Building a Bike Travel Community for Women - Bike Travel Fest: Rare Femmes

Laura, Berta, and Cris are dedicated bike travellers  and also the founders of Bike Travel Fest. The festival, now in its second edition, aims to bring the bikepacking community together and encourage more women to get into bike travel.  We explore their personal bike travel experiences, how they came to organise this unique event, and the importance of building a supportive bike travel community. 

Find out more about Bike Travel Fest here

Join me on the  Seek Travel Ride Lightweight Bikepacking Tour!
6 night - 5 day tour through the Pyrenees Foothills.
Dates - June 28 - July 04
Start and Finish: Toulouse
Cost €1550 per person twin share
Find Out more and Book Your Spot Here

Chapters

• 10:13 The Birth of Bike Travel Fest
• 28:00 Challenges of Travelling With a Bike
• 45:32 The Badlands Desert and the Route's Positive Impact on Local Communities
• 49:32 Solo Travel Experiences
• 51:04 A Three Month Sabbatical: From the Uk to Scandinavia
• 57:28 Cycling Adventures in Melbourne and London
• 1:01:57 Learning Bike Mechanics and Overcoming Challenges
• 1:05:01 The Importance of Community and Support in Bike Travel
• 1:10:41 Bike Travel Fest - an Inclusive Approach

Transcript

Cris: 0:00

I totally bailed on the Netherlands plan. I did not do that. I just went to I went across Sweden, Norway. And then when I got to the North Cape, I was like, well, I have to turn back, but I still have some weeks off. So I decided to cross Finland.

Berta: 0:16

I called, I don't know how many shops, uh, that were like too far away that didn't have boxes and maybe did, didn't. And then I found one that was like, yes, yes, we have boxes for sure. Uh, and by that point I didn't have that much time and I was like, okay, great. Let me go to that shop. I'll get the box and then I'll figure it out in the hotel. I got to the bike place and they were only selling folding bikes pretty much. So they were all like tiny boxes.

Laura: 0:41

Well, in 2020 when Covid was happening, I decided to create a bike travel fest but online through Instagram. So I get together a lot of people and I plan a schedule. There were different people talking about their trips. It was great, and I thought, this is amazing. We have to do it like in person.

Bella: 1:11

Welcome to Seek Travel Ride, where we share the stories and experiences of people taking amazing adventures by bike, whether it's crossing state borders, mountain ranges, countries, or continents. We want to share that spirit of adventuring on two wheels with our listeners. Hello, listeners. I'm your host, Bella Malloy, and today I've got a fantastic episode lined up for you as I'm joined by three incredible women who are not only Pike passionate travelers themselves, but they're also the founders of the Bike Travel Fest. It's an event dedicated to bringing the bike packing community together in Spain. We have Laura Rincon, Bertha Moer and Chris Mai each have their own unique journey into bike travel, and as I speak with them today, we're all gonna learn more about them, hear about some of their own bike adventures, and how falling in love with this form of slow travel has since morphed into them leading and creating this amazing festival. The Bike Travel Fest is now in its second edition, and this year's event is going to be taking place in GR Granada. For those of you who follow ultra races, this is actually the same stunning region that plays host to the legendary Badlands course. So you need to picture wide open landscapes, semi desert terrain characterized by dramatic rock formation canyons and vast arid planes. A truly unique landscape in Spain. Building a community around bike travel is something louder. Bertha and Chris have worked very hard towards, and they have purposefully structured the event to be as inclusive as possible. They're bringing their collective knowledge together to put on a festival which celebrates the fun, which is bike travel in a bit, to encourage and inspire more people, especially women, to experience the fun that comes with embracing these kinds of adventures, along with awesome gravel rides each day. They're also gonna be hosting skills, workshops, yoga sessions, film screenings, and have a big focus on community. There's gonna be lots of time also spent in having people share their own personal bike travel stories and experiences, because listeners, much like this podcast, it's in the act of storytelling where we often find the seeds of inspiration to take on our own adventures as well. Events like bike travel fest, especially piqued my own personal interest as it's something I think we need to see more of. And I really love and embrace that idea of community building around bike adventures. So whether you're an experienced bike packer or someone who'd like to get started in this form of travel. I'm pretty certain that today there's gonna be plenty of us to take away from our conversation. Louder. Berta and Chris, welcome to the show.

Berta: 4:11

Hi.

Bella: 4:12

Thank you so much.

Berta: 4:13

Thank you. What an intro.

Bella: 4:16

Well, what an intro, what a, what a festival you're bringing together, I think, uh, clap my hands to all of you there. And also a special shout out to Celia, who unfortunately is not with us today. So listeners, there's four of us. There could have been five. I think that could nearly be a record for the pod. I'm excited to learn more about you and this awesome festival that you've got coming together. But, uh, listeners of the show will know the question that I start my show with and I ask it of all my guests. So I'm gonna ask it of each of you, is, do you remember the very first bike you ever rode? So, Lara, I'm gonna go with you first. Tell me about the first bike ride you ever remembered.

Laura: 4:55

My first bike ride. I remember when I first ride a bike, I remember I was, I don't know, five or six years and I in Spain. I don't know. In other countries it's the same. We used to ride a bike with two wheels, of course, but then we have two small wheel at the back for the balance. And I remember the day my parents decided I was old enough to take these two little wheels and. I was so bad at it. My parents were very pain at day back because they were trying all the time that I was not falling. They always re remind me like, Laura, do you remember that you were maybe two or three days trying to learn how to ride a bike and your sister? We gave her a bike and she learn without any help. Oh, what a burn. Thanks. Mom and dad.

Bella: 5:59

Yeah. And look where you've gone on bikes ever since.

Laura: 6:01

Yeah, I think since then I always ride a bike.

Bella: 6:06

What about you, Berta? What's your first bike memory?

Berta: 6:09

I think my first bike memory would have to be in in summer because we, so I was born in Spain, but I grew up in Belgium. But every summer we would go to my grandma's house. I. In Spain and my mom is one of eight, so they had loads of old bikes there stored. And so when we arrived in summer, the one of the first activities was like going into the garage and like finding your bike for the summer essentially. And so it would be like, you know, really old bikes from my aunts and uncles. So I remember like the excitement of like, you know, arriving and, and picking a bike and I'm, I have an older brother, so he's four years older than me, so he could already ride a bike. And I really wanted to also be able to, to ride. And so I remember like one summer I was, um, yeah, with a really old, I guess like, bike from the sixties, like really trying to keep up with, um, with my, with my brother and first with trainer wheels. And so that was already exciting, just being able to like, you know, cycle by, by myself. But then I also remember when it, when it came to like remove those, those wheels and um, and be just a two wheeler. And I felt really, and I remember like, you know, the typical thing of like my dad, like holding me at the back of the bike and then letting go and all of a sudden you're like, ah. And you're like, realize that they've let go. And it is not that you can't do it, it's just that you're freaking out and then you just fall over. I remember doing that a couple of times. But also I, I just remember that feeling of, you know, like excitement and, and feeling like free and, and just roaming around and by yourself in, you know, in summer holidays and all of that. And I think I, I still kind of carry that feeling. And I think maybe a lot of people have that, like when you get on a bike of like that kind of childlike feeling of, um, you know, being excited and, and free. And that's something I, I really enjoy.

Bella: 8:02

Oh my God, it fill my heart to hear that. I love that so much because I, I personally feel that so much. I always hear, and I hear that on my show, like, freedom Free. We, you know, they're the sort of things that we probably thought of out loud when we were little kids. And the idea that you keep it in your soul now. I love it so much. And Chris, what about you then? What was your first bike ride like?

Cris: 8:23

I gotta say that I'm impressed by your memory girls, because I do not remember being on training. We all saw anything like that. Okay. Right. And we all learned the same way. But I would say that my first memory. Getting on a bike was when I was nine and I did my first communion. I asked for a mountain bike. That's all I wanted. Right? And because like any other kid that was growing up so fast, my parents decided to get me a huge mountain bike because they wanted that bike to last forever basically. So when it's not

Bella: 8:59

economical decision, yes.

Cris: 9:02

When I first got in that one, it was like, how am I gonna write this? Like it was way bigger, way too big for me. But yeah, that bike is stood, stood with me for like, I don't even know until I was 18 probably. So, wow.

Bella: 9:18

That was a really big bike. Wasn't they Got their good value for money outta that one. Could you actually touch the pedals if you sat in the seat or did you have to like STA only pedal standing up?

Cris: 9:28

Probably not. It was like, uh, can you put the seat lower? Like no more, more, more.

Bella: 9:33

I love it. But since those first days of riding a bike, and I love that each of you have sort of like a really unique story there. You've all sort of come to bike travel in very different ways and something that really struck me is just the power of that point of difference when you're building something that you're doing now with bike travel fest because. It's through all these individual unique experiences that collectively you are able to build this big knowledge bank. And whether it's about roots or rides or different countries or terrain or style of bike travel, having a different perspective is what you are able to share with everyone. And I love that as well. Which of the three of you started with bike travel first? How did bike travel come to being Lara? Would that have been you?

