And like Anne said to me, have no regrets.

[peterforde]

Our wedding song (56 years ago) was “Live for Life”. We’ve been following that mantra ever since; only Antarctica and Oceania left to explore.
Go for it !
P.S. I love your Dr Seuss quote.

[peteruk]

Life often throws a curve ball. In 2012 i lost an eye in a fishing accident then in 2016 i was diagagnosed with Bladder Cancer had treatment etc over 12 months. I do think while at the time i was very down but with some help of good friends and support it made me stronger stay positive. Always happy to chat love your films. If your ever down Cornwall you can always pitch up here all the best

[peterlindsay]

I believe in science and making the best of every day. I too am on borrowed time but it has not stopped me realising a long held desire to bike tour through France. Having achieved this in June/July this year I am returning next year to discover more! Make every day a great day regardless of whatever comes your way

[yoursacredquest]

Hello from the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada. I had almost the identical operation when I was 45. I'm happy to say I'm 81 now and still riding bicycles and motorcycles. I now have studded tires on an electric bike for riding in the winter, adventure riding never gets old. I wish you both many pedal strokes, smiles and laughter.

[shetlandsheep]

The only upside to my (thankfully early diagnosed-unusually so for ovarian) cancer was that it bloody well shook me out of my scaredy cat ways - there is no reason not to be brave when you have faced your own mortality ——- since then I have gone alone on art residencies in anarchist zones, got my fine art Masters degree and had solo exhibitions, remarried - to the love of my life and many other bucket list items - all in 5 years. Bravo to you both!

[BoredManOutdoors]

Im in - and looking forward to following your adventures 🚴🚴

[missteacup]

Okay, this video got my emotions going all over the place. From jumping up with a huge smile when I got the notification, to being worried like a mother hen would be about the health issue, the sigh of relief that followed, the listening to all the life lessons you've mentioned, nodding my head in agreement ('cos I can confirm they are ALL true) and the - yep, I'll admit it- lump in my throath watching your loved ones waving you off...
And at the end of this video I sighed, smiled and said out loud: GO, GO, Let's go!!! Let US go! (yes, US 😉) I'm ready and can't wait to witness all that awaits you on this magical journey 👋🏻👋🏻💋.

[AdventurousRider]

Josh and Sarah, thank you for sharing the story behind this! Have the best time on your trip. Can’t wait to hear all about your trip! XXX

[irishussong]

Dear Sarah and Josh! I was wondering why I haven’t heard of you for such a long time…. Now I know and are happy to see you in good condition after that difficult times! Thank you so much for this great summary of your lifes and journey ! Take good care of yourselves and! Love and hugs from Iris from southwest Germany

[liveforever_jed]

Hey guys - this is Ed from uni. Very sorry to hear about the diagnosis but so wonderful to see you both so happy and about to start your big adventure. Best of luck and maybe see you down the road sometime.

[AnaJorgeNomadas]

Hi guys! What a lovely coincidence!! We are preparing our first bike trip and we are full of fears. We came across your story on Youtube and it motivates us to continue with this project and hopefully, who knows, we will like it and we can have you as an example. If you pass through the south of Spain, do not hesitate to write to us, we would be very excited to meet you! Keep being together always! We wish you all strength and continue to fulfil your dreams! Hugs from Spain❤

[soloist]

I've been watching your videos off and on for a few months now particularly those in the Lakes District. (I'm Australian but spent the UK summers of 2002 & 2003 working in Bowness and mtn biking all over Cumbria every spare minute I had and loving every second of it!!). I'm back home now. The 8th of January marks the 9th anniversary of my NDE - collapsing unconscious here while surfing. I was saved by some very observant and quick thinking surfers who got me to the beach. Thank God one of them was an off duty paramedic who refused to give up and resuscitated me. I was then sent down to a major Sydney hospital and was diagnosed with a ARVC (Sudden Death Syndrome). My lifelong passion has been cycling. I'm 63 now and have been cycling since 10years of age. Roadbikes, mtn bikes, IM triathlons, gravel bikes and in recent years my wife have been doing multiday bikepacking adventures here in Oz and NZ. Last year my cardiologist recommended I change to an ebike. Initially I wasn't too enthusiastic but now we're continuing our bikepacking adventures on our ebikes (it just takes a bit more organising for recharging.) Life as you too have experienced, has a habit of throwing up curve balls. For months after my NDE, thru' a lot of soul searching, and trying to come to terms with how fortunate I am not ending up as shark fodder and being given a 2nd chance, I profess I don't have the answers as to why things happen. I do know however, it's not a cliche - life, every moment of it, is a gift and is precious! Go well, go safe you two. I look forward to your adventures! :-)

[stevenwoodman]

You both seem to have something really special. The kind of people everybody wants in their lives. Goodluck with it all, sad news about the cancer but great news on the otherside. I look forward to seeing more.

[frannypeony]

The jigsaw pieces have finally come together. It all now makes perfect sense. Wishing you both peace, love and safe travels.
And that wave off at the end was so heartfelt and life affirming 🪷🪷🪷

[cyclingnerddelux]

Cycling has been my life since the early 80s. And yes, I still watch cycling videos for entertainment and inspiration. Rarely have reacted as emotionally to a story as with this one. Wish you both the best. Hope our paths will cross again, even if it is just here....on YouTube, with me on a dark train home, smiling with relief and hope for you guys. And hoping you are on your bikes as I still am...many years beyond your youth...Let me share the quote that kept me alive in my darkest times. "Get busy liv'n, or get busy dying..." (Red, played by Morgan Freeman in the Shawshank Redemption) Keep us posted you two!

[mariekedaalder]

Just returned from a short cycling trip of only 5 days with my tent and cooking gear through the Netherlands and Belgium. So good to have done this at 58 😊. Wishing you a great journey with your love deepening all the way ❤

[janehathway]

All the best with your travels, wishing you both a safe & enjoyable passage around this beautiful earth ❤

[fionaridley]

Really emotional watching this lovely video, the positivity after such a difficult journey. I’m currently a few miles from your beloved Lakes home. The fells are still there and I’m grieving not being able to get out into them this visit. I just bought a new bike, more gears, smaller fatter wheels to amalgamate my on/off road exploring. I only started wanderlust 10 years ago in my late 40s but the feelings are just the same whatever you age…. Health stuff and conventionality in my 30s and slowly it’s dawned on me we can all wander and explore and achieve far more than we ever thought possible.

So with you on this journey. Keep pedalling and smiling and documenting!