Our Team

Dylan has been designing and running bike tours since 1997 and it was this experience that provided the bedrock behind the creation of Ride & Seek. Family bike tours were the original inspiration though with the 1988 Land End to John  O’Groats trip his first ‘Epic’. He is now based with his family in the shadow of Mont Ventoux where the tour operations are based. Born in Zambia he has travelled extensively and has called Australia, Italy, Spain. England and now France home over the years. An itinerant lifestyle of professional squash, snowboarding and cycling have provided a wonderful passport to explore the world.

First cycling memory:
Chaperoning my younger sister on the 4km ride to primary school every morning. My Mum would often follow in the car, out of sight, to check we were ok. It was my first experience of guiding!

Favourite bike:
On tour I really like my Lynskey Sportive. In terms of pure aesthetics I’d go for anything from Look.

Top climb:
Whist I have Mont Ventoux on my doorstep there are a number of climbs in the vicinity that I enjoy more. The Col de Murs in Provence is probably my favourite.

One thing on your bucket list:
Take the whole family on one of the Epics!

A special skill you bring on tour:
I think I’m a bit of a jack of all trades from a guiding perspective having done it for over 20 years now. After all that time I guess my special skill is to be as passionate about guiding as I was when I first started.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
A Fiorentina steak washed down with a fine bottle of Brunello di Montalcino in San Gimignano on our Hannibal tour.

Languages:
English, French & Italian. I’m determined to improve my Spanish before we embark on a tour program in the Iberian peninsular.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
I’ve led all of them to date and I find myself on most of the Epics at least in part.

Ben has been working in the bike tour industry for over 10 years and has owned tour companies, designed itineraries and guided all over the world in that time. A traveller to the core he calls Adelaide home but is rarely there these days. When he is not designing and running tours for Ride and Seek he’ll be found pack-rafting in some remote part of the world or pursuing his charity efforts with Helping Helmets and Africa Goal. His enthusiasm, professionalism, media skills and general tour expertise make Ben a very valued member of the team.

First cycling memory:
Taking the training wheels of my police car painted bike, complete with flashing light and riding down the laneway behind my house with my brother and his fire engine bike. He became a firefighter, I stuck with the bike.

Favourite bike:
Without sounding too much like a hipster, my father’s old Japanese steel Koga - Miyata that I restored and converted into a single speed. Moved through Melbourne traffic like the wind and completed more compliments from bearded men than I care to mention.

Top climb:
Col Agnel, Hannibal - a magnificent history filled, yet little trafficked gateway to Italy

One thing on your bucket list:
Buy a bush plane and get my pilot's licence

A special skill you bring on tour:
Videography and photography….."Smile"!

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
The Artisan gelateria in Alba (the town that smells of Nutella), enjoyed as an extended dessert on Hannibal.

Languages:
English & German. My French and Spanish are coming on.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
I've been involved with all of the Epics to date

Megan qualified as a Clinical Dietitian 20 years ago, completing additional postgraduate studies in sports nutrition. She has worked in the areas of sports nutrition and clinically within the hospital environment both in Australia and the UK. Megan works with Ride and Seek in the capacity as Nutrition Consultant to help ensure our clients are optimally fueled and hydrated for our tours. Megan helps us design our snack provisions with the right balance of nutrients for our customers, accounting for special dietary requirements and designed to help maintain our energy levels, performance and recovery on tour.

First cycling memory:
I vividly remember getting my school trousers caught in my chain rings down the street from home and having to remove my trousers and run home in my undies.

Favourite bike:
My Lynksey of course!

Top climb:
When I'm feeling very energetic, Mont Ventoux! For less energetic days, Col de la Madaleine outside Bedoin.

One thing on your bucket list:
It is really tough to choose one, but I would have to say that the Ride and Seek Japan tour would be up there. I love cycling, sushi, sake and onsen baths so I think this tour ticks all of the boxes.

A special skill you bring on tour:
I am strongly customer focused and of course my background as a clinical dietitian comes in handy. I help to advise our team on customer with special dietary requirements and ensuring that snacks provided meet our clients needs for the long days spent in the saddle and recovery.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Can I say dinner at our Ride and Seek Provencal base on the Hannibal tour? I love nothing more than preparing a meal for our Ride and Seek customers and learning more about them.

Languages:
French and English

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
At present I look after guide and guest needs from our Provence base, but I have secret aspirations to guide Marco Polo and Maori tours.

First cycling memory:
Many bicycles crash with my brother and dad, and trying to block the front wheel of my brother's bike with a tree branch...

Favourite bike:
Luckily I can put more than one bike. MTB : Cannondale Scalpel SE or my Transition single speed. Road bike : BMC SLR01. Gravel bike : I loved to get a Rondo !!

Top climb:
Mont Ventoux or Col du Lautaret under the snow (in February). Back home I regularly climbed the "Gorge de Methamis" as it's lovely and so peaceful.

One thing on your bucket list:
Climb the Galibier + Izoard + Col Agnel - the most legendary climbs!

A special skill you bring on tour:
Good mechanic skills, being very organised and proactive, and being an all round swiss army knife!

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
What's better than drinking a coffee or eating a lemon pie at the "Refuge Napoleon" on the ascent of the Col de l'Izoard!

Languages:
French and English - and can manage a few words in Italian and Spanish due to the Latin base!

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Based in Provence around Mont Ventoux.

First cycling memory:
Riding on the back of my brothers bike and begging him to slow down!

Favourite bike:
My mint green beach cruiser, which is sat in a garage back in Australia

Top climb:
The lighthouse walk in Byron Bay - note that I said walk

One thing on your bucket list:
To see the cherry blossoms in bloom in Japan

A special skill you bring on tour:
Organisation and maybe one day my cooking skills...

