Bikepacking Roots just published a new Community Route in an unlikely place, New Jersey! The Jersey Pine Barrens are an overlooked gem and are long overdue for a proper bikepacking route. This route has been thoughtfully crafted and is stewarded by Julian Bender of Philadelphia...
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Vedangi Kulkarni: Cycling Around the World (Twice) Isn’t About Being The Fastest
In 2024, Vedangi Kulkarni made her second attempt to break the record for being the fastest woman to ride around the world. But in the middle of Kulkarni’s 18,000 mile ride, Lael Wilcox broke the Guinness World Record. In this piece, Caroline Dezendorf writes a story of one young woman’s journey of perseverance and self-discovery on a bike ride around the world.
Radar
Reroutes: In Search of the Qhapaq Ñan
Translated from Quechua, the ‘Royal Road’ once united all Andean communities from Colombia to Chile in an intricate road system of more than 30,000 km that in 2014 became an UNESCO World Heritage site. Constructed by the Incas over several centuries and partly based on pre-Inca infrastructure, this extraordinary network through one of the world’s most extreme geographical terrains linked the snow-capped peaks of the Andes – at an altitude of more than 6,000 m – to the coast, running through hot rainforests, fertile valleys and absolute deserts.
It reached its maximum expansion in the 15th century, when it spread across the length and breadth of the Andes. Leonardo Brasil (@leobrasil.photo) and Adam Pawlikiewicz Mesa (@adamonthego) traversed by bike from La Paz, Bolivia to Cusco, Peru highlighting the rich history and diverse culture of this Andean region documenting through both photo and video. Our full film will be launched later this year showcasing this wild adventure full of mishaps, reroutes due to food shortages, days where water was inaccessible, alpaca killings, a visit to the highest mining settlement in the world, and much more.
Reportage
2024 Mid-Atlantic Bikepacking Summit: Building Momentum on the East Coast
The 2024 Mid-Atlantic Bikepacking Summit brought together 100 participants over four days in the beautiful Laurel Highlands region of Western Pennsylvania. The event celebrated riding in beautiful landscapes, inclusive community building, and shared learning among backpackers of all levels. Read on below for a captivating summit recap from Bikepacking Roots Executive Director, Noelle Battle.
Radar
One More Lap Around The World
124 days or less, that’s what it’ll take for Vedangi to break the Women’s around-the-world cycling record. This 25-year-old adventure lover is no stranger to big bikepacking challenges but this could be her toughest ride yet.
Vedangi’s trip will be at least 29,000km and she’ll tackle every one of these KM’s unsupported. This is not just a World Record attempt. This means more to Vedgani, it’s about inspiring others and breaking down barriers. Starting India. Vedangi’s Indian passport makes travel extremely complex. For this reason, the route will never be the most direct or the fastest.
For Vedangi, this only adds to the adventure. To read more about the record and follow her journey, roll on over to Tailfin’s blog.
Reportage
Continental Divide Trail Q&A Part 2: Eating My Way to Mexico
Following up on his gear-centric Q&A, this article explores everything food-related from Kurt Refsnider’s 3-month adventure last summer riding the length of the Continental Divide Trail (the bike-legal sections, that is). That trip was documented here on The Radavist in a series of articles – if you want to read more about the adventure, you can find those here.
Radar
Touring from Pittsburgh to Columbus
Chris and Matt from Crust Bikes take us along for a continuation of their tour from Pittsburgh to Columbus, Ohio.
Radar
Belén’s Solo Summer Overnighter
With the summer solstice approaching, it was time for Belén‘s next solo bikepacking overnighter…
Radar
Touring to Pittsburgh
Chris and Matt from Crust Bikes take us along on while touring through Pennsylvania to Pittsburgh…
Radar
Reroutes: In Search of The Qhapaq Ñan
Translated from Quechua, the ‘Royal Road’ once united all Andean communities from Colombia to Chile in an intricate road system of more than 30,000 km that in 2014 became an UNESCO World Heritage site. Constructed by the Incas over several centuries and partly based on pre-Inca infrastructure, this extraordinary network through one of the world’s most extreme geographical terrains linked the snow-capped peaks of the Andes – at an altitude of more than 6,000 m – to the coast, running through hot rainforests, fertile valleys, and absolute deserts.