Cris: 10:20

There is a story here. Yeah.

Bella: 10:23

Oh, let's settle in. We need our popcorn. Well,

Laura: 10:28

in 2020 when Covid was happening, I decided to create a bike travel first, but online through Instagram. So I get together a lot of people and I, I plan a schedule. There were different people talking to. About their trips as we didn't have nothing better to do. It was great and a lot of people was actually following this festival and I thought, this is amazing. We have to do it like in person. But I was on my own and I thought it was like too much for me, but suddenly I heard that Chris was thinking about doing something similar.

Bella: 11:18

Oh, Chris, how did you come up with this similar idea then?

Cris: 11:21

So here, what happened is that last summer I took off my first ever career break and I went on a bike packing trip for three months. I didn't plan anything. I just took off. And I had been following sisters in the wild. For a long time and I knew that they were doing their summer gathering, which I didn't know what it was really just by what I saw on the internet. Right. And it seemed really, really cool. So I decided to start my trip there in that festival. So I went there. I flew to Manchester, biked to the Lake district. Where is, where is where they celebrated every year. And when I got there and I saw that we were 300 women. Wow.

Bella: 12:09

How awesome. Big shout out to you sisters in the world. I love what you're doing, by the way.

Cris: 12:14

Yes. I was amazed. I was super impressed by everything. Like how everyone was there. Just like if we were all best friends, we were all willing to help each other learn like talent each other on, on the length of the routes because they also offer like different lens doing all the workshops in the afternoon. It was just so, so. Inspiring that. I walked up to Charlotte, the founder of Sisters in the Wild, and I was like, how do you do this? Like, we don't have this in Spain. This is amazing. She said, okay, well build it. And I was like, wait, what? What do you mean build it? And she was like, yeah, you don't have it in Spain, then you can do it. I offer you my help. Like you can call me, ask me any questions you have, and I will guide you through the process. So I left. After the summer gathering was done, I left on my trip. And I had the idea already in mind, okay, sad I could do this. How can I do it? Blah, blah, blah. And then when I came back to Spain, we went on a little trip together. It was like a weekend getaway. Berta was there and was there too. They were asking me about my trip, and I told them about Sisters in the Wild Summer gathering. And I was like, and Charlotte, you say, oh, do it. And then Berta goes like, okay, let's do it. We can do it. I wanna do it too. And I was like, wait, what? And failure had the same reaction. So we were like, okay. I felt like Laura too at the beginning. I was like, I'm not gonna do it on my own. Like this is too much to organize this one person alone. But when they both offer me. Let's do it together. I was like, okay, are we doing this? For sure? So I created a telegram group with the three of us, and then a friend that we have in common, the four of us, I, he, a community in Spain is called ra, and we all got to know each other because of that, because we were going to all those events. She told me that Laura had this idea and she wanted to, to do the same thing. So Laura jumped in and that's when everything started.

Bella: 14:20

It almost like it was meant to be an organic meeting of mines. The fact that Laura, you had started something in Covid that started out virtually in a way and. That, Chris, you went up to this event as this part of your three month tour, by the way, a three month tour with no planning. I love this so much. To me, that is the ultimate adventure. Bertha, what about you? It sounds like you were involved a bit in the, maybe was it in like the gravel riding community or were you bike packing before then as well? Well, Chris mentioned you were there as well going. Yeah, I'll help. But how did you get into this side of the community as well?

Berta: 14:55

Yeah, I mean I just instigated Chris too. Like I was like, sure, do it and, and we'll do it together. No, but um, we're actually, the nice thing about, I guess, rare fans and this bike travel fest is that it's a community coming out of a community as well in, in a way. As Chris mentioned, we all met through a community called ra, which is encouraging women also to travel by bike together. Yeah. It's generally more like weekend trips or, or, or longer trips together and. And that's how we all know each other. And I actually started bike traveling more through that. So I had an, I had an interest in, uh, you know, traveling more by bike, but I didn't necessarily, you know, I hadn't necessarily done any long rides. I'm not super sporty from the get go, so I was like, oh, can I do it? Can I not? And so, you know, finding a, a group of, of women that write together and like have a very like supportive environment was super encouraging for me. And just a couple of years later I'm like, yes, back traveling. Let's go. Let's, let's do it. You know?

Bella: 16:05

Can I ask you a quick question there? You know how you were saying you're not super sporty and you were doing sort small things. I find that there's so much of. Bike travel and adventure, that rubs off from being surrounded by people and you hear and see what they do and then it puts the, Ooh, maybe I could do that too. Can I ask you just randomly, if you were to plan your own unlimited bike adventure, what would your ideal adventure be? So is this is a solo thing, so you are gonna go out on your own for bike travel? Where, where are you going for, how long are you going for? What type of riding's it gonna be?

Berta: 16:38

Oh wow. Wow. What a question.

Bella: 16:41

It's sort of three, isn't it? But anyway,

Berta: 16:44

yeah, that's a great, a great one for sure. I mean, I would, I don't necessarily know like geographically where that would be right now, but I, I love the idea of like being somewhere where you can camp and also not, but also camp and know that you can, and that you're not gonna get into trouble for it. Like once I was traveling in, um, but I was like, kayak in, in, in Sweden and there you can like camp anywhere. And I was like, oh my God. Amazing. It's part of their culture. Yeah. Like having that culture of, um, people being outdoors and having, um, facilities. I think that's, that's something I, I would do. And then something that would mix landscapes, I think. So like being able to be like for a few days away from civilization, but then also one needed, being able to go back in and maybe, you know, having a nice meal and. Being able to, you know, buy groceries and, and see people and then when you want, you can also then just go back into, into the wilderness. Um, yeah.

Bella: 17:51

Yeah, because what I was getting at there is I feel, and I would use the word osmosis, which is sort of like it rubs off on you in a way because I think when you start socializing with people that do these sort of things, it is through storytelling that you get your own inspiration as well. And I wonder how much even the type of bike event that you would do, or the bike travel that you would do now has changed since you first started in this. Because I think there is that progression that, and often we don't ever reflect back to sort of see our own progression as well. I think what I love about what you're doing with Bike Travel Fest is you're encouraging people of all levels. This isn't just for people who've done this all the time and want to get together and share their Epic nine month tour in South America story or. Hey, I did North Cape to Therea or something and his is my story. Or by the way I went through Africa. Like it's not about that. It, it can be about, hey, I actually haven't done this before, but I'm really keen to to that other end of the spectrum and it's mixing experiences up there as well. I be interested to know when you first started the first festival, I think storytelling's at the crux of this as well, you must have had some attendees who must have had some amazing stories to share themselves, right?

Laura: 19:05

Sure. Actually we had people that were giving inspirational talks. Yeah, they have thought like very cute and inspiring trips. They were there to tell everyone who was attending, but also there were people who just did these trips, these big trips or these big adventures and maybe we didn't know and they just apply and came. The fact that we had a lot of time to chat with each other. We had the opportunity to get to know everyone. We had the opportunity to get these stories, so it was like really nice because we knew there was some people coming that there, they were going to give these talks, but we had some people that we didn't know who they were and they were. Giving these talks, but outside the activities, do you

Bella: 20:07

know what would be awesome If in addition number two, you've got repeat attendees and you have someone who is more at the beginner end of the spectrum and then they have now done something since attending the first year and now they're all of a sudden becoming the inspirational person that passes the baton on. It's, again, it's something I love about this show. It's through sharing stories and I know that that's how it happens.'cause listeners have gotten in touch with me saying, Hey, I listened to this and now I'm doing this. Or Wow, I didn't think of this and they gave me the idea to go here. That must be so enriching. Like have you had people get in touch with you from the first edition letting you know what they've done since

Cris: 20:45

we actually have one case that is, uh, very emotional for us because. Uh, there's this one girl that came to the festival without having prior experience by traveling. She had the dream of going on a bike packing trip, but she didn't, she hadn't done it and she didn't have like, at least all the, uh, resources that she needed to feel comfortable, right? So she attended the bike travel Fest with the purpose of learning. And she was actually like, you could tell that she was very into learning because she would ask a lot of questions. She would, uh, like talk to everybody, like get everyone's, uh, experience. And she was very, very motivated, right? And not long ago, it was like a month ago maybe, I think she texted in the group that we still shared from the previous edition saying that she was gonna took off on her first big adventure. She was going to Argentina, she wanted to do part of the Route 40, and she thank us because. We helped her to build confidence in herself and feel prepared for this, and with all the resources that she needed to be able to take on this adventure.

Bella: 22:00

What an awesome thing. Oh, shout out to whoever you are. Big clap in my hands to you. Route 40. Oh, that's notorious. It's not a smooth road by any measure,

Cris: 22:14

but what an experience. Yeah, and she's gonna come to the second Ian, so I'm hoping that she stars the story. Of course.

