CEBU CITY – Possibilities are limitless for this 20-year-old Filipino-French cyclist Adam Desvaux who embarked in a once-in-a lifetime journey to bike home from France to Philippines and completed this extraordinary solo journey from France to his home in Samboan, South Cebu on August 15, after 13 months, 26 countries, and more than 28,000 kilometers traversing across Europe, Turkey and Middle East, Central Asia, China, Southeast Asia and around the Philippines.
Adam’s arrival in Samboan coincided with his 20th birthday, turning his long-awaited homecoming into a dual celebration with family, friends, and local residents welcoming back the young adventure cyclist.
Some 15 local cyclists joined him from Cebu to Samboan where he was met at his home barangay boundary with cheers, hugs and happy tears from his parents, siblings, friends and the local community waving those “Welcome Home Adam” white flaglets.
The family expressed its gratitude towards Adam’s friends and others for making the trip possible, emphasizing on the uniqueness of the experience and their intention to document it through a video. It was an emotional welcome surprise for Adam and the people cheered “welcome home Adam” and sang happy birthday to him.
“The long wait is over. It was a very emotional arrival surprise for my son, having achieved his once-in-a-lifetime journey—coming home from France to Cebu on his bike!” Mom Rosalie smiles.
Adam described this journey a mix of adventure and a way to return home. He documents his trips on his @gohomeadam, Instagram handle with weekly recaps of countries he’s passing through and the people he meets along the way.
“Solo travel is easier because I can set my own pace. Everything is mechanical and everything is visible, so you can understand everything on a bike quickly,” Adam said and he likes to ride alone seven to 11 hours per day.
He travels light on his bike with his documents, biking gear, sleeping bag, tent, mini stove, clothes. He does his own bike repairs on the road whenever he has flat tires or something else that needs fixing.
In his Instagram posts in Borneo on his 38th week of biking as of June 13, 2026, “so close to home,” he wrote. Adam started his journey on July 8, 2025 with the first leg of 650 km from France to Switzerland.
Adam’s adventurous spirit runs in the family
Adam’s original plan was to bike around the Philippines, but his mom, Rosalie, felt it was too dangerous, that pushed him to dream and aim bigger-- cycle from Europe all the way back to his family’s home in Cebu.
“Adam was an adventurous and curious child from a very young age. He learned to swim by two, climbed trees, and explored various environments with his father. Adam’s biking skills developed early, influenced by his grandfather, and he continued to bike extensively during the pandemic,” mom Rosalie told this writer, in an interview at her home in Cebu City.
Despite his mother's protective nature, Adam's independence and adventurous spirit led him to participate in sports and consider triathlons. His mother tracked his activities using modern technology, contrasting with her own experiences of worry without communication tools.
Adam's early experiences shaped his love for exploration and physical challenges. Mom Rosalie narrated that Adam's dad would take him to the pool every morning, encouraging him to swim from at the age of two.
The lad’s curiosity and adventurous spirit led him to explore various environments, including climbing trees and visiting waterfalls, his early biking experiences, influenced by his French grandfather, were a significant part of his development and his dream of traveling the world on a bike, Mom Rosalie said.
Adam’s dad, Fabrice Desvaux, is also an adventurer, having traveled to Africa and other places in the world at a young age; his grandmother traveled to Africa at 16, which adds to the adventurous spirit in the family. Adam and his dad are a pair, often engaging in various adventures together, Rosalie added.
Adam was very active in sports, particularly soccer, from elementary school through senior high school and already expressed an interest in triathlon at a young age, which surprised his mother, Rosalie.
“His adventurous spirit extended to biking, especially during the pandemic when he biked with his cousins and uncles in Samboan, Cebu which improved his biking skills and he often biked farther than his peers, leading to his own adventures,” Rosalie said.
According to Mom Rosalie, Adam explained to her that triathlon involves swimming, running, and biking, which he was already familiar with. His early experiences with biking and soccer laid the foundation for his interest in triathlon.
Adam's mother was very protective and often accompanied him on his biking trips to ensure his safety, but most often he biked without informing his mother to avoid her worry and prevent her from stopping him.
Rosalie said, she would track his location now through the Polar step, which provided her with some peace of mind. She was initially hesitant about his biking trips but eventually allowed him to go as long as he was with a group. The lack of communication methods in the past compared to now gives her more peace of mind when Adam is on the bike.
Parental support and planning the France-Philippines biking adventure
Despite Mom Rosalie’s initial reluctance, she supports him financially and emotionally, as Adam’s biking ambitions escalate to a plan to bike from France to the Philippines, which she finds dangerous and far-fetched. Dad Fabrice and Adam’s siblings are very supportive to the trip.
Her fears increase as the time for his departure approaches, nevertheless the entire family prepared and supported Adam for a trip to Fontainebleau, France for rock climbing and camping, testing his gear a week before departure.
This preparation helps alleviate his father's concerns and contributes to his own confidence and readiness for the adventure.
Mom Rosalie recounts the emotional farewell of their son, Adam, who embarked on a biking tour from France to the Philippines. Family members were all there to see him off and a local newspaper even covered Adam's plan and send off, on July 8, 2025.
“We were all running, accompanying Adam as he biked to the start of his journey, feeling both sad and happy. We were actually crying, happy tears, I guess. Later that day, the family searched for Adam along the canal but eventually confirmed he was far away and resting,” mom Rosalie narrated.
Mapping Adam’s bike home
The first leg: France-Switzerland-Austria-Hungary-Romania-Bulgaria. It is approximately 3,000 km bike. Adam, in his Instagram post described the journey around Europe a smooth one because Europe has good roads and bike shops everywhere. This was his fastest section of biking.
Leg 2: Turkey + Middle East. From Turkey-Georgia-Armenia/Azerbaijan or Iran, at approximately 2,500 km. According to Adam, Turkey is a cyclist hub. Iran route is faster but one needs permits. Georgia /Armenia equals mountain rides, hence, slower pace.
Leg 3: Central Asia. Starting from Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan or Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan with approximately 3,500 km. “The Stans route equals long, empty roads, high mountains, and wild camping,” Adam said in his posts. This is the slowest section of his leg, also because Visa timing matters here.
Leg 4: China. Xinjiang-Ganzu-Sichuan-Yuman, approximately 3,000 km. Very strict rules here. Foreigners need permits plus sometimes a guide inTibet/Xinjiang. Big distances between towns. More often it is a long ride.
Leg 5: Southeast Asia. Laos/Vietnam-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore with approximately 2,000 km. Southeast Asia trip is hot, humid, but roads are flat and everything here is cheap and easier logistics. “There’s food stops everywhere,” Adam said.
Leg 6. PHILIPPINES. Ferry from Malaysia-Singapore-Mindanao-Luzon-Ferry to Cebu with about 500-800 km. This is the last stretch of Adam’s journey with island hopping onboard ferries, riding and waiting for boats.
The Desvaux family led by mom Rosalie and his father, Fabrice backed his ambitious effort, though initially anxious about the hazards of a cross-continental trek, his family supported him financially and emotionally throughout the journey, which Adam documented on his Instagram page (@gohomeadam).
What’s next for Adam? A world tour perhaps, or another kind of adventure? “I don’t know yet. I’m still enjoying the normal life now,” Adam said.
