Danny Dindia

My second time in India, first time cycling.
I was looking for area to visit on a second trip, and about the only area I haven't visited on the first 10 months visit was Spiti and Lahaul. Checking the busses proved it takes a very long time to move from one place to another, so I decided to take a bike.
The flights were outrageously expensive because of the holidays, so I decided to fly from Jordan.
It was a long jorney - Taxi to Jerusalem bus station, but to Beit Shean, taxi to border, crossing the border, and then a taxi to Amman airport.

Almost a month in Portugal. Mostly day rides, but I also manage to do a 3 day adventure from Lisbon to the South of Portugal

A short but unforgettable 2 days cycling trip through northern Italy, combining brutal climbs with spectacular mountain and lake scenery.

Day 1: The first 100 km were enjoyable but traffic-heavy, followed by the Mortirolo Pass, the hardest climb I had ever done. The effort was rewarded with stunning mountain views and a much quieter alternative descent.

Day 2: After the exhaustion of Mortirolo, I chose Lake Como and the mountains instead of another huge climb. The day felt almost dreamlike—forests, mountains, lakes, swans, valleys, beautiful towns, cycling paths, gelato, and breathtaking views. So many photos. Despite thunderstorms being forecast, no rain happened though. Many stops -> arriving after dark.

Last day: A relaxed morning exploring Città Alta in Bergamo, followed by coffee, sightseeing, cheese shopping. I rushed to the airport, dismantled and packed the bike in 15 minutes, and arrived in Israel—unfortunately without the bike, which was left behind (I was reunited with it later)

Weiner Neustaddt - Bad Fischau - Landl - Mariazell - St. Pölten

day 1: Monopoli - Alberobello - Locorotondo - Ostuni - Francavilla Fontana
day 2: Francavila Fontana - Gallipoli - Maglie - Lecce and many beautiful towns in between
day 3: Lecce - Cellino San Marco - Mesagne - Brindisi. (10km on flat tire)

750 km, 13700 m of climbs.
The ride through southern Italy was a spectacular mix of ancient sites, mountain roads, dramatic landscapes, and plenty of suffering. After visiting magnificent Paestum, I climbed into Cilento, where the roads quickly became empty and beautifully remote. The days were full of steep climbs, incredible views, fun descents, and picturesque towns like Pisciotta. There was so much beauty that stopping for photos was irresistible—even if it meant arriving late.

Further south, the ride became increasingly wild and unpredictable. I cycled through mountain villages, forests, lakes, snow and deserted roads, often struggling to find food because everything was closed in the low season. Temperatures swung from 26°C during the day to 4°C at night, and one night I even arrived at the hotel after 1.5 hours of cycling in complete darkness. Rain, steep climbs and thick fog added to the adventure, but the rewards were spectacular: empty roads, sea and mountain views, and unforgettable descents.

The journey ended dramatically in Naples. After more than a week of almost complete solitude in nature, cycling through the city's insane traffic was a shock. Naples was as energetic and chaotic as expected—an entirely different experience from the quiet mountains and villages of the previous days.

Brasov - Rupea - Vad - Brasov
A mix of spectacular scenery, unpredictable mountain weather, and some frustration with the MTB. One day brought everything from sunshine and warmth to showers, hail and thunderstorms, while another was simply perfect, with quiet roads, forest paths, charming villages and friendly people.

The biggest takeaway was that I don’t really enjoy riding an MTB itself, especially a basic one, and the muddy forest sections and steep climbs reinforced that. I enjoy what the MTB allows me to reach, but for touring I’d much rather bring my road bike or rent a road/gravel bike. Overall, fewer kilometers but plenty of beautiful places, photos and a lovely B&B ending.

Day 1 — Serbia, country #41
Escaped Israel’s heat only to encounter record temperatures in Bulgaria. The first 30 km were miserable with heat, traffic and exhaust, but the road became quieter, cooler and increasingly beautiful, especially after turning onto 813 toward Godech. Crossed into Serbia at night through a truck-heavy border, where the surprised border staff encountered a lone cyclist. The rented Bulgarian bike was far from ideal, but functional. Serbia’s smoking-in-restaurants culture was a shock.

Day 2 — Serbia
A spectacular day of empty roads, beautiful scenery, birdsong, flowers and perfect weather. An unplanned decision to follow EV13 led to discovering Serbia almost by accident. The country exceeded expectations: friendly people, clean and green towns, and less of the Soviet character expected from Romania. Simply an awesome day.

