In this Tough Girl EXTRA episode, we catch up with Tiphaine Muller, the intrepid French adventurer who continues to push her boundaries through long-distance cycling and remote, high-altitude trekking.
Now 31 and based in Chamonix, France, Tiphaine has spent the last decade traveling the world by bike, exploring five continents. Her latest journey saw her pedaling from the Alps to the Himalayas before tackling one of the toughest and most remote treks on earth: The Great Himalaya Trail (GHT) in Nepal.
This conversation picks up from where we left off in her first Tough Girl Podcast interview (November 2021) — where she shared her early adventures and passion for slow travel. This time, we dive deep into her 2024 journey:
Cycling from France to Nepal through the Balkans, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and the Himalayas — all while managing extreme heat, border crossings, and a strict budget of €10/day.
Hiking the Great Himalaya Trail solo (West to East), over 80 days, through towering 5,000m+ passes, remote villages, and ever-changing terrain — while battling physical exhaustion, route-finding issues, and high-altitude nutrition struggles.
Tiphaine candidly shares:
- The logistics and challenges of arranging permits for restricted zones without a guide
- Her coping strategies for trekking alone in high mountains
- Cultural highlights from cycling through Turkey and Iran
- How she funds her travels and balances life back home as a social worker
- Her future goals — including film-making and another epic cycle across South America
This episode is a deep, honest reflection on the highs and lows of big adventures and what it takes — mentally, physically, and emotionally — to keep moving forward when things don't go to plan.
Don't miss this inspiring update from a woman who truly lives the spirit of adventure, one pedal stroke and step at a time.
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Show notes
- Who is Tiphaine
- 31 years old
- Living in Chamonix, France
- Travelling on and off for the past 10 years
- Going on 3 big bicycle trips
- 1st Tough Girl Podcast episode - November 18th 2021
- 2nd Big Cycle Trip - Cycling from Mexico to Alaska
- This episode focusing on cycling from France to Nepal and hiking the Great Himalaya Trail
- Thinking about the next challenge
- Hiking the High Route of the Pyrenees solo
- Joking about the Great Himalaya Trail
- Figuring out the visa and trying to plan for the trail
- Planning for 6 months and working out how to make it work with the seasons
- Starting in March 2024
- The Route - Cycling Europe really fast in 1 month
- Going through the Balkan Countries, Greece then the ferry over to Turkey
- Across Georgia, Armenia, Iran and the Stan countries
- Highlights and magical moments from the cycle ride
- Why Turkey is one of her favourite countries
- Why Iran was really demanding
- The bike and gear setup for 6 months
- Dealing with extreme heat and needing to ride during the night to escape the heat
- Funding the trip and living off savings
- Living off a daily budget of 10 euro per person per day (while cycling)
- Earning money working as a social worker
- Day to day rhythm while riding on the bike
- Having a rest day every 10 days
- The Great Himalaya Trail and wanting to walk West to East
- Needing to go to Katmandu first to sort out all the permits
- Taking a rest in Katmandu for 10 days
- Busing to the start of the trail
- Having 80 days to walk the trail
- Why the first 2 weeks were super hard
- Getting lost of the trail; no signs, no gps on the phone, incorrect maps, not knowing which track was the correct one
- Struggling to stick to the schedule, due to the permits
- Not having a guide
- Dealing with problem after problem
- Walking in the high mountains
- Needing to have guides while walking in Nepal….
- Going through a trekking agency - who will allow you to get the trekking permits without a guide
- The restricted areas close to the borders
- Mixing the high routes and the low routes
- Finding resupply and food on the trail
- The challenges of cooking at altitude
- Struggling to get the calories in and needing to focus more on food
- Needing to eat, even when not hungry
- Paying for food - and taking cash for 80 days…
- Coping with the altitude and the high passes over 5,000m
- Hiking without a guide
- Connecting with other hikers and Nepalese people
- What's app group for GHT preparation!
- Hiking or cycling?!
- Reaching the end of the hike in December
- Deciding to continue cycling for another 2 months and visiting China and Malaysia
- Writing another book?
- Focusing on film and making 2 videos - a bike film and a hike film!
- Plans for the future?
- Wanting to visit South America on the next big bike and cycle trip
- How to connect with Tiphaine on social media
- Final words of advice
- To do something big you need to start with something little
- Trust yourself
Social Media
Instagram @littlemisspedals