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
ooh, I love seafood so anything Italian, Spanish or Japanese! Which covers a few of our Epics

Languages:
English (Australian) and basic French

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
None, but if I had to join one, my picks would be Marco Polo, Samurai or 3 Islands

A native of Piedmont in Italy, Alessandro is just at home in Spain where he brought his daughter up on the Costa Brava. With a surname – Allegro -that translates from Italian to ‘Happy’ in English he was perhaps destined to guide! He’s been cycle guiding for over 20 years and has led countless tours across Europe. He first worked with Dylan on a ‘gelato’ tour back in 2001 so it is wonderful to now have him on the Ride and Seek guide team. His local knowledge of the areas in which he guides and his calm professionalism make him an asset to the team.

First cycling memory:
I was around 4 years old when I received my first Olmo bicycle, however my first real road bike was a Bianchi 1973. I was 16 years old and since that bike that I have been in love with cycling.

Favourite bike:
A Wilier 101 Slr, it was lent to me by the Lampre team, it fitted me perfectly. Only thing missing is the pro legs ;)

Top climb:
In the past years I had the chance to challenge most of the famous climbs over Europe, among the legendary ones my favourite is Col d’Aspin in the Pyrenees, beautiful scenery, mythical ascent and no traffic!

One thing on your bucket list:
Live in a world with fewer cars and more bikes

A special skill you bring on tour:
My passion and knowledge of Italian food and wine

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Nata; a Portuguese custard tart with a coffee is hard to beat for a break off the bike

Languages:
English, Italian, Spanish, French and my German and Croatian are coming on.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
The Moors Epic

First cycling memory:
Uuf! As a Dutchy I cannot remember the first time I rode a bike, but what I do remember is my parents having to push me to school, since I just hated cycling that much! I did have the raddest bright yellow mountain bike, but that didn’t stop me from getting someone to push me (special thanks to my dad!).

Favourite bike:
I’m massively in love with my neon pink retro Specialized, upcycled by a close friend of mine as a surprise!

Top climb:
I’m tempted to say the bridges of the Amsterdam canals, since I’m not much of a cyclist outside of the city… By foot I did climb Vinicunca, also known as Rainbow mountain, in Peru (5200m) and you can find me often with my snowboard at high altitudes in the Swiss alps.

One thing on your bucket list:
Getting dropped out of a helicopter in powder heaven Alaska on my snowboard…

A special skill you bring on tour:
A burning passion for cooking, great food and exciting drinks.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
I hope I can contribute to many, many great gastronomic experiences to come…!

Languages:
Dutch, English, Swiss-German, French.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
I’m thrilled to say I will be joining you on The Iron Curtain!

James has been with Ride and Seek since the start and is one of our most valued guides. A photographer by profession he lives in the Alps with his wife and daughter. During the winter he is kept busy taking photos all over the Alps and then comes on board to guide tours in the summer. Our trip specialist for Provence he has managed to encourage riders from across the ability spectrum up Mont Ventoux. His patience, good humour and natural propensity to guide make him a super popular member of the team with guests and colleagues alike.

First cycling memory:
Priory Park, Southend, first time without stabilisers with my Dad running alongside holding the saddle

Favourite bike:
I'm loving my Cotic Rocket at the moment (Steel is Real!)

Top climb:
Colombier, as it's a great winter ski tour too.

One thing on your bucket list:
Humanitarian photography trip to the Middle East

A special skill you bring on tour:
Random (and often useless) facts, pretty handy with a Pappagallo (repeating verbatim what somebody else is saying) and an english sense of humour.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Not a classic highlight given what it is - pork tripe sausage - but my experience of eating andouillette on our Provence tour will never be forgotten by me or any of those around me!

Languages:
English, French and 9% Italian (according to Duolingo)

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Provence, Hannibal, Eroica, 3 Islands

First cycling memory:
My first ride without training wheels, I was four and I was riding in my parents’ house corridor. I clearly remember I saw the sky one second before crashing into a door.

Favourite bike:
My Bice Bicycle steel gravel bike.

Top climb:
I love the alps, so any climb in the alps would fit, but if I have to pick one I would say the Gavia pass.

One thing on your bucket list:
Two things: the Carrettera Austral and a biking trip across Japan

A special skill you bring on tour:
I’m a stress-free person since 2015, at least when I’m on a bike, but I’m doing pretty well also when not riding.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
There is a gelateria in Pienza that is simply one of the best I’ve ever experienced - and I've had lot of gelato in my life!

Languages:
Native Italian, fluent English and French, conversational Spanish and basic Portuguese

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
the 3 Islands Epic, and Hannibal

Rich has been leading cycle tours for six years, beginning in Europe before switching hemispheres and relocating to the South Island of New Zealand, which has some fantastic roads (not to mention off-roads!) to explore. Prior to guiding, he organised trail run and triathlon events in the UK and spent time as manager of a restaurant on an organic farm in deepest Devon. He views the bicycle primarily as a form of transport from café stop to café stop, but also loves the sense of a journey that only a bike ride can really give. Highlights of his time on the road so far have been working for World Tour bike racing teams at le Tour and il Giro and guiding clients on the coastal roads of Norway.

First cycling memory:
Digging and sculpting what seemed at the time like huge jumps to ride BMX in the woods in the school holidays. This led to MTB explorations on Dartmoor before I saw sense and traded it all in for a road bike.

Favourite bike:
My trusty, steel Surly Pacer. Not as nimble as some of the carbon bikes I’ve ridden over the years, granted, but it’s served me well - first as a London commuter and now in soaking up the bumps of some of New Zealand’s rural back roads. It even goes well on gravel!

Top climb:
Can I have two? It would have to be split between the perfect switchbacks that lead up to Lago di Cancano out of Bormio in the Italian Alps and the 21km/1450m of climb from the shore of Geirangerfjord all the way up to Dalsnibba in Møre og Romsdal, Norway, riding past a huge frozen lake on the way up!

