Cycling from one capital city to another.....Bogota to Caracas

Summit....Paso de Berlin 3400m

Sierra Nevada de Cocuy

Up to 4200m, Paso de Aguila, Venezuela

Puerto Cruz, Venezuela

Steve and Gavin's fine endorphin adventure.

Somewhere along our journey we came across some graffiti, which roughly translated from Spanish stated, "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."For two guys with young progeny elsewhere on the planet during the Christmas holidays, this quote would appear to, at least partially, justify our desire to pedal off into the wild blue yonder, as free as a couple of aging fathers can be.

The wild blue yonder this time being Bogota, Colombia to Caracas,Venezuela, 1700 kms in 14 days. Or as my companion, Gavin the Brit put it, "like cycling from one end of England to the other and halfway back."This was my colleague's first extended tour and amazingly, after such an intense ride; up to 9 hours in the saddle each day, 4 huge climbs over 3,000 metres, no rest days and a bike that was slowly falling apart, he insists he thoroughly enjoyed the experience (in spite of spitting his dummy on a few difficult occasions) and feels like he's lived two months in the space of two weeks.

Play?? This kind of cycle touring is the worst fun you'll ever have! :)

Steve's Timeline

1962 -Born in Vancouver, BC
1962-67 -Vancouver/Burnaby, BC
1967-73 -Port Coquitlam, BC
1973-80 -Chetwynd, BC
1980-81 -Nanaimo, BC
1981-85 -Ski resorts: Banff, Panorama, Whistler, AB/BC
1985-86 -Las Vegas, NV
1987-88 -Calgary, AB
1989 -Melbourne, Australia
1990 -Las Vegas, NV
1990-95 -Calgary/Banff, AB
1996 -Pasto, Colombia
1997 -Canmore, AB
1998-04 -Calgary, AB
2004 -Changsha/Harbin, China
2004-07 -Benghazi, Libya
2007-09 -Bogota, Colombia
2009- -Quito, Ecuador
????? -Where to next?

Resume

STEVEN TOBER
C/O Colegio Gran Bretana, Carrera 51 No. 215-20 Bogota, Colombia
Tel: 301-427-0080 (cell) 258-9265 (home) 676-0391 (school)
E-mail: SteveTober1@gmail.com or Tober@mail2teacher.com



EDUCATION

BEd: Primary Specialist, University of Calgary, Canada 2004
BA: Double Major, Linguistics/Spanish Literature, University of Calgary, Canada 1997
TESOL certification, Canadian Global TESOL Training Institute, Calgary, Canada 1995
French Immersion, University of Quebec, Chicoutimi, Canada May/June 1992

----------------------------TEACHING RELATED EMPLOYMENT -------------------------

2008 Classroom teacher – Year 3, Colegio Gran Bretana, Bogota, Colombia
· Responsible for delivery of full program according to British National Curriculum framework with allowances made for diverse learning needs of students
· Administered the Key Stage 2, Standard Achievement Tests
· Involved in extracurricular activities and food committee

2006 Classroom teacher – Year 2, The British School, Benghazi, Libya
· Responsible for delivery of full program according to British National Curriculum framework with allowances made for diverse learning needs of students
· Administered the Key Stage 1, Standard Achievement Tests
· Coordinated the after school activities program and taught photo and newspaper clubs
· Implemented an online, professional development program for staff
· Served as school photographer for individual, class, staff, school photos and special events

2004 Language Instructor, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China
· Taught English to MA and PhD Mechanical Engineering students during an intensive, one month program, adapting strategies and content to meet their needs

2004 Language Instructor, Hunan University, Changsha, China
· Taught English to grade 1, 2 and 6 students in primary and middle schools, affiliated with Hunan University
· Implemented a beginner English program based on songs, games and gestures, to assist the local primary teachers to help the children learn more effectively
· Also taught English to first year university students

1998 Language Instructor, Community Services Dept., Canmore, Canada
· Taught ‘Spanish for Travelers’ incorporating my wide range of personal experiences in Latin America

1996 Language Instructor, 2001 Conversational English Center, Pasto, Colombia
· Guided 8 preschool aged children in English instruction through rhymes, games, song and other organized activities
· Prepared and taught a course for local English instructors in preparation for the
Cambridge First Certificate Exam
· Taught all of levels of English classes, catering to individual needs




SPECIAL SKILLS

· Bilingual (English/Spanish and basic French)
· Computer/internet skills: Word, Power Point, basic web page design, type 50 wpm
· Level 1 Technical Track and Field Coach, Athletics Alberta, Canada
· St. John Ambulance Standard First Aid Certificate, Calgary, Canada (updated Sept 2008 Bogota)
· Private Pilot’s license, Calgary, Canada
· NAUI Scuba Certification, Queensland, Australia

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

· Latin American Heads Conference: School Review Training Course 2008
· British Council: EFL techniques in the mainstream classroom-3day course 2008
· Developing International Mindedness, Optimus Professional Learning online 2006
· After school programs-From vision to reality, Concept to Classroom online 2006
· Calgary City Teachers’ Convention 2003
· Friends of Environmental Education Society of Alberta, Pre-Service Educators Forest Ecotour 2003
· Alberta Teachers’ Association, Science Council Conference 2002

INTERESTS and TRAVEL

· Bicycled over 42,000 kilometres (distance around the world via the equator) through 38 countries; Europe, USA, Central and South America, (including the entire length of the Ecuadorian Amazon) North and East Africa and the Middle East
· Climbed in excess of 150 mountains in Canada, USA, Mexico, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Libya and Tanzania.
· First person to complete all the 102 climbs in the “Scrambles in the Canadian Rockies” guide book (6 years)
· Worked in Australia, USA, Colombia, China and Libya
· Reading, travel writing, photography, learning foreign languages, rhythm guitar

PERSONAL INFORMATION

· Nationality: Canadian
· Date of birth: September 28, 1962
· Married to Maria Zambrano
-Dual citizenship: Canada/Colombia
-BSc, Universidad de Narino 1996
-Teacher assistant

35 PLUS YEARS OF STEVE'S BICYCLE ADVENTURES

Over a 1/4 CENTURY OF STEVE (and friends and family) BICYCLE ADVENTURES

Grand Total: 50,620 kms and 38 countries (40,075 kms is the distance around the world via the equator)


Here you will find 3-4 photos from each bike trip, followed by a brief explanation of said trip below the photos.



