The Radavist

The Forgotten Coast Route starts in the small eastern Iceland town of Djúpivogur and traverses 300 miles over mostly continuous beaches, spits, ocean islands, and sandbars, to the town of Thorlakshofn. Using a combination of fatbikes and packrafts Chris Burkard, Steve “Doom” Fassbender, and Cameron Lawson navigated a portion of Iceland’s coast seldom seen. With over 40 river crossings and covering some of the windiest and weather-riddled parts of Iceland’s coastlines, the route presented serious challenges for the team.

Below are a series of daily, first-hand accounts of the expedition. These daily journals are based on interviews with Chris Burkard and written by trip photographer Ryan Hill.

Iceland’s South Coast is one of the island’s most visited zones, but its beaches are seldom seen. It sounds like an audacious claim, but with 49 rivers strewn across the island’s southern beaches, this famous stretch boasts hundreds of miles of rarely explored coastline, with access being its biggest challenge. The goal of Chris Burkard’s “Forgotten Coast” trip is to link them all in one route, using a combination of fatbikes, to travel across its black sands and pack-rafts, to cross the rivers that break up these stretches of sand.

Amy’s Arrowhead 135 Surly Pugsley
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

Amy, a total badass, and product manager at Surly bikes set off to DFL the Arrowhead 135 this year.  The Arrowhead 135 is a 135 mile ultra race through northern Minnesota, usually set in January to take advantage of the frigid Winters. With a finisher rate of somewhere close to half, this race put your body, and gear through some of the toughest conditions.   Fully loaded and weighing in at a stout “it’s fuggin heavy” this Pugsley was loaded up to tackle the -25°F weather and save for some frozen shifty bits, Amy made it to the finish.  If you’ll be around Edgewater, CO on April 12 Amy will be talking about her Arrowhead experience at Yawp Cyclery’s Adventure Lab,  for more info on Amy’s setup and her recount of the experience on course check it out here.

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Follow Amy on Instagram, Surly Bikes on Instagram, and Jarrod on Instagram

No, this isn’t a troll and yes, I’m aware of the polarizing nature of this particular topic of discussion but I can’t help but say I had a lot of fun making this short gallery.

As the editor, or owner, or whatever you want to call me, I tend to hold a certain sensitivity to topics here on the site. Or at least I am mindful of the Radavist’s impact on riding, even in the smallest of ways. E-bikes, for whatever reason, tend to generate a lot of flack and rightfully so. There’s the issue of trail stewardship, of accessibility, or perhaps it just looks wrong on paper. Or in this case, on screen. There have been tons of op-ed pieces circulated over the internet over the years, of all I have not read. Personally, I’m more of an experiential learner. I like to actually try something before putting my opinion down. Just a few weeks ago, I was finally able to truly use an e-bike. Not just in a cruise around a bike shop’s parking lot kinda way, but actually use one.