For years, we dreamt of looking over the majestic Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan, of contemplating the azure shores of the Timor Sea, and of looking back over our shoulders having crossed the famed Australian Outback. We dreamed of sharing countless meals with generous shepherd families, of making new friends and of finding new cultures. In order to quench our thirst for exploring and in order to realise this childhood dream, the bicycle quickly emerged as the most suitable means of transportation. To encircle the planet.
Lifelong friends, the four of us grew up in a small village in the south of France. We were determined to turn our dream into reality and embark on a three-year journey to cycle the world, touching all continents. As adventurous souls, we also wanted to include some unusual challenges like paddling down the Yukon River in northern Canada on a raft we built ourselves, crossing the Amazon rainforest from west to east and using a kite to have the wind pull us on our bicycles across the Australian Outback.
The seeds of our trip actually started thirty years ago. Morgan’s father had embarked on his own adventure, wintering in Antarctica on a sailboat in the 1980s with three of his friends. Hearing of these adventures growing up, Morgan started to think towards a journey of his own. He created the team ‘Solidream’, inspiring our group of longstanding friends to dream together with him.
On this trip we were blessed with unbelievable generosity and hospitality by people we didn’t even know existed. Our way of looking at life has developed: we have learned to enjoy simple things and we think every human has an interesting story to tell, to make happen or to inspire. Now that we are home, the project is not really over. We have acquired an appetite for adventure. It will be part of our lives for years to come.
