A Waterford couple have returned home after spending 21 months cycling more than 32,000 kilometres across 24 countries and three continents.

Mark Graham and Ellie O’Byrne set off from Tramore on February 1st, 2025, beginning a journey which took them through Europe, Central Asia, China, Southeast Asia, Japan, Canada and the United States.

They eventually completed 32,360 kilometres before cycling back onto the prom in Tramore.

Speaking on Déise Today, the pair said the welcome home was an emotional one after almost two years on the road.

Mark said: ‘We had an absolutely lovely welcome home on the prom, and it was emotional, like it really was. It was an emotional release.’

The journey began with a cold and wet departure from Tramore before the pair travelled through France and Germany and later followed the Danube cycle route.

Among the more difficult early stages was crossing the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, where they encountered ice, snow and freezing conditions at higher elevations.

Their travels later brought them along the Black Sea coast of Turkey, through Asia and eventually across North America.

Ellie completed the entire journey on a 17-year-old bicycle, despite being advised by two bike mechanics before leaving that it might not make it around the world.

She said she deliberately wanted to avoid the idea that long-distance cycling had to be about expensive equipment.

‘You just need a bike,’ she said, adding that cycling should remain something accessible to ordinary people.

The couple also spoke about the impact the journey had on their relationship.

Ellie said spending so long travelling together and overcoming difficult periods had deepened the respect they had for one another.

‘I think that for me, the depth of respect that you have for somebody when you’ve seen them go through all of these challenges… that respect is part of love, I think,’ she said.

Mark and Ellie said the support they received during the 21-month journey also helped them through the tougher days.

The pair are now back in Waterford, with a book about the journey also in the works.