Josh & Sarah Ride - Invidious

Excited to share that our latest film is officially live🎥

This film is a little different to our usual films but one thing we've learnt after nearly two years on the road is to always expect the unexpected.

We find ourselves embracing our feral side even more than usual, living alongside wild dogs who share their hobbit hole with us, in the Macedonian countryside.

I really hope you like the film and would love to know what you think.

And if you do like it, it really helps support us if you can hype the video. Thanks for all your incredible support.

Big love from both of us 🚵‍♀️🚵‍♂️

2 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 145

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Josh & Sarah Ride

We wanted to bring you a little up to speed on where we are right now and what we’ve been up to 🌎

We’re currently in Georgia — country number 11 of the trip — on the edge of the European continent where it meets the Caucasus Mountains.

Our arrival here was a little more chaotic than we’d have liked (I’ll delve into that more soon), but for now, we’ve found ourselves a temporary base in the city of Kutaisi.

Our plan had always been to spend some time in Georgia before pedalling on. It’s a country we’ve long dreamed of exploring, feels like a significant halfway point between the UK and India, and its extended visa policy made it the perfect place to pause for a while.

While we’re here, the plan is to catch up on a few projects, explore as much as we can, and replenish our dwindling adventure fund. We’ve been getting out on plenty of mini adventures already, with much bigger plans to head deep into Georgia’s stunning mountainous regions.

After a few years’ break, we’ve also both started teaching English again to help fund the next leg of our journey. It’s been a bit of an adjustment getting back into teaching after such a long break, but we’re slowly finding our rhythm.

There are a few other projects we’re hoping to get stuck into while we’re here, and we were particularly chuffed to share our finished website with you recently.

We’ve also been working away on our latest film, which we’ll be sharing very soon! This one is a little different, as we’ve found ourselves immersed in a completely different kind of adventure — one that involves considerably more puppies than bicycles.

We’re eager to share it with you soon.

In between all the projects, we’ve been exploring the beautiful nature around Kutaisi, although we’ve yet to venture properly into the mountains. That’s about to change.

We’ll be sharing a little more about some of the mini-adventures we’ve been having along the way, but for now, here are a few snapshots from life at our temporary base in Kutaisi.

1 week ago | [YT] | 259

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Josh & Sarah Ride

Seeking out natural and wild spaces has always been the bedrock of our days for some time. It's one of the biggest motivations behind the trip, with our route being plotted around seeking out nature as we pedal 🌎

After cycling along the populated coastline of Montenegro, we were in search of solitude. Pursuing the Accursed Mountains of Northern Albania, we envisaged rugged peaks, quiet valleys and those wild places we've been chasing.

But we found something else.

The experiences of this journey continue to challenge us in so many ways. And what we found in those green valleys, surrounded by colossal peaks, challenged our way of thinking, but also our thighs a little 🥵

Bikepacking has just published a piece from J, chronicling our time navigating the dusty mountain trails and the experiences that made us reconsider what we were seeking. I'll pop the link below if you'd like to read it and we'd love to know what you think.

bikepacking.com/plog/the-people-in-empty-places-vi…

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 162

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Josh & Sarah Ride

We've given ourselves square eyes beavering away on our website, but I'm so excited to finally say it's officially live! 🎉

It feels incredible to have a place where we can share stories from chance encounters, a land in a state of flux, the landscapes that make us feel like we could cycle forever, and the people who remind us just how extraordinary humanity can be.

It's where you'll find the story of how we ended up living with a pirate for a week, how we almost ended up with six puppies, and the moments that made us question whether we could keep going.

It's also the home of our photography. Our first collection of prints is now available, and thank you to everyone who helped us whittle them down—we really struggled to choose just eleven.

We've clicked every button and reread every page more times than we can count, but it's still fresh. If you spot any mistakes or anything that doesn't quite work, we'd be so grateful if you let us know.

Thank you, as always, for supporting us on this wild ride and we can't wait to share many more stories with you in the months ahead.

Big love from us both ❤️

1 month ago | [YT] | 197

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Josh & Sarah Ride

Why we choose the mountains ⛰️

Cities and towns offer an insight into a country's culture through its people and daily life. But a driving force behind our riding has always been to feel dwarfed by nature.

