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@biketocamp

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More shots from another pass at the San Francisco Peaks of Northern Arizona this fall. A prior attempt coincided with Flagstaff’s “fourth winter” wherein the road became an impassable snowy ski ramp above 9,200 ft [2,804 m], but was luckily able to make it all the way across this time.

Terrain drifted between purpleish pine beds, chunky gravel backroads and steep singletrack, climbing nonstop for hours over 9,400 ft [2,865 m] before repelling back down on the Inner Basin Trail. This technical type of riding was a bit outside of my comfort zone, but a proper challenge nonetheless.

It was my first time camping at the famed Lockett Meadow too. Fading hints of golden hour pawed at pieces of birch bark littering the valley floor, with desert horned lizards and bounding fawn. Douglas fir and ponderosa pinecones glowed amongst the campfire coals like red Christmas ornaments.

The metallic bugling of elk through the night. Aspens trembling in the breeze like glassy river water. There was so much to listen to while falling asleep.

“Mija, the very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. The most you can do is live inside that hope, running down its hallways, touching the walls on both sides.” - @barbara.kingsolver, The Bean Trees

#Bike #Bikes #Bikepacking #Backpacking #Gravel #Bicicleta #BikeWander #MTB #GravelBike #Camping #Velo #Flagstaff #Bici #Cycling #Outdoors #Nature #Adventure #AZ #NAZ #Hiking #Explore #BikeTouring #DarkSky #Southwest

54

6

Spent the New Year bikepacking across some favorite stretches of the Southwestern borderlands for a few days. It was so nice to see the ocotillo still flowering this late into winter. To feel the soft pitter patter of nightly rains. To track the call of an elusive bobcat while waiting for my coffee to cool down in the morning.

Then Pronghorn Loop at Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. And revisiting a few choice sections of the Sky Islands Odyssey bike route. I can’t help stopping to collect devil’s club and cactus bones. Each night the most gigantic moonrise imaginable.

“The geography of aridity is a prism for brightness, the eclectic partnerships of a fiercely articulated palette. Deserts share a kinship of color. You know you are home and the world is not so large.

“Sometimes the desert exhilarates me to the point of soaring. Other times I am so heartsick I cannot bear up against the despair, a palpable, aching longing. A yearning to die before the desert’s wild heart is lost so I do not have to witness it. A longing to be a better person, for the world to be a better place, for us to truly measure up to this land, for this land not to be a battlefield of anger and greed.

“When these two opposing conditions, elation and despair, follow one another too quickly, the universe seems careless and precipitate. I soar, I crash, a squall of heat let loose in the ethos.

“Or else I get hungry.”

- Ellen Meloy, the Anthropology of Turquoise

#Bike #Bikes #Bikepacking #Backpacking #Cycling #Nature #Outdoors #Outside #Camping #NPS #Desert #Southwest #Bici #Bicicleta #Velo #BikeWander #BikeTouring #Arizona

39

0

Took a short bikepacking overnighter to see the rare saw-whet owl who’d lost his way in Tucson, an absurdly cute little macchiato-colored bachelor. Then wild camped in the mountains beneath Colossal Cave.

Mostly silent days and nights, save the bumbling of javelina through the dark. Trains rattling in the distance. A swaying choir of mesquite leaves, fern-like and bitter on the tongue. A neighboring rancher Enrique with his puppy named Popcorn.

Morning was cold enough to see my own breath in the tent. I made camp coffee and hiked for a slice of sunshine to warm up in. It takes so long for the sun to climb above those peaks in winter.

Magic gravel washes. Arroyos littered with cactus bones. Colors changing by the hour. Uncapturable shadows, blink once and they’re gone.

“Maybe if you only went far enough, waited long enough, held enough sadness pooled in your veins, soon you might come upon a path you knew, the shapes of rocks would look like familiar faces, the trees would greet you, buds and birdsong lilting up, and because this land had gouged in you an animal’s kind of claiming, senseless to words and laws, then, if you ran, you might hear on the wind, or welling up in your own parched mouth, something like and unlike an echo, coming from before or behind, the sound of a voice you’ve always known calling your name—“

- @cpamzhang, How Much of These Hills Is Gold

#Bike #Bikes #Bikepacking #Backpacking #Bici #Bicicleta #Velo #Outdoors #Nature #Camping #NationalPark #Saguaro #Tucson #BikeWander #WorldByBike #GravelBike #MTB

73

6

More shots from the @monumental_loop across Southern New Mexico this fall with @oceanandsan and @friendsomdp:

Following sandy backroads from La Union, we hiked around a mile-wide volcanic crater where Apollo mission astronauts trained in the 1960s. Olive green peridot is said to be found buried amongst the rim rocks.

