Cycling

This epic trip, organized by SpiceRoads Cycling (45 [Sub Soi Pannee] Soi Pridi Banomyong 26, Sukhumvit Soi 71 Klongtan Nua, Wattana, Bangkok, Thailand; phone +66 2 381 7490, www.spiceroads.com), had three segments, and we had different guides/leaders, money, border-crossing formalities, bikes and even helmets in each of the three countries.

The trip started in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam, on Jan. 14. The first four days, we cycled through Vietnam's flat and lush Mekong River Delta. The following week, we pedaled in Cambodia, including in its dynamic capital, Phnom Penh, and spent three days in Siem Reap, where we cycled to the Angkor Wat ruins. The final two days found us along Thailand's coastal beachfront areas, and our tour ended in Bangkok on Jan. 27.

A group of foreigners traveling through Tajikistan by bicycle were rammed by a van on July 30, leaving four of them dead, including two Americans, and three others injured, one of whom was stabbed during the attack.

Tajikistan security forces identified the attackers and, in attempting to arrest them, killed four. One suspected attacker was detained. Daesh claimed the men were members of that group.

Every two years, thousands of walkers converge somewhere in the world for the Volkssport Olympiad (www.ivv-olympiad-2017.com), organized by the Internationaler Volkssportverband (IVV), or International Federation of Popular Sports (www.ivv-web.org). My wife, Karen Heady, and I had the opportunity to participate in the 15th such event, June 6-10, 2017, in Koblenz, Germany.

6 days, 5 nights in southern ITALY. Through October 2018. Choice of levels of difficulty. Highlights: Shuttle from Bari to Montescaglioso/bike to Matera for prehistoric sassi dwellings/Alberobello for trulli/7th-century town of Cisternino/pasta-making lesson, wine tasting in Fasano/Ostuni/Adriatic towns of Polignano a Mare, Monopoli. $3,398-$3,798 ppdo. Single supp., $610. Backroads (Berkeley, CA; 800/462-2848, www.backroads.com).

 7-day, 6-night, “enthusiast”-level bike tour of the South Island, Nov. 12-18, 2017, and Jan. 21-27, 2018. Highlights: From Christchurch, bike through Canterbury Plains to Southern Alps/sheep farm/Lake Tekapo/in Mackenzie High Country, Lake Pukaki/town of Wanaka/Queenstown. From $5,995 ppdo. Single supp., $1,000. Butterfield & Robinson (70 Bond St., 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON, M5B 1X3, Canada; in No. America, 866/551-9090, www.butterfield.com).

8-day, 7-night mountain bike tour in NW Canada, July 8-15 & Aug. 19-26, 2017. (“Intermediate” level; five days’ biking, averaging 16 miles a day.) Highlights: At ranch between Whitehorse and Carcross, hot tub, barbecue/descend from Mt. McIntyre to Whitehorse/follow Mountain Hero Mine trail to Windy Arm Lake/canoe on Yukon River/from Carcross, ride lower Montana Mountain trails/bike past Canyon City. From $2,535 ppdo. Single supp., $630.

8 days, 7 nights in Oulanka National Park (5 days’ moderate-level cycling, 3-6 hours per day), March 26-April 2 and April 9-16, 2017. Highlights: Receive bike, equipment at lodge/ride prepared trails through taiga and pine forests, home to reindeer and moose/Lake Paanajärvi on Russian border/Oulanka Visitor Centre/Finnish sauna. $1,705-$1,785 (per dates) per person. Exodus Travels (112 Merton St., Toronto, ON, M4S 2Z8, Canada; 844/227-9087, www.exodustravels.com).