When Dries Van Ransbeeck and Manon Brulard first met in Brussels, Belgium, they immediately bonded over their mutual love of cycling. It made sense for New Year’s Eve 2017 then, that the couple would make the relatively simple 45-mile ride to Antwerp to celebrate.“As we were cycling, we thought it would be amazing to go on a long-distance bike tour,” remembers Van Ransbeeck. With their appetite for long-distance cycling now whet, they decided to really test their talents. “We looked at a map and noticed that you can’t go much further than Japan.”Even though that was a distance of roughly 12,759 kilometers, Van Ransbeeck and Brulard were inspired by the other long-distance cyclists they followed on social media. Over the next 12 months, they put all of their energy together to make their dream trek a reality, spending every possible moment training and meticulously planning for their adventure.
