Hi! We are Martin & Susanne from Twisting Spokes.

Through this website we reflect on our journey while cycling from home in the Netherlands to Nepal. This journey takes us across multiple countries, will have us meet a lot of interesting people, will let us see the gorgeous and harsh world around us and will inspire us. Reflecting on life is very important to us. We would like to share our reflections with you.
We want to be inspired, surprised, delighted and we want to learn. At the same time we know this will not go without any ups and downs. That is what makes life life, right? We feel that now is the time to make changes for ourselves and make changes together. More and more we are starting to realize that much in the world is motivated by growth. We also think that growth can not continue forever and there should be other motivators in life.

On this trip we hope to experience everything there is to experience and we will be filled with energy, joy, respect and understanding.

Story behind the journey of the Twisting Spokes

Simple living drives us: without clutter, without too much possessions and consumption. We are not interested in status. What is the point of having everything and not being happy. We want to be happy regardless of what we have, by experiencing the true world, even though it is a scary place sometimes. We know it is a luxurious position to be in and therefore we are discovering how we can make the world a little bit of a better place. By travelling slowly, by engaging with people, by sharing thoughts and knowledge and by helping a hand where we can.

Practically this means that we will be cycling from the Netherlands to Nepal, crossing Europe, the ‘Stans’, Mongolia, China and making our way to Nepal. A trip of about 25.000 km. We have both quit our jobs, ended the contract on our rental house, sold most of our possessions and have no obligations. We expect to be cycling for about a year and a half but have no decided end date and no place to go after. During the trip we would like to engage in some volunteering projects: wildlife, people, economical, building, it is all possible. We will probably also do some WWOOFing along the way. We will make contributions to this website, but also to Twitter and Facebook about what we have been doing, what our plans are and especially our feelings and thoughts about everything we come across. This might be about a terribly exhausting ascent on the bicycle or a terrifying descent, but more likely this will be about the people we meet, the places we see, the things we learn and the challenges we face.

We would like to invite you to interact with us. If you have something to tell us, a project we must visit somewhere on our route, or if you get inspired by anything we do, we would like to hear from you!

Why Twisting Spokes?

Thinking about our website name we were inspired by a New Zealand green stone which Martin once bought as a souvenir for Susanne. The green stone is formed as a twist and carries a spiritual meaning. The Twist, also called the Infinity Loop, represents the many paths of life and love and as such is regarded as the original eternity symbol. More commonly, it represents friendship and love between two people. Even though they sometimes move away from each other on their own journeys, they will always come together again sharing their lives and blending to become one. The infinity loop, with no beginning or end, signifies the nature of going on for all eternity.

Maori twist

The many paths, practical and spiritual, are symbolic for our journey and we wanted to incorporate this in our website. We will come across many crossroads on our way to Nepal. At the same time we will cross many paths with other people and share our lives and bond with them. We were also looking for a symbolic way to describe our journey and came out by the spokes, because they are keeping it all together. They are one of the essential parts of the trip and very important for the balance within the bike. At the same time the following sentence does suit us: “Twisted folks from Twisting Spokes” which we find quite funny 😉 We hope our wheels will go round and round and are held strong by our spokes and they will twist and turn to level out all the bumps in the road.

Mojo and Isaba is the names of our bike wich we really enjoy riding, read more here .

Who are the Twisting Spokes?

Martin Lohmann Møller
Martin Lohmann MøllerAdventurer
Well who am I, a Danish guy born in 1981, a former scout, a former 9-17 worker, a traveller with a degree in electronics. I am crazy with nature, culture, people, outdoors and adventure. The last 8 years has been in the name of career in the world of ophthalmology, living in Denmark, Sweden and The Netherlands. I now go on another life changing adventure with Susanne which will open my eyes to a different world and not being bound to the consumerism of the western world.

My Twist

  • Outgoing but at the same time introvert with a need of facts.
  • Adventurous and enjoy the silence in the forest.
  • Interested in technology and understanding the down sides.
  • A capitalist converting to a buddhist with new business models

The Twist of my Travels

  • Video recording of my Nevis bungy jump failed: “Let’s jump again”.
  • Drinking vodka and dancing around an ice rocket at the ice hotel “Jukkasjärvi”.
  • Meeting Susanne in a guest house in Pristina and now living together.
  • More than 50+ countries visited.
  • Cultures melting on long train, bus and other trips.
  • Celebrating my birthday at the golden triangle.
  • My first long bike ride Eindhoven -> Montpellier 1300 KM.

My Inspirational Twist

  • The Internet and the way informations is shared.
  • My brother Jesper who keeps things relative.
  • The world and it’s resources inspires me to live different.
  • The power of the human body and mind.
  • People I have met and shared many stories with.
  • People I will meet and share stories with.
  • The road of life twists and turns and no two directions are ever the same. Yet our lessons come from the journey, not the destination.
Susanne van Aardenne
Susanne van AardenneAdventurer

Friends describe me as a searching owl, always looking for meaning in life. I am a Dutchie born in 1983, graduate in psychology & business, enthusiast in solar racing and independent traveler. I love the outdoors & indoors and enjoy meaningful interactions with others, sharing experiences and insights about this world. My career started 3 years ago, in the field of career & personal development. I am eager to put my skills into better use for the world during this highly impactful journey together with Martin.

My Twist

  • Introvert, highly interested in what makes other people tick and good at asking questions.
  • Highly contradictory in different ways, this makes life fun and scary sometimes.
  • A safety seeker who has a hard time stepping out of her comfort zone; gets bored when stuck in the comfort zone.
  • Interested in people, psychology, thoughts, aspirations and goals in life.
  • Likes to knit, create, sew and fumble.
  • Gets emotional outbursts when pushed beyond limits.

The Twist of my Travels

  • Cycling uphill for a whole day to 2408 meters to Andorre.
  • Being at a trumpet festival in Guca, Serbia and sleeping in a garden under a plastic sheet while it is raining.
  • Having crazy nights with Aussies, a Great Dane, young Englishman, American lady and Spanish journalist.
  • Going away with friends to Portugal to visit a friend and being treated to a night with local dance.
  • Leaving my photo camera on a bus not once but twice…
  • Leading a group of backpackers during a Jackaroo & Jilleroo course.
  • Camping in the Australian Outback during the World Solar Challenge with all my teammates.
  • Weekend breaks to Malmo and Denmark to visit Martin and fall in love.
  • Celebrating graduation and Martin’s birthday on an Island getaway in Brasil.
  • Spending New Years in Barcelona and having a crazy night and almost missing our flight.

My Inspirational Twist

  • Mahatma Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see in the world”.
  • Steve Jobs: “Stay hungry, stay foolish”.
  • Human interest and scientific documentaries.
  • Peoples experiences, strength and passion for life.
  • My own achievements especially physically.
  • How life goes on for people in all circumstances.