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Mental Detours Part One: Bike Touring the Italy Divide(ish)

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Mental Detours Part One: Bike Touring the Italy Divide(ish)

Travel is routinely romanticized. And it is romantic—how could having the privilege of “checking out” of the daily drum of work, family, bills, etc., and the attendant stress in favor of experiencing a new place not be? The word vacation is, of course, derived from the verb “to vacate,” and while going on vacation is about the act of leaving, it’s also about finding. Finding new culture, new landscapes, new experiences, but maybe just as importantly it’s about finding new perspective on what it is you’ve placed on hold.

After two weeks spent bike touring in Italy in October, Hailey Moore reflects on what she found while away and the paradox of trying to experience more than the Trip Advisor-version of a place without missing the five-star sights. Read on for part one of her Italy Divide reflections while riding from Trento to Florence.

Ryan Wilson Crosses Mongolia’s Desolate Zavkhan Steppe

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Ryan Wilson Crosses Mongolia’s Desolate Zavkhan Steppe

After getting acquainted with Mongolia during a big loop through the Altai Mountains to start his trip, Ryan Wilson was intent on riding as far east as he could, with the ultimate goal of reaching the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. A 550-kilometer track from Brigitte & Ivo over at bikepackground.com looked like a promising guide. After enjoying the luxuries of Khovd for a few days, Ryan set off into the arid expanse toward the Zavkhan province, retracing their steps through the land that connects the Gobi Desert with the Khangai Mountains. 

The Altai Traverse Part 2: Two Towns with the Same Name and a Mongolian Paradise in Between

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The Altai Traverse Part 2: Two Towns with the Same Name and a Mongolian Paradise in Between

This is a continuation of Ryan Wilson’s Altai Traverse Reportage. Read part one here: The Altai Traverse: Finding Tracks in the Mongolian Countryside

In a remote corner of the Mongolian Altai, about 40 kilometers from the border with China, I set off toward a desolate valley from the small, windswept, and dusty village of Bulgan. My next resupply point, about 125km down the road, was, confusingly, another town named Bulgan. I never quite got the hang of the Mongolian naming schemes in my time there, as it was quite common to find a handful of towns and villages across the country with identical names on any given map, and sometimes each town had two or three names they might be referred to by depending on which map you’re looking it, which sometimes makes it tricky getting reliable information.

Pasagshak to Kodiak: Riding in the U.S’. Smallest Bike Race

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Pasagshak to Kodiak: Riding in the U.S’. Smallest Bike Race

“I walked off the Alaska Airlines jet and into the tiny Kodiak, Alaska airport on a classically rainy day in May with a wide grin on my face. For as transient as I’ve been over the past five years—calling Maine, Alaska, Hawaii and Vermont all home—there is something both bittersweet and utterly lovely about landing at an airport that imbues that nostalgic feeling. As I waited in the cluttered baggage claim area I giggled to myself at the familiarity of all manner of luggage rolling out on the baggage carousel. Everything from rifle bags and tackle boxes, to coolers with red and white stickers emblazoned with “FROZEN” stickers to standard-issued Coast Guard bags arrived before my REI duffle and bike bag. I wheeled them out to my friend’s waiting truck thinking to myself: ‘Now the adventure starts.'”

Continue reading for the rest of Gretchen Powers‘ recap about her experience riding in Kodiak Crab Festival‘s Pasagshak to Kodiak Bike Race, which is quite possibly the smallest organized bike race in the US…

Getting There: Traveling to Iceland and the Westfjords With a Bike

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Getting There: Traveling to Iceland and the Westfjords With a Bike

International travel is stressful enough on its own and that logistical stress gets further compounded when adding a bike into the equation. Fortunately, on Josh‘s recent trip to Iceland to cover the 2023 Arna Westfjords Way Challenge, he had a much easier time than expected thanks to Icelandair and guidance from the wonderful folks at Cycling Westfjords. Read on below for a few insights and tips for traveling to Iceland and the Westfjords region with a bike.