Bella: 22:22

Yes. This is what it's all about really, isn't it? I think something else that I love and that I've seen here on this show is that notion of building experience with each thing that you do, but also just like that person. It's one thing to have a passion for travel or maybe even bike riding and mix 'em together, but it's another thing altogether to feel like you are confident and skilled enough to actually take that step. And I think that's what this is. What you're aiming to do is give people that bit of a confidence boost. Mm-hmm. But it's not just through story sharing and it's not just through a social ride together over a day or two. It's also through practical workshops. Like skills workshops is something that you are offering up as well, isn't it?

Laura: 23:03

Yes. Yeah. Like I think the, the best for the beginners is that we are in a base camp, so we are all the time in the same place. So they don't have to stress out like, okay, we need to move to somewhere different and we don't know where we are going to sleep. So this could be stressful for them. So I think this is one of the good things for beginners. And of course, as you said, the workshops we had in the first edition, and we will have in the second, again, different ones, but in the first edition, we had one workshops that, I think it was the one that li they liked the most, that it was the maintenance of the bicycle. So we had different products and we saw them how to use them and how to clean your bike and what to do when while you are traveling. And afterwards they could use these products in their bicycles. So last day when they left, they all had the possibility to clean their bicycles and to put some oil in the chain. I. And it was very nice because they all, they all have these theoretical workshops and at the same time they had the opportunity to use the products and see how they work.

Bella: 24:30

That's such a big difference because in this day and age there's a certain, some of you can have a bit of a confidence boost to think, well, I can access YouTube and I can see a workshop online. Right? But there's so much of a difference to actually practically seeing a skill and like the theory and actually doing it as well as opposed to, oh, I've heard that you do this or watching, like being able to actually see it in practice and then do it. Because I think the other side of it is, is you also generally sometimes, and I imagine this will be the case, also find out what not to do and a YouTube workshop doesn't always do that for you either. I have to say, one of the skills I'm challenging myself personally to learn better is my. Disc brake pad maintenance. It's something that as a cautious descender, I probably use my brakes more than people more often. And I live in a mountainous area, so I go through some brake pads, but I still am not someone who knows how to maintain them myself. And that's something that I definitely wanna challenge myself to do a bit more now as well. But these are type of skills that you're talking about as well, like, uh, have you got different levels of maintenance workshops that you're planning as well for your bike travel fest?

Cris: 25:35

We, what we have done in the first Ian, is just, let's say a wide variety of topics from bike maintenance to how to plan and navigate using commute app to like packing, which is for beginners because, uh, we talk about what is other bags, what are, what are the bags that are out there for us to be able to travel by bicycle? Right? How do you distribute weight on the bike? How do you pack for whatever kind of treat that you have? And this one in particular can sound like super focused on amateur people, but the truth is that even if, if you're an experienced traveler, you can always learn something from there, right? You can always see a different way of setting up a bike. You can always see other tricks people have like, and maybe take that with you, right? On your next adventure.

Bella: 26:28

Yeah, massively. And it's little things where you go, oh, that's such a cool idea. I didn't even think of doing that. With each trip that I take. I have a new evolution of smart packing, I would call it. I think the other thing is. Bike travel's so unique. Everyone's got a different style and no one style is right, but sharing each style is really beneficial for everyone as well.

Cris: 26:52

Yeah, for sure. And and also, for example, in this one we talk about how to travel with your bicycle on a plane with a lot of people that have experience with bike traveling, maybe have never gone on a plane really with a, with a bicycle. So that's another topic that is, I think it applies to everyone really.

Bella: 27:11

And it's always stressful. I think that's something actually to put out there. First and foremost, all of these lessons, all of these skills are things that you can all do. You can all learn how to pack your bike. You can learn how to use a bike box. You can learn how to make it so that you, uh, giving your bike the best opportunity to come together without being broken. But one thing you should always know, you'll always be a little bit stressed about it too. And that's normal. Like, have any of you taken your bike on a plane and not been like a little bit stressed about it? And I'm not talking about the packing 'cause it's, it's the bit that's outta your control. That's stressful too, right? I think

Laura: 27:47

all the process is stressful. I How do you get to the airport with your bicycle? Um, being sure that they, uh, it's not going to get, uh, broken.

Bella: 27:57

Actually, do you know what one of the most stressful parts for me has been in my bike? Travel ones?'cause I've definitely moved, especially since bike packing and bike travel, more cycle touring. I started my bike travel with, you know, a bike in a hard, like a soft bag. But now I've moved to a cardboard box because I am doing, you know, I'm, I'm riding my bike. I can't take my bike travel case with me when I'm riding my bike. And the, one of the hard stresses is actually finding a bike box at the other end. Like, have any of you gone through that stress as well? So,

Berta: 28:28

so I, maybe I can, I can share a story here. Um, and actually, you know, part of like the, the bag travel fest as well and, and everything we were discussing now, like, and exactly what you're saying. One thing is knowing the theory and another thing is like applying it in, in practice, right? So when it comes to, yeah, finding a box and all these things. I think one thing that is amazing and also that what is, what we aim to create here is like having the community, right? So like you meet people, uh, in the bike travel fest, but then you also after that, have a community that you can reach out to with. But sometimes seems like silly questions like, oh my God, where do I find a box? Oh my God, what do I do with the pedals? Like, I mean, all these things that, so in December, last December was my first time putting, um, a bike on a, on a plane. And I went actually with, with Chris and, and two other friends. We went to Malaysia. And that was a really amazing experience. And to get there, it was easy finding a box.'cause I know I was here in Madrid home, I could, like, I had time to find a, a bike box and all those things. But then I. To head back. I was actually heading back before the others from Kuala Lumpur, and so I was there and I had like two days to like find a box,

Bella: 29:42

which sounds like a lot of time, sometimes like two days you are not getting there and having to find on the same day, but it's still freaking and stressful.

Berta: 29:49

I called, I don't know how many shops, uh, that were like too far away that didn't have boxes and maybe did, didn't. And then I found one that was like, yes, yes, we have boxes for sure. Uh, and by that point I didn't have that much time and I was like, okay, great. Let me go to that shop. I'll get the box and then I'll figure it out in the hotel. I got to the bike place and they were only selling folding bikes pretty much. So they were all like tiny boxes, tiny bike. Oh my god. Gosh. You

Bella: 30:15

think you've got the bingo card all sorted and you go there? Oh.

Berta: 30:21

And I was like,

Bella: 30:22

I

Berta: 30:22

don't have the prompt

Bella: 30:23

guys.

Berta: 30:24

Yeah. I was like, oh no, what do I do? And then of course, like there, they were like, no, don't worry, you can just like get two boxes together. You like glue them, you put, you know, you just like tape them together and we can do it here and this. And, and I also, I went to, it was like in the outskirt of the city, so I didn't have my bike with me. I had actually took a taxi there because anyway, so I was like, no, no, don't do it yourself.'cause I don't know how big the box I'm gonna need. So then somehow it seemed like a good idea to go home with like two half boxes essentially. Well home to the hotel. And then I just got to the hotel and I was like. What am I doing? Because then I bought like some random like cellar tape that wasn't even that good. And I was like trying the hardest to like, you know, put together two quite thick cardboard boxes and it was just not working. And it was like my flight was maybe at 9:00 AM by like

3: 31:20

00 AM in my like hotel room being like, what do I do here? And yeah, I don't know how much, how many, like things of tape I put around the bike and like really hoping that it wasn't just going to fall apart, uh, at the airport. But then I thought, okay, surely they would have one of those like wrappy, you know, the bubble wrap

Bella: 31:42

thing at the airport. Sorry, environment. But yeah, where they, where they, where, where they like wrap like a hundred meters of plastic around every suitcase.

Berta: 31:50

I hate those because Exactly. It's like just this amount of like plastic that, and they just wrap it a hundred times, like you say. But I was like, okay, this is my only option if I really want my bike to arrive in, in one piece. So that kind of saved me. I mean it was expensive, but that was my, my savior in um, yeah, getting my bike back to Spain in, in one piece. But yeah,

Bella: 32:12

which shows you that there's always a solution. I think that's the biggest, one of the biggest learnings I've had from interviewing all these guests is a, going on a bike adventure means you're gonna have to solve problems. And they're problems that you don't know even existed, but you actually solve them like you find a way because I think there's no other option. You have to find a way. Mm-hmm. Um, which is amazing. So listeners, this is a four way chat, but due to different time zones and stuff, unfortunately one of our guests has to leave early. So we are all going to virtually say thank you and goodbye to Lara. Thank you Lara, for your time. You're awesome. I love what you're doing with bike travel fest and wishing you super bike adventures as well. Thank you. Okay. And then there were three, I tell you what one of my most stressful bike things was actually, it's that inability to have control over your bike on a plane. I remember we were sat at, I think it was Milan airport, I think we were on the bus away from the plane, looking back at the plane. And you know, they, you could see like the conveyor belt emptying all the cargo. It was like to my husband, oh look, these's our bikes, they've arrived. Yay. And then just as I said that his promptly fell from the very top of the holt all the way down to the tarmac. And it was just like, oh, tribute to the different type of packing. Like with each trip you learn how to do things just a little bit different. And the biggest thing I've learned with using a cardboard bike box. Is the importance of knowing how baggage handlers are using them. Like, you know, we write fragile on the box and think that, you know, this is how I would carry it. A baggage handler, they are really gonna reef and drag that box on the ground. They have no cares given really for what's inside. And so learning to reinforce the bits of the box differently for where they're going to actually handle them with something that we've done recently differently. I have also heard, and maybe you both have had experience with this, or listeners, maybe you have, I have heard the theory that if you actually have your bike in a TV box, it gets handled very differently. I don't know if either of you have heard of that theory.

