Episode 200: Rebecca Gross
In March 2025, Rebecca Gross loaded up gear on her bike and along with her partner Javi, set off for a year long bike adventure The rough plan was to make it to the Pamirs in Tajikistan. From there the route was entirely open, no decisions pre-made as to where they would eventually end up. This in itself is a big deal for Rebecca who before leaving on the trip had always been a staunch planner with not much left to spontaneity.
This was also the first long distance bike tour Rebecca had embarked on. She is a keen lover of the outdoors, especially mountains, but had never done anything like this before. The idea to go in the first place actually came on a 5 week hiking trip in Nepal. She and her partner Javi schemed to take a full year off work and then go travelling. To commit to the journey they bought their bikes second hand, and arranged to take a 12 month sabattical from work. This meant the pressure of finding jobs on returning back to Austria wasn’t something to stress over. Rebecca says they never kept track of the total cost of their trip, but their feeling is they actually spent a lot less than they woudl if they were living normally back in Austria.
A lot of this comes from the fact that for the overwhelming majority of the journey Rebecca and Javi were wildcamping. This was something that took a bit of adjusting to at first, but by the end of the journey Rebecca shares that she felt quite comfortable with being in the tent each night. It felt like home. Beyond wild camping they were also hosted by countless strangers, and this was a highlight of the journey for her. Having people you don’t know being so hospitable and generous to those who travel by bike is a theme which comes up constantly on the podcast and Rebecca and Javi’s experience matches with this. The hospitality ramped up once they reached Turkey, and went next level on entering Iran.
Another feature of Rebecca’s journey were the sidequests of which there were many. The most notable was her experienc of trying to summit Mount Damavand in Iran. The idea seemed impossible before they left, but once they reached Iran they chatted to a fellow traveller who had done it. All of a sudden the impossible felt more likely. They took themselves to the mountaineering club and asked for information. Members of the club did everything they could to help Rebecca and Javi summit, even donating their own equipment. Unfortunately altitude stopped Rebecca from reaching the top, and on reaching 4300m of elevation she was too sick to continue.
But there is always a silver lining and instead of having a feeling of FOMO for missing the summit experience which Javi was able to have, Rebecca enjoyed attending a talk with other Iranian mountaineers who shared about their own exploration bids to places like Mount Everest. What an experience.
Something else Rebecca shared was just how much she noticed herself advancing from feeling like a complete beginner at the start, to feeling comfortable with what the journey entailed. At the beginning she didn’t enjoy riding gravel roads but now having completed 12 months on this bike adventure she says there is no road she would shy away from. It doesn’t mean she necessarily enjoys them all, there was a very hard experience endured on the Assy Plateau for example, but she doesn’t let fear of bad roads stop her from going at all. I think this is an important lesson many of us could take on. To feel the fear but do it anyway.
The other thing Rebecca said was that you don’t need your bike adventure to match up to someones idea of what it ‘should look like’. You don’t need to ride a huge amount of kilometres day after day. If you can only venture for 20 km a day that is totally ok. Do what you feel comfortable with, but don’t let fear stop you from even doing that.
Another element of Rebecca’s journey was doing this with her partner Javi. Being with each other 24/7 was certainly a test of their relationship at times, but they are now so much stronger for it. I am a big believer that even when you take on a bike adventure of this scale on with company, that you still experience it so much differently as individuals. It was dismaying to hear from Rebecca that she felt judged by others when they thought less of the challenges she faced purely because she had ridden to the other side of the world with her partner. All of a sudden in their mind, by not doing this solo, it wasn’t such an incredible achievement. As Rebecca pointed out, she was the one pedalling her own bike and navigating her way across tricky mountainous routes. She experienced the feeling of riding every single day and arriving at the destination under her own power. To me it’s an incredible adventure regardless of whether she did it with Javi or alone.
One of the highlights of her time away was when she and Javi unknowingly found themselves in a Tibetan village that was actually totally forbidden for tourists to enter. Being oblivious to this means ‘you just act normal’, and Rebecca even laughs at how they insisted with locals who wouldn’t take them in for accommodation, that they didn’t know the laws about accepting foreigners. It was a surreal experience, walking through the village, visiting temples which are off limits to travellers. When they left the next day they were questioned by the Chinese police but thankfully were able to continue on.
China was also another surprise from this journey. It was a country Rebecca herself admits she had never intended to travel to. In the end they would spend almost three months there and it was an absolute highlight. It was a complete surprise. The people were so friendly and welcoming and she enjoyed it so much she would happily return. Another highlight in China was also the food, although Rebecca admits that after two months of ‘beef noodle soup’ she was happy to enjoy a dinner at Pizza Hut.
Something else Rebecca did during the journey was small things that felt special. This could be as simple as taking the day off to enjoy a relaxing time in a city, having a coffee in a cafe. Doing this helped her keep away feelings of homesickness for the majority of the trip and made her enjoy her time on the road that bit more. Rebecca recalls just one time where she was feeling ready to go home, which came when they were in Tibet. A message to her twin sister to meet her in Seoul when they arrived in South Korea helped a lot.
One of the things that determined the route she and Javi would take were the mountains. They are each mountain lovers and spending time off main roads and choosing the rugged mountain trails were something they would always preference. Rebecca says she will ever get sick of seeing mountain views day after day. The Pamirs were indeed the main goal of the trip and it is quite something to think of the mountains roads which they took on this journey. The Assy Plateau in Kazakhstan was particularly tough. A route that was beautiful but you really had to work hard for it with it being necessary to hike a bike both uphill and downhill. It was also the first time on the trip were they ran out of water which was a concern for Rebecca. Thankfully some locals stopped and helped them out on this occasion. Rebecca’s advice is the Assy Plateau is better off viewed in a 4WD than on a bike.
New Zealand was a country which didn’t quite hit the high notes for Rebecca. Partly because of the constant rain which fell while they were there, and also because of the high traffic they experienced on the South Island when riding on the tarmac roads. Rebecca also found the governance of the trail and access to the outdoor spaces there a bit overwhelming. The ability to be spontaneous there with their planning wasn’t something they could do freely in New Zealand. Nevertheless it was still a beautiful country and one which she enjoyed travelling through.
Returning home from 12 months away from work was something Rebecca had been concerned about initially, but she found it to not be as bad as expected. I think key to this is Rebecca’s love for the mountains and her genuine enjoyment at seeing the ones which she has access to locally. As she shared, she can go for a hike in Austria and once in the mountains she sees even more mountains. Returning back to her familiar life also helped it feel like a soft landing.
The biggest changes Rebecca reflects on from the journey has been her inclination to be more spontaneous. She no longer wants to have everything planned out in a schedule. She is also proud of facing her fears and seeing that she can do hard things. Whether that is facing brutal headwinds in Mongolia, or hike a biking on the Assy Plateau, it’s truly incredible to think of the experiences this adventure has brought her way. I’m certain more adventures are to come for Rebecca in the future.