INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER By the YouTube sensation with nearly three million
followers the inspiring account of a young woman who in a moment of personal crisis embarked
on an epic transcontinental motorcycle ride—and along the way found a new sense of purpose.
Noraly Schoenmaker was a thirtysomething geologist living in the Netherlands when she learned
that her live-in partner had been having a long-term affair. In desperate need of a new
beginning she decided to quit her job and jet off to India. But her plans were dashed when she
fell quickly and helplessly in love: with a motorcycle. Behind the handlebars she felt alive
and free—nimble enough to trace the narrowest paths powerful enough to travel the longest of
roads. First she set off toward the Pacific through the jungles of Myanmar and Thailand
then into Malaysia. Rather than satisfy her appetite for the open road this ride only piqued
it. She shipped her bike to Oman at the base of the Arabian Peninsula and embarked on a
journey through Iran across Tajikistan along its border with Afghanistan over the snowy peaks
of Central Asia and into Europe all the way back home to the Netherlands. She covered remote
and utterly unfamiliar territory broke down on impossibly steep mountains and pushed too many
miles along empty roads farther and farther from civilization. But through her travels she
discovered the true beauty of the world the kindness of its people the simplicity of its open
spaces and a new and unshakable belief in her capabilities. Free Ride is an inspiring story
of self-discovery and renewal. Filled with unforgettable figures hilarious disasters and
powerful human connections it shows you what happens when you open your heart and let the
world in.