Cris: 34:26

I've heard that. I've heard that because, uh, yeah, apparently they know that a TV can break. Right. But they. I do have a trick for this, for traveling with, uh, the cartoon box. What I always do, instead of riding fragile or anything like that, is I cried everywhere. Thank you for taking care of my bike.

Bella: 34:49

I love that.

Cris: 34:49

Have a good day. And I like put my name on it and like, I ride, uh, which airport I should be picking up the bike. Just, just to like, everyone is aware that this is important for me, right?

Bella: 35:02

Yeah. And it's, and it, it's sort of showing your thanks and appreciation. Yeah. Psychologically, I reckon that could help. I reckon that could help Listeners get in touch with me. Let me know if you traveled with a bike on a plane before, let me know. What have you done to try and make sure you have the biggest influence on your bike actually arriving at the other end in one piece. I love these sort of skill sessions. I wanna go to something that you spoke about earlier, Chris, which was about giving people the skills of planning their own roots and stuff as well. You know, many people travel with a mobile. We've got so many different apps, whether it's commute, ride with GPS, Strava, Garmin, I think you can even use Google Maps. Learning how these mapping softwares work to plan a route. It can make or break sometimes a bike route, and sometimes it can throw an extra layer of misadventure in there. When you think you've got the best route planned, and then all of a sudden you're sent down like a road that doesn't exist, or you need to cross a river that apparently has a bridge and doesn't, or all of a sudden you were on a flat ride, but now all of a sudden you've got a mountain in the climb. Like is this something that you have both learned from experience as well? Like sometimes you need to go through the struggle so that you can help other people learn how to not have that struggle?

Cris: 36:16

Yes. Personally, when I started traveling my bike, I did it with my ex partner. And she was the one doing the route planning and I was doing other things. So that's something that I never really pay attention to. And then once I started traveling with other people, because I didn't do that previously, I just stood with that. Like I let other people plan and do the routes and all that. So basically I was just there to whatever people were gonna take me, right? But when I started going solo, that's when I was like, okay, now I do have to plan. I need to learn what do people think when they're planning a route, right? Because it's not just about the length or the climbing that you're gonna have, it's way many other things. Like also what other resource, like if you're gonna find resources, uh, you're gonna be able to resupply, you are gonna be ending somewhere where you can come. Like there are so many things.

Bella: 37:18

Even little things like is there gonna be a toilet? Like I know that sounds really basic, but FYI as a woman, especially if you are traveling through areas that are populated, like just going off and having a wild pea on the side of the road isn't something that we can all just do often. Like mm-hmm. I'm not saying I haven't had a wild pea before by God. Of course I have. But it is also something that, you know, until you go through that you don't realize how

Cris: 37:42

Ooh, that can be

Bella: 37:44

too. Right.

Cris: 37:45

Totally. Totally. And talking about apps and all the tools that are out there. Right. The different tools. I mentioned C Commit because Committee is one of our sponsors, and what we give to participants is a premium subscription to ud. Oh, awesome. Yes. And also like one year to all volunteers and they actually get to try everything. Right. And like continue after the, first of all, for all three months, like. To all these things. And it's true that all these apps that, that are out there, they have so many different features, like and we are not aware of how much you can do on them. Right? Yeah. While we did a new specific workshop on not only what route we were going to have in the VI Travel festival, but also how to make the most out of this tool in particular. Right?

Bella: 39:32

Yeah. And learning the quirks of it too. I think Kamo, it's funny on this show, and I put my hand up, there is a term called being KA committed, which really you can be right with GPS. You could be Strava, you could be Garmin or anything. All of the apps use. Open mapping software as well. So all of them have this quirk, but being committed sounds cool. Uh, it sort of works, but where, you know, you have these misadventures, but it's sometimes it's also just understanding, well, hang on, if I say that I wanna have a route and I'm riding on this type of a bike, the app is gonna want to send me on busy roads or quiet roads or dirt roads. And sometimes it's more often than not, maybe gonna throw you down the more adventurous path. Something that I actually like about Kamo, which I've used myself, is on the day, the weather. I love how it shows me mm-hmm. What the weather forecast is gonna be. I love how it tells me which wind direction it's gonna be in and things like that. And if I'm wild camping, it's really important to also know sunrise and sunset times as well, which is, which is a really handy feature too. Right.

Cris: 40:35

Yeah, I totally get that. One of the features that I like the most is also when it tells you about the pavement that you will have in the route. Because, um, if you scroll down, you can get the information about. How many kilometers is gonna be on road, how many kilometers gonna be off road? If it's gonna be fave, it's if it's not, um, things like that. Right. Um, I really like that part.

Bella: 40:58

Something else that I did do, and it was when I had a misadventure, I remember I, and it wasn't to do with the software I used, it was again, due to, to the base maps. I was on my road bike on this particular, I think I was actually on a training ride, it must have been a three years ago. I was training for an ultra, but I was on my road bike on skinny tires and then all of a sudden it diverted me onto a road, which was meant to be a road, which was certainly not a road for a road bike. And I was like, oh my gosh, this is a nightmare. And it ended up going on for about five kilometers and the first few hundred meters, you're like, this is okay. This is okay. And then you're like all about, oh my God, my bike's gonna break. It didn't, but what I did was, and I think more people need to do this, you can actually sign up. Two OSM maps to actually change the base map and actually flag something that's in there wrong. So this road that was dirt was incorrectly put in as asphalt, and actually, if you flag it, it changes the base map, which means that other people don't have this misadventure. I think in kamo, Chris, you might know, are you able to flag certain sections in Ute as well?

Cris: 42:08

You're, you're able to report things,

Bella: 42:10

everybody report, and it make it a better place for everyone equally. The other cool thing actually about Ute is being able to share photos and features and talk about highlights of a route as well.

Cris: 42:23

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's, I think that actually helps a lot because sometimes, you know, you, you may be missing that spot that all bikers loved, uh, because you think that this way is like the easiest or, or the best, or for whatever reason, right. So I personally find that very helpful to be able to see all the highlights from other people, because they're travelers, right? Just like I am. So I wanna know what their thoughts were. Like maybe they planned something and they found out this by surprise, by by recommendation, recommendation of someone they found on their other, whatever, right? So when they report that actually it's helping the community a lot,

Bella: 43:05

it also helps people discover other cool things. Like, you know, when we were talking about the power of storytelling, it's through sharing our experiences that other people get motivated to do something. And it's sort of a visual storytelling in itself. I mean. If I take it away from Kamo and just personally the amount of times I've scrolled through an Instagram feed where FYI listeners, it's, it's totally, the algorithm's totally dialed to bike travel, obviously on my feed. But you know, I see a landscape and I go, wow, where is that? I wanna go there. Bad LS is a great example of that. I mean, that is such a unique landscape there. Have you ridden any, have you ridden in this area before, Chris?

Cris: 43:41

I have. I have multiple times. The first time that I did it actually was with the commit women's rallies. They did a rally in Badlands. This was last year? Yeah, last year. Around the springtime. I was not a participant of that rally. Okay. I participated in a previous rally that was in Arizona. The thing is that in the rally, in the original rally on the first day, there was what they called a secret air station, which basically was someone local decided to go to this point that we were gonna be struggling, uh, getting through because it was like very long and like a lot of climbing and nothing like water, uh, resources or anything like that. And he showed up there with his car, with coolers full of, uh, cans of coke, water, like some gummies trial angel. Yeah. Incredible. And when I saw him, I, I mean like, we all felt the same way. Like, oh my god, I was saver. Right? And in that moment I thought, if they do a rally in Spain, I'm gonna do that. I'm gonna be, I don't care where it is, I'm gonna show up there and I'm gonna do that. And that's what happened in the, in the S rally. Right. I just wanted to go there to do that secret station. Because I knew them previously when they saw me, they were like, Hey, after the thank you so much for this, this is great. After this, come join, keep riding with us. And I was like, you know, I have my bike on the car and I have all my stuff, so yeah, I'm just gonna ride with you and finish. How awesome. Yeah. So that was actually the, the first time I rode there. Uh, then I went back with some friends to, to other, other areas of the route. And now I live very close actually. So I go there quite often. It's very unique, like the landscape of this, the c is just, I cannot describe it with words. It's just like you don't think that you have that so close to your home. Like in, in, in Spain, the colors of the desert are just like mind blowing and also like. It's incredible of the variety of landscape that they have in the, in that area, because you can go to the desert or you can go to the mountains like on the same day, like, I mean, it's, it's just not that far from each other at all. So it's like to go from nothing like absolute desert to a total forest full of trees if you want to.