One thing on your bucket list:
To ride the Tour Aotearoa - 3000km of self-supported bike-packing from Cape Reinga to Bluff - the entire length of New Zealand.

A special skill you bring on tour:
I think it’s always important to remind folks to look up from the computer screen and really take in the environment we’re lucky enough to be pedalling through. If I can find a really scenic picnic spot, then all the better.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
The food and hospitality of some of the hotels in Alto Adige, Dolomites. All that cheese and pasta is great, slow-burn, energy, not to mention the apfelstrudel.

Languages:
Always trying to improve my French and Italian, even if it’s proving tricky to get much practice here in NZ. Te Reo Māori is the indigenous language spoken here, so that’s the current challenge - Kia ora koutou katoa!

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
The Māori New Zealand Epic and Three Islands Epic

First cycling memory:
It was going on holiday to France with my parents from age 5 and riding my bike around the campsites. I would make up my own Tour De France races, pretending I was a pro and getting my Dad to time me.

Favourite bike:
It has to be my Cannondale Super Six Evo aka Rainbow Chan. Good for long rides, road races, climbs, it takes me everywhere.

Top climb:
Any climb with a switchback, the more the better. Right now it has to be Niseko Panorama Line.

One thing on your bucket list:
To ride the iconic stages/ Climbs of the Tour De France or Giro D'Italia.

A special skill you bring on tour:
My love of talking all things cycling. In Japanese, I'm a bit of a cycling otaku.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
A stop at a convenience store like 7/11 or Lawson to pick up a great Japanese cycling snack like Yokan!

Languages:
English (Scottish Accent Included) and Japanese.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Samurai Japan Tour's - Honshu and Shikoku.

Simone is affectionately known among the team as ‘cinghiale’ – Italian for ‘wild boar’! A proud Sardinian he has been working with Dylan since 2004. They both started as guides and have extensive experience of designing and running tours together throughout France and Italy. In more recent years Simone has set up his own company – Mediterras. It was Mediterras that conceptualised the 3 Islands tour and Simone still acts as the Trip Specialist. His good humour, depth of knowledge and professionalism make him an ever popular member of the team with guests and co-workers alike.

First cycling memory:
Since I was a child, the bike has been to me like a space shuttle to me, taking me to faraway places. When I was little there was a huge forest close to where I live in southern Sardinia and I used to explore this marvelous place for hours, always trying to get further and further away from home. My passion for bikes was probably born then.

Favourite bike:
I love titanium bikes, and my Linksey is very sexy, but if I could pick the bike of my dreams it’d be a Crisp; a handmade and designed by Darren Crisp, an american architect that set his workshop up in Tuscany.

Top climb:
The Col de Palmarella in western Corsica, offering great views over the ocean from the top. Plus is not that long, which helps :)

One thing on your bucket list:
Get myself an Italian red Lancia Fulvia from '70, a classy and quintessentially elegant car.

A special skill you bring on tour:
A bit of fun..and lots of jokes, of course. Watch out :)

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Any meal in Sicily. From street food to the most refined dinner, this place is always able to surprise my tastebuds.

Languages:
Italian, French, Spanish, English, ein bisschen Deutsch and Sardinian (yes it's a language on it's own, totally different from Italian)

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
The Three Islands, Eroica, Hannibal, Caesar, Napoleon, and more to come :)

First cycling memory:
When I was 4 years old, just after I got my first bike – a little bright blue folding Graziella Bicycle with side-wheels – my parents took me to the big square nearby our place. I do not remember how many hours it took, but I will never forget the first time I felt the limitless pleasure of cycling : freedom on wheels.

Favourite bike:
The Queen of the collection is a handmade steel Daccordi from the '90s. Upgraded with modern Campagnolo componentary and wheels that I personally built. Just perfect.

Top climb:
The 800m unpaved climb (average 10-11% gradient) that leads to my home. At the end of each ride it IS the top climb!

One thing on your bucket list:
To ride all around the Mediterranean Coast. I hope to see in my life time when all the nations that share the shores of the Mare Nostrum will share peace and friendship as well.

A special skill you bring on tour:
My mechanical knowledge and the attention that goes into creating every single day of a tour - these are my words. Sincere smile, natural empathy and infinite patience – these are guest's words.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Corsican Delicatessen, Sardinian Culurgiones , Sicilian Cassata & gelato.

Languages:
Italian, English a bit of Spanish.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
The 3 Islands Epic

Colette hails from the city of Preston in the north west of England. A mother of 3 adult children and master of many trades, including finger print expert, ambulance driver and funeral celebrant, her sunny disposition and can-do attitude is a great asset to any tour she is on. With a passion for fine food and a masters in sports massage therapy – Active IQ Level 3 Certificate – her soigneur skills are second to none.

First cycling memory:
Sitting on my brother’s handlebars because I was too small to cycle on my own.

Favourite bike:
The one I found playing hide and seek. I stumbled across it the day before my 7th birthday. I never told mum and dad I’d seen it. It was blue and I loved it. Nowadays I am more partial to my Lynskey Sportive.

Top climb:
Only done one col. Will Mont Ventoux suffice?

One thing on your bucket list:
Have cycled in Cuba, Vietnam and Cambodia. Have cycled from the Eiffel Tower to Blackpool Tower which was less exotic! My favourite ride was to cycle the length of Great Britain, from John O’Groats to Land’s End. Maybe a ride across America could be my next ambition.

A special skill you bring on tour:
Everyone loves a massage don’t they? I’m your girl. I’m also a people person. I love to meet new people and to get to know them.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
As a bonafide Francophile I love the cuisine of Provence.

Languages:
Schoolgirl French and Lancashire. Other than that I find communication is easy with a smile.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Mallorca, Provence, Hannibal & Napoleon

First cycling memory:
The 35km distance between my parents house and grandparents farm in rural Burgundy when I was 7 . At this age 35km is an expedition - my first Epic!