That sense of awe that comes from being swallowed up by your surroundings is one we long for. It's a scratch only mumma nature can itch—moments where the smell of moss lingers, as a dense, vast woodland stretches out around you. Feeling the salty spray of the sea on your face as the waves break, attempting to lick at your feet. Or, in this instance, that sensation of being engulfed by the jagged, snow-capped peaks enveloping the landscape.

There's an overwhelming sense of isolation. Feeling insignificant against the vastness of nature and its vigour - appreciation of the beauty and might of this mountain region that has been around for over 50 million years.

The arduous incline gave us a chance to take in these views as we gradually climbed. Beads of sweat dropped onto our handlebars as we puffed up hairpin bends. The mountain air felt cool and nourishing.

Our sense of wonder at these rugged peaks was encompassing, as we had no idea of the wintry conditions that awaited us ❄️

1 month ago | [YT] | 194

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Josh & Sarah Ride

A wee pause on our updates from the Taurus Mountains, Turkey, to bring you some exciting news and ask for your help.

A side project we've been working on for a while and dreaming of for even longer has been in the works behind-the-scenes. Whilst not in the saddle, we've been creating our website that we'll soon be able to share with you!

Although we sometimes write for different publications, some pieces don't quite fit anywhere. This website will be a place for us to share stories and insights freely.

It'll also be a place for us to sell our photography as prints, which is where we need your help. We're struggling to whittle down the best photos, so we would love to know which three here you like the most.

We've posted a selection here and different ones on our other social media platforms to get a variety of views on different images.

The final stages of the website are coming together and we can't wait to share it with you.

Thank you so much for your support and thoughts 📸

P.S. Some of these photos are landscape and some portrait, so you may have to click on them to see the full image. Unfortunately, the YouTube preview shows them all as square rather than their original dimensions, cheers :)

2 months ago | [YT] | 216

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Josh & Sarah Ride

Into the mountains we go 🏔️
We had constantly felt torn with our route across Turkey. Unsure whether to take an inland mountainous route that would be cold, barren and beautiful, or a populated coastal route that would guarantee warmer weather than last winter on the bikes.
The coastline has provided some memorable encounters, and reliable riding and nearby amenities mean very little stress. But the multi-lane busy roads, dusty highways and lack of nature had us pining for the snow-capped peaks, constantly on the horizon. Just luring us in with their handsome, rugged tops, tickling the clouds.
When the mountains are calling, there's only one thing for it.
The Taurus Mountains, Turkey, are a region I've been dreaming about since we set off in November 2024. I had visions of days spent riding jagged remote trails and warm nights, pitched in the vastness of these peaks. The time of year and several inches of snow at lower temperatures mean these dreams won't come to fruition, but the rugged, towering peaks are promised.
As our route took us away from the coastline and up, it didn't take long to leave the sights and sounds of the city behind. Houses became sparse, and the surface of the winding road rose into the peak in front of us.
After struggling to find wild camping spots along the coastline, our first night camping felt easy and peaceful. We pitched by the water and were lulled to sleep by the sounds of bugs, in preparation for a day of steep climbing 🌙

2 months ago | [YT] | 246

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Josh & Sarah Ride

A night to remember 🇹🇷

We'd mentioned feeling torn with our route crossing Turkey. The central mountains are frozen until late spring and empty as locals seek milder conditions on the coast. This is the path we feel drawn to but without our fully loaded winter setup, we thought the coast would be kinder to us after the harshness of last winter.

But I want to be honest, the riding hasn't been highly inspiring. Of course, pedalling along such a busy coastline means we're unlikely to find solitude and vast landscapes.

The people of Turkey have been what's made the journey so far. We've been blown over by how friendly and hospitable people are to us as two smelly cyclists riding through.

That was never more true than on this night.

We met Mehmet and got talking about cycling. He's a tourer himself and was curious about our route. We spoke about our journey so far and asked him questions about potentially crossing central Turkey in winter (we're torn!) 🚲

He asked where we were staying for the night, and we answered as we usually do, "We're not sure". Mehmet made a quick phone call and asked if we wanted to spend the night with him and some of his uni friends.

They had plans for a winter ascent of a nearly 4,000-meter peak and would be staying at the university. We've stayed in some interesting places along this journey but never a university. Of course, we said yes, a little unsure of what to expect.

