ABOUT US

David Lloyd

David moved to Vietnam in 2011 and through his work, he soon set about discovering the country and neighbouring Laos, by bike.

He and his wife planned a 6 month stay, but they’ve never looked back. They now live in Hoi An, Central Vietnam, with their two daughters.

Alongside Velo Vietnam, David is a Director at our partner, Topas, where he has founded ultra mountain races, following his passion for discovering the hills, which began back in North Wales.

He has a background in travel journalism and photography - something that provided the perfect excuse to get to know Vietnam and Laos from north to south.

His favourite places to ride are the Frontier areas of the far north and west, hence Velo Vietnam’s Northern Frontier and upcoming Western Frontier multi stage rides.

Alongside riding, David loves discovering new mountain trails for running. When not out on adventures, David likes to simply enjoy the quiet life of Hoi An with his family and friends.

Ashley Carruthers

Ashley has been exploring Vietnam’s culture and landscape since the early 1990s. A professional anthropologist, he speaks fluent Vietnamese, and has a deep knowledge of this beautiful and enigmatic country.

From his first trip through the north-west at a time when the roads were unsealed and foreigners were unheard of, he has been enchanted by Vietnam’s wild upland regions and the proud people who have lived there for centuries without bowing to the lowland emperors.

Now those remote mountains are full of beautifully engineered roads, Ashley is able to pursue his other great love there: road cycling. A dedicated road and mountain biker, he remains competitive in his age class in Australia. He’s also a regular tandem pilot for vision impaired (VI) paracyclist Don Mankewich, the current Australian champion in VI Road and Time Trial disciplines.

For much of the year Ashley is to be found living with his wife and two children in Canberra. At other times he’s on the road cycling, or doing research, in Vietnam and Laos.

Emma Pooley

Emma is a failed runner who took up cycling in her 20s to cross-train after a stress fracture. Through a combination of luck and bloodymindedness, she did ok at bike racing for a few years, then tri- and duathlon for a few more years, and now has a few medals & rainbow-coloured jerseys hanging on the wall (she was Time trial world champion 2010, Olympic medallist, and 4-time world champion in long-distance duathlon).

She’s competed in three Olympic Games, but she says none of them had coffee anywhere near as good as the simple roadside cafés in Vietnam – let alone Saffron Coffee in Luang Prabang.

Luckily, professional racing did not quite kill Emma’s love for cycling and she still rides her bike whenever she can. Mainly motivated by food and coffee (and ocassionally QOMs) she still races but mostly in mountain running.

Emma joined Ashley for the first Velo Vietnam rough roads Vietnam-Laos tour in 2019, and fell in love with the stunning landscapes, friendly people, and fiery food as well as the relaxed but challenging format of the Velo Vietnam tours.

Emma has lived in Switzerland for many years, since moving there for her PhD. She can talk to you in French, German, Spanish, and English but her communication with the people of Vietnam and Laos is mostly limited to hand gestures and laughing.

Matt Kinch

Matt first met Velo Vietnam's Ashley in 2007 while piloting vision-impaired tandems in Australia.

He has guided with Velo Vietnam since 2018  helping to pioneer a number of routes in Vietnam and Laos. 

Matt has spent 13 years living and riding in Asia and the Middle East, including Singapore, Thailand, Pakistan and India. Most recently, Matt spent four years based in Jordan, a highlight being a self-supported bike packing tour across the country.

He is now based in Hong Kong and is excited to be back near his favourite routes of the Northern Frontier of Vietnam. 

Matt is a UCI level 1 cycling coach and has a background in road and MTB racing.  He is currently enjoying getting into downhill mountain bike racing. Alongside riding, Matt enjoys backcountry skiing, sailing and eating.  

Claude Perzo

Claude has been riding in Vietnam for longer than anyone else here can remember, but his modesty means that for many years, nobody knew he used to be a pro back in the day in France.

Claude is a man who loves to ride bikes, whether it be a slow and steady cruise to the hills, or an all-out race. If pedaling is involved, he is happy.

A fluent Vietnamese speaker (at least in bike cafe chat), he is often to be found on a local club ride then enjoying an iced coffee with his friends after.

Claude lives with his wife and young daughter in Hanoi.

To get to know more about Claude, check out the short interview we did with him for this website, here.

Dale Nottingham

Consumed for years by what he describes as ‘the humbling and beautiful sport of cycling’, Dale has experienced the pain and the pleasure of riding in Italy, Cyprus, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Mallorca, England, Wales and “perhaps most memorably of all, the breathtaking mountains and coastal roads of Vietnam.”

Outside Vietnam, Dale’s all time favourite is the Dolomites where he rode what he ranks as the hardest climb of his life, the Monte Zoncolan. However, for sheer adventure, raw beauty and cultural discovery, he says the mountains of Ha Giang and Lao Cai provinces in Northern Vietnam are hard to beat.

A speaker of French, Spanish, English and some Vietnamese, Dale is deeply in love with Vietnam and the riding here and few things make him happier than riding with others who feel the same way.

Dale has been based in Saigon for six years and came on one of the very first Velo Vietnam recon rides back in the day.