The Bikepacking Journal 07

A little more than three years and 1,000 pages after launching the first issue of The Bikepacking Journal, we were met by a familiar mix of excitement, anticipation, and pride as we prepared our seventh printed edtion. We were excited to finally share a fresh selection of work from around 20 writers and photographers, anticipating how some of the ideas our readers found inside might make their way into their lives on and off two wheels, and proud of each of our contributors for having distilled the questions and thoughts they amassed over weeks or months of pedaling into just a few thousand words or a handful of images and being bold enough to let us publish them in print—some for the first time.

Issue seven was a celebration of courage and discovery of what we’re capable of when we don’t let others’ expectations define us. It was an ode to the small joys of our shared passion for riding bicycles and a gentle reminder to resist rushing through anything too quickly. It was a reflection on how we can understand places and their history much more deeply when we’re mindful of whose tire tracks and footsteps we follow. And it was also a tribute to the late Iohan Gueorguiev and his incredible series of See the World videos that inspired many thousands of bicycle travelers and may well be what spurred our readers’ interest in bikepacking and ultimately led them to supporting our work as members of the Bikepacking Collective.

As a thank you to our members, we also included a hand-illustrated “Bikepacking the World” map by renowned Australian artist Alex Hotchin. Offset printed with high-quality paper and inks, it was a beautifully detailed 21″ x 16″ (53cm x 40 cm) map featuring dozens of iconic bikepacking routes around the world and a vibrant array of rich and colorful imagery associated with the various corners of the world through which they travel. If you’re not yet a member of the Bikepacking Collective, get signed up before the April 17th deadline and you’ll never miss another issue of The Bikepacking Journal.

Stories in Issue 07

Battle in the Track

Unlocking the Asiago Loop by Tristan Bogaard and Belén Castelló
Italy

Be Brave

Second Spin on the Silk Road by Jenny Tough, Danil Usmanov, and Yam G-Jun
Kyrgyzstan

A Bikepacking Retrospective

An Adventure Worth the Weight by Brandon Weaver and Jerod Foster
Colorado

Breaking Away

Dead Last on the Veneto Trail by Joshua Meissner
Dolomites

The Devil’s in the Details

Zooming in on ZA by Johan Wahl
South Africa

Finding Roots

A Ride of Rediscovery by Kae-Lin Wang
Great Divide

First Date

Strangers on the Baja Divide by Evan Christenson
Mexico

Northern Migration

A Seasonal Cycle by Bjørn Olson
Alaska

A Journey Ended

Remembering the Bike Wanderer by Alex Cooper and Dean Liebau
Texas

Undaunted

Becoming a Bicycle Traveller by Marsha Jean
Central Asia

What Would Mary Do?

Hostel Hopping the Highlands by Lee Craigie and Maciek Tomiczek
Scotland