Favourite bike:
I'm a bit of a bike tragic so go with the horses for courses approach so here goes -Road bike : Stiff - I really like the geometry of these bikes; Travel Bike : a classic Surley Long Haul Trucker. What a bike!; Gravel bike : a Kona , Iconic. I'm really enjoying getting off the beaten track with this bike.

Top climb:
In Corsica - Piana to Col de Sevi and back to the sea to Sagone : an amazing climb followed by 1000 m down hill , one shot , no cars only watch out for the wild pigs along the side of the road!

One thing on your bucket list:
Gaspé peninsula in Peru by bike. I think Peru could well become the new 'in' cycling destination in the coming years. I've also always dreamed of running a tour that embraces my passion for prehistory. The Cro Magnon tour will allow me to tick that one off though!

A special skill you bring on tour:
Spontaneity , eclecticism , passion for life , experience , open mind, and a SMILE

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Catalan tapas on the second day of the Hannibal tour

Languages:
French, English and passable Spanish

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Hannibal, 3 Islands, Cro Magnon

Born and raised in North London and spending long summer holidays in France and the occasional childhood trip to Maine, New England sowed the seeds of his love for foreign travel. While at university in Sussex, he explored the South Downs on his Kona mountain bike. Trips to see relatives in Yorkshire were also with his Kona or Orange MTB. Gareth moved to Japan for a year in his late twenties and has been based there on and off for nearly 20 years. Although during that time, he cycled in Central America including Cuba, and toured Southern Africa getting particularly close to the wildlife. Now based in Furano, Hokkaido Gareth is co-owner of Ride and Seek’s new venture Cycle Japan. Along with his partner Rika, Gareth runs the AIR Furano Lodge,which is now the base for all of our Hokkaido tours.

First cycling memory:
Taking my Raleigh Banana for a spin on the suburban streets of North London. No idea why I wasn't scouted by one of the big cycling teams early on.

Favourite bike:
My trusty steed, Neil Pryde Nazaré, wind tunnel tested carbon frame and the throwback to where it all began. Nazaré, Portugal is the site of the world’s biggest wave. Neil Pryde started off making windsurfing boards.

Top climb:
My local climb. The 1,000m ascent from Hinode Koen (Sunrise Park) to the Tokachidake Trailhead in Kami Furano, Hokkaido, Japan. Once is enough but twice or thrice is better! Fun fact: it almost exactly mirrors L’Alpe d’ Huez ascent.

One thing on your bucket list:
To spend more time cycling in my home continent Europe!

A special skill you bring on tour:
Connecting with the local older folk who are usually very happy to share their knowledge and unwritten history.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Eating freshly caught seafood especially crab on the coast of Hokkaido.

Languages:
Japanese, French, dodgy Spanish. Still working on my English.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Noto, and Cycle Japan Hokkaido Tours

First cycling memory:
During the summer of 1998 I worked with tourists around Liguria to pay for my University studies, very funny times.

Favourite bike:
A vintage style Rossobike. A company which lets you design your own bike.

Top climb:
Matterhorn, but with skis!

One thing on your bucket list:
The Samurai Epic in Japan, I think I'd come back deeply changed

A special skill you bring on tour:
Well organised and forward thinking....sometimes too much!

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Everything in Sicily, the last Island on the 3 Islands Tour. I can still see it and almost taste it!

Languages:
Italian is my mother tongue, English, a bit of French, Spanish and modern Greek and of course Sardinian

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
I'm on the tours in spirit as I take care of the hotel reservations and follow the riders across the world.

First cycling memory:
Pedaling very wobbly without practicing wheels on my beautiful red Bridgestone bike

Favourite bike:
My current Bridgestone bike Anchor. She takes me to so many places and opens my world wider!

Top climb:
Niseko Panorama Line with the view

One thing on your bucket list:
Bike packing in Europe

A special skill you bring on tour:
Positive vibe with an extra watt and smile. Also I can introduce my daily breakfast at home if you are interested!

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
EVERY meal after cycling, and first sip of beer after cycling.

Languages:
Japanese & English

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Samurai tour, and hopefully many more

First cycling memory:
My first bike was a blue Peugeot road bike, I was 6 years old, a very nice Christmas. It was the signal that I would be allowed to go to school on my own. Very quickly I was able to do, every morning and afternoon, the 3 km that separated me from school. I felt free and loved riding the roads in all weathers.

Favourite bike:
A rocky mountain that I bought myself when I was living in Paris. Hyper responsive, great brakes, I felt it was a part of me, I spent my days roaming the city and did at least 50km every day until I had it stolen.

Top climb:
During a tour in Turkey I climbed a 2000m pass north of Ankara. The landscapes were magnificent and the arrival at the sea just incredible.

One thing on your bucket list:
Going on a long trip with my family, wife and two daughters.

A special skill you bring on tour:
I love making sure that the people around me are happy and I put all my skills at the service of what I invest myself in. Apart from my availability, my skills as a mechanic, my taste for accompanying people, I offer the best of me by massaging. I have been training for a very long time and I am passionate about taking care of the body.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
I hope it will be the next one, I really love to eat well!

Languages:
French, Spanish and English.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Conquest of the Moors and Provence Tours

First cycling memory:
I was six years old when my superhero mom chased me down a steep hill and miraculously caught me before I entered into heavy traffic, back before I knew how to brake (backpedal, baby!).

Favourite bike:
My custom Casbah gravel bike. Works like a charm on those nasty, Umbrian roads and I designed the color scheme myself.

Top climb:
The ride from Port de Pollença to Cap de Formentor (Mallorca) with 1000m of climbing packed into 40km is epically stunning with its endless views out to sea.

One thing on your bucket list:
The Khangai Mountains Traverse in Mongolia with my sweetheart.

