The Accidental Bicycle Tourist

Join Erik Douds, as he shares incredible stories from the road, starting with a spur-of-the-moment decision to join friend Annalisa on a TransAmerica bike tour – a journey that even included a detour for the New York City Triathlon! Discover the unique challenges that Erik, Annalisa, and other Type 1 diabetics face, as they manage blood sugar, insulin, and nutrition during demanding long-distance rides. During three years on the road, Erik logged 10,000 miles, fueled by community support and sheer resilience. From an Alaskan wilderness expedition featured in Adventure Cyclist magazine to navigating India just prior to the pandemic lockdown, Erik reveals ho...

Meet Giacomo Turco, an aerospace engineer from Italy, who on this episode shares his thrilling bikepacking adventures across Iceland, Mongolia, and South America. Discover how a chance encounter on Instagram with a previous guest, Melanie Schautt, led to an unexpected friendship and shared adventures, including Giacomo’s terrifying brake failure in the Andes. Other near-disasters in South America followed, as Giacomo had to be hospitalized due to a bacterial infection, faced a blizzard whiteout at 5,000 meters in Peru, and pedaled for days without human contact on the Ruta de los Seismiles in Argentina. In the communities he visited, Giacomo ex...

Alden Roth shares his thrilling experience in the Silk Road Mountain Race, a grueling, mostly unsupported, two-week cycling event through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. A self-proclaimed “diving in headfirst” kind of guy, Alden recounts past exploits, such as a cross-country road trip, repeated efforts to bicycle from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC, and his foray into ultra-running, kicked off by a spontaneous 50k race. His Silk Road Mountain Race was no less dramatic, featuring a mechanical breakdown fixed with super glue, camping on a mountainside during a blizzard, a close call with a demanding local, and ultimately, a crash. Alden pers...

Ayleen Crotty, founder of the prestigious Filmed by Bike movie festival, joins us for a captivating conversation about the fascinating origins of this unique event, born from Portland's vibrant bike culture in the early 2000s. Ayleen shares her personal journey into cycling, from a hesitant start in Illinois to following her passions by moving to Oregon for community building and two-wheeled adventures. Hear about Filmed by Bike’s evolution, the challenges of organizing grassroots events, and the festival’s inspiring transition to a platform supporting filmmakers worldwide. In a time currently dominated by negative media, this episode is a cele...

Saddle up for an inspiring conversation with Joe Kurmaskie, the "Metal Cowboy." Joe recounts his incredible family-cycling-adventures-turned-books, including hauling his two sons – and his dad's ashes! – across America (Momentum is Your Friend) and a later epic journey across Canada with his wife and three sons (Mud, Sweat, and Gears). Discover the hilarious origin story of Joe's nickname and hear about his battle with a life-threatening illness that fueled his passion to give back. Joe founded and operates Reborn Bikes, which provides thousands of refurbished bicycles to Oregon communities in need. This episode is a testament to Joe’s spirit of adv...

Eric Matthes, author of the bestselling Python Crash Course, embarked on a life-altering, year-long bicycle journey around the United States in the late 1990s. This episode dives into that fascinating period in Eric's life, when he interwove bicycling with his other passions: programming, teaching, and writing. Eric candidly shares his initial struggles, including a pivotal near-knee-destroying trip to Niagara Falls that almost ended his touring career before it began. Successively more challenging outings culminated in his 14,216-mile Seattle-to-Alaska-via-Florida circumnavigation. Hear about Eric’s cross-country adventure, including his memorable time riding alongside his friend Sara, scary moments in the south, an...

Journey to the Middle East with Miles Spencer as he unravels the fascinating story of T.E. Lawrence's early life and adventurous spirit. Discover how Lawrence's youthful bicycle tours through France, meticulously documenting medieval castles and cathedrals, foreshadowed his legendary role in the Arab Revolt. Miles, along with his friend Wells Jones, retraced Lawrence's wartime trek across the Arabian Desert from Jeddah to Damascus, sharing their own experiences of navigating the challenging landscape and encountering the welcoming culture. This episode delves into Lawrence's complex character, his deep understanding of the region, and the historical context of his pivotal role...