Bella: 46:19

It's such a great contrast and variety there. It's, I guess you can climb mountains, or when we talk desert deserts aren't necessarily just flat. Are they? They're more dry, aren't they? Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Badlands desert. How would you describe the desert? Like, I've seen photos and there's like these amazing sort of, oh, I don't know. Is it like a canyon, would you say? Like, there's amazing structures

Cris: 46:45

and rock formations. It's like a canyon and there is a lot of climbing, but land has a lot of climbing. Uh, it is not, it is not an easy route at all. It's so much fun. I, I personally like it a lot because it's, it's very remote, but it also passed by different towns where actually those towns are so engaged to the route, to the Badlands race in particular, to anyone that travels, uh, around the route because there are just tiny towns, right? Where uh, maybe life wasn't that busy, let's say around their tourism, right? So the Babylon route has brought these to those towns have brought like hundreds of bike packers that just passed by there, not only during the race, but also during the year. And everyone is so excited, so welcoming. So they really want you there. Like now that we are organizing the bike travel fest there in go, which is part of the, the route. They are so, so I, I, I can't even describe them. Like every time we say, okay, we have this idea, we, we would love to screen films, like, is would it be possible? And the major calls me and says, I got everything already. Like, you're gonna have a big screen, we're gonna put it in the tos, you're gonna have all these uh, like systems set up and all this. It is just, you name it and they get it for you. They're so, so great, so generous.

Bella: 48:19

People have this curiosity when people travel on a bike as well, it's like, oh, what brings you here and these communities. It actually reminds me of a conversation I had recently with a previous guest, Tristan Ridley. Hi Tristan. Tristan's currently in Mexico, uh, making his way down south, I guess. Tristan also has been curating and creating bike packing routes as well. And he created, uh, Kenya Bike Odyssey, which is an amazing route in Kenya. And. One of the things he did there was he u he did it in conjunction with a local Kenyan who's really into bike travel as well and, and you know, cycling and things and specifically created a route that would take them through these communities that would really benefit from people actually visiting the area. And it's like this bike tourism, which actually brings people through the area but it also brings funds through the area and it helps and everyone collectively does good for it. You know, similar to what you were talking there, Chris, about with bad lands, like you know when you were on the Arizona rally and there was a trail angel there and you wanted to be that trail angel, sort of that pay it forward sort of thing as well, isn't it? It's just a mega, mega feeling.

Cris: 49:31

It is, totally. And this is something that you experience when you travel solo? That I feel like since I traveled solo. I've, like, I had met so many nice people that have offered me to stay in their homes, to have food with them, to give me a ride somewhere if I had a problem with my bike or if I, or if it was pouring and I couldn't get away from where I was or things like that. Right. Like, people are really, really kind. I, I do believe that there are way many more good people than bad people in the world. And I feel like when you go on a bicycle, it just, everyone just receives you even more open. Like, because it's so curious. It's like, it's so different. They come to us like, what is this that you have on your bicycle? Right? When they see like a bunch of bug and like a lot of things happening, right? And they're like just, they just wanna know. They wanna know what's your story, who you are, what are you doing? Like what is this? Right? And they want to be part of that and, and contribute to your trip. Somehow. It's amazing.

Bella: 50:39

There's been a few guests that have said it to me lately where when you travel on a bike, you appear vulnerable as well. It's a humble mode of transport that everyone can sort of relate to. You're not turning up to a place in, you know, a big SUV fancy car, air con and all that. You are exposed in every way. Like when you said they're traveling solo, you get more of that curiosity. I'd love to actually go back to that three month journey that you took. You said you took a sabbatical, three months, no plans. You just went and you started with the sisters in the wild route. So you started up in the uk. Where did you end up and what did you discover on this amazing three month tour?

Cris: 51:17

So I arrived there actually with the idea of after the festival, just riding from coast to coast and taking a boat to the Netherlands. That was my initial idea. But when I got to Lake District. Where the festival was from. Sisters In the Wild. I fell in love with the place. I was like, I am not leaving this place without knowing what this is. It was amazing. So I researched what routes were there, and I found a backpacking trip. Like that's another thing, right? You have a lot of information out there in the internet, like backpacking.com or many other, um, websites that people share their journeys and their routes and their pictures and their stories, right? So I found this one that they call like Lakeland 300, which was a loop on, in the whole lake, this strip of like 300, uh, kilometers. So I was like, okay, I'm gonna start with this. And I stayed there and I loved it completely. I loved the people, how everyone received me. It was amazing. Shout out to the UK because Warm sour, if someone doesn't know what Worm Sour is, is basically like couch surfing. But for cyclists, for bike packers, GU hours works really good in the uk. I had a home to stay every single night.

Bella: 52:43

Oh, awesome. When you're first setting out on a route like this, that makes all the difference too.

Cris: 52:48

It was really amazing. So, uh, because of all those things, I decided to keep, like, stay longer in the uk. So from there I went to Scotland. I was almost there, right. I was in the north of England. So I went to Scotland and ended up spending a total of a month in the UK between England and Scotland. And then I flew from Edinburg to Gutenburg. Decided to go from there to the North Cape.

Bella: 53:20

Wow. You totally changed your plans like no plan to all of a sudden a plan because, hang on. Originally you were meant to end up in the Netherlands, but you've gone through the uk, gone to Sweden, and then gone up to the North Cape.

Cris: 53:33

Yeah.

Bella: 53:33

Mega, what time of year was this?

Cris: 53:35

I totally bailed on the, on the Netherlands plan. I did not do that. I just went to, I went across Sweden, Norway, and then when I got to the North Cape, I was like, well, I have to turn back, but I still have some weeks off. So I decided to cross Finland and I ended the trip in Helsinki.

Bella: 53:54

I've heard Finland actually a land of so many different lakes and forests as well, and I've heard, like I, I've heard some great things about their off-road trails and things there too, and I've also heard that. Whilst it's not a country with climbs that last for a long length, it's a country that has got lots of very rolling terrain in it and steep rolling terrain. So you can actually get quite a lot of elevation in Finland without necessarily covering a lot of distance. Is that correct? Like was that your experience too?

Cris: 54:27

That's if you go off road, and I think it's especially in the north in Lapland, but if you do what I did, which was a little bit suicide, let's say, because I had two weeks left and I decided to cross Finland. And Finland is long. It is very, very, very long.

Bella: 54:48

It is.

Cris: 54:49

I had to take like the main road basically like whatever was the most direct route to Helsinki, right? Because I wanted to fly from there and I was doing over a hundred kilometers per day. And that road, that main road doesn't have a lot of climbing. So that was. Actually the reason why I could do this in such amount of time. Oh my goodness. Were

Bella: 55:15

you there in mosquito season?

Cris: 55:17

Uh, yes. This was in the summer. There was mo, there were mosquitoes. And also in Norway. And in the uk. But I got really used to it to be honest. Like I'm here and they are too. It's okay. Oh

Bella: 55:30

my God, well done. Chris, I don't know about you Berta, but I am a mosquito magnet, so I'm everyone else's natural mosquito repellent.'cause they all go to me. Maybe they don't like you Chris. Maybe you're lucky that way or did you just get used to being bitten? No, I

Cris: 55:43

got used to it. I was bit all over like I just got used to it. I mean, just like the rain, it is the same thing, right? Like I went to the UK expecting to be under the rain and that's how it was every single day. So.

Bella: 55:59

Oh my gosh. I feel like you are like next level on the Jedi Yoda scale. Like bite me mosquitoes. I will not react. Rain on me. Rain. I do not care.

Cris: 56:12

There were, there were some hard days. I will say I, I do have to recognize that, that some days I was like, ah, this is too much. I should get out of here. Like, but it was so beautiful that I just continue and fun

fact, I landed in Spain at 8: 56:25

00 PM I. The night before I had to

start working again at 9: 56:32

00 AM

Bella: 56:33

Whoa. You really took your journey to the absolute limit of having to go back to work. Oh my gosh. Whoa. Listeners, if you could see my face, if you could see my eyes. I don't know. I don't even know what they look like, but wow. I have done that before and it's always filled me with dread going to bed. But was this like, because you had taken three months and you said it was the sabbatical. Were you going back to the same job you had left? Yes, I was. Thank God for that a little bit. Right, because you imagine it going into a new job.

Cris: 57:06

No, no, no. It was the same job. I actually left my computer with my parents and say, Hey, I'm just leaving all my things here from work just in case I don't come back and I tell you to just go to my office and leave this stuff there.

