Sectional Riders
I am a twenty six year old living and working in Whistler, BC. I am lucky enough to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world where my back yard is my playground. I’m a pretty easy going person who spends most of her free time road biking, snowboarding, running, mountain biking and hiking with my dog. I love taking on new challenges and exceeding everyone’s expectations. I have never been to South America and can’t think of a better way to travel then on my bike. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone soon and enjoy a beer after getting my ass kicked up some wicked hills! See ya soon!
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Noah Finn
 United States
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I am born and raised in New York City, but have always been drawn to explore and to challenge myself. I first became interested in biking about 2.5 years ago while living in Paris when they introduced their version of the short-term bike rental systems now common in many cities around the world. When I moved back to NY I missed this and decided to buy my own bike. I quickly became a regular bike commuter and started doing some recreational riding as well.
From the moment I read about TdA I was inspired, and when I received the newsletter one month headlined by an elevation map of the Cusco to Lima section of this ride I felt like it was calling to me. I'm looking forward to joining all the other riders to explore Peru and ride some serious hills.
I'm 22 and just back from Whistler after a skeason in the snow. So cycling South America is the next logical step.
I graduated from the University of Bristol last summer in Economics and Management. I spent a lot of time at Uni skiing, wakeboarding and playing rugby. With the odd essay in between.
I live in Bermuda where I spend my days heavily involved in any type of water activity I can find. So this cycling caper is fairly new to me! However after a fairly diverse sporting background I'm hoping it won't come too hard. I managed to get sponsorship in Whistler in a local gym where I was trained by a terrifyingly fit triathlete named John who made sure I broke sweat after a minute and wouldn't let up til time was called.
I'm riding to raise money for the Bermuda Sloop Foundation and Headway UK with Ben Talbot. Great charities, and we've raised around $18,000 thus far. We hope it will still increase!
Looking forward to meeting you all. Adios hasta Rio.
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Hendrik Haddorp
 Germany
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Hi, my name is Hendrik Haddorp. I'm living near Stuttgart, Germany, and will be 33 by the time the tour starts. Last year I took part in the Tour d'Afrique and biked from Arusha to Capetown. So the second half of the tour. It had been a great mixture of fun and pain. More fun at some points, more pain at others. By the time it was over I was quite glad but after some time you are just missing something and you would like to be back on those lonely roads pedaling away not having to care about more then reaching the camp and to get enough food.
This year I'm back with TdA but in a different part of the world. I would have loved to bike multiple sections again but unfortunately I only got enough vacation time to bike from Buenos Aires to Santiago, which should at least include some interesting climbs.
My name is Philip Mace; I’m 33 years old, from the UK but have been living in Bermuda for the past three years. I would say I’m a pretty relaxed guy, I enjoy both travelling and most sports but this should prove to be more physically challenging than anything I’ve ever done before. I took up cycling a couple of years ago, more as part of triathlons, however living on an island that’s only 22 square miles has its limitations - it’s more of a Mecca for water sports. Saying that I’m thoroughly looking forward to meeting all you guys on the Buenos Aires to Santiago leg and wish you a safe journey throughout.
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Hans Neethling
 South Africa
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I have been waiting since 2007 for the South America expedition and am excited to do my first long cycling event. Unfortunately I couldn’t convince a few friends to join me.
I am a 48 years old specialist physician from Cape Town, South Africa, and not really a cyclist but a long distance runner (half and full marathons), but also enjoy my tennis and swimming. I run my own private practise and after 11 years decided to take a long break.
I have completed my seventh Cape Argus Cycle Tour (106km) in winds of up to 60km/h in March, ninth Two Oceans Marathon (56km) in April and my third Comrades Marathon (89km) in May this year and I think (hope!) my mind is trained for an endurance event like the Vuelta Sudamericana! I only need to get saddle fit, but am sure I will manage.
Hi, firstly I'd like to say how excited I am to be joining you all for 2 weeks and how impressed I am with you for taking on such an epic journey. I can only wish that one day I too will ride the entire route.
