9 Strangers, 1 Desert

Cyclist and filmmaker, Laura Kirkpartik, was invited on the Saudi Arabian cycling recce back in December 2025.

Inspired by Haraka Baraka founder, Sébastien Fromageot, and his conviction that a country only recently opened to tourism could become one of the world's most remarkable cycling destinations. He arrived in Jeddah five weeks before the rest of the group to piece together an adventure through a landscape that few cyclists had ever explored.

What followed was a journey across ruler straight desert roads, towering mountain passes, and conditions that could change in an instant. But more than that, it became a story of extraordinary hospitality, unexpected connection, and the kind of lifelong friendships that are forged when strangers choose to venture into the unknown together.