My 14 Favorite Memories from the Road of Empires Tour
The Road of Empires tour with TDA Global Cycling was one of the most memorable trips I’ve worked with them. Over two months, we rode from Seville, Spain through Algeria and Tunisia, finishing in Sicily, Italy. The route was incredibly well-scouted with a mix of old towns, stunning landscapes, and quiet roads that made each day feel unique and special.
There were plenty of highlights along the way—some big, like watching the sunset in the Sahara or exploring ancient Roman ruins, and others small but meaningful, like a solo ride through the hills above Palermo or my first plate of pasta in Italy.
Looking back, these 15 moments stand out the most. Most were fun, several were frustrating, and others just made me pause and take it all in. It wasn’t always smooth pedaling, but it was one of the most rewarding tours I’ve been part of.
* The good photos by content creator Nick Coe
Watching Flamenco in Córdoba
I’d always wanted to see a live flamenco show, so on our rest day in Córdoba, Spain, I found a well-reviewed tablao with seven award-winning dancers and convinced some of the other staff to come along. It was a blast. The dancers were incredible, and the whole performance was really captivating.
Driving & navigating the vans
I love driving and consider myself a pretty good driver (thanks, van life!) Part of our job on these tours is handling the support vehicles. Most days it’s straightforward, but every now and then we run into some… interesting situations.
On the Road of Empires, there were a few of those moments, but I actually enjoyed figuring out how to get us through them — like this insanely tight squeeze through an alley we had no business driving down. (I didn’t leave any paint!)
There was one time, though, on the last day of course, that I had to drive a van down a ridiculously tight and steep switchbacked road built into the side of a cliff. That was definitely stressful and not my favorite.
All the delicious ice cream (and wine, and cheese, and pizza….)
The food on the Road of Empires was amazing! There was ice cream (pistachio mmmmm…), good wine, fresh cheese, and plenty of pizza, too. Eating through Spain, Algeria, Tunisia, and Italy was definitely one of the trip’s highlights — every meal was delicious!
A few of my favorite food memories:
Mountain biking in Granada!
If you know me, you know mountain biking is my thing. It’s hard for me to go for weeks and months without dirt singletrack, so I try to find places along my tours where I can get my mountain biking fix.
- On the Ruta Maya I mountain biked in Antiqua, Guatemala
- On the Orient Express I mountain biked in Vienna, Austria
- On the South American Epic I mountain biked three times in Chile. (Epic!)
And on the Road of Empires I mountain biked in Granada, Spain.
I roped Nick, the content creator, to come with me on an e-mtb tour with Shaun of Ride Sierra Nevada. We had an awesome day and I think he’d also agree that it was definitely one of the highlights of the whole trip.
Algeria 🇩🇿
Going into the Road of Empires, I really had no idea what to expect from Algeria. I knew that it was a muslim country, relatively conservative, and didn’t get a whole lot of tourism. But as far as landscapes, people, and food? Total blank page.
Turns out, Algeria is STUNNING and the people are beyond friendly. The food was really good, too (sort of like Moroccan.) We spent a good chunk of the tour cross Algeria – 18 days – and I loved all of it. We were met with warmth and curiosity and I just couldn’t get over how beautiful it was.
We did have a rotating police escort the entire way, but they were kind, helpful, and honestly some of the best hosts we could’ve asked for.
The route
I know, it’s a bike tour, so of course the route should be a highlight. But when you’re leading multi-month, cross-continent trips, not every day is going to be amazing. That said, the Road of Empires route was easily the best-scouted one I’ve done with TDA.
It took us through some of the most of charming towns, past hills full of olive, orange, and lemon trees, over beautiful mountain passes, and along stunning coastal roads. Every day felt thoughtfully planned with something special unique to take in. It’s going to be a tough route to top!
Exploring ancient ruins
I’m not exactly a history buff, but exploring the Roman, Phoenician, and Greek ruins on this trip was super cool. It’s crazy to think that these tiled floors, crumbling temples, and ancient streets are over 2,000 years old. The history is mind-blowing.