Day 3 — Serbia → Bulgaria
Another beautiful day of empty roads through fields, forests and flowers, though some terrible asphalt made even downhill sections painfully slow. Serbia continued to surprise with its scenery and friendly people, making leaving a little sad. Crossed a sleepy Bulgarian border almost alone, then cycled along the Danube. Finished in Vidin, an unexpectedly charming town.

Day 4 — Vidin → Belogradchik
Spent the morning enjoying sleepy Vidin and its promenade, even finding a free eye test. Visited a derelict power station before heading into the mountains, starting with 2 km of cobblestones. The ride itself was fairly uneventful, but wild cherries provided plenty of entertainment. Belogradchik delivered the trip’s highlight: spectacular rock formations that felt like the single most beautiful place of the entire journey. Rode on into the dusk and night to a hotel.

Day 5 — Bulgaria
A planning mistake sent the route over 6 km of gravel with gradients reaching 20%, made even less enjoyable by nearly 30°C heat. But the day recovered with a lovely lunch, Bulgarian treats, beautiful roads, a brutal climb, dramatic rock formations and a river. The trip ended on a high note, with a strong feeling that Bulgaria deserves a return visit—there is still a lot left to explore.

22 days/1440 km/21500 m altitude gain
I just love India. It's my fouth visit, second visit cycling.

The journey began with a dramatic descent from 2,700m into the scorching heat of northern India. As usual, the route evolved on the go, and taking an unfamiliar forest road turned out to be a great decision: perfect asphalt, tiny villages and almost no traffic. The heat remained brutal, but there were plenty of memorable moments—excellent dhaba food, cold water from roadside fountains, generous locals, and unexpected hospitality. In Tarpi, a group of Indian cyclists invited me to their hotel, shared dinner and drinks, while later a stranger in the mountains offered me a beautiful room and dinner when I was about to sleep outside. Along the way, I also revisited places I had cycled through in 2009, seeing how dramatically the roads and hydroelectric projects had changed.

As I climbed deeper into Kinnaur and Spiti, the landscape became increasingly spectacular and the altitude increasingly punishing. Roads were often excellent, but climbs at 3,700–4,000m left me constantly out of breath, while monsoon storms brought sudden drops in temperature, rain, thunder and strong winds. There were dramatic gorges, desert-like valleys, Buddhist villages, falling rocks and enormous mountain formations. At times the cycling was miserable—especially on gravel with headwinds—but the scenery repeatedly made up for it. I stayed in homestays and dhabas, met cyclists from around the world, enjoyed endless Indian food, and even spent a night alone in a meadow beneath a sky full of stars. After reaching Manali and having my damaged crank repaired by an exceptionally kind mechanic, I continued toward Ladakh.

The road to Leh brought more extreme riding: endless climbs, thin air, powerful headwinds, trucks and occasional terrible roads. But beyond Leh, the journey became quieter and more rewarding again. I found peaceful village roads, incredible Ladakhi hospitality, and beautiful rides along the Indus River, surrounded by dramatic rock formations, greenery and endless apricots. I passed through remote Brokpa villages and then into Kargil, where the atmosphere suddenly felt very different from the Buddhist regions I had just left. The final stretch toward Srinagar brought greener mountains, increasing humidity and heavy military presence, followed by the chaotic, noisy arrival in the city after an exhausting day. Throughout the journey, the combination of brutal conditions, extraordinary landscapes, spontaneous encounters and unexpected kindness made it feel like far more than just a cycling trip.

15 days mostly in France over 17 or so days - 1500 km / 7000m altitude

We started the French adventure in rain and 12°C. I would have happily stayed another day with friends, but L. decided it was time to go, so off we went. It rained or drizzled for most of the day, but eventually the weather cleared and we were rewarded with beautiful nature. I was incredibly impressed that L. managed 60+ km, with plenty of climbing, without any preparation and in pretty miserable weather.

And France! Beautiful nature, amazing bakeries, wonderful cycling paths and calm, courteous drivers. So happy to be back.

The weather remained changeable for the next few days — drizzle, showers, then sunshine — but the scenery kept getting better. We passed a massive nuclear station, had an incredible sandwich and artisan IPA, and eventually ended up spending the night in a rather strange family holiday resort because there was nowhere else to stay.

Lyon was another wet-weather day. We arrived on the outskirts in the rain, hid from it in a ramen restaurant, and then entered a beautiful but insanely crowded city. After three days of barely seeing anyone, the crowds felt almost claustrophobic. Luckily the weather improved, so we continued. L. once again surprised me by managing a long ride and actually enjoying the achievement.