Bella: 57:21

Oh, wow. I love that you had this idea that maybe you wouldn't return to the job you. Really came to bikes when you were actually living in Melbourne. So I, I love that you've lived in my country in Australia. And bike travel was more something you came to as a, I guess, a commuter, but then you also got into like fixing bikes and classic bikes.

Berta: 57:45

Yeah, I, I did. Yeah, I, um, it was actually, yeah, really in, in Melbourne that I, that I started, um, cycling again. Like maybe like, as I said, like as, as a kid I used to like ride a lot, like in summer. But yeah, biking for me was more something that I, yeah, was doing like in, in specific locations for, for specific, uh, you know, amount of time. Um, and I was, um, I was studying, I went to uni in, in London, um, and after living for three years there, I mean, I was very much en enjoying it, but it's, you know, London, huge city. I. A lot of traffic and the tube and everything, and I just didn't, and also raining all the time. Um, London. Yeah. I wasn't cycling or anything. And then I went on an exchange to Melbourne and then I found there, um, I was super lucky that I, I was in an accommodation with only Australians and so I made loads of Australian friends, which was really fun. And, but they all cycled, uh, to go to uni or anything, like everyone was, was cycling. And so I was like, oh, okay, great. Let me get in with this. And um, so I just, I remember getting like a really, yeah. Old, very small bike, like a green bike I remember. And then started like, yeah, cycling around the city and like. Rediscovering like my love for biking and also using a bike to commute was something like quite fun. And also to get to know the, the city I think is like the best way. Like when you get on a bike in a new city, that's like the best way to like, you know, get lost but also find your way quickly. Whereas when you're walking, like when you get lost, it's often like you have to walk back and I, it just feels a lot longer than, um, than on a bike I guess. And after that I went back to, to London and there I started cycling in London and that was like a completely, for me, it was like rediscovering the city. But thanks to like cycling around, I was able to, yeah, discover like new neighborhoods that I'd never even been to before. That was kind of, yeah, my. I was gonna say reconciliation. There was never a fight with bikes. Um, my like rediscovery of, um, of bikes happened and then with a, with a friend in, in Melbourne as well. I remember we, um, we always like looked at old bikes, like how beautiful they were and like, and also, you know, what I always had was like old secondhand bikes and that always needed some form of fixing. And so yeah, I really got into that as well into um, you know, taking things apart and figuring out how I could fix them. Often just breaking things and then having to take it to a shop.

Bella: 1:00:31

There's also an element of that gives you confidence to, as well, like knowing that, oh, I know how to do this, so if this problem happens, I know how to deal with it too.

Berta: 1:00:40

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. The only thing is that I've never had. A bike with gears that worked. So when I recently,

Bella: 1:01:15

I interviewed someone who, when they were growing up as a kid, they never had a bike that had breaks. Oh, wow. Like this as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hi, cherry. Could you imagine

Berta: 1:01:24

that? No, I, I didn't quite reach that level, but, so for me it was more the, the mechanics of like gears or like disc brakes, all that, all that was very new. So when I got my, um, gravel bike, that was like a, a whole new world that was opening up to me, but also, yeah, quite exciting to like, understand and I mean, I'm still no pro, but, you know, understanding how things work on the bike. Um, it, it helps like when, when something happens, you know where it's coming from and where you should be looking.

Bella: 1:01:57

Definitely. I remember I came to bike travel as someone who rode bikes, I guess for exercise, for sport, for social activities. Like I used to, you know, ride bunch rides with me, you know, as a road cyclist. I'd go on big rides on the weekend with a cycling club and stuff like that. And it was only oh seven or eight years ago that I first started my own bike travel journey really. But something that I have learned is when any equipment failure has failed on my bike, there's this huge learning that has taken place with me with that understanding that you speak about. And I've also learnt to trust my instincts a bit more when I feel like there's something not quite right with my bike. I don't know whether either of you can relate to that as well, like. So my gravel bike's got Shiano, GRX gears. And listeners, I don't talk a lot about equipment on this podcast 'cause I think there's podcasts that do equipment really well, and I'm all about personal stories, but something that I have learned with my, I have got the shiano shifter that likes to shred cables. Unfortunately, it's just one of those things. But I've now learnt the warning signs of, Ooh, I think my gear cable's on the frizz here. And I should probably think about changing my cable now before I'm automatically stuck in the hardest gear and wishing my life away because I'm in a mountainous area and I have no gears left. Can either of you relate to that notion of being confident to trust yourself when you feel like something's not quite right?

Cris: 1:03:30

Yeah. Personally, I was not doing very good with bike mechanics, and I've traveled a lot with very, very little knowledge. I basically knew whatever happened to me on the route. Like whatever happens, I'll try to fix it. I'll try to find a way out of that place. Or I try to, I don't know, look at YouTube videos, which are always helpful or, or not because there have been times where

Bella: 1:03:57

Yeah, you find the wrong one. Exactly.

Cris: 1:03:59

Uh,

Bella: 1:03:59

or even worse. It could be a helpful one there, but you are not in phone reception, so you don't know what exists.

Cris: 1:04:05

Yeah, totally. Totally. There was one time that I was actually trying to fix something and making it even worse, but yes, uh, what I've done recently this past year, like after the three month trip actually, because, uh, in three months you can have a lot of things to deal with. It's taking a bike mechanics course, like I said, okay, I need to learn, I need to really improve my knowledge on this, and I now feel super confident about anything. Like I have even believed my own breaks.

Bella: 1:04:40

Yay, you legend. This is part of my, this is, this is, this is on my list of learning to do things. Like I said, I wanna learn my disc breaks so much better and brake bleeds is one of those things as well.

Cris: 1:04:52

Yes, yes, yes, yes. Totally. And I, I think we all should know at least the basics of our own bike, right?

Bella: 1:05:01

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Something else that I really feel passionately about is, you know, we were talking about community. I really feel passionately that there's that, you know, that pay it forward thing. Chris, you were talking about there was a trail angel that provided you with drinks and food on the Camoo women's rally in Arizona, and so that, that prompted you to wanna do the same in the bad lands. I think also it's the same when we pass someone who's maybe got a mechanical on the side of the road on the bike. It really makes me sad when. I hear stories or I, or I've been in that situation where I could have done with some help and people just whiz by and don't even ask like I really feel passionate about, even if I don't have the tools or the solution. Sometimes it's the notion that even someone has stopped to try has really uplifting as well. Recently I interviewed amazing adventurous CCIA potty, and she talked about that a bit when she was talking about her experience of taking a group of people down through Patagonia, and it was that we're all riding at different paces sometimes, and all of us don't need to stop if someone's got a mechanical, but just knowing that there is someone with you really is a confidence builder as well. And I feel like that's probably an element in the festival that you're creating as well for your rides, that that sort of knowledge sharing is taking place too.

Berta: 1:06:22

Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, there's always. Yeah, there's that comfort of knowing that if on those rides something happens, you're not on your own and there's people that have more experience than you, than, than can help. And we've seen like a couple of examples where, where that's happened. Like, I remember one, it wasn't the bike travel fest, but again, we were like in a, in a group of, of, of women, um, traveling together by bike and like someone's derailer like broke, but completely, you know, it's such a strange way that it like flipped and got stuck in the, in the spokes and then it just was completely stuck. Like it would, the, the wheel was not moving. The chain had like, the, the amount of tension that chain had was like incredible. And we were lucky that in the group there was, um, a mechanic, but she was also amazing that she didn't like go in and be like, all right, let me fix it. Let's keep going. She was really like with, with the bike, um, owner, like she was okay. Look at the situation, what would you do now? What can we do? And really like coming up with a solution together. And that was really like a learning experience for everyone around. Like, I mean, we all gathered around and, uh, and really for me, like I was there learning because it was like, okay, if this happened to me, which it could, like, what would I do? And first it was, you know, not, obviously not panicking, and then just very much, you know, looking for a solution together and then being like, okay, can we, you know, break the, the, the chain. Like, can we undo this and, and what can we do? Like, can we turn it into, into a fixie? Like until, so you can get at least to the next village. Yeah. Like for me, that was also really inspiring in a way in that like, okay, now if that happened to me, I kind of, I can imagine what, what I would do. And actually Chris has a, a nice story with that, that happened to us when we were in Malaysia. Oh, what happened, Chris?

Cris: 1:08:21

Um, I didn't have my bike with me. I had to run one because my bike was, uh, I, I was fixing some problems with the brakes. Anyway, that rental bike didn't have a spare hanger, dillo hanger, and I broke it in one of the,

Berta: 1:08:38

in the middle of the jungle.

Cris: 1:08:40

In the middle of the jungle. I broke the spare hanger and the, the d driller hanger, and it looked a little bit like what Verta is describing. So we all knew what to do, like how to break the chain, how to tie the druer to somewhere in the bike where I could just, I, I basically had a bike that was not, uh, functional except when we were going downhill. So when we were to get out of the jungle, we did have a few downhill. So that was great because I could just get on the bike and. Right. But whenever we were on flat or like on claims, I had to just get out of the bike and push it. It was for a little bit. We went to the closest road and I hitchhiked,

Bella: 1:09:30

I've picked people up before, um, but I've never hitchhiked myself. What about you both? Is, was that your first experience, Chris? Of hitchhiking?

