This is comforting to people content to keep their distance from those foreign lands; but it is the ultimate lure to the restless and curious, eager to let all five senses revel in the strange.

One subset of that breed of restless counts a pack of robust cyclists ready to push their steeds over distances that even some motorists would balk at. We're talking hundreds and sometimes thousands of miles, tackled over lengthy stretches of time, and always in the direction of the elusive horizon.

Here then is a quick list of our top ten destinations for an epic bike ride. Some of them are pipe dreams given the way the world has started turning in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Others are an unforgettable, long summer's indulgence. Don't chuckle to yourself and think,"I could never do that." You would be surprised just how many people have, how many people do. And, frankly, the only thing that makes them truly different from the rest of us is that they went ahead and let fancy and curiosity get the better of them.

Look out at the skyline. It's just not that far away. Now look beyond it. What stretches into the distance, no matter where it takes you, is of epic proportions. Time to check it out, no?