I'm 23 years old, will turn 24 just for the beginning of the tour. I have a bachelor degree in international relations and I was trained to go in Afghanistan as a tactical intelligence operator but instead I didn't renew my contract I decided to go for VS in 2009.

 

One of my friend did TDA in 2008 and he's the one who convinced me that it was the my kind of adventure. It's going to be the longest and biggest adventure of my life.

 

So see you there!

Tim and I have had the pleasure of accompanying Henry on every one of his dream tours, the experimental first times. On the Africa expedition in 2003, we acquired the name Mr. and Ms. Slow and now with the passing of time, rest assured that we will continue to savor beautiful South America in a similar fashion.

Watching the landscape go slowly by, some places slower than others I imagine, and seeing the people living in this exotic land while enjoying their food and culture will be another wonderful once in a lifetime experience. Thank you TDA. I have never been there and look forward to sharing this with you and our fellow bikers.

Home is Vancouver, Canada.

I am a potter: have been all my life and I still love making pots and teaching.Knowledge of earths social history comes from tales told through clay by people all over the world.Cycling the Tour D’Afrique took me very close to the customs and present earthenware techniques of the African people. In Khartoum I saw a 15,000 year old pot; a very emotional moment.Our pottery project in Zanzibar, which began in 2005 grew out of our TDA experience.On the Orient Express trip, we saw many traditional styles of glazed ceramics, both centuries old and contemporary.Cycling the Silk Route with one of its raisons d’etre, Porcelain, was amazing.South America is rich in archeological pots. To see them and learn from them will also be amazing.

I hope to share this excitement with you.

You are an odd duck, Tim, that’s what they say about you.

A shy only child who wandered around with a big dog in what passed for bush in 1940s Vancouver.  You were an egghead in school and didn’t have much luck with girls. Lucky now with real adventure and a real girl (see Ronda). 

You like to do things with your hands, but lose yourself in the pleasure of building an Excel Spreadsheet.  Never decided on a career, set out as a physicist and wound up four or five lily pads later as a potter’s assistant in Zanzibar (see Ronda).

You’re happy going on a bike.  The world reveals itself.  Knotty problems become easier when you confront them at a lower average speed. 

You count as friends many with characters painted in strong colours;  you will make friends on the Vuelta Sudamerica.

Why South America?  Would you miss a chance to follow Henry across another continent? Ha!

Leave smiles as you pass.

"46 years old, born and raised in England, I have lived in California for most of my adult life.  I have worked as a bicycle mechanic, auto mechanic, tech support slave, and homesteader.  Through it all, one thing I have never given up is riding a bike - though I came close in my 30's, when staying glued to a desk did a number on my back and  
legs, not to mention my general outlook on life!  In the last few years I have been riding more and more (special thanks to Whitewolf, Shanon, Jason, Bill, and Richard) and now I am ready to see what happens when I put what I most love to do first for 4 1/2 months, through landscapes, conditions, and cultures more diverse than any I had seriously considered exploring before.

I first heard of T d'A last winter when I read an article by Henry Gold in American Bicyclist magazine - his words and pictures resonated strongly with me, captured my imagination and so to the Td'A website...  All the tours looked amazing, inspiring, etc. but the Vuelta was the one I kept coming back to... The timing was right and the chance to actually journey by bicycle through parts of the world that seemed almost mythic to me, with a group of similarly inspired people, was too much to pass up.

As I ride, I'll be carrying thoughts of my family, friends and  
neighbors who are just as excited about this trip as I am myself.  I live in a beautiful place, in the midst of people who care for their own and the world beyond and I am very grateful for that.

See you in Rio!"

Looking forward to another adventure with TDA.

During past Tour D'Afrique expeditions I have cycled along side people who were fund raising for charities. They have inspired me to add meaning to my next expedition by making it a super fundraiser to benefit the Canadian Diabetes Association.

 I paint and teach art to children in everal schools. In my classrooms I have personally witnessed the aily challenges faced by children with diabetes, how their lives are seriously altered because of this disease. I am more than thrilled to obtain sponsors and raise money for the Canadian Diabetes Association.

Please go to this website ttp://www.diabetessummersurge.ca/ and click n the “Search for a Participant” and then “Search for an Individual” ptions and enter my name – Ruth Schonblum. Please do what you can to elp fund research and support programs for people with Diabetes.

Many heartfelt thanks.

Sandra Simon. 26 years old. Austrian. Psychology and Psychotherapie Student at University of Vienna.

Have been a competitive Mountainbike until I joined Tour d’Afrique and found out the travelling on a bike is a lot more fun than competing on a bike….

Vuelta Suedamericana is my third continent to cross with Henry and Tourdafrique, first Arica in 2004, silkroute in 2007 an now vuelta.

Nothing has surpassed Africa yet, we will find out if this is possible….

I was a fixed income analyst in Montreal before deciding to embark on this adventure.  
I graduated from Tufts University with degree in economics in 2008.
Bicycling is the greatest way of traveling that  I've yet encountered. I love bike touring and look forward to doing it for 4 months straight.
My goal for the trip is to use 4 months of  extreme and unfamiliar challenges as a way to develop as a person.

''One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.'' Leo Tolstoy

Hello, my name is Dirk van Asselt and I am exited about this adventure. One of my motto’s is ‘follow your heart’ which I am practicing as much as possible.

That’s why I like dreaming and even more like making dreams come true.

I am 48 years young, and I like sport, being outside, nature, adventure, challenges, discovering new countries, meeting new cultures and getting to know myself better and better. I guess I will meet and experience all of these aspects in this adventure.

I am living in The Netherlands. I am not married and without kids but living happily together with Carola, my girlfriend, who supports me and gives me the opportunity to go after my dreams.

I have worked 16 years within telecommunications but switched to the sports business 3 years ago. Most of the times ‘doing projects’ At the moment I am on a short project for Canon. I have decided to start for myself after my trip. I want to coach and inspire people who are looking for a job or who want to change jobs and follow their heart. So also on that area enough challenges ahead.

I have coupled my trip to 2 Dutch foundations; One at the starting point in Rio and one at the finish in Quito. Both funds are focused on ‘poor & street kids’ by trying to give them a better life. Most of the time by just being there for them and giving them some attention and warmth. But also by means of sport, education and games. For more information please check my weblog www.dirkfietst.nl

I am looking forward to meet you, get to know you, enjoy our time and make it together to the finish!