On March 22, 2025, renowned Australian cyclist Kate Leeming embarked on her grand five-month cycling journey through Central Asia. The route follows the Syr Darya River from its source in the Tien Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan to the Aral Sea, and then continues along the Amu Darya River through two scorching deserts to its origins in the Pamir Mountains of Afghanistan.
The choice to begin this cycling adventure on World Water Day is deliberate. This initiative aims to draw public attention to the value of water and the importance of its sustainable use.
In early May 2025 Australian cyclist Kate Leeming, known for her extreme adventures, completed an impressive route along the foothills of the Ustyurt Plateau, reaching Muynak and Nukus! “What an incredible place, around the western side of the Aral Sea - a part of the world few know about. It's harsh and remote, but there's always beauty in your surroundings if you choose to see it”. The landscapes were breathtaking, from the Ustyurt Plateau to what remains of the Aral Sea in the south. Massive chunks of the plateau, once part of the bed of the prehistoric Tethys Sea, have gradually broken away and crumbled like dominoes towards the shoreline, which recedes year by year”. These words belong to Kate Leeming, who is chronicling her journey in a blog as she undertakes a five-month cycling expedition covering 10,500 kilometers to the heart of Central Asia, at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road.
Cycling is truly an exhilarating adventure, filled with extremes and unexpected surprises, where caution is particularly important. Along her journey, Kate and her team encountered jackals, wolves, and even snakes. However, all these challenges are more than compensated by the unforgettable emotions! Cycling allows for a deeper understanding of the culture and character of people, establish warm and close relationships with them; feel the land, breathe the air, and experience the atmosphere of the country.
Kate was particularly touched by the residents of Karakalpakstan, who warmly welcomed her into their homes and offered her small souvenirs as a keepsake. She was struck by their sincerity and hospitality, which was especially evident among the people living in rural areas. Moments like these imbue travel with special significance and make it unforgettable.
This is not Kate Leeming's first extreme trip. From the 1990s to 2002, she cycled 15,000 kilometers across Europe, traveling from Spain to Turkey and onward to Norway. In 1993, Kate embarked on the "Trans-Siberian Bicycle Expedition," becoming the first woman to cycle across the entire length of Russia. This lengthy journey of 13,400 kilometers took her five months to complete. The funds raised from sponsors were directed towards supporting children affected by the Chernobyl disaster.
From 2004 to 2005, she undertook her "Great Australian Bicycle Expedition," which covered an impressive distance of 25,000 kilometers, starting and ending in Canberra.
On August 16, 2010, Kate became the first person to cycle from the western to the eastern tip of Africa. Over the course of ten months, she covered a distance of 22,040 kilometers. The funds raised were directed towards supporting the "Breaking the Cycle in Africa" project, which focuses on development, particularly on girls' education.
In June 2019, she amazed the world once again by becoming the first person to cycle the entire coastline of Namibia - a distance of 1,621 kilometers across sand, traversing vast dune fields and picturesque beaches.
Recent expeditions in 2020 and 2022, including the routes "Andes, Altiplano, and Atacama" and "Lights of Ladakh", brought solar energy to the most remote settlement of the Zanskar range in the Indian Himalayas, underscoring Kate Leeming's relentless thirst for adventure and her desire to make the world a better place.
Between her expeditions, Kate Leeming works at the Royal Tennis Club of Melbourne. She is a former Australian champion in women's singles. Kate is also known as an explorer, author, and creator of documentaries that have garnered tens of millions of views worldwide. Could a girl born and raised on a farm near Northam (a town in Western Australia) have known that she would conquer cities and continents, becoming the first person in history to cycle nearly 100,000 kilometers — a distance that is two and a half times the circumference of the Earth? But her ambitions don't end there. Ahead of her is the first-ever bike ride across Antarctica through the South Pole.