A special skill you bring on tour:
Being able to know what you will love as an experience before you do. I also have a passion for teaching yoga, plant-based diets, bike mechanics, and singing.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Homemade and seasonal pumpkin tortelli from Reggio Emilia with grated, fresh parmigiano reggiano. OMG.

Languages:
English, Italian, un peu de Français

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Hannibal: Barcelona to Rome or go home!

Marcello is a native of the lovely town of Bosa on the west coast of Sardinia. He has been working on bike tours for 20 years and is highly respected within the industry. He presently lives just outside Cagliari with is wife and two kids. Along with Simone and Gian-Mario he now runs the company Mediterras. This is the team that conceptualised our 3 Islands tour and also helps deliver some of our custom tours. Marcello plays an important role in improving our mapping capabilities and is also working with Dylan on our most ambitious tour yet for 2020 – simply named ‘The Project’ for now.

First cycling memory:
More than 20 years ago, while I was studying at university I bought a bike from the mall for 100 euros. I was cycling 50km a week when one Saturday I headed out with a sandwich and a bottle of water and it turned into my first 100km ride. The fact that I now run a cycle tours around Europe has a lot to do with that crazy day.

Favourite bike:
I have no doubt about it: my Specialized steel travel bike

Top climb:
The heroic ascent of the Colle delle Finestre, passing through the fortress of Fenesrelle in Italy

One thing on your bucket list:
Cycling across the Balkans from Slovenia to Istanbul

A special skill you bring on tour:
Passion and knowledge about the local food and wine here in Sardinia and Italy

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
It is really a challenge to choose one of the endless possibilities to enjoy great food, but cheese in Sardinia I promise you that it is a sublime experience

Languages:
I speak English, French, Italian and, of course Sardinian

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Three Islands Epic, the quintessence of the Mediterranean experience

Richie is one of the Ride and Seek trip specialists who brings a rich life experience to the tours having served as a soldier and firefighter during his regular career. Now retired from both he has reinvented himself as a bike guide and professional mechanic. He has worked as a the lead mechanic on the Race Across America (RAAM) team and has guided all over the world – 4 continents to date. One of our most popular guides he is the Mallorca trip specialist but also features on many of our Epic tours as well.

First cycling memory:
Proudly riding my pale blue Gresham Flyer bike to school. It was my pride and joy!

Favourite bike:
I have a few, but my stand out is my Rapha Condor Sharp Team Leggero. She’s a beauty!

Top climb:
I’ve just joined the Club des Cingles for those that ride up Mont Ventoux from all 3 sides in one day. I have to say that after that experience I have a new respect for the Geant as it was pretty tough. Ventoux still remains my favourite col though!

One thing on your bucket list:
I would like to take part in the Race Across America (RAAM) as a rider in either a 2 or 4 man team. I’ve acted as a navigator and mechanic for two teams to date and am now at a point where I’d like to ride it myself.

A special skill you bring on tour:
Prior to working as a guide I had a career in the military and emergency services. A special skill would have to be that there isn’t much I haven’t seen!

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
A plate of escargots in Meursault washed down with a fine Burgundy wine chosen by Bruno on the Caesar tour.

Languages:
English and my French and Italian is coming on. I aspire to be a polyglot, but the road is long!

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Caesar, Hannibal, 3 Islands and Napoleon

Made in Hokkaido is the label etched at the base of Rika’s neck. Despite living in Europe, and travelling & cycling extensively in Latin America and Africa, Japan is Rika’s true home – or more specifically Hokkaido! If she’s not on two wheels, you’ll likely find Rika up a mountain trail or putting her creative skills to good use. However, undoubtedly her greatest creation to date is the AIR Furano Lodge in Furano, Hokkaido – the in-country hub of Cycle Japan operations.

First cycling memory:
Cycling with my dad aged 6 in the park in Sapporo, the place where I grew up.

Favourite bike:
My classic Surly Long Distance Trucker with downtube shifters. 1000’s miles across Africa and no issues!

Top climb:
I love the undulating hills of Furano and Biei in central Hokkaido. My local playground!

One thing on your bucket list:
Another long distance cycle journey! Probably around Canada or New Zealand!

A special skill you bring on tour:
My craft skills. I am not so sure but people tell me I can make something out of anything.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
I love fooood. All fooood. Haha – too many to mention.

Languages:
English, Japanese

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
My primary job is running AIR Furano Lodge, which serves as a base for Cycle Japan but because I was born in Hokkaido I also lead our tours there.

First cycling memory:
Riding along the banks of the mighty Murray River, which ended up with a trip to hospital after a spectacular stack!

Favourite bike:
My Bianchi eBike which makes the rolling hills around home very enjoyable.

Top climb:
Mount Bogong on two-week pack ride with my favourite horses Buddy and Bailey, was an absolute highlight as was an overnight hike up Mount Feathertop.

One thing on your bucket list:
Full-time travel with Dave on our gap year!

A special skill you bring on tour:
My love for creating pretty, picnic lunch platters for hungry cyclists.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
The amazing restaurants on the Strzelecki Tour in Australia, paired with a local Pinot Noir.

Languages:
English and Australian English.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Strzelecki, Australia & Maori, New Zealand

First cycling memory:
I can still remember learning how to ride a bike around a local park and finally getting the hang of peddling in a straight line.

Favourite bike:
Liv Devote 2. Comfiest seat in the world and trusty all rounder.

Top climb:
My first ride up Mont Ventoux and also Mt Fuji. I found an old gravel path, off the beaten track that lead me all the way to the top without the big crowds. Pretty special to have the whole climb all to myself then zip down the mountains amongst the masses.

One thing on your bucket list:
To ride around South America.

A special skill you bring on tour:
I'm pretty savvy with flora and fauna, have a good understanding of the environmental impact of tours (that we're working to reduce wherever possible) and good at being a cheerleader to help motivation along when when things get steep or challenging.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Fresh cherries on the side of the road in Czechia, and the incredible spreads in Japan.

