Although Jamie Van Beek and Corbin Hudacek had to alter their Hood River to Canada bikepacking plans because of the 2020 smokestorm, they meticulously planned on being self-sufficient for seven days. Here are their gear lists with an important caveat: For a ride this long, it's likely that the food at the start of the ride will outweigh all the other gear combined. Jamie's … [Read more...] about Gearing up for a Bikepacking Epic
Bikepacking
Hudacek & Van Beek: Hood River to Canadian Border
On September 6, just a few days before the 2020 smokestorm hit Washington, Corbin Hudacek and Jamie Van Beek teamed up for a 7-day south-to-north off-road cycling adventure based on the Washington Backcountry Discovery Route. The duo covered 640 miles and over 72,000′ of climbing in 7 days all off-road and gravel except for a few paved … [Read more...] about Hudacek & Van Beek: Hood River to Canadian Border
Gravel Cycling Infects the PNW
We can credit/blame the coronavirus pandemic for all manner of secondary and downstream disruptions to humanity. While recreational activities are a relatively minor theme against the backdrop of everything else that is going on, for those of us who have the privilege to recreate, I'd argue that maintaining our physical and mental health helps us keep the vibe just a bit … [Read more...] about Gravel Cycling Infects the PNW
Bikepacking: 2020 Virtual XWA w/ Bandók
This Sunday May 17 was scheduled to be the start ("Grand Depart") of the 2020 XWA. XWA (Cross-Washington) is a bikepacking race on the mostly gravel and singletrack Cross Washington Mountain Bike Route. The Route stretches from La Push to Tekoa, near the Idaho border. The 2020 edition was slated to cover 703 mi with 49,031 ft of climbing. Last year 37 folks started … [Read more...] about Bikepacking: 2020 Virtual XWA w/ Bandók
Women Gear Up for Bikepacking
Although pure speculation, based on the posts I'm seeing, women cyclists in the Northwest (and beyond?) have far greater enthusiasm for gravel riding than road riding. The rationale is simple: riding gravel feels safer than riding with automobiles. Add to that, within the bikepacking subdiscipline, women also seem to be strongly motivated to go on solo adventures. Here are … [Read more...] about Women Gear Up for Bikepacking