I thought about the ancestral Apache tribes who nurtured these lands before the need for federal sanctity. I thought about how closely our bike tracks might mirror the migration patterns of jaguars and desert wildlife that roamed the Southwest before obtrusive border walls hindered safe passage. Sunsets here turned the ground bright red and made cacti glow from the inside like glossy Christmas ornaments.

As we crossed the Rio Grande after five-straight days of riding, we realized how little traffic we’d seen across the countryside. Loaves of mud collected on our shoes and drivetrains, stubborn lumps of silt grinding between our cogs with a tired groan.

Rolling downtown at last for celebratory margaritas, we needed showers more than anything. But they’d have to wait a round or two.

#Bike #Bikes #Bikepacking #Backpacking #Outdoors #Bici #Outside #Gravel #GravelBike #MTB #NationalParks #Cycling #Bicicleta #BikeWander #Velo #BikeTouring #NewMexico

95

4

Cold days 🧊🧊🧊, blue skies ☀️☀️☀️
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#beautyofcycling #wintercycling #roadslikethese

119

2

Biked a few hundred miles across Southern New Mexico via the epic @monumental_loop and Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks National Monument.

After tracing a narrow network of canal trails from downtown Las Cruces, we took a sharp left up an unmarked wash, crossed a cattle guard littered with barbed wire shrapnel and began a stiff climb into the Robledo Wilderness.

Slot canyons cradled in the gnarled arms of a gigantic juniper. Broad grasslands dotted with neon ocotillo and towering yucca. Water tanks baked in rust and iridescent algae. The gravel here was jagged at best, frequently devolving into muddy riverbeds run amok with horned lizards and the stealthy tracks of desert fauna.

Plump toads hopped between us as we carried our bikes through the water. Wild horses grazed beside an abandoned grain silo and other crumbling machinery. More rusty gates and picturesque cowboy clouds mottled the sky like an old oil painting.

Immense thanks to @sand.is.friend and @bikepackingcom for the routing! Next comes Hatch – Chile Capital of the World – and the infamous White Gap hike-a-bike ascent.

#Bike #Bikes #Bikepacking #Backpacking #BikeWander #Gravel #GravelBike #MTB #Southwest #Bici #Bicicleta #BikeTouring #Velo #Nature #Outdoors #Desert #Outside #Adventure #NPS #NationalParks #Cycling #NewMexico

53

4

Took another pass at the San Francisco Peaks of Northern Arizona. Last time coincided with Flagstaff’s “fourth winter” wherein the road became an impassable snowy ski ramp above 9,200 ft [2,804 m], but luckily able to make it all the way across this time!

Terrain drifted between purpleish pine beds, chunky gravel backroads and steep singletrack, climbing nonstop for hours over 9,400 ft [2,865 m] before repelling back down on the Inner Basin Trail. This technical type of riding was a bit outside of my comfort zone, but a proper challenge nonetheless!

It was my first time camping at the famed Lockett Meadow too. Fading hints of golden hour pawed at pieces of birch bark littering the valley floor, with desert horned lizards and bounding fawn. Douglas fir and ponderosa pinecones glowed amongst the campfire coals like red Christmas ornaments.

There was so much to listen to out there: the metallic bugling of elk through the night, aspens trembling in the breeze like glassy river water. I was mostly just glad to enjoy a shorter, more casual bikepacking trip after the intensity of Alaska-to-Argentina. It felt good to be back outside.

#Bike #Bikes #Bikepacking #Backpacking #BikeWander #MTB #Gravel #GravelBike #Camping #Flagstaff #Bici #Bicicleta #Velo #Cycling #Outdoors #Nature #Adventure

114

1

Took another pass at the San Francisco Peaks of Northern Arizona. Last time coincided with Flagstaff’s “fourth winter” wherein the road became an impassable snowy ski ramp above 9,200 ft [2,804 m], but luckily able to make it all the way across this time!

Terrain drifted between purpleish pine beds, chunky gravel backroads and steep singletrack, climbing nonstop for hours over 9,400 ft [2,865 m] before repelling back down on the Inner Basin Trail. This technical type of riding was a bit outside of my comfort zone, but a proper challenge nonetheless!

It was my first time camping at the famed Lockett Meadow too. Fading hints of golden hour pawed at pieces of birch bark littering the valley floor, with desert horned lizards and bounding fawn. Douglas fir and ponderosa pinecones glowed amongst the campfire coals like red Christmas ornaments.