Languages:
English, and very basic Japanese and German.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Norsemen.

First cycling memory:
Riding my bike over jumps in our rear lane here in Australia. Dreaming I was Roger de Coster, Belgian motorbike motorcross world champion

Favourite bike:
My giant TCR. It makes me feel much much quicker than I am, but that might change with my soon to arrive gravel bike

Top climb:
Mt Buffalo, in the Australian Alps for the sunrise. As a memory it would be up Mt Hotham with Dylan in blizzard like conditions

One thing on your bucket list:
So many mountains so little time...ride as many hills and mountains with as many people as possible

A special skill you bring on tour:
Dad jokes, so my family tells me. Im good at finding the funny things in trying conditions and I love hearing peoples stories

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Sampling coffee and cake with country hospitality and the must have, refreshing craft beer at the Porepunkah pub after riding Mt Buffalo

Languages:
English and colourful at times

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
The Strzelecki Epic

First cycling memory:
As a younger sibling I only ever had hand-me-downs, so getting my very own Raleigh Lizard in the mid-80s was a beautiful moment!

Favourite bike:
‘Vintage’ blue Peugeot that I picked up for €10

Top climb:
I live in Chamonix, France and have Mont Blanc on my doorstep. I've become very proficient at climbing her through the winter when the lifts are open!

One thing on your bucket list:
To join on of the Japan tours

A special skill you bring on tour:
Attention to detail which is useful as I’m one of people working behind the scenes to make sure the tours run smoothly

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
One of Dylan & Meg’s Provencal lunches!

Languages:
French and English

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
I don't lead any but I have a hand in the organisation of all of them

First cycling memory:
Not sure why this is imprinted on my memory but many many years ago when I was a kid I had a 3 wheeled trike, a decent one with pedals and a chain drive I hasten to add, with a box on the back I managed to stack going round a corner resulting in stitches to my head.

Favourite bike:
I rode it fairly recently and to be honest technology as left it behind but I have a real soft spot for my old Klein Attitude Comp (I still have it in a shed somewhere in the Blue Mountains). I probably did more miles on that than any other bike before or since. Lots of road as well as off the beaten track, mostly in the Lake District.

Top climb:
Helvellyn. Most folk outside of the UK don’t seem to know you can ride up Helvellyn in the Lakes. I say ride, I think if I’m honest I did a bit of carrying too. Most of my road climbs have been tiddlers. I used to ride a lot in the Ribble Valley and the highest peak there was Pendle Hill at a massive 557m.

One thing on your bucket list:
A Tuscany ride would be perfect for me. Love the countryside and the history, the walled cities, the summer weather and it’s the home of my favourite ever wine (Brunello di Montalcino).

A special skill you bring on tour:
Helping to bring them alive through the tour documents I put together

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Anything linked to Tuscany a and a fine bottle of Brunello

Languages:
Very pathetically English and it’s little know local version - Lanky Twang.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
I don't lead any, but feel I could given the time I take tinkering with the itineraries when helping to design them!

Ben is a bestselling historical fiction author (six novels on the Sunday Times bestseller list) who also happens to love cycling. A veterinarian by trade and a traveller at heart he was late to cycling as a means of travel.  That all changed when he participated in the 2015 Hannibal tour though. With the amazing Hannibal book trilogy in his canon of work he brought the history to life on that tour. Since then he has guided on the 3 Islands tour and is joining us on Napoleon as well where we once again look forward to his great presentations.

First cycling memory:
Cycling along the road at the back of our house in Ireland on my new bike (a 7th birthday present). I had stabilisers, embarrassingly!

Favourite bike:
My Lynskey Sportive - my first road bike.

Top climb:
Col d'Izoard, because it was the third climb on a day with over 3,300 metres of ascent. Once I'd done it, I knew I was fit enough to do the rest of Hannibal.

One thing on your bucket list:
Sail the Northwest passage and visit the remote islands of northeastern Canada - before all the ice is gone.

A special skill you bring on tour:
An ability to bring the history of the tours alive particularly when talking about the gory parts!

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Villa Sparina, in Gavi Italy on Hannibal. A meal served in their cellar, surrounded by hundreds of bottles of brilliant wine from the surrounding hills.

Languages:
English, some Spanish, a little French.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Hannibal, 3 Islands, Napoleon

First cycling memory:
Cycling to 20km everyday when I was at high school. The Japanese countryside has a lot of hills, so I needed to do a lot of climbing. I wish I had a carbon road bike at that time.

Favourite bike:
ORBEA avant, my first road bike!

Top climb:
My local climb; Mt Ventoux, but with snow.

One thing on your bucket list:
It’s hard to choose one… ride Col du Tourmalet.

A special skill you bring on tour:
As I was born and grown up in the countryside of Hiroshima I can explain the cultural aspects of Japan and help with communication with the locals. I'm also passionate about food as I'm a professional chef in France.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Kaiseki feasts fresh from the ocean on the Noto Peninsula

Languages:
Japanese, English, French

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Samurai

First cycling memory:
The first time I was on a BMX track and I went way too fast over the first jump and my feet were no longer on the pedals when I landed, needless to say it didn't end well, haha

Favourite bike:
My Decinvi, a Canadian handmade full suspension MTB. It is heavy, but comfortable

Top climb:
I do more downhill than uphill - I take the gondola if I can, haha. There is an amazing downhill on the ride in Shikoku, a 20km descent with barely a pedal stroke, I really like that!

One thing on your bucket list:
Finish building my house

A special skill you bring on tour:
Happiness! My Japanese language skills combined with my french background. This is my home, but because it wasn't always that way I know how guests can feel at times. Japan is different to the rest of the world, that is what makes it such an exciting place to visit.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
My hometown Hokkaido ice cream on the tour in Honshu

Languages:
French, English and Japanese

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
The Samurai Epic

First cycling memory:
The first day I learned to ride a bike without training wheels. My father is behind me holding the saddle then suddenly he is gone. At that moment I discovered the feeling of fear and freedom at the same time. A little later, everything was freedom.

