Growing up in East Germany, Markus Stitz soon discovered the freedom a bike could give him, even as a child living behind the Iron Curtain. He made Scotland his home in 2009, and after mapping his first bikepacking route, he went on a lap of the world on a single speed bike, cycling 34,000km across 26 countries in less than a year, fully self-supported. In 2019–20 he successfully completed the Highland Trail 550, the Silk Road Mountain Race, and the Atlas Mountain Race. He takes us on a journey through his life, reflecting on a career defined by pushing the boundaries of what is possible on and off the bike.