It reached its maximum expansion in the 15th century when it spread across the length and breadth of the Andes. Leonardo Brasil (@leobrasil.photo) and Adam Pawlikiewicz Mesa (@adamonthego) traversed by bike from La Paz, Bolivia to Cusco, Peru highlighting the rich history and diverse culture of this Andean region documenting through both photo and video. Our full film will be launched later this year showcasing this wild adventure full of mishaps, reroutes due to food shortages, days where water was inaccessible, alpaca killings, a visit to the highest mining settlement in the world, and much more.
Reportage
Continental Divide Trail Q&A Part One: What Did I Pack For My Toughest Bike Trip Yet?
Last summer, Kurt Refsnider rode the length of the Continental Divide Trail (the bike-legal sections, that is) over the course of three months and documented the journey in a series of articles here on The Radavist. You can find those here. This article is the first of a two-part Q&A series about Kurt’s gear choices and bike setup. The subsequent second part will be all about food planning and eating on a 3,000-mile singletrack adventure.
Radar
Apidura for MAAP
MAAP has teamed up with bicycle portage maker Apidura to create three key bags for long-distance riding. These three ultra-lightweight designs are specially constructed by Apidura to perform in the most testing conditions, with waterproof laminate shells and dirt-resistant materials to enhance durability. Let’s check them out.
Radar
Adventure Cycling Association Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the Northern Tier Route
Adventure Cycling Association, the nation’s largest nonprofit membership bicycling association and the reason many of our staff got into bicycle touring for the first place, is proud to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Northern Tier Route, one of the organization’s most iconic and beloved routes…
Radar
Tessa Hull’s Alaska Book + Bike Tour to Promote ‘Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir’
Tessa is in the middle of a month-long two wheeled bike/book tour in Alaska. The graphic novel, Feeding Ghosts: A Graphic Memoir ($37.20), took ever iota of free time to produce and the bike/book tour is in celebration of its release. So if you’re in the Alaska area, check out the dates below and see if you can connect!
Radar
Rogue Panda Blue Ridge Handlebar Harness Review: Shred-Ready
Flagstaff, Arizona-based Rogue Panda announced its new Blue Ridge Handlebar Harness ($185) earlier this year, and John has found it to be the most stable handlebar harness yet. Read on for his in-depth review of this lightweight and secure system that eliminates both head tube rub and cable interference.
Radar
San to San: Great Stories never come from Comfort Zones
Patrick McGrady toured from San Diego all the way up the coast of California to San Francisco and documented the trip over ten days.
Radar
Bikepacking Roots: Rolling Horse Route – Northwestern Colorado Multi-Day Tour
If you’re looking for a two-week-long tour of epic doubletrack in Northwestern Colorado, then check out the latest Bikepacking Roots CRoP! The Rolling Horse route was designed with particular attention to the region’s rich natural and human history. It roughly circumnavigated the Grand Hogback–a 90-mile-long spine of upturned rock marking the geologic meeting of the Southern Rockies with the Colorado Plateau.
The route seeks to reveal the intimate connections between the many varied landscapes once stewarded by the Nuche (Ute people); specifically, those whose ancestors hunted amongst the high places we now know as the Elks, Raggeds, Flattops and Roan; and gathered along the banks of the Roaring Fork, Crystal, Colorado, and White Rivers.
Check out more at Bikepacking Roots!
Radar
McKenzie Barney’s Cycling The World Discount Code!
McKenzie Barney has put on a limited-time 40% discount watch code for her film Cycling The World to anyone currently on a bicycle adventure of their own. It’s something she would have loved while she was on her trip–an on-adventure discount code–so she’s sharing the love through her favorite two-wheelin’ publication!
Grab the code below!