We rocked up to the university, where about 80 people gave us some friendly but very puzzled looks as we wheeled our bikes into the sports hall. Mehmet took us to the canteen for dinner, and we then accompanied the 80 people to a talk about mountaineering. It was all in Turkish, but a little translating from our new friends meant we got the gist.

We returned to the sports hall, where we'd all be sleeping for the night beneath what we soon found out was a very leaky roof. We found it pretty novel to be in a room with 80 young adults who would all soon be in their crampons up a huge peak. But they found us and our bikes even more of a novelty, I think.

People took turns riding our loaded bikes around the hall and asked us questions about why we were there (understandably).

A huge storm rolled in overnight, which sounded even more ferocious on the tin roof. It didn't take long for the roof to leak and we found ourselves frequently waking, trying to reposition our pad away from the new leak stream ⛈️

We felt so lucky to have met Mehmet and get an insight into a world we easily could've missed. We shared so many interesting and inspiring conversations over the course of the evening.

As the rain bellowed down in the morning, our new friends packed in their ice picks and we bid them farewell. A little worried about the conditions that awaited them at higher altitudes, we waved them off and wished them luck.

This journey never fails to surprise us but this night, although short and soggy in parts, will not be one we forget in a hurry.

3 months ago | [YT] | 182

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Josh & Sarah Ride

Picking back up where we left off with our posting from cycling across Turkey 🇹🇷

After so long on the road, days develop a natural rhythm, yet no two days look the same.

People constantly make jokes at us for coming from the UK and being used to the rain. And despite living in the wettest part of England, The Lakes, I've never known rain like Turkey.

We found ourselves pulling into a small town just as the rain began to patter. Bad timing, as we wanted to pitch our tent, but being in a populated area made it difficult. This is also at the foot of a 20-mile climb that we would ideally like to tackle at the start of the day. Not when biblical-level rain is forecast.

Some locals in a petrol station took pity on us and said we could pitch our tent behind the shop. It had the semi-shelter of some solar panels above us, which offered some relief from the rain.

It was anything but a restful night with the sound of the pumps going through the night but we were grateful for a place to be, out of the rain.

Our following day's ride took us up into the next valley, where we stumbled upon a roadside eatery serving pide. It's a traditional Turkish dish with a pizza-like base and an array of different toppings. We tried spinach and egg, which was delicious.

As we weren't able to use our stove the night before, we thought cooking with an open flame at a petrol station may not be wise, but we were grateful for a proper meal.

Whether it was the speed we gobbled down the food or the haggard look on our faces, the owners thought we still looked hungry and bought us a dessert pide of honey, tahini and walnuts. It was malty, sweet and incredibly moreish, easily one of the tastiest things I've eaten in a long time.

Days on the road developing their fated rhythm of sleeping in odd places, no knowing what awaits us, but always discovering new things and kindness on the way🚲

3 months ago | [YT] | 226

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Josh & Sarah Ride

Thank you so much for your love and support for our most recent film 🎥

We love making these films for so many reasons, one of which is the chance to reflect on this incredible journey. After pedalling along Montenegro's bustling coastline, we were seeking a sense of remoteness in Albania.

The wild and rugged landscapes stole our hearts, whilst also scratching that adventure itch. But it was the people we encountered that truly left an impact on us. We've found that busy cities and populous regions can feel more isolating than desolate mountain passes.

There's a sense of anonymity when surrounded by so many people but this changes in more remote regions. The unfamiliar sound of our bikes rattling over gravel tracks alerts the resident dogs, who in turn alert the locals. It's in these regions that we also find ourselves reaching out for help. Whether it's for water, directions or if it's okay to camp nearby.

People are also more curious of us on the bikes in these provinces. Wondering why on earth we're so far away from any infrastructure, riding our bikes up dusty tracks. It's these interactions, where we find ourselves vulnerable, that we experience the best of humanity.

Our time in Albania remains some of our hardest riding to date. Choosing to tackle an off-road motorbike route at the height of summer was testing. But the landscapes and people we encountered more than made up for the sweaty, gruelling climbs. Worth it in my opinion.

These are the few snaps I'll share from our time in Albania, a reminder of warmer times.

Thank you for your incredible support on this wild journey 🚵‍♀️🚵‍♂️

3 months ago | [YT] | 239

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