Then suddenly summer returned: 25°C, shorts and jersey time. We cycled through beautiful vegetable fields around Vienne, with people everywhere enjoying the sunny Sunday. A few days later came one of the highlights of the trip: we were invited to stay with Michel, a virtual Strava friend, and his wife Dina in Montélimar. Michel met us on the road and cycled with us home. Beers, wine, fantastic dinner, laundry — and, most importantly, wonderful hospitality. I really felt like I had gained a family in Montélimar.

Michel is an incredibly strong cyclist. I joked that when I'm older I want to be at least half as fit as him. We had another wonderful ride together, and L. completed her longest ride yet.

Avignon was magic. ViaRhôna itself was a bit disappointing — too monotonous and not enough cute villages — so I went back to planning my own routes. Much better. We found lovely roads, Frigolet Abbey and villages I had visited on my winter tour ten months earlier, even stopping at the same sandwich place in Tarascon. Arles turned out to be beautiful, cosy and fascinating enough that we decided to stay an extra day.

From Arles we headed into the Camargue. Aigues-Mortes was absolutely packed because of a festival, but what a festival! Bull running through the streets surrounded by horses, a procession of motorbikes, bicycles, trucks and old cars, and a very intense local atmosphere. Later we cycled through the Camargue towards Sète, surrounded by flamingos and water.

I had originally planned to follow the Canal du Midi, but it was too boring for my taste. After the monotony of ViaRhôna I wanted variety and beauty, so I spent half the night searching for an alternative route. It paid off. We found a fantastic old railway cycling path, with countless tunnels, bridges and beautiful views, mostly on thin gravel.

The only recurring problem with cycling in France was food. Restaurants — and sometimes supermarkets — love closing for the afternoon. More than once we ended up improvising with whatever we could find.

We passed through Revel and Mazamet, followed beautiful paths beside streams and the Canal du Midi, and eventually reached Toulouse, which I was visiting for the third time. It felt strangely familiar, especially since I had been in the area only ten months earlier.

The weather became almost ridiculous: 27°C in the middle of October. I would have preferred 15°C, but at least it wasn't raining. We continued through canals, vineyards and little towns, stopping at boulangeries and even visiting a surprisingly good local art exhibition in La Réole. There were castles for sale, water mills and beautiful evening rides through the vineyards.

Eventually came the last day of proper cycling — a short but wonderfully beautiful ride along the Roger Lapébie trail. And then the countryside disappeared and the traffic began.

Paris was a shock after all those quiet roads. Insane traffic, crappy cycling infrastructure, bad drivers, pedestrians and cyclists coming from every direction. There were still some cool things to see among the chaos and hordes of tourists, but after so much beautiful, peaceful France, Paris was a pretty brutal ending.

Catania - Ragusa Ibla - Ragusa Ibla - Caltagirone - Piazza Armerina - Piazza Armerina - Etna - Linguaglossa - Catania airport

Day 1 — 88.9 km

Probably my 10th time in Italy, and I still can’t get enough of it. I love this country. The temperature ranged from 18°C down to 2°C, and the descent was particularly cold, though luckily the expected rain never came. Beautiful scenery, excellent roads and, surprisingly, courteous drivers—even in Sicily, they’re better than Israeli idiots.

Day 2 — 85.7 km

Another beautiful day, despite insane winds and a lot of rain towards the end, when the temperature dropped to 6°C. The problem wasn’t the weather but having the right clothes, and my Decathlon gear kept me warm and comfortable. Italy is insanely beautiful: incredible nature, charming little towns and amazing food. The only downside is the amount of garbage along some roads—somehow even dirtier than Israel.

Day 3 — 127.1 km

Absolutely gorgeous views, empty roads and finally perfect weather. Beautiful little towns, great snacks and far too much coffee. Italy at its best. Temperatures again ranged wildly, from 16°C during the day to 2°C at 1,050m. And yes, Etna glows at night. I made a completely spontaneous overnight stop when it got too dark to continue. Perfect.

Day 4 — 63.2 km

A fantastic two-hour climb at 7% in just a merino T-shirt, with 2°C and snow. The locals cheered me on to the pass, making the freezing conditions feel almost perfect. For the descent I put on everything I had, but still ended up asking a driver if I could warm up in his car. Five minutes later I continued until I found a restaurant, where the owner asked, “Don’t you check the forecast?” I told him I actually enjoy cycling in snow. I spent the next ten minutes hugging a heater with a cappuccino.

The snow eventually turned into drizzle all the way to Catania. The final section had busy roads and terrible asphalt. I grabbed a quick lunch, stopped at the B&B to collect my bike box, and headed to the airport. Sicily was incredible. I’ll definitely be back.