Cris: 1:09:39

Oh, no. No, it wasn't during the three month trip. I did a lot actually. Wow. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was not the first experience. It's very handy. It's very handy because sometimes you can be really, uh, stuck somewhere or maybe you're super tired or maybe, uh, it's pouring rain, right? Because you are in the uk things can happen, but in the same, uh, what we were talking about, people believing that people are nice, right? If you are in that mood of trust in others. A really great resource is to hit take.

Bella: 1:10:17

If it's anything I've learned on this show, and you were saying it before, Chris, the world is full, more of good people than bad people. Like, you know, and, and people generally, if I've learned anything, really want to help you out. So, mm-hmm. I, I love that notion as well, an element that you have with bike travel fest, and it's definitely something that I guess can be a barrier to people trying bike travel. Is, uh, you camp there as well, don't you?

Berta: 1:10:44

We do, yeah. The idea is also to, um, because the bike travel fest, there's many different, like, we, we want to be as open and, and inclusive as as possible, and we also, we know that there's, there's some people that have. Plenty of experience, like doing, going on adventures or like who love camping or, you know, they're used to it. But then we also have people that like, love cycling, but maybe do it more like in a, in a sporty manner, like on weekends or like, you know, maybe they, they drive somewhere, ride and then come back. So we also want this to be an opportunity for, I mean, whoever wants to also, you know, get into camping and, you know, just even just getting the gear together. Like, what do I need to bring to, to be able to camp and again, like learn from, from each other in, in that sense. Um, so for the first edition, because it was in, in winter, we wanted to make sure we had a, a warm space for everyone. So we actually stayed in a, in a sports hall. We were like with, with sleeping bags and everything, but without tents. But our, our next edition, we will have a, a space where, uh, we can pitch tents. But also obviously whoever is more comfortable staying in, um, accommodation can, can also do, so. We, we like also the idea of having this, you know, kind of festival vibe. Like, you know, even I remember going to music festivals, like the music itself is, is super fun, but also like what happens in the campsites is, is equally fun. And then you can, there's like a place to, to meet and exchange in a much more, um, relaxed and also very, you know, what's, what's the word? Like, in a spontaneous way. You know, you just, you meet people, you exchange, you, you chill out. And so having that like festival vibe to it as well.

Bella: 1:12:37

Oh, million percent. I always joke with guests on the show that the best setting for this podcast would actually be by, in a campsite. At a campfire and campfire chats. And we would just chat, bike travel, which is exactly what you're doing there. I know that we are gonna have listeners who are interested in this. And I think something that's really important to point out is Bike Travel Fest is happening in Spain, but this isn't exclusively for people from Spain. It's not just for Spanish speakers. It's a multi, you know, it's a, it's an event like English speaking will be happening there as well. And I think it's also for all levels, from what I'm gathering for you, whether you're a beginner or you know, have done bigger trips, like this is a, this is a really a festival, like you said, for people who are passionate about bike travel, isn't it?

Cris: 1:13:20

It is, it is. And actually one note on what Berta was saying about being inclusive. We are also bringing extra tents for those who don't have tents because there are many people that, because they don't travel by bike yet, they might not have equipment yet. Right. So we are bringing extra things for those. Uh, also for people that come from other countries because we do have participants signing out, signing in from different countries of Europe. So if they don't wanna travel with all their gear, other things we, we will have for them the equipment that they need at no cost.

Bella: 1:13:59

Oh my gosh. This is brilliant. Okay, so how do people find out more? We've talked about it for so long. When is this happening? How do people find out more? How can they get along to bike travel Fest edition number two.

Cris: 1:14:11

So we have a website. We have our website. It's called Rare Fems. R-A-R-E-F-E-M-M-E-S, rare femmes.com.

Bella: 1:14:23

Rare femmes. I love it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I, listeners, I'm gonna provide a link to Rare Femmes in the show notes.

Cris: 1:14:29

Okay. Because that, that's our name, like the idea of Rare Femmes, which is the, let's say it's the umbrella that we have created is the brand is to have different types of events. So the bike travel first is one of the events that we celebrate, but maybe in the fall we'll do a rally, for example.

Bella: 1:14:48

This is awesome. I love it. Who knows? Maybe you'll do an ultra, like, we'll do all sorts of different ones. I think this is brilliant. Oh, I need to scheme and do like a Sikh travel ride, rare femmes collab or something. This is totally up my alley. Um, when, when is this happening? When is, when is bike travel fest? That's the next most important thing really.

Berta: 1:15:08

So it's, uh, between the, the 15th and 18th of May.

Bella: 1:15:12

What a brilliant time of year to be in a brilliant part of Spain.

Berta: 1:15:17

Yeah. And, and it's a very special part of Spain as well, because it's actually an area that is like in a, in a desert and it's actually like the only desert in Europe. So the landscapes are kind of like out of this world that you, when you see pictures of the area, you, you don't, you, you could think that you're in like other parts. Like you wouldn't necessarily think that you're, you're in Spain.

Bella: 1:15:43

When I saw, when I first saw pictures of this area, admittedly it was with bad land and when I first saw it, my default was, I thought it was in America. Like I honestly thought it was in the US somewhere. Mm-hmm. Um, it, it really is mind blowing. What's the best transport access point to get here as well? Like if people are coming in from other places in Europe or the US or something, where should they be flying to or what's the best transport hub for them to get to?

Cris: 1:16:09

Usually people are flying into Granada.

Bella: 1:16:13

Granada, yep. Okay, cool.

Cris: 1:16:16

Yes. Even people that come from Spain, they have train options to go to Granada or Wix is another one if you travel by train. We are looking at the possibility of giving transfers like saddles from Granada and from WAD to go to make it easier for everyone to get there. But yeah, let's say that Go is about an hour away driving from Granada. So that's what we are providing. We're trying to provide these shuttles. Oh, brilliant.

Berta: 1:16:50

Airport wise, I think like Malaga is also one that that works, but then you would have to get from Malaga to I think to come, but

Bella: 1:16:59

Alright. And I guess if people have got more questions as well, if they head to the rare FAMs website, and I think, are you also on Instagram Rare FMS as well? Yes.

Berta: 1:17:10

And we also have, um, a group on, on Strava that we encourage women to join as well.

Bella: 1:17:16

Brilliant. Okay, well I'm gonna provide links to all of that in the show notes. Listeners, I've had people say, how do I access the show notes? And it's a blind spot for me because I just assume that everybody knows when I say show notes what that is. But if you're go into your podcast player app and you hit on the details button, depending on which application you use of the actual episode that's playing, you're gonna see a myriad of lovely little notes there. And you'll have links in there and if you click on that, you will find it. Otherwise, head to it's rare fams.com and you will find all the information there as well. Chris and Berta, I have had such a ball speaking with you. I think there's something energizing about speaking with a collective group of people that get excited about bike travel. I don't know if you, and I imagine that's the vibe that your event feels as well.

Berta: 1:18:02

Yeah, that's the idea. And also like getting, you know, getting together for a weekend and being able to just. Talk about bikes, about traveling, about adventures, about mechanics, about anything you want. And knowing that the other person you're speaking to is not gonna be brought out of their mind. Maybe, you know, normal people in our daily lives, some normal people in our daily lives would, and so it is like this kind of space where you're like, yes, I can like, you know, talk about this as much as I want. I can ask so many questions to people, I can get inspired. Yeah. And also just have fun, right? Like we, in the first edition, like when people, and this was also what was fun about the first edition, is that so many things that we weren't expecting happened. I think it was the first day when, um, when the first writers started coming back, we had music playing, uh, tuna to kind of encourage people and then welcome them back. And that turned into like some like impromptu dance floor essentially. We like people were like. Coming back from a ride and just dancing like, and everyone just getting together, jumping around and we're like, oh my God. Like amazing energy.

Bella: 1:19:14

There's something so awesome about that. One of the best ever events I ever attended in Australia, it was called The Gears and Beers Festival, run out of my husband's hometown actually in Wagga Wagga, although people from Wagga Wagga don't even call it that, it's Wagga. Uh, and the best thing that they had about it was that when the event itself was over, it wasn't a case that people got to the finish line and then got to their, you know, went their separate ways. Like there was a festival, feel like there was actually an encouragement for everyone to get together as a group and celebrate the ride together. There was food, there were drink stores, there was music. And that's exactly, I love that. I think more and more events need to take a leaf from that book and really, really champion that idea that what makes an event such. A great time for people is the sense of it being its own community, being its own festival as well, which is in the name Bike Travel Fest. So, uh, listeners, I fully encourage you if you have the opportunity to head to this edition. And if you can't come to this one, it sounds like there's definitely going to be more. So keep your eyes out on that. Berta and Chris, as I wrap the show up, there's three questions I ask every single guest and I'm definitely gonna be asking them to you. The first one's music related. There's a Seek travel ride guest podcast, music playlist. Every single guest of the show has a song that they have chosen on there, and it's a song that they choose to be the soundtrack to their adventures. And I wanna ask each of you, which song would you choose to represent your bike adventures? So Chris, I'm gonna go with you first. Which song are you gonna choose for your bike? Adventures.