There and Back Again: Inside Line Equipment Travel Pack Review

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There and Back Again: Inside Line Equipment Travel Pack Review

Inside Line Equipment and The Radavist go way, way back. John helped Eric from ILE design the brand’s first camera pack back in 2011, which has gone through many iterations since. He’s also put the Photo Mini Bag through the wringer, which remains one of his favorite pieces of US-made gear. ILE makes solid bags for on and off-the-bike outings, all sewn in the Bay Area.

Today we’re sharing something a little different. Earlier this year, ILE announced the Travel Pack. It’s a bag designed to be the perfect size for a weekend+ trip, to fit in an overhead bin on an airplane or train, and has a lot of smart features. John recently took it overseas and has some thoughts to share, so read on for his full review.

The Altai Traverse: Finding Tracks in the Mongolian Countryside

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The Altai Traverse: Finding Tracks in the Mongolian Countryside

Traveling to Mongolia has been a dream for Ryan Wilson since he first got into bike touring. Vast open spaces dotted with interesting geographical features, dirt tracks as far as the eye can see, and a history and culture that runs incredibly deep all contribute to making this east Asian country a dynamic experience. Sandwiched between Russia and China though, Mongolia can be tricky to access and, as a result, it often seemed to get pushed down the list of places for Ryan to visit, but when he finally had a chance to spend a summer there, he jumped on it…

Orucase B2 Bike Travel Case Review

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Orucase B2 Bike Travel Case Review

To understand someone else’s perspective, the old adage says to “walk a mile in their shoes.” To understand the necessity of owning a bike travel case, I’d say “walk a mile with your bike in a cardboard box.” My apartment in Boulder, CO is only .7 miles from the downtown bus station—which offers a direct, inexpensive, one-hour ride to Denver International Airport—but my trek there feels like at least a mile when I’m hauling a bike along. I always tell myself I will “totally have time” to stop and get a coffee but, before I know it, I’m sweating bullets, a coffee sounds terrible, and I’ve got two minutes to run the final few blocks. After making the walk-run with a cardboard bike box in tow a few too many times, I was keen to find a better way. Enter the Orucase B2 Bike Travel Case.

The Pindus Traverse: Rock ’n’ Rolling Along the Backbone of Greece

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The Pindus Traverse: Rock ’n’ Rolling Along the Backbone of Greece

We were chilling in a hostel in Kathmandu, enjoying warm showers and the internet when I realized this Coronavirus situation was getting serious. In a few days, Ryan Wilson and I had packed up, booked tickets to wherever we considered home at the time (aka with the parents, as we were both on an open-ended bike trip), said goodbye, and flew out. It turned out to be a wise decision, as in the next weeks the world would go into hibernation.

And so I found myself swapping the tent for my childhood bedroom. In lockdown. My surroundings had never felt so tight. Mapping out routes was still not boring though. And since I found myself living in Greece again after almost ten years away it became evident that this was the perfect time to plan a multi-day bikepacking tour through the Greek mountains: The Pindus Traverse.

Bumps in the Road: From the Himalayas to Istanbul

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Bumps in the Road: From the Himalayas to Istanbul

Not everything goes how you imagine it will when you set out on a trip across the world. In my experience, the majority of the time it doesn’t. It was around three years ago, in February 2020, I was packing up some things in Kathmandu to hit the pause button on endlessly riding and head home for a couple of months to visit family after a long series of tours through southern Patagonia and Asia. I’d booked a round trip flight and left my trusty Tumbleweed Prospector behind in Nepal, with my plans set to return to the Himalayas in April of 2020 to make a route through India and the rugged peaks of Pakistan… But, as we all know, plans changed.