This was a short but beautiful cycling adventure through Latvia and southern Estonia, with fantastic weather, long summer evenings and a lot of time spent exploring off the planned routes. Latvia became the 14th country cycled, and choosing quiet alternative roads instead of the faster EV routes consistently paid off, even when it meant slower progress.

The highlights were the forests, marshes, river beaches, sandstone cliffs, bridges, castles and ruins, with plenty of gravel and eventually some welcome asphalt. Valmiera was a pleasant stop, while Valga felt surprisingly depressing and run-down. In contrast, the remote southern Estonian countryside was incredibly quiet, with almost empty roads and a memorable stay at a huge tourist farm where we were the only guests.

The trip also had plenty of spontaneous moments: a Georgian singing concert and Georgian food, an electro-acoustic music concert, beer by the river, cycling through rapeseed fields at 9 PM, and a freezing 10-second swim in a lake. Overall, the overriding impression was simple: Latvia is beautiful, and the best experiences came from abandoning the planned route and exploring.

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! My longest ride as well. 600 km

Mostly single day rides around Madrid , but also 2 day adventure.
I went to Spain 2 weeks after 7/10 Hamas Massacre, so it's been a bit rough

This Italy cycling trip didn’t go quite as planned. A train strike forced me to cycle north from Rome, and early on I was dealing with traffic, broken roads, drizzle, a sore throat and very little energy. After a few short recovery days around Assisi and Gubbio, I gradually felt better and started enjoying the riding again.

The best part of the trip was discovering just how beautiful the Umbrian and Lazio countryside is. Quiet country roads, strade bianche, gravel tracks, medieval villages, lakes and endless spectacular views made even the unplanned detours worthwhile. Some climbs were brutal—especially while recovering—but the reward was often an empty ridge road and incredible scenery. Gubbio, Assisi and the small villages along the way were highlights.

I covered roughly 660 km of new roads, with several long days despite feeling underpowered. Food and accommodation became part of the adventure: kefir and sushi one night, pasta from a kind B&B host another, and eventually excellent pizza and pasta in Manziana. The final day was a short ride toward the sea and airport, ending dramatically when I hit an unexpected barrier and went over the handlebars—but fortunately my helmet did its job. Overall, Italy once again proved that almost any road can turn into a beautiful cycling experience.

Fiumicino - Nepi - Civita Castellana - Terni - Spoleto - Foligno - Spello - Assisi - Valfabbrica - Gubbio - Umbertide - Passignano sul Trasimeno - Montorio - Tuscania - Vetralla - Manziana

5 days/915 km/5800m altitude
Long days and very long rides. Slovakia is spectacular.

17 countries
My longest spontaneous adventure.
I had a month to travel, just boght OW to Dusseldorf and strated cycling south

In part 1 I was cycling from Paris to Budapest, until in Switzerland I quite spontaneously decided to escape the heat and fly to Edinburgh to cycle towards my friends in Wales.

Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria, with plenty of beautiful roads, border crossings, cold weather, and unexpected encounters with incredibly kind people.

I started in Budapest in beautiful, sunny weather, riding through charming towns like Kalocsa and Baja before crossing into Croatia. I was especially excited about the border crossings—coming from Israel, I still find it amazing that you can simply cycle from one country to another, sometimes without even showing a passport. In Osijek I did some sightseeing before continuing toward Serbia, where I got my first proper border stamps on a bike. It was a small thing, but surprisingly exciting.

Serbia was a mixed experience. Novi Sad was charming, while Belgrade felt huge, chaotic, polluted air, and far too busy for my taste. Getting out of the city was a struggle, with heavy traffic, rain, and terrible roads. But once I reached the Danube, things changed completely. One day turned into a real adventure: a brutal headwind, rain, a flat tire, a broken pump. Eventually, a cheap little pump from a Chinese shop saved the day. Along the way, strangers repeatedly helped me—one family invited me into their car to warm up, a café owner offered me coffee, and people went out of their way to find me a pump.

The highlight was probably the quiet road along the Danube, which became one of the most beautiful sections of the whole trip. Later, in a tiny Serbian village, I stopped at what looked like a pensioners' club just to warm up. They offered me tea, wine, food, , and eventually one of the younger guys invited me to stay with his family. Their house was huge but extremely run-down, with goats living downstairs, but the hospitality was unforgettable. It was one of those uncomfortable but very special travel experiences that I would never have planned.

I also returned to roads I had cycled three years earlier and remembered how beautiful they were. When faced with a dangerous, busy road toward Knjaževac, I decided to take a bus instead. It turned out to be one of the best decisions of the trip.