There was so much to listen to out there: the metallic bugling of elk through the night, aspens trembling in the breeze like glassy river water. I was mostly just glad to enjoy a shorter, more casual bikepacking trip after the intensity of Alaska-to-Argentina. It felt good to be back outside.

#Bike #Bikes #Bikepacking #Backpacking #BikeWander #MTB #Gravel #GravelBike #Camping #Flagstaff #Bici #Bicicleta #Velo #Cycling #Outdoors #Nature #Adventure

155

5

The beauty of bikepacking. I could just recommend anyone to take a bike, get what you need to survive a day or two, and hit the road.

Bikepacking comes in a huge variety of styles.
Some head out for just a 2 day trip, others go around the world.
Some ride mainly trails, others ride only paved roads.
Some ride in order to be fast, others ride in order to slow down.
Some prefer riding together, others prefer riding alone.

Whichever one you choose, just remember it’s all about enjoying the party out there. No style is wrong!

Oh, and anyone looking for some good equipment? With the promocode ‘kaaiv’ you’ve got a 10% discount on all products of @choikebags

#biketraveling #bikepacking #biketouring #cycling #cyclinglife #bikelife #bikewander #worldbycycling #worldbybike34 #seektravelride #leventvebisikletleri #outdoors #bicycleworldstyle #adventurecycling #adventure #bikepackinginspiration #biketocamp #biketravelofficial #overacting #veloweltweit

123

4

A week after cycling 21.000km, I figured it’s time for a little bikepacking trip. So I went out for a couple of days. These are some moments of riding my homecountry, whilst visiting some people I haven’t seen for a while!

It’s a different style of riding than I’ve been doing in the past 15 months. But hey, anything on two wheels with pedals is fun!

#biketraveling #bikepacking #biketouring #cycling #cyclinglife #bikelife #bikewander #worldbycycling #worldbybike34 #seektravelride #leventvebisikletleri #outdoors #bicycleworldstyle #adventurecycling #adventure #bikepackinginspiration #biketocamp #biketravelofficial #overacting #veloweltweit #worldtour #home #minitrip #visiting

51

0

Rafa’s back and better than ever! After barely surviving the beatdown of a lifetime across the Americas, my trusty @polygonbikes Bend V9X is revived and ready for more.

Downsized the chainring from 40t to a @wolf_tooth_comp 36 for endless backcountry climbs. Upgraded to @surlybikes Truck Stop bars with a 120mm stem for improved reach/rise. It’s my first time running tubeless @maxxistires Ramblers, so fingers crossed for fewer cactus flats.

Still riding that custom steel axle from Chilean Patagonia, fabricated on the spot by a machinist named Jorge. What a souvenir! Tied together with the same @srammtb Eagle wireless 1x12 drivetrain, @foxmtb 32TC suspension fork, classic @brooksengland B17 saddle and bar tape, @bernhelmets Major brain saver, @raceface Chester flat pedals, carbon @novatecwheels and the full tennis kit from @ovejanegrabikepacking 🎾 Vamos!

Immense thanks to the hometown MVPs – Jenna, Linus, Katie and the @transitcycles crew – for meticulously swapping all these components over and answering all my questions! In an industry rife with “holier-than-thou” exclusionary rhetoric, they’ve always offered such welcome guidance and expertise, even to curbside amateurs like me. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

More bikepacking adventures and gravel races ahead. First up is the @monumental_loop and WeedSac alpine route across New Mexico 🏜️ Every day is all we have. Let’s get some coffee and go for a bike ride!

#Bike #Bikes #Cycling #Bikepacking #Velo #Bicicleta #Bici #MTB #GravelBike #Gravel #BikeTouring #CycleTouring #Adventure #BikeWander #Outdoors #Outside

265

9

I’m home!

435 days - 21.676 km - 15 countries - 2 continents

This last day I realized how crazy flat this country actually is. With a nice tailwind it was an easy ride towards my parents place. It was all about just rolling from Germany into the Netherlands, arriving in town, take a picture with the town sign, and get home for wine and food.

The lovely little town of Schaijk will be home for the next 6 months or so, before heading out again next year. First I’m gonna settle down for a little bit out here, before planning the next big adventure. Stay tuned for some mini adventures coming up, and a new big adventure from March/April….

#biketraveling #bikepacking #biketouring #cycling #cyclinglife #bikelife #bikewander #worldbycycling #worldbybike34 #seektravelride #leventvebisikletleri #outdoors #bicycleworldstyle #adventurecycling #adventure #bikepackinginspiration #biketocamp #biketravelofficial #overacting #veloweltweit #worldtour #flat #home

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