1986 England, Spain, Portugal, France, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, Holland 5,000km (Those of you who know me, would be disapointed if I didn't start with a road kill shot!)

1992 Puerto Vallarta Mexico to Panajachel Guatemala 4,000km




1994 San Diego - Cabo San Lucas – Mazatalan – Durango – Copper Canyon - Guaymas 4,000km







1996 Pasto Colombia to Muisne Ecuador 500km





1996 Ecuadorian Amazon (the entire length that is possible by road) – Pasto Colombia to the Peruvian border 1,300km





1998/99 Pasto Colombia to Arica Chile via Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia 5,000km (less 500km on the bus)



2000 Panajachel Guatemala to Colon Panama via El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica 3,000km



2004 Vancouver BC to California border via Pacific Coast 1,200
(This photo is from the internet, as I don't have any of this trip on my computer)





2005 - 31 passes in the Alps – Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Italy, France 1,840km




2005 Benghazi Libya to the Egyptian border 700km





2005/06 Dubai UAE to Oman and return 2,300km





2006 Rome to Sicily via the west coast 1,400km








2006 East Africa – Counter clockwise around Lake Victoria – Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania 4,200km







2006 Amaan Jordan to Elat Israel on the Red Sea 500km


2007 Istanbul Turkey to Greece, Bulgaria and back to Istanbul 1100km






2007 Pasto to Santa Marta, Colombia 1750km





2007 Bogota to Pasto, Colombia 820km in 6 days




2008 Bogota to Caracas, Venezuela 1700kms in 14 days



2008 La Paz, Bolivia to Santiago, Chile 2800kms in 31 days









2009 Pasto, Colombia to Salinas, Ecuador via the Pacific coast 1150kms in 9 days.



2010 Quito Ecuador to Pasto Colombia and loop down to Mocoa in the Amazon and up to Popayan and back to Pasto. 900km in 9 days. With Studley!




January 2011. Bussed up to 4000m and biked down to a muggy 280m at Lago Agrio in the Amazon. 223km in 4 days. Ramon's 1st bike trip on his co-pilot!




Easter 2011 With Volker the Red Sausage. Julio Andrade along the Ecuador/Colombian border down to Lago Agrio....over the border at San Miguel and UP the Mocoa road to Pasto. 6 days 600kms.





Easter 2011. 7 cycling days....400km Baeza to Mendez, Ecuadorian Amazon. Tober-Zambrano family with Ash and Pugz for 5 days and Volker for 2 days. Carla's first bike trip!




July 2011 Quito to Esmeraldas...down the coast to San Clemente and back up the Andes the hard way via Quevedo, La Mana...to just before Latacunga. Double 4000m passes. 1000km and Studley with pneumonia the whole trip!





July 2011 4 day, 250km trip to the Amazon with Ramon and Studley. Bus to Km 24 off the Tena road...via Coca to Lago Agrio and bus back.





August 2011 Family bike trip along the Ecuadorian coast from Bahia de Caraquez to Salinas. 330kmm over the course of 2 weeks.

Jan 2012 Hosteria Reventador to Puerto el Carmen 350km in 7 days (inc a one day side trip) with Ramon on the tag a long
July-August 2012 Riobamba-Cuenca-Loja-Zamora-Mendez-San Jose de Morona. 1,000km in a month (700km with the kids in the triple) 

Feb 2013  Paso de la Virgen 4000m to Pacayacu 500m, just past Lago Agrio.  5 days - 275km
Emily's first bike tour and Carla's first trip solo on the tag a long.

July 2018.  500km, 5 day loop from Great Falls Montana.  (Five years between tours, but with a lot of short trips in Colombia.)

July 2018 Between Jasper and Lake Louise, starting from Sunwapta pass and Bow summit going downhill in each direction. 4 days.  230kms.

July or August? 2019.  700km Loop from Pasto to the Amazon, into Ecuador and back up into Colombia via a backroad, local's crossing. With Lucho!

2021 Lillooet-Pemberton-Langford-Saltery Bay-Qualicum falls-Ucluelet-Tofino-(took the bus from Tofino to Parksville--the same section we'd already biked) Nanaimo-somewhere between Lake Cowichan and Port Renfrew-Shirley-Victoria-Porteau Cove-start of Duffy Lake Road climb   1335 kms  13 days   (With Connor for 1 week)

2021  Home, Elk Pass, Fernie, Nelson, Revy (hitch Revy to Golden) and home. 1135kms in 8 riding days. 

Grand Total: Approx 50,000kms and 40 odd countries (40,075 kms is the distance around the world via the equator)


Next adventure: Ciudad Bolivar, Venezuela to Manaus, Brazil. Then up the Amazon to Leticia, Colombia via boat. Or Indian Himilaya….New Dehli to world’s highest road at 5600m. Or Santiago Chile to Ushuia Argentina (Tierra del Fuego). Or.....just kick back in a hammock. But very likely more family cycling trips!  Update 2013....next trip will likely be the icefields parkway...Banff to Jasper.