The final days in Serbia brought more quiet mountain roads, abandoned villages, beautiful scenery, and very cheap but excellent food. I was impressed by the landscapes, although I definitely wouldn't miss the traffic, crazy drivers, or the fact that practically everyone seemed to smoke everywhere.

Crossing into Bulgaria was memorable for another reason: a border guard seemed determined to make the crossing as difficult as possible, but eventually had to give up and return my passport. On the Bulgarian side, I found the emptiest and most beautiful road of the entire trip. There were almost no cars, abandoned villages, dirt roads, fallen trees, and eventually complete darkness. Temperatures dropped to just 2°C, and I ended up wearing every piece of clothing I had.

I spent another day riding a spectacular gorge, which was probably the most beautiful section of the whole journey. I shortened the route several times and eventually ended up riding a muddy trail in complete darkness at 4°C—typical of my tendency to make things more complicated than necessary.

The final day took me toward Sofia. The scenery was still beautiful, with snowy Vitosha in the distance, but the closer I got to the city, the worse the traffic and smog became. Sofia itself was chaotic and not particularly attractive at first, although the center was nicer. I did some sightseeing, then discovered I couldn't remove my pedals with my tiny multitool. Luckily, another cyclist happened to pass by and took me to a bike shop.

Finally, I picked up a bike box that a Strava virtual friend had kindly left for me, bought some sirene, packed up the bike, and headed to the airport.

Overall, this was a trip of contrasts: beautiful mountains and ugly roads, freezing temperatures and sunny days, mechanical disasters and perfect stretches of asphalt, chaotic cities and incredibly peaceful countryside. But more than anything, I’ll remember the unexpected kindness of people I met along the way. Some of the best moments came from situations I could never have planned.

April 2026
The first section on the SP24 was surprisingly unpleasant, with lots of trucks and no shoulder. But once I turned onto the SP95, everything changed. The traffic disappeared, the roads became quiet, and the scenery was spectacular. Although I was feeling cold, out of shape and struggling with the climbs while carrying all my gear, the views made the effort worthwhile.

The following days brought some of the most beautiful cycling I've ever experienced. I rode through rugged mountains, wild landscapes and almost completely empty roads, passing goats, sheep and pigs along the way. The SS125 and especially the SP105/106 were incredible. One night I ended up camping at a 1,000-metre pass, where the temperature dropped to just 1°C. Realizing my sleeping gear wasn't warm enough, I packed everything up and moved to a nearby campsite with a small trailer. It was basic, but at 14°C inside it felt like luxury.

The weather and wind occasionally made things much harder. On the way out of Cagliari, a strong northerly wind was blowing directly into my face, and the forecast warned that it would continue for several days. Eventually I decided there was no point struggling through more mediocre roads and strong winds, so I took a train to Macomer. That spontaneous decision led me to some fantastic roads further north.

I particularly enjoyed Bosa and the legendary SP105/106, and eventually reached Alghero. There I met several other travelers and cyclists, including a Peruvian guy at my hostel and an Italian cyclist living in Switzerland. Those spontaneous conversations were some of the nicest moments of the trip.

From Alghero I continued north toward Porto Torres and Santa Teresa

June 2026: 9 days cycling in Poland, Slovakia and Ukraine

This was a short but very memorable cycling trip through Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine. I rode about 1,000 km over nine cycling days, camping most nights and crossing the borders several times.

The highlight was definitely Ukraine. I loved the scenery, but even more than that, I was struck by how warm and friendly people were. I had countless spontaneous conversations with locals, from children picking cherries to families who invited me in from the rain. It felt incredibly genuine and reminded me of my childhood in the USSR.

The trip wasn't without challenges: extreme heat, thunderstorms, terrible roads, limited food options in Ukraine, and quite a lot of arm pain. But those things were part of the adventure. I also discovered some incredible camping spots, crossed the Tatras, and rediscovered Kraków.

Long rides on road bike in Israel- Negev & Arava

Awesome rides from Tel Aviv

Long (180km+) rides that are particulary beautiful

The places are beautiful, but the reality in the West Bank is extremely complicated, especially with the current nationalist government in Israel.
Worth reading about it yourself.

Various multiday bike-packing MTB rides in the south of Israel

Epic (In my opinion) road rides in Israel. Usually 150 + km.
Be sure to also check Golan collections. Golan is epic, and my favorite place to cycle in Israel

single and multi-day adventures

Awesome ride in Haifa area

Awesome riding area, easy to reach on bus. Usually start from Jerusalem

Great routes for group and solo rides from Tel Aviv