Spoke Yokes

Spoke Yokes

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Filling time with the grandfather of apples
Week 25 - Ellie and Mark pass Charyn Canyon and cycle through Kokpek Gorge to deal with some pre-China housekeeping in Almaty
 • 
Mark Graham
17
The road more travelled
Week 24 - Lake Issyk Kul in Kyrgyzstan along the road more travelled proves a idyllic break from high temperatures, with bonus swims.
 • 
Ellie O'Byrne
25
One steppe at a time
Week 23 - Crossing the Kazakh steppes, following the Mountains of Heaven, Ellie and Mark hightail it from Tashkent to Bishkek, into country 13…
 • 
Mark Graham
19
The battle of the Som is history
Week 22 - hot-footing it out of Uzbekistan, Spoke Yokes anticipate a whole new ‘stan, but first more Kazakhstan…
 • 
Ellie O'Byrne
17
Marco Polo and the minivan
Week 21 - After five months on the road, and 8000km cycled, Ellie & Mark reach the historic city of Samarkand in mint condition
 • 
Mark Graham
21

June 2025

Out of the frying pan, into the fire
Week 20 - last week’s Ustyurt desert cycle felt tough, but the Kyzylkum desert in Uzbekistan is a whole new level of hot as temperatures reach 43…
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Ellie O'Byrne
9
Good morning, Kazakhstan!
Week 19 - Crossing the Ustyurt Desert from Aktau to Beyneu proves to be the toughest week so far
 • 
Mark Graham
38
24 little hours
Week 18 - decision time after some planning and preparation in Tbilisi sees Spoke Yokes plotting a course through the countries of Central Asia…and 24…
 • 
Ellie O'Byrne
16
Bamboo, bumpers and bitcoin
Week 17 - Ellie and Mark spend their first week in Georgia, where they get through illness and tunnels to marvel at the music, food and countryside.
 • 
Mark Graham
23

May 2025

Georgia on our minds
Week 16 - Spoke Yokes wave a sad farewell to Türkiye through the eastern Black Sea towns of Tirebolu, Trabzon and Rize, and cross the border to Georgia…
 • 
Ellie O'Byrne
10
Blessings and breakdowns
Week 15 - Ellie and Mark come down out of the hills on Black Sea route D010, but there are mechanical failures waiting for them
 • 
Mark Graham
16
Slow going in God’s garden
Week 14 - hills make for slow progress as we creep along the Black Sea coast towards Georgia, but the mountains of Türkiye are paradise.
 • 
Ellie O'Byrne
15
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