Diana Ballon went on her first bike tour a couple of years ago and hasn’t looked back since. She shares her experiences of exploring the world on two wheels, one pedal stroke at a time.
More than just biking in the Baltics
From Tallinn’s storybook spires to Riga’s elegant facades and the baroque charm of Vilnius, the Baltic capitals know how to enchant. But for Diana Ballon, the real discovery began when she explored the region by bike. Initially drawn by the promise of flat terrain, the Canadian journalist soon realised the Baltics offer so much more than flat-out fun. With its rich history and resilient people, her journey became an immersive exploration of the region’s heart, culture, and soul.
Riding Solo: Active Travel for Women Over 50
Cycling is good for the body, mind and soul.
Cycling Greece: It has its ups and downs
There is a quiet meditative state that comes over you when you bike. The more your body moves, the more your mind quiets, clears and expands. The warm wind sweeps away the past and leaves you with a visceral experience of the present.
The Restorative Power of Cycling Ontario’s G2G Rail Trail
As a non-driver who loves to travel, being able to explore independently has had its challenges. I started long-distance running, but could only get so far. Then I took up cycling, and the whole world opened up to me:
A ride of a lifetime—From Porto to Lisbon
After an arduous 10-hour flight and a long hot shower, I readied myself for our meeting. Would we like each other? Would the trip lead to more?
It was actually not any kind of tryst, but to be the beginning of an eight-day cycling trip with Exodus Travels
From Porto to Lisbon on Two Wheels
I get how nature can feel like a religious experience. Cycling over five days and about 300 kms — along boardwalks, next to sand dunes, though a pine forest and alongside ocean cliffs certainly did feel like a transcendent experience.
Among the Poppies and Quiet Roads of the Loire Valley
Cycling the Loire Valley is like entering into a kaleidoscope of colour. You pass shivering fields of orange poppies, sail along paths hugging the deep blue Loire River, and past the pale warm yellow of limestone buildings.
Quiet roads and a vibrant city: Biking in Peterborough and the Kawarthas
Featured in Canadian Cycling Magazine, October 2015. The prime road routes and trails of Ontario’s Peterborough and the Kawarthas aren’t well-known, but that will change. We followed our guides on a rainy day in June. We were travelling over rolling hills in Ontario’s Kawarthas on road bikes against soft winds and under grey skies. Grazing Continue Reading