Jordan

The sun comes up over Madaba. You clip in, and the road tips down toward Tafilah. Ahead lie dry valleys, old stone, and miles of empty gravel. This is Jordan, seen from the saddle, over seven hard days of riding.

You will join a team led by Sean Conway. He is a British endurance athlete who stacks world-first challenges over weeks and months, from swims to runs to long rides. He knows the human side of a long day as well as the sport. He will be with you on the bike, not watching from a van.

The riding is real. You will cross the valleys toward Dana Nature Reserve, the second largest in Jordan. You will climb the King's Highway to Shobak Castle, then drop toward Little Petra and a night of Bedouin welcome. One day you swap the bike for your feet and hike into Petra by the back route, up to the Monastery, then down through the old city.

Then the desert opens up. You will ride rolling hills and long off-road descents toward Wadi Rum, and sleep out under the stars in the wild. A Jeep takes you deep into its canyons. You will roll on toward Aqaba and rest by the Red Sea, then visit Mount Nebo and spin down quiet roads to the Dead Sea.

This is graded hard. Your legs will know it. But picture that last float in the salt water, the sun going low, the dust still on your shins.