Cris: 1:20:48

I'm gonna have to give you the song that was the song of the bike Travel first and the first edition because uh, we had this idea of waking up people with music, right? Because there's a lot going on. There are so many activities we do need to get on the rides also. So we were like, how can we friendly wake everyone up? And we thought of, uh, okay, we can play some music. And when we were trying to choose the the Good Song, we found this one that is called Life is Better on a Bicycle, which was exactly what we are, we're trying to communicate with this whole event. Right? And it's actually pretty funny if you listen to the term, you'll see it's actually pretty funny. Everyone at the beginning were like, what? There's music playing, like what time is it? Whatever. But then they were just like kind of going with the song and then we just saw like everyone during the whole weekend just kind of. Singing it. I

Bella: 1:21:48

think I know this song, but I'm not sure if I do. Who sings this song? Do you know? I have. It's one, these idea isn't like life is better on a bicycle. Yes. It's, oh my gosh. I don't know whether I'm gonna cut listeners. I may or may not cut that out. You won't know. I guess I'll leave it in. I'll leave it in for Jits and Giggles.

Berta: 1:22:07

It's one of those songs that is like, when you first hear it, you're like, oh my God, what is this? At least I was, yeah,

Bella: 1:22:14

this is an earworm, this is a song that's gonna be ending up in my head all day now, but I'm, I'm up for it. But are you choosing the same song or have you got a different song?

Berta: 1:22:22

Well, actually, 'cause I actually have also have a, a funny story with that same song because also that song we hadn't like, thought about it before. It's not like, okay, we're gonna wake everyone up with that song. It was just like, on the day, I, I wasn't there, but I think they, they chose that song and I, and everyone then had it. It's really like an, an earworm and so people, yeah, just, just had it in their mind and it kind of like. Low key became like the thing of the, of the festival. And so when we were traveling in, in Malaysia a few months later, we were, um, yeah, in a, yeah, we had agreed that the next morning we were gonna wake up at like 7:00 AM and I had said like, okay, I'm gonna put the alarm and I'm just gonna make sure that the three of us are, are awake. So I put my alarm on, and when I woke up, like Chris and Aviva were like completely like fast asleep and I was like, okay, what can I do? What should I do? And. I tried to like, like slowly like wake them up and make a bit of noise and no one was moving. And I was like, all right, I know what I have. And so I started playing that song and, um,

Bella: 1:23:22

life is better on a bicycle. Yeah.

Berta: 1:23:26

And they were like, oh my God. But then also like laughing. And so it's, it was a great way to, to start the day because you're, it's one of those that you're like, oh, but then also makes you laugh, so you can't, you know, be mad at whoever woke you up.

Bella: 1:23:38

Listeners, sorry, not sorry for putting an earworm in your head for the rest of the day. Okay. Yeah. That song is down. All right, next question. You are given a choice. One day you can turn left and you're gonna be on the most corrugated washboard bumpiest road in the world. There's no soft surface, there's no smooth riding for even five meters in a row. It's, it's pure corrugations or turn right, but you are into the most brutal headwind ever. Which one are you going to choose? Berta, you go first this time.

Berta: 1:24:09

Corrugated all the way. I just, headwind is something that just gets to me because it's like, there's nothing you can do about it and it just like, goes against you and it's just like, I get very frustrated quite quickly. And then also the, the noise of the wind, like after a while it just, I feel like I'm going mad and then I just wanna turn it off. But you just can't because even if you stop, the wind is still there.

Bella: 1:24:34

Oh, okay. Team corrugation. What about you, Chris? Which one are you choosing?

Cris: 1:24:38

I'm doubting here because I was thinking like, like Berta, like ah, but then I remember when I went bike packing solo across the cannery island. Oh my god, lamb otte and 10 are so windy, so, so, so windy. All every day I had a headwind and it was, it was very loud. It was all these things. It was making it harder. But eventually, like I say, previously I got used to it, so it was not a bother anymore.

Bella: 1:25:09

You know, when we were joking about Jedi levels, it was the mosquitoes and the rain, and now this is like mastery dealing with the headwind and not affecting you. So does that mean your team headwind?

Cris: 1:25:18

I would say that, yeah. Oh,

Bella: 1:25:20

brilliant. Okay. So Chris is Team Headwind. Berta, you are Corrugations and Lara, I hope I will interview you at a later date and find out what you are as well. Okay, final question. And I love this because everyone has given me their own little unique answer and that is, I want you to finish this sentence for me. And the sentence is, the best thing about taking a bike adventure is so Berta, you go first.

Berta: 1:25:46

The best thing, getting on a bike adventure is the unexpected. I would say. Like that's what I, I enjoy that you can plan many things when you go on a bike trip, but there's only so much you can plan and there's. Always gonna be things that you don't expect happening. And I personally find that exciting, especially if you're traveling, say, uh, this for me, like traveling in, in Europe, for instance, where things are predictable to a certain extent, right? Like, I kind of know what's gonna be happening. Uh, but then when you get the bike element in there that that adds enough of yeah. Of like something new and maybe unpredictable happening, uh, and having to adapt to the situation and, and just not really quite knowing how the, how the day's gonna be is, is something that I generally enjoy when I, when I travel.

Bella: 1:26:38

Oh, I love it. The unknown. I think you're the first person who's said the unknown, and I love that as an answer. That's brilliant. What about you, Chris? The best thing about a bike avenger is

Cris: 1:26:48

the amount of doors that it opens to you from magical spots that you could not read with any other vehicle. To actual doors of people houses to flavors of food. Because also it makes you so hangry. Oh, it does. And food is so tasteful. When you're so hangry. Uh, it's just unc uncomparable to any other way of traveling.

Bella: 1:27:19

Oh, I love it. The door opener. What an awesome answer. I have loved it both. My gosh, RNA and Chris. It has been such an absolute pleasure. I have loved it From the first time I learned about this event to speaking with you and also you, Lara, as you listen back to this as well, just learning how this came together. I love it. I love it that it started from thinking, oh, I'd like to do this, and then collectively as a group, realizing that you are stronger as a collective and collectively you can then make this event happen. Too many people have great ideas, but never put them into action. You are all a perfect example of just give everything a go and see how it works. I am a hundred percent certain you have created something that has got a long legacy ahead of it. I wish you the most amazing time at Bike Travel Fest. Number two, listeners, if you are able to, I hundred percent encourage you to go. Thank you so, so much for sharing your stories, experiences here on the show at Seek Travel Ride.

Berta: 1:28:23

Thank you. Thank you. This has been so much fun. You like Yeah, thanks for making this. Um, you know, it's, it's felt very, um, we felt very comfortable and it's felt very organic from the start. So, um, yeah. Thanks for being a great host.

Cris: 1:28:36

We're gonna take your word on the organizing something together. Oh my gosh. Let's make it happen in the French

Bella: 1:28:42

Pure names. Yeah. Like seriously. Let's try and figure it out together. Uh, virtual handshake over the phone. Listeners, watch this face. There you go. Listeners, I know I must sound like a broken record, but I am super, super energized having spoken to Lara, Chris and Berta and learning all about what they've created there, but more importantly, just, just that idea of community and building a community around bike travel, passing knowledge on sharing stories, sharing experiences, and also I guess there's an element of mentoring all, all of this as well, isn't there? I especially loved a couple of stories that came out here. The first one was that someone who attended the very first bike travel fest as a complete beginner has now skilled themselves up with enough confidence to set out on their own journey. Route 40 in Argentina of all places, mega mega power up to you. And the other one was also, you know, the mechanical and having someone there that could help someone through, but instead of being, you know, the superhero that just goes and fixes the mechanical, actually takes it as a learning opportunity and passes the knowledge on to people as a group where then later down the track when Chris has this problem herself, it's like, oh, I remember how to do this and actually helps themselves get out of a sticky situation. Again, it's through sharing stories and passing knowledge on and helping this experience is what grows a bike travel community. There's only good that can come from it and yeah, I encourage everyone to be a part of it and I thank Lara, Chris and Berta for sharing their experiences here for us all to hear. Now listeners, if you love seek travel ride and you enjoy listening to the show and you wanna support me, you can do so by buying me some virtual coffees. Head to buy me a coffee.com/seek travel ride. Buy me a few virtual coffees, but more importantly, leave me a message and tell me what it is you love about the podcast and where your next bike adventure is going to take you. Until the next episode, I'm Bella Malloy. Thanks for listening.