Meet Laura and Shaun, a Canadian couple whose cycling adventures began when the 2020 lockdown forced them to cancel their plans to spend a year traveling the world. Hear their hilarious first tour stories, complete with grocery-getter bikes, backpacks, bungee cords, and borrowed panniers from the ‘80s! After a successful first outing, the couple undertook a honeymoon-on-wheels exploration of British Columbia and a bikepacking tour of Baja California, Mexico. We kick off Season 2 of the podcast by following Laura and Shaun’s evolution from accidental bicycle tourists to seasoned adventurers. The culmination of their journeys is an ambitious 2022 Patagonian tour, full...

Ever wondered about the voice that welcomes you to The Accidental Bicycle Tourist podcast? In this special holiday episode, host Gabriel pulls back the curtain, inviting his wife Sandra as a guest for the very first time! Join them in their cozy home in Germany as they reflect on their summer bike tour with baby Emilio, sharing hilarious mishaps and heartwarming moments. But that's not all - find out which episodes you found most memorable this past season, including a series of entertaining discussions with those episodes’ guests. Also, catch updates from other Season One guests and learn a bi...

Fueled by a quarter-life crisis and the desire to break free from routine, bikepacking newcomer Melanie Schautt embarked on a transformative half-year cycling adventure through South America with her friend Louise, a seasoned cyclist. From battling fierce headwinds and a near-quitting moment on the Carretera Austral in Patagonia to overcoming mechanical issues and a couple of injuries, Melanie had to be resilient to keep pedaling. Amidst the struggles, she also discovered the unexpected joy and freedom of finding her own pace, the value of enduring friendships, and the thrill of conquering challenging terrain, including the Lagunas Route and Salar...

This episode takes a highly experimental turn as Gabriel, your host, brings in not one, but *two* AI guests, Scout and Rambler – instances of Google’s Gemini AI. These digital personalities debate hot topics in bicycle touring, offering unique and sometimes hilarious perspectives. Prepare for a wild ride as Scout, the hardcore bikepacker, extols the virtues of solo touring and meticulous planning, while Rambler, the easygoing newbie, champions the joys of companionship and spontaneous detours. Their clashing philosophies ignite lively discussions about route planning, solo versus group rides, and the impact of e-bikes on traditional touring. The conversation takes unex...

Alan Gilbert has always been interested in long, challenging bicycle rides. For Alan, the chance to ride across the United States from Pacific to Atlantic in 38 days finally presented itself in 2022, upon retiring from his job as a technology executive. The timing also coincided with the end of COVID, which had kept Alan cooped up at home and yearning to get out, meet people, and explore the country 100 miles at a time. Rather than undertake this Big Hairy Audacious Goal alone, Alan found a riding partner, Dave, and their respective spouses, Sue and Dee, became known as the Support...

Roger Levy, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, considers himself a scientist of language and a polyglot, speaking five languages fluently and many more conversationally. In this episode, Roger will share the sounds and flavors from his six bike tours across three continents. Since Roger also happens to be a longtime friend, I was his partner on two of the six tours. On his solo adventures, Roger enjoyed the delicious breakfast offerings in Taiwan and ended each day of riding in Scotland in a pub and perhaps a whisky distillery. He also...

Barbados. Dominica. Guadeloupe. Martinique. These are some of the exotic Caribbean islands visited by André Plumeau with his bicycle, Frieda. In Part 2 of this double episode, André again defies the odds by sailing west from the Republic of Cabo Verde on various boats, with diverse crews. Eventually, a spontaneous assignment to pick up a sailboat in Florida separates him from Frieda and the rest of his touring equipment. He makes his way around the United States to Mexico, where he hopes to be reunited with Frieda. At the end of the episode, André reveals his surprise plan for the end...

Imagine that you are walking down the road near your home town in France when a friend calls you and invites you to join him on a bicycle tour. Since you don't own a bike, you buy one over the Internet and call it Frieda. You pack your bags and three days later you are cycling with your friend in Portugal. You don't know it yet, but this is the start of an adventure that will last at least two years, taking you to the tip of Portugal, into Spain, and then by sea, island-hopping across the Atlantic, with...