Favourite bike:
My first road bike, Orbea Sierra Nevada, which my parents bought me when I was 13 years old. They bought it big because it was expensive and it should fit me for several years. So big in fact that still today it's my city commuter bike!

Top climb:
Any isolated ascent where there is no traffic. The mountain and the bike alone!

One thing on your bucket list:
Travel the Karakorum highway on my bike.

A special skill you bring on tour:
I really like to sing and I am good at teaching, so I can teach you how easy it is to sing badly.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Andalusian salmorejo and Mediterranean cuisine.

Languages:
Spanish, a portion of french and a couple of portions of english.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Conquest of the Moors

First cycling memory:
Being about 6 years old, cycling to school on my new dutch bike, I remember it was brown and had a white basket with plastic flowers on it in front. I’m Dutch so cycling has been part of my life since I was 4 years old.

Favourite bike:
My Canyon! I bought it last year after having ridden my husbands old Decathlon bike for a few years. What a delight, my carbon blue/green canyon for women. I just love it. There is a Dutch saying that goes like: « the possession of the matter is the end of the fun » which has proven very untrue. I still love it single every time a get on this bike.

Top climb:
What else but Mont Ventoux, it is literally at our doorstep in The Provence, I see ‘it’ every day and such a tough but beautiful climb

One thing on your bucket list:
I would love to do some longer tours with my husband or with friends, like the ones organized by Ride & Seek or maybe just get on our bikes with a little tent and some stuff and see where we end up. Just the idea of having no work or responsibilities, only to cycle, eat, sleep, see new things and have fun!

A special skill you bring on tour:
I’m a GP, computer scientist and a researcher. I think most useful will be to bring my practical skills as a GP and I could help people with all kinds of medical problems.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Any nice pasta with loads of cheese, accompanied by a good salad and a lovely glass of red wine. As a dessert of course Megan’s famous Pavlova!

Languages:
Dutch, English, French and German

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
That’s easy: the 3 islands tour. I got the Corsica - week as a gift from my family for my birthday this year and was so very happy. However it was cancelled because of the corona-epidemic. I’m absolutely going next year (2021)! Looking forward to this so much. And who knows what other tours I could do in the future.

First cycling memory:
Riding to school with my big brother and a family holiday where we rode from Lands End to John O'Groats over 3 weeks when I was 11.

Favourite bike:
For just getting around London I love my Dutch commuter. For when I'm on tour I love the Lynskey bikes.

Top climb:
Haven't done many but having ridden up Mont Ventoux last year I think that has to be at the top of my list.

One thing on your bucket list:
I'd love to island hop in the Caribbean. I think there is so much to explore there on both a spiritual and physical level.

A special skill you bring on tour:
Flexibility and knowledge to keep aches and pains at bay!

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Megan's home cooked ANYTHING! With local a glass Rose from Paul Vedran.

Languages:
English and I get by in French

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Provence Cycling and Yoga

Gabriel is of mixed German and Italian heritage and is blessed with being bilingual. His English and Spanish aren’t half bad either. Based in the city of Milano, Italy he runs a bike hire business when not guiding tours. A many of many talents he has also turned his hand to designing and patenting a cargo bike and previously worked as beekeeper. His beekeeping days have been curtailed now that he is a Dad, but he still manages  to get out of the city when guiding bike tours for us.

First cycling memory:
The garage of grandpa, he was fixing motorbikes, I was riding a motorless beauty.

Favourite bike:
For the city bike: Budnitz No3. For the road: English Cycles, Steve’s 953/carbon

Top climb:
Muro di Sormano, Lecco, Italy, 1,6 km of pure muscular madness and multiple risks of heart attack. Maloja pass is also a favourite.

One thing on your bucket list:
Be a super dad

A special skill you bring on tour:
Italian and German culture with a scenic view on society

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
"Ca de ven" in Ravenna Is a culinary highlight both for location and food. Their Piadina is an edible monument!

Languages:
Italian, German mother tongue, English and Spanish and basic French

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Caesar, Hannibal, Puglia

First cycling memory:
I grew up in Siberia and riding my bike always signified that spring had arrived. I still associate riding my bike with sunny days!

Favourite bike:
I think my favourite bike has to be the Lynskey Sportive that I ride on tour. The roads in Russia are not always smooth and yet I find it really comfortable wherever I ride.

Top climb:
Passo dello Stelvio, Italy since it was my first big climb. I started with with one of the best I’ve been told.

One thing on your bucket list:
I’d love to travel to Africa and go on safari. It’s always been my dream.

A special skill you bring on tour:
Positivity and desire to look after people. For better or worse on my first Napoleon tour both the guides and guests called me ‘Mamma’!

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Has to be my favourite Russian snack of black bread with smoked sardines and marinated cucumber and now that I live in Ivrea, Italy now it is hard for me to look beyond Barbaresco and Barolo when it comes to wine. Areas the Hannibal ride passes through.

Languages:
Russian, English, Italian

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Napoleon

First cycling memory:
I grew up in the country where the only place to learn how to ride was on gravel roads so I remember them very well, learning on them which was difficult and later exploring along them.

Favourite bike:
My locally handmade chromoly frame road bike

Top climb:
I prefer to avoid climbs, haha. The small hills behind the town are wonderful to ride through, especially as the biggest climb is about 50m!

One thing on your bucket list:
I'd like to get married

A special skill you bring on tour:
Finding restaurants for guests to explore on their free nights as well as suggesting interesting things to try at our lunch stops

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
The seared Bonito (in the same family as Tuna and Mackerel) near the most southern point of Shikoku Island

Languages:
Japanese and some English

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Samurai

First cycling memory:
Riding down a long slope after my father left go of my bike, that feeling of speed and how much fun it was. What I can not remember is how that memory ends, did I crash or did I manage to stop?

