Hungry for miles

Joris Briand has an insatiable appetite for travel and his latest adventure took him to new heights in the magnificent Caucasus Mountains

“La Mangeur de Miles” (“The Mile Eater”) is the nickname I was given by a motorcycle magazine when I wrote an article about my first road trip in North America on a 2016 H-D^® Road Glide^® Special named Bucéphale (after Alexander the Great’s famous horse, Bucephalus). It now has 300,000km on the clock after visiting three continents and 55 countries.

I’m 33 and have been riding a Harley^® for the past eight years. I’m a member of the Fort Lauderdale H.O.G.^® Chapter in Florida, and with them I’ve discovered the joy of road trips across the wild expanses of the Land of the Free and the pleasure of riding in a group.

People often ask me what I get out of biking, and I tell them that Bucéphale gives me intense happiness and a feeling of escape and allows me to practise wind therapy. I can clear my head while I’m riding, refocus on myself and build my personality. Thanks to my motorcycle, I can express myself differently in my daily life, in both how I speak and move. It has become a vital extension of myself: without it, I go into a sort of withdrawal.

For my latest road trip, in the summer of 2024, I wanted to push my limits by exploring western Asia, riding Bucéphale on my third continent. The overall trip was to be 18,100km in 25 days, crossing two continents and 13 countries. In cultural, historical, geographical and human terms, it was one of the most beautiful road trips I’ve taken since the start of my H-D adventure. The trip had a strict starting deadline: I had to be in Chișinău, Moldova, in time for my Moldavian friends’ wedding.

It was an experience I’ll never forget. First there was the sumptuous reception and colourful party in the capital. The next day, we met up in my friends’ village near the border with Ukraine, along the river Dniester, where we partied from morning until late at night, eating local specialities and drinking to our hosts’ happiness.

The following day, another adventure awaited me – exploring a new Ukrainian city and making friends among the H.O.G. Odessa Chapter. I found a vibrant, sumptuous city on the shores of the Black Sea, where I felt completely at ease – it reminded me of my hometown, Marseille, France. The local chapter escorted me through the city to a magnificent H-D dealership, which opened on a Monday especially for my visit.

I then set off to see my friends in Kyiv, whom I’ve visited annually for the past three years now. The warmth of their welcome is always as great as their kindness towards me. I spent a memorable evening in their clubhouse, decorated in H-D and Ukrainian colours.

Starting our engines, we rode together to Chernihiv, on Ukraine’s northern border with Russia and Belarus, where I was keen to visit the famous churches and monasteries. We then continued to the pretty town of Dnipro and stopped at the dealership. When I ride through Ukraine at this time of year, listening to Spokoynaya Noch’ by Kino, I’m always very moved because it immerses me in the reality of these people, especially knowing the history of the former USSR.

After a wonderful day, I set off again for Odesa to spend one last night with my friends from the H.O.G. Odessa Chapter. I left from there at dawn to catch a ferry across the Danube to Romania. I was bound for Türkiye, where I discovered a country that amazed and fascinated me and redoubled my eagerness to explore. I entered İstanbul and was immediately captivated by its beauty. I decided to go to the Harley-Davidson İstanbul East dealership to buy some souvenirs. To my great surprise, the dealership manager, Zeynep, contacted the members of the H.O.G. İstanbul East Chapter, who invited me to a restaurant that same evening. I had a great time making new friends.

I travelled along the Turkish coast, where the scenery is extraordinary, as are the deserts further inland. Along the borders with Syria, Iraq, Iran and Nakhchivan in Azerbaijan, I discovered surreal landscapes that resembled Mars. I soon entered Georgia, and after crossing some magnificent gorges overlooked by mediaeval fortresses I arrived at the border of Armenia. This tiny, landlocked country has great courage and an enormous cultural and religious heritage.

I explored the capital, Yerevan, and the country’s majestic monasteries until I reached the Tatev Monastery – an hour up a winding road with breathtakingly steep gorges. I rode for hours on difficult roads, sometimes under construction, or off-road where there was no tarmac in some places, before arriving back in Georgia, “The Pearl of the Caucasus”. I headed for the old military road to the Russian border, with the goal of reaching the Gergeti Trinity Church, perched on a mountain near the Chechen border. Before me was an imposing landscape, with a mountain range rising to more than 5,000 metres.

The high point of my trip to Georgia would be reaching the community of Ushguli on the other side of the Caucasus Mountains. Access was very difficult as the roads were still under construction and frequent floods caused destruction to the path. After four hours over small passes in mud and rain, I finally reached the looming Shkhara Glacier with tears in my eyes at what I’d just achieved with Bucéphale. Ushguli is the place for walkers and off-road bikes. A few trail bikers stared at me open-mouthed, taking in my motorcycle with its spare tyres loaded behind me and a huge grin on my face – proud to demonstrate what an H-D touring bike can do when you’re at one with your ride.

After spending some time enjoying this incredible setting, the time came for me to head back. I descended the highest road in the Caucasus Mountains to the Black Sea. I followed the coastline to Bulgaria, spending 16 hours on the road enjoying the sumptuous and varied landscapes of Türkiye. By the end of the next day I was in Romania, where some friends were waiting for me to join them for lunch in the village of Bârsana.

I was missing my daughter and family and it was time to go home to La Ciotat in France, with a couple of quick stops along the way: first in Siófok, on the bank of Lake Balaton, Hungary, and then in Trieste, Italy, with its Viennese-style architecture. I went back with the stars still in my eyes from this journey, which was so enriching and allowed me to grow. I’ve left a part of me behind in those faraway lands. Whatever the country, culture or language, H.O.G. remains the biggest family and motorcycle club in the world!

You can read more about Joris’ previous adventures in the 2023 edition of The Enthusiast^®