Two Bugs on Bikes

"I can't believe we're actually doing this!" I shouted, wheeling my heavily laden bicycle between motorbikes, horse-drawn carts piled high with dates and oranges, and stalls selling spices, ceramics, carpets and French pastries, as we weaved our way out of the bustling alleyways of Marrakesh...

Jacqui Webster has always wanted to travel in Africa - she just never expected it would be on a bike! Inspired by her partner Joe's adventurous spirit she agrees to park her career as a professor working on food policy to accompany him on a cycling journey setting off from Morocco. They have a vague plan to travel east across Europe and Asia.

Leaving their jobs behind for a year, they cycle 18,000 kilometres through 30 countries. Scaling the High Atlas, they stay with Berber families in Morocco, skirt the Sierra Nevada in Spain, brave the bears camping in the Rhodope mountains in Bulgaria and conquer the fifty hairpins over the highest pass in Slovenia.

But their sense of purpose is completely lost in Türkiye, and Jacqui begins to wonder why on earth she agreed to this crazy adventure. Barely surviving the heat, they arrive in Istanbul to find they can't get visas for China. Land borders to Azerbaijan are also closed. They might have to give up.

Instead, in a bold leap of faith, Jacqui and Joe make a dramatic U-turn and head for Africa. Starting in Kigali, Rwanda, they cross rivers, traverse deserts, dodge wild animals, and forge connections with people, all while heading towards Cape Town. Having tried to leave work behind, cycling through Africa exposes Jacqui to the harsh realities of people's lives in the face of increasing food insecurity compounded by climate change. It's a trial of resilience, forcing them to confront their futures.