One of the coolest things to see – at least for me – were the amphitheaters and to stand inside the rooms where the gladiators actually stood before their fights.
Sunset in the Sahara
TDA tours don’t usually include actual ’tours’, but we tried something different on this trip. We bussed everyone down to the Sahara in southern Tunisia for a few days of desert activities. While it wasn’t exactly the experience we were hoping for (and 12 hours on the bus was waaayy too long), we did spend an evening at the edge of the desert and caught a beautiful sunset – perfect paired with a bottle of wine.
Fields full of poppies and wildflowers
While I don’t think anything can beat the epic wild flower blooms I saw in South America (the lupins!!!) we saw some pretty amazing fields of wildflowers throughout the Road of Empires. My favorite was the fields of bright red poppies in Tunisia – so beautiful!
My first pasta meal in Italy
I knew I was going to have great pasta when we got to Sicily, but I didn’t expect my first plate of pasta to be exceptional. It was SO good. A thick spaghetti with tomato sauce and roasted eggplant. The photo isn’t great, but trust me, the pasta was to die for.
A solo ride in Palmero
You’d think that I’d want to use my rest days as ‘rest days’, but sometimes I’m still pumped to ride my bike. I’ll search Ride With GPS for a cool-looking route and head out into the unknown.
I did this in Palmero, Sicily and it ended up being one of my best rides of the trip! The views, the coffee/pizza stop, good climbs, and the epic downhill at the end were all just what I needed for a near-the-end-of-the-trip boost of motivation and energy. I loved it.
Here’s the route that I did if you ever find yourself in Palmero.
A solo hike in Tonnara di Bonagia
When I don’t want to ride my bike but still want to get some exercise, I go for a hike! This hike was in Tonnara di Bonagia (Sicily). We were staying at a hotel down by the water and I saw a big cliff/bluff that looked intriguing. So, I pulled up my maps (Komoot is great for European travel) and sure enough, there was a trail to the top. Even better, it was a loop – I’m not a fan of out-and-backs. So I topped up my water, grabbed my shoes, and headed out for a late afternoon hike after all our riders were in for the day.
It ended up being a beautiful hike with awesome views and I didn’t see one other sole.
Here’s the route I did on Komoot.
Catching an orchestra play a concert of Queen songs
So random, but so awesome! We were in the small town of Piazza Amerina in Sicily and heard about a Queen-inspired orchestra concert in the town theater. We went and it was awesome! Close your eyes and imagine Bohemian Rhapsody played by a professional orchestra.
The camaraderie among the crew and riders
The Road of Empires was my fourth tour with TDA and while all the tours have had great staff and riders, I really enjoyed the energy of this one. The crew was fun, we all got along really well, and the riders were easy to support. Things weren’t always smooth or easy, but the morale never truly tanked. Even on the hard days, people kept showing up with a good attitude and a sense of humor. It made the whole experience feel positive, collaborative, and enjoyable!
Transiting the van up through Italy to Vienna
This wasn’t actually part of the Road of Empires tour, but after we wrapped up our two months of cycling from Spain to Sicily, I was tasked with transiting one of our vans all the way up Italy to Vienna. Sometimes I wonder how my life got so cool.
I took 6 days to do it and made the most of my adventure. I chose lovely farm stays via agroturismo.it for my accommodations, got a few bike rides in, and ate lots of delicious food. It wasn’t nearly enough time to really explore Italy, but gave me a good sense of the areas I wanted to return to (Campania and Umbria!).
Looking back, the Road of Empires was an amazing tour. The route took us through beautiful old towns, stunning mountain passes, and quiet coastal roads. I loved the experiencing Algeria, the sunset in the Sahara, and exploring all those incredible Roman ruins. The group vibe was great, and every day brought something a little different. It’s one of those trips that will stick with me for a long time!
Is the Road of Empires tour something you’d like to do? Which highlight(s) resonate with you the most? Let me know in the comments!
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