Our Story

The story of The Slow Cyclist began long before our inception in 2014. Here, Oli Broom gives a potted history of where we came from and some of the milestones we’ve reached along the way.

2009 - 2011

Wheels Turning

In April 2009, I hand in my notice at work (real estate career in London). In August I buy a bike (bought for me by the England and Wales Cricket Board) and in October I set off on two wheels for Australia. My mission: to get to Brisbane in time to watch The Ashes cricket series starting in November 2010. I spend 412 days cycling across 23 countries and in doing so, I suppose, become a bona fide – some might say the original – slow cyclist. England Captain Andrew Strauss greets me on arrival at the Brisbane Cricket Ground and although I can’t claim any plaudits, along with his England team goes on to win the Ashes 3-1.

2011 - 2013

A Rwandan Adventure

I spend two years living and working in Kigali, the Rwandan capital, where I am the Project Director of a start-up charity that ends up building Rwanda’s first dedicated cricket ground. These days, as well as being a stunningly beautiful ground, it is home to one of East Africa’s most iconic buildings.

My weekends in Rwanda are spent exploring its endless hills on a bicycle. Although it is several years until I trek to see gorillas in the wild, Rwanda still has more than enough charm to encourage me to bring people out to experience it on two wheels.

2013

Book Publication

Cycling to the Ashes: A Cricketing Odyssey from London to Brisbane, the book of my journey to Australia, is published by Penguin Random House. The references to being a slow cyclist are many.

Test Match Special radio presenter Daniel Norcross calls it “a moving, well-paced and thrilling story of the noblest of all gap years.” Stephen Fry wrote: “Oli’s book is rather marvellous.” Ian Botham said it was pathetic that I didn’t cycle home again.

2015

Transylvania Bound

I decide that rather than asking people to travel to Rwanda with me, I should start a little closer to home. Right at the end of 2014 I find myself in the grip of a blisteringly cold Transylvanian winter but, despite the chill, fall in love with the place, its people and its architecture… even its food. The best bit? There are a number of beautifully restored guest houses but little to no tourism.

2016

Getting Started

Having welcomed our first guests to Transylvania in 2015, my wife Clemmie and I decide to up sticks and head for the Romanian hills, specifically the tiny, perfectly situated village of Mesendorf. In the end we spend just 6 months living in our friend Monica’s house before returning for the birth of our first child. In that time, we welcome Slow Cyclists from across Europe who seem to fall in love with Transylvania, just like we did. I am asked by Tom Hodgkinson of The Idler to write about the experience.

2018

A Milestone Birthday

It’s a busy year as we continue to develop our ideas around slow travel. Among other successes, we are asked to host a 60th birthday party for 50 in Transylvania and end up taking every bed in a village we know well. Viscri, the village that King Charles fell in love with on his first visit to the region in the 90s, is perfect for such occasions. Mornings and afternoons are spent walking in wildflower meadows, exploring the village and its UNESCO church, painting and travelling to nearby settlements either on a bicycle or horse drawn cart. There is even a spot of yoga on offer. Lunches are in orchards and on remote hilltops and come sunset, the sound of Romanian, Gypsy and Hungarian music envelops the village.

2019

Into Greece

A first for me, I am named a Conde Nast Traveller Top Travel Specialist for my expertise in Romania. We also expand into Greece’s Zagorian villages near its border with Albania. With the help of Serena Prest, Josh Barley and a wonderful local team, we enjoy a great first season.

We also buy a fleet of e-bikes and send them to Rwanda. They are the first such bikes in the country and open up the possibility of cycling across Rwanda to a broader demographic.

2020

Covid-19

The tragedy of Covid-19, of course, plays havoc with our plans. No travel is permitted from the UK until the autumn. We are grateful that when offered a full refund or a chance to delay travel, almost 100% of our guests hold their bookings for a later date. We support our Rwandan guides with a loan to set up a grassroots energy business. Otherwise, we plot for a time that travel returns.

2022

Onwards...

We emerge into a post-pandemic world in which everything has changed, yet nothing has changed. We are happy to see that people still want to travel with us, perhaps even more so than before. Emily, who joins us at the start of the year following nearly a decade in Mongolia, spends almost four months in the Taurus Mountains in southern Turkey and emerges with a wonderfully immersive experience to offer our guests. Meanwhile, with the help of local wildlife guides, Matthew designs a similarly spectacular journey through two of Italy’s lesser known national parks, Gran Sasso and Majella.

2023

A New Home

Having moved out of London at the start of the pandemic and with our team finally growing again, it is time to find a long-term home for our team here in the UK. In February, we move into this beautiful listed barn in Tackley, Oxfordshire.

While flexibility is now the norm for office workers the world over, we find that our team still value time together in the same place. If you are nearby or passing, do get in touch and we’d be very happy to see you and if you wish, talk you through our holidays over a cup of tea and some cake. There is always cake.