Steve Roberts is probably the world’s first high-tech nomad. For roughly a decade (1983 - 1993), Steve was either designing, building, or riding a custom computerized recumbent bicycle. Beginning with the Winnebiko, continuing with the Winnebiko II, and culminating with the 580-pound BEHEMOTH, Steve logged 17,000 miles, all the while writing articles for various publications and transmitting them from his current location. In a time before the internet and smartphones, Steve was one of the first people on the planet to be continuously networked and connected via various technologies, working and socializing, quite literally, on the road. He immediately drew attention fr...

In 2009, Swiss graphic designer Martina Gees sold most of her possessions, flew to Buenos Aires, and  started pedaling. She got as far north as Inuvik, Canada, and eventually as far south as Ushuaia, Argentina. All told, her incredible Odisea Panamericana spanned 5 years, 25 countries, and 60,000 kilometers. This conversation with Martina is focused on her experiences traveling with a partner (with whom she started in Buenos Aires), with people she met along the way, and alone. During her journey, Martina fell in love, broke up, made lifelong friends, and was deeply touched by the hospitality of locals. Having lived through a s...

 With seven Caminos de Santiago by bicycle under his belt and an eighth one in preparation, Frank Foulon is uniquely equipped to inform us about this remarkable pilgrimage route that has been ongoing, with wild fluctuations in participation, since the ninth century. Frank discusses the historical background and cultural significance of the Camino, including recent changes as a result of the Camino’s rise in popularity. He also details the different routes in Europe that converge to form the Camino Francés, from the Pyrenees to Santiago de Compostela, as well as other historical starting points on the Iberian Peni...

Mimi Ji, a self-described map nerd and passionate cyclist, has turned her love for detailed route planning into a unique seven-step process. In this episode, Mimi shares numerous planning tips and tricks gathered from her experiences during outings with the New York City Adventure Cycling Club as well as tours in South Dakota, Quebec, and Slovenia. The conversation playfully dissects the seven steps, as Mimi compares different apps, describes how to stitch together weeklong itineraries, and encourages listeners to consider multi-sport touring. Along the way, we inevitably take several detours, with diversions into topics such as Bolivia’s Death Ro...

Listener Frédéric Dith alerted me that long blue lines mark long distance cycling routes, not only in Japan but also in Taiwan and South Korea. During a year of backpacking in Asia, following a burnout from the pandemic and working at a Berlin startup, Fred bikepacked the 633-kilometer-long Four Rivers Cycle Route, traversing South Korea from Seoul to Busan. Fred learned all about South Korea’s engaging system of issuing bicycling passports and repurposing bright red phone booths as places to stamp your passport to show your progress. After completing his goal of cycling the entire Four Rive...

If you enjoy hearing about random acts of kindness towards cyclists, you'll love this episode! Belgian cyclist Kris Vlaeminck shares selected tales of hospitality from his tours in Europe, North America, and Asia. With the help of strangers, Kris and his riding partners Johan and Luc overcome inclement weather in Scotland, water and food shortages in Iceland, a bear blocking the road in Alaska, and other perils. In Georgia and Kyrgyzstan, they are welcomed into family homes and lavished with food, drink, and accommodations. Kris also reveals the surprising country that he believes to be the most hospitable among...

Imagine bicycling from San Francisco to Los Angeles in one week, not alone, but in a peloton of thousands. For 545 miles, a team of roadies dedicate their time and energy to supporting your southward journey. The daily rest stops are extravagant events with costumes, dance parties, and drag shows, while the nightly camps provide relaxation areas, medical facilities, and excellent food. Everywhere – among the riders, the volunteers, and residents along the route – there is exuberance and joy. This is the AIDS/LifeCycle, a yearly charity ride that raises millions of dollars to fight HIV/AIDS. Our guide to the ride...

Suffering a heat stroke in the middle of Vietnam’s mountainous jungles was definitely not in the plans when Hannah Bowley decided to cycle from Hanoi to Singapore. Hannah was in month nine of a one-year touring adventure, and Southeast Asia was the third leg of her trip, following long rides in Western Europe, which included the Camino de Santiago, and South America, including the Carretera Austral in Patagonia. Thanks to the remarkable kindness of her Vietnamese host, as well as the help of many others she met through the Warmshowers community and elsewhere, Hannah continues to live her dr...