A couple of years later, as Nepal began loosening up its restrictions on tourism, I started eyeing my return to the Himalayas, to finally retrieve my bike and follow through with the riding plans I’d set into motion years before…

Evoc Bike Travel Bag Pro Review: A Few Flights With the Sturdy Travel Bag

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Evoc Bike Travel Bag Pro Review: A Few Flights With the Sturdy Travel Bag

Evoc’s Bike Travel Bag Pro is what the German brand refers to as their “high-end” solution for bike transport. It’s a soft/hard-sided hybrid case with multiple integrated bells and whistles designed to keep bikes safe and secure in transit. I’ve used the Travel Bag Pro on a few flights this year and, while I’m not a big fan of air travel nor checked luggage in general, this bag has been a pleasure to use.

Let’s check it out in detail below!

Giving Papaya in the Colombian Andes

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Giving Papaya in the Colombian Andes

After almost 6 years on the road, maybe I let my guard down just a little bit too much. Maybe I’d grown too comfortable mapping out routes in any direction my heart desired and hitting the road without much concern for my safety beyond steering clear of roads with lots of traffic. I’d take notes from locals on places to avoid, wouldn’t ride at night, and I always considered myself careful, but 6 years is a long time, so there’s no doubt that I slipped just a little.

Beyond the Divide: Mountain Biking in Baja Sur

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Beyond the Divide: Mountain Biking in Baja Sur

There’s more to biking in Baja than the Divide

Twenty minutes after sunset and the sky has a glowing ember look. Night is taking over. In the distance — in the hills — you can see the front and rear lights of a bike. At first, it seems like it must be a motorcycle, but there’s no noise. It’s a mountain bike. The rider zooms up and down small climbs and descents, and then flies past us in a cloud of dust we can’t quite see, but can smell. The person on the bike, whoever they are, is having a great time.

I’m driving the entirety of Baja — with my husband and our dog — from Mexicali to Todos Santos. We started in Colorado. All in, the trip south is over 2,000 miles. We camp a lot — in a little van we built out last year. It’s great, but not quite van life. More, a step up from tent life. We’ve got our mountain bikes — an Ibis Mojo and a Revel Ranger — and a lot of peanut butter.

Bikepacking Iceland Part One: Into the Highlands on a Gravel Bike

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Bikepacking Iceland Part One: Into the Highlands on a Gravel Bike

Is bikepacking in Iceland fun on a gravel bike? That’s the one question on my mind as the plane touches down for my 5th visit to the country. With “make do with what you have” as our mantra, my two friends, Daylen, Quinton and I wanted to see if the gravel bikes we already own would be up for the challenge. I found several fat bike trip reports but very few gravel bike trip reports online, so I pour over maps, make some educated guesses, and trust I’ll figure it out as the rubber hits the road.

Ya Casi: Biking Around Guatemala’s Lake Atitlán

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Ya Casi: Biking Around Guatemala’s Lake Atitlán

Jorge’s high-pitched voice turned serious, still a few octaves higher than you’d expect: “You must have a plan. In life, in travel, in everything! Always, have a plan and always stick to the plan.” My brother, Quinn, and I looked at each other… “Wellll ya, we kind of have a plan.” We continued to bump along the dark streets toward the center of Guatemala City, looking at the empty streets go by through the window. I think we were both starting to wonder if maybe our “plan” was a bad one. Each city zone we passed through Jorge told us to be careful, explaining the dangers of Guatemala City, and warning us to be home before dark. “Two gringos locos, people know,” said Jorge, not so subtly alluding to the fact we stuck out like sore thumbs.

When we arrived at our Airbnb Jorge jumped out of the car and rang the bell of the security door. The guard buzzed him in, and we followed. The guard was young. On his desk, there was a revolver that looked as big as his hand. I wondered if he’d ever even shot it. In some ways, I hoped that he hadn’t. It was around 11:00 pm and, after a day of travel, we could feel the day catching up to us. We thanked Jorge for the ride and turned into the elevator. A few beers on the small terraces sounded good to both of us, but listening to Jorge’s persistent advice against going out past dark we decided to skip the nightcaps and go to bed. The next day we woke up to the streets below our rooms busier than the night before and the memory of Jorge’s warnings faded a bit. With no food in the house, we planned to walk to the market for some groceries and then decided we’d start to track down the key to our trip – bikes.