Favourite bike:
My old road bike, it is nothing special, but I have made some good memories with it like my first big ride to the most northern point in Japan.

Top climb:
The 600m climb across the active volcano Tokachidake near my home.

One thing on your bucket list:
Sky dive

A special skill you bring on tour:
My attentional to detail with the reservation requirements for the tours

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
The Udon noodles in the mountains of Shikoku

Languages:
Japanese and English

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
The Samurai Epic

First cycling memory:
Running round the streets of the local village with everyone else on bikes. And at that point I knew I needed a bike

Favourite bike:
It has to be my bike, a Boardman ADV 8.9. Which is a cyclo-cross bike so I can mix up the road with the off-road bridleways where I live in the South Downs.

Top climb:
Thurnham Hill in the North Downs, Kent. Granted I’m still building up to the big ones... but it’s got a great view at the top and takes a good bit of puff to get there. With a cracking pub at the bottom.

One thing on your bucket list:
Cycling for one day on a Ride & Seek tour instead of filming it.

A special skill you bring on tour:
That has to be documenting it by shooting video, interviews and the drone.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
It’s all genuinely great and memorable food as far as I can tell. But pizza in Alba, Italy did it for me. Simple perfection.

Languages:
You got me there. English. Love a French phrase book though.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
I might overtake you whilst on the back of a motorbike with a camera in hand but leading is not yet part of my remit!

First cycling memory:
Cycling along dirt roads during the summer in Sicily ... fields in the middle of nowhere, always with my elbows and knees scraped. I can't forget my mum's anxiously waiting for me until the after the sunset when I returned dirty but satisfied!

Favourite bike:
I started cycling many years ago with a Graziella Bike, but now on the road I use my Bianchi Intenso, always Italian style.

Top climb:
The Colle del Nivolet from Cuorgnè, in Piedmont. Unbelievable!

One thing on your bucket list:
Wander as much as possible across our beautiful planet with my family on bikes.

A special skill you bring on tour:
I think my main skills come from my jobs and nationality: I'm patient and attentive as a special needs teacher, I love landscapes and agriculture as an agronomist, I adore cooking mediterranean dishes as I'm a Sicilian!

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
All food, but please with a good bottle of wine!

Languages:
Good English, scholastic French and Spanish, and perfect Sicilian ... as extra oomph

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Three Islands Epic

Chris is an ex professional squash player who represented Scotland throughout his career and came close to a medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Squash took him to Italy where he is now based with wife and 2 kids in the lovely city of Florence. When he retired from playing squash full time he then applied the passion and discipline he had shown with squash to cycling. As well as guiding for Ride and Seek he runs bike tours in Tuscany and is a veritable expert on the Chianti region and all it has to offer – including the wine!

First cycling memory:
Jumping 10ft off the side of a hill on my brother's BMX and landing on rocks and nettles. Bruised and battered but learned a valuable lesson.

Favourite bike:
Current De Rosa SK Pininfarina

Top climb:
Mount Teide in Tenerife

One thing on your bucket list:
Haute Route Alps

A special skill you bring on tour:
Riding 20000km a year keeps me in good shape and allows me to help guests in their moment of need. My passion for cycling means every day on the bike is a good day full of enthusiasm.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
I live in Florence so it is hard to get much beyond a Fiorentina steak and a glass of Chianti in San Gimignano

Languages:
Italian, English

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Hannibal & custom tours

Sasha was born in the beautiful city of Gorizia on the Slovenian/Italian border. A linguistic wizard with multiple languages in his repertoire he is super proud of Slovenia and takes great pride in showing guests all that it has to offer. A keen participant in pretty much all outdoor activities, including asparagus and mushroom hunting, he is also a professional bike mechanic and aubergine expert.

First cycling memory:
My father bought be a 3 speed BMX bike when I was a kid that opened my eyes to the possibilities of off road cycling. After a few months though I took the whole thing apart and built a go-kart which I'm sure my parents weren't best pleased about.

Favourite bike:
On tour I really like the Bianchi Intenso road bike. Back home I probably ride off road more and so the Specialized stumpjumper gets my vote.

Top climb:
Any mountain around Bovec to be honest. I like to carry my bike to the top of a mountain and then cycle down!

One thing on your bucket list:
Can I have 2? Windsurf along the coast of Mexico and visit every corner of my home country Slovenia.

A special skill you bring on tour:
The art of relaxation and an expertise in choosing good local beers.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
Anything including aubergines. I would have to say parmigiana di melanzane would be my choice

Languages:
Slovenian, Croatian, , English, Italian and Spanish.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Slovenia

John is originally from the Channel Islands but now calls Brittany home. A man of many talents he has worn many work hats over the years which always makes for amusing anecdotes. These days he works as a swim instructor, currency trader and musician. Previously he had worked as a driver in the Alps and that is where we first met John. He cut his teeth for us when he drove from Moscow to Barcelona in 3 days in 2014. His good humour and caring nature make him a valued member of the team.

First cycling memory:
Receiving a green Raleigh Ranger for Christmas and my dad teaching me and my brother to ride outside our house.

Favourite bike:
My old Claude Butler hybrid that I bought second hand for 80 sterling, because that's the one I rode up l'Alpe d'Huez :)

Top climb:
Alpe d'Huez

One thing on your bucket list:
Cycling the Brittany coastline with my brother

A special skill you bring on tour:
Ha! Nothing special, although I can keep the van crew laughing.

Favourite Ride and Seek tour gastronomic experience:
The carpaccio Tuna starter in Sierre, Switzerland -Caesar

Languages:
French, English, a little Portuguese.

Ride and Seek tours you lead:
Support on Caesar and Hannibal