The gravel is calling, the Brooks saddles are inviting and our all-steel bikes are the perfect machines for our bravado, yes indeed, it's only one night, but the journey is epic! The term "Bikepacking" appeared for the first time in an article by Dan Burden in the National Geographic Magazine in 1973. Today it is synonymous with adventure cycling, in which one cycles over all sorts of terrain with pretty much the same equipment used for hiking trips - exceptionally without the traditional backpack, an item not often recommended for longer cycling outings. In bikepacking most of everything hangs on the bike instead.
ÖJESJÖBRÄNNAN, Sweden, August 2020 (The month we said: screw Corona!)
Why do we cycle, really?
How do we answer the question of the ages? The best thing for everyone would be to look at the picture above and find your own answers in the morning fog, the atmosphere and the beautiful colors! Why do you Cycle? My friend Gardell and I were right in the middle of our adventure towards the lake and something clicked right away, we were discussing how to name this article and the expression "Soul Riders" came along. As good middle-aged men we both thought we had too much packing, and thought pretty much the same way: it's not a race or competition, and we're definitely not breaking any speed records! So, yes for extra comfort and other items experienced riders would deem unnecessary, like extra clothing. We agreed on experiencing the freedom, the clean crisp air, the song of the local birds and a sip of smoked whiskey near the fire.
We cycled for the soul! Cycling is the best thing in the world! It was cool, thrilling, healthy, liberating!
Our conversations were like a kaleidoscope of tales of previous experiences (worth a book or a Netflix series), and the answer of our question came up as a gestalt in the middle of the fire smoke: we cycled for the soul! Cycling is the best thing in the world! It was cool, thrilling, healthy, liberating!
Bikepacking
It always impresses me how much of one's own life can be carried on a bike. What a fantastic simple machine! I chose to carry it all on my Restrap bags (Rando Bag forward, Framepack, and a saddle bag size large for my tent and other minor items) after getting tired of scraping the top of my fingers on my former Specialized Burra Burra bags and their poor unpractical design. I wanted the smart magnetic details and the ease of use of Restrap, and couldn't have chosen any better! My panniers hadn't come yet so I used some dry bags and hung them on the Pelago Rack with bungee cords. My Estonian tree mug bouncing on the back of the saddle pack gave that legit bikepacker feeling.
What is required?
The year was 1973 and for the first time in history the world read the term "Bikepacking" in a National Geographic Magazine. The bikes were different then, and so was the equipment, but the will to cycle beyond geographical and psychological limitations was the same - the soul was there! Tough cyclists pedalled against mud, gravel and sand through mountains, valleys and water; the result was a seed that would explode in new shapes and colors in the new millennium. Every adventure is anchored in the human spirit - that inner will to something more, something beyond the ordinary daily struggle, and adventure, a soul ride! That is something the technogreed of our days is unable to satisfy, we need to experience it in the real world! When that happens, the equipment itself is no longer the focus, not even the type of bicycle used! Yeah it is cool to talk tech and bikes, but it would be unwise to make oneself dependant of material things to experience the freedom of the great outdoors. Get your bike and get out there! Remember the heroes of the past, remember 1973!
Everyone has the right to cycle in their own terms, this is XL Biking! It is time the cycling industry and cycling media dares to break the dictatorship of slender averages and becomes a cycling culture that liberates instead of limits. We need products and services that help all riders experience life on two wheels, and end phatphobia and all the stigmas about fat people being lazy, uneducated and a liability to society. Check our Instagram community: every body is a cycling body! We hope to sow weeds of hope and unity in the cycling community - we aim to rescue the soul of cycling! The world is waiting...
A new future emerges for the cycling community, one that Ingemar Gardell foresaw years ago when he invited me to cycle with him. Me a fat cyclist, quite slow, a man of christian faith (though not religious at all) cycling together and becoming friends with an atheist, breaking all ideological boundaries and finding fellowship on two wheels. And, what better place to do that than our beautiful Sweden?
The new future requires possible and doable changes in the cycling industry, media and culture, and more information about how different people function differently. We need more investment, less prejudice and more cycling joy! XL Biking is here to help!
Why do we cycle? Why does anyone do that? Why haven't you done it... Yet...
We hope you find a form of movement that satisfies your soul! We suggest cycling, of course, but let not it limit you! The most important is that you agree with yourself and do what you think you need and live the best life for you! Talk to your practitioner, psychologists, counsellor, coach, PT, anyone you trust and become the conqueror of your own daily life. You're worth it! Everyone can be a soul rider!
Ebbe thanks
Sigr - Explorer collection jerseys in big sizes.