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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Travel
Alexis Buxton-Collins

A modern odyssey: the archaeologist following Homer’s route on a bicycle

Sam Wood (right) and a rider in Symi, retracing the Odysseus’ journey on bicycles
Bike tour leader Sam Wood (right) with a rider in Symi, Greece during a European cycle tour retracing Odysseus’ journey on bicycles Photograph: Supplied

Backpacking around Europe is a rite of passage for many young Australians but when Sam Wood proposed a trip with his two brothers in 2009, he had something a little more ambitious in mind.

An avid cyclist who studied classical archaeology at the University of Sydney and spent three years working at the British Museum, he suggested retracing the route that the Carthaginian general Hannibal took over the Alps with his war elephants in 218BC.

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