top of page
Search

Helen Dainty – First Woman to Cycle Across Libya & 9 Years Living on £50 a Week by Bike

  • May 26
  • 5 min read

Renata Chlumska - Adventure athlete who became the first Swedish and Czech woman to climb Mount Everest and in 2005 did a circumnavigate of the lower 48 States of the United States by her own power.

In this Tough Girl Podcast EXTRA episode, we catch up with Helen Dainty — solo female cyclist, self-described “full-time global hobo,” and one of the most committed long-distance bike travellers you’ll ever meet.


For the past decade, Helen has spent nine years on the road, travelling exclusively by bicycle and living on around £50 a week. She’s cycled across Australia, ridden from London to Nordkapp and back, travelled extensively through the Middle East and North Africa — and in 2025 became the first woman to cycle across Libya.


When war in Sudan forced her to abandon an overland route into East Africa, Helen adapted and rerouted — because that’s what life on the road demands: flexibility, resilience, and the ability to trust the process.


In this episode, we dive into what’s happened since we last spoke in January 2022. From navigating complex visa systems (including Algeria and Libya), to travelling with police security details, being detained in Libya, and accepting incredible hospitality through the Warm Showers community — Helen shares the raw, practical realities of long-term cycle touring.


We also talk about:

  • The logistics of visas with a British passport

  • Working with visa agents and last-minute plan changes

  • Cycling in Algeria and Libya

  • Budget travel (sticking to AUD $100 per week)

  • Her bike setup — switching from chain to belt drive

  • Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres and long-distance reliability

  • Not collecting souvenirs and living with less

  • Documenting her journey on YouTube (and the time spent editing!)

  • Saying yes to unexpected opportunities


Helen also opens up about going through perimenopause and menopause while cycling through deserts — dealing with extreme sadness, brain fog, hot sweats in the middle of the night, and coming out the other side feeling stronger and more balanced. At 47, she believes she has another strong decade of adventure ahead — and she’s not slowing down.


Looking forward, Helen plans to spend the next two years cycling down the west coast of Africa in an attempt to circle the continent, before eventually heading back towards Australia through Asia.

Her advice for women wanting to do something different?


Say yes to the opportunity — you can work out the details on the way.Accept without hesitation.

Raw, honest, practical and deeply inspiring — this is a powerful catch-up with a woman who has built her entire life around two wheels.



🎙️ New episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast drop every Tuesday at 7 AM (UK time)! Make sure to subscribe so you never miss the inspiring journeys and incredible stories of tough women pushing boundaries.


💪 Do you want to support the Tough Girl Mission to increase the amount of female role models in the media in the world of adventure and physical challenges? Support via Patreon! Join me in making a difference by signing up here: www.patreon.com/toughgirlpodcast



Listen to Helen Now!

Click here if you can't see the link below.



Show notes


  • Who is Helen

  • Catching up since we last spoke

  • Cycling through the Middle East and Africa 

  • TGP Episode - January 2022 - 

  • TGP Extra Episode - 

  • What’s changed?!

  • Going back to the start of 2022 

  • Taking the ferry from Turkey to Lebanon 

  • Flying home to surprise her family for Christmas 

  • Setting off toward Iran in 2022 

  • The practical side of travel - visa’s, entering and leaving countries (with a British Passport)

  • Saudi Arabia and Oman using a E-visa system 

  • Getting a visa for Algeria - paperwork, needing to be in your home country while applying for the visa, face to face visit to the Embassy in London 

  • Visa’s for Libya - not being issues and needing to work with a contact to get a visa 

  • Using a visa agent - Tap Persia 

  • Last minute change of plans and trying to extend a 2 week visa while in the country - which proved impossible 

  • Booking accommodation to get the visa 

  • Cycle touring being a little stressful at times

  • Cycling in Algeria for a few days and what the experience was like

  • Warmshowers hosts 

  • Accepting hospitality 

  • Having an Algerian security detail (police) and what that entails 

  • Needing to trust the process 

  • Having her passport taken off her…

  • Arrested/detained in Libya by the police 

  • Finding affordable accommodation 

  • Tourist sites in Algeria and Libya 

  • Not meeting other bike packers in Libya 

  • How it all happened….

  • Saying yes to opportunities as they present themselves 

  • Libyan Cycling Centre 

  • Starting to share videos on Youtube and documenting her trips 

  • Working on improving the sound quality 

  • Aiming for 8 min vlogs

  • The time spend editing….

  • Sticking to her budget of AUD $100 a week

  • The bike, the bike set up and new gear

  • Changing from a chain to a belt drive 

  • Getting a new saddle - Repente 

  • What is a belt drive and needing a specific frame for it and how it works 

  • Why it’s popular with long distance tourers 

  • Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires 

  • Not collecting souvenirs 

  • Day to day emotions and loving life on the road

  • Not having any plans to stop cycling 

  • Heading into Western Africa - and taking 2 years to cycle down the coast 

  • Planning to cycle back to Australia through Asia

  • 47 years old - another good decade ahead of her

  • Going through menopause 3/4 years ago

  • Not knowing what was happening in 2021/2022 and not undertaking that she was going through perimenopause 

  • Experiencing extreme sadness and brain fog 

  • Feeling more balanced and having less brain fog, and less depression bouts

  • Having hot sweats in the desert, in the middle of the night 

  • Feeling glad to be on the other side of it

  • Starting to think about bone density 

  • Cycling down the West Coast of Africa 

  • Using this downtime over winter to plan out her route and sort out visa’s.

  • Taking her dad to Ethiopia 

  • How to connect with Helen on social media and follow along with her journey 

  • 9,570 subscribers on YouTube - wanting to reach 10k! 

  • Final words of advice for women who want to do something different and take on new challenges 

  • Say yes to an opportunity -you can work out the details on the way

  • Accept without hesitation!      


Social Media


All links: helsonwheels.bio.link  

Instagram: @hels.on.wheels 

Facebook:  @Helsonwheelswithmlt 

Youtube: @helsonwheels 

 


Feeling inspired week after week?

You can do 3 easy things to help me continue to grow the podcast!

  1. Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, so you won’t miss a single episode

  2. If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a 5-star review on iTunes! I read every single comment!

  3. Share the podcast with your friends, especially if you think it could help them, and spread the #ToughGirlPodcast love.

Your support helps me continue to grow the podcast and do inspiring things in this space! Already done all 3? You’re a rockstar! Thank you!

Want to do more?

Please become a Patron and donate US$5 a month to help fund the runnings costs. Thank you.

Become my Patron

Comments

bottom of page