I am 32 & 3/4-years-young and from Wales, UK but have been living in Toronto, Canada for 12 years. I took up real cycling about 9 years ago. "Real" meaning something more than just having a bike in the back shed and never getting on it but convincing myself I would the next summer!
I have since got on my bike and ridden across Canada twice, toured in Cuba, crewed for a RAAM team, and done a fun-filed, 1-week self-supported tour with my sister in Canada. I have been racing for about 6 years and have twice represented Canada at world championship competitions.
I am probably my happiest on my bike on a beautiful sunny day with the wind at my back and the angriest on my bike with a headwind in my face. Cycling brings out every emotion I own.
I love to ride my bike because it offers me all the things I value in life. I am happy and independent, traveling and sightseeing, being fit and healthy all in one go.
I am joining this expedition as a journalist. I am the publisher of a bicycle-touring magazine and this 2-week section I am joining will feature as a review in the magazine. I already have a very good idea about what the review will say however because my boyfriend and business partner rode the full Tour d'Afrique in 2005 and had the experience of his life. If you know Tour d'Afrique (the company) you will know we are all in for a very special treat. Saying that, I have little to no expectations of what to expect other than to enjoy the many surprises along the way, meeting some awesome people like yourselves and seeing some of the most incredible sights.
I look forward to meeting you all and sharing this amazing experience with you.
Hi cyclemaniacs.
My name is Matthijs Stam, 32 years old, living in Rotterdam
(Netherlands) and like cycling a lot. This year we have decided to
stop our jobs; I and my girlfriend are going for a world trip through South America, New Zealand and Malaysia. Within this adventure, 2 months of cycling through the Andes will be a real highlight for me.
During the resting days I hope my girlfriend will be nearby and visits the caravan. Also my brother will be next to me, he also participate two stages of this tour. So homesick is no option for me.
My biggest concern is the height; in the Netherlands there are no
mountains to prepare for these conditions. The best solution is cycle in a calm pace, which is not my strongest competence. I am really looking forward to start this adventure and meet you all.
My name is Ben Talbot, I’m 23 years old and by the time we start VS I will have finished a Masters in Management at Cambridge University. Before Cambridge, I studied Civil Engineering at Exeter University for three years. I’m a fairly laid back guy who enjoys most sports, playing rugby, football and squash throughout university and dabbling in rowing and wakeboarding. I have also spent two summers teaching kids to dingy sail in Turkey and Greece and have lived and worked in Bermuda for another two summers sailing a 40’ day cruiser throughout my time there.
My motivation for riding VS came from my father who has been an avid bicycle rider all of his life and has inspired me to enter. Training so far has been rowing based, with lots of time on the erg machine, looking to make the transition to bike riding when I head over to Ireland in June for nine days to cycle the west coast. And if that doesn’t work in warming the muscles, I’m spending a week in the west of England training in hilly Cornwall. Hopefully the two trips should set me up for VS nicely.
After the bike ride, I head straight into a graduate job for Zurich Financial Services which I’m very excited about.
I am doing VS to raise money for two charities, Headway UK and The Bermuda Sloop Foundation.
Looking forward to meeting you all out in Rio!
Hello fellow riders, I am 32, grew up in Tanzania and now live in Bermuda after a stint in the UK and Canada. I am not too keen on riding up hills but do enjoy overtaking tourists on mopeds… I seem to have brought a bike specially for the trip so now have no choice but to man up and don a lot of Lyca. I very much look forward to meeting you all in Buenos Aires…
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Jurgen Willrodt
Germany
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Two years ago I joined for the first silke route expedition for the
first three sections to Samarkand and it was a great experience. I enjoyed the riding through the different countries a lot and also enjoeye dthe group and the friendship with my fellow riders. I was thrilled to hear about the Vuelta but since I am still working and raising my not yet grown up children I have only time for one section.
So I will join the tour from Buenos Aires to Santaigo for three
weeks. I am now 59 years old, living in Hamburg, Germany which is definitely one of the most beautiful cities of the world and I hope that in the next decade of my life I will have the opportunity to finish the TDA tours completely to see all the other beautiful places in the world.
Canada
Britain
Bermuda
Holland