Inspired by a man who bicycled across France to attend a wedding, Simon Alfassa decided to organize his own solo bike tour from Berlin (where he resides) to Copenhagen. There’s just one problem: He has no idea what he’s doing. From using his “super weird” secondhand city bike to carrying many kilos of dead weight to stashing his smartphone in a soaked rain jacket pocket, Simon makes all sorts of mistakes along the way. However, with a healthy dose of optimism, perseverance, and improvisation, Simon overcomes the obstacles caused by his lack of experience and preparation. In this epi...

A long blue line runs 70 kilometers, across picturesque islands and over majestic suspension bridges, between Onomichi and Imabari in Japan. This is the famous Shimanami National Cycle Route, a trail that Singapore native Poh Yu Seung and his wife selected for their first bicycle tour. The couple packed their Brompton-style folding bikes and flew to Osaka, home of the famous Shimano Museum. From Osaka, they took the train to Onomichi, where they began their cycling journey. Yu Seung shares the unique characteristics of the Shimanami Islands, as well as learnings about Japanese culture, a fascination with the Brompton folding...

Ida Sigusch and Tilman Jiménez Reichow met and fell in love in Umeå, Sweden. A long bicycle tour through Europe, initially on a recumbent tandem, strengthened their relationship (this is by no means a given). On the road, Ida and Tilman met many friendly and helpful people who helped them in their quest to reach lighthouses at extreme points of Continental Europe. In the process, they also overcame mechanical issues, insurance problems, rabid dog attacks, and the harsh environment of the Arctic Circle. At times, they only managed these difficult situations because they were together. And so, they sa...

One of the hardest parts of turning a vision into reality is simply getting started. Professional photographer Christopher Briscoe has made a habit of starting – and completing – bold undertakings, such as multiple long-distance cycling trips in the United States. He embarked on his first cross-country bicycle journey with his friend Brian in 1976. Most recently, in 2016, he and his son Quincy followed Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago, a ride that is captured in a book and a film, both titled The Road Between Us. After thousands of miles traversed over every kind of road and every type of weather, and...

Cuba is a fascinating island nation whose beautiful beaches, diverse geography, tropical climate, relative safety, and less-traveled roads have made it an excellent bicycle touring destination. Canadians Jim and Susan Allman have been exploring Cuba by bicycle for the past 20 years. They share incredible stories about finding accommodations, navigating the currency and the black market, dealing with the police, and interacting with locals who remain friendly and welcoming despite constantly struggling to make a basic living. Clearly, everything works a little differently in Cuba, which remains a single party Marxist–Leninist socialist republic despite decades of economic and political pr...

Inspired by his mother and his acting professor, Mark Vashro began to dream of bicycling across the United States as a college student. In 2010, after two years of preparation, Mark cycled from Boston, Massachusetts, to San Diego, California. Determined not to put his acting and filmmaking career on hold, Mark carried along 125 pounds (57 kilos) of equipment so he could film his ride. On the road, Mark overcame multiple hardships, including a break-up with his girlfriend, a period when he decided to stop filming, and a loneliness that nearly caused him to call it quits. After reaching the Pacific Ocean...

Five-year-old Alix has already experienced more bicycle tours than many adults. In this episode, her parents, Mylène Lenzi and David Clément, share the experiences gained by touring with Alix, give tips on what equipment to bring along, and list their favorite child-friendly routes in Europe. Along the way, they also tell about the Festival du Roc Castel, a unique summer gathering close to their home in France that celebrates slow travel.

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During the pandemic, Malte Bossert came up with the idea of a themed bicycle tour whose goal would be to visit all 46 places in his native Germany with the name of Neukirchen (literally, “New Church”). Malte convinced his lifelong friend and fellow computer science student Tilman to participate, and together they wrote a program on Christmas Eve to optimize their route. Zigzagging around Germany on a recumbent tandem, Malte and Tilman were surprised – and at times overwhelmed – to experience six weeks of fame, as mayors, local organizations, church officials, and even local newspaper reporters lined up to meet them and prov...

When Michelle Savacool set out to cycle Chile, top to bottom, a distance comparable to crossing the United States, she worried most about the weather. Indeed, the first unbearably hot days in the Atacama Desert turned her plans upside down, and she was forced to reassess the purpose of her trip. Abandoning her goal of pedaling the length of Chile, Michelle nonetheless had a fantastic experience as a solo female traveler that included cycling the famous Carretera Austral in Patagonia and continuing into Argentina along a little-known border crossing.

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