Bikepacking is more than just cycling—it’s an adventure that blends endurance, exploration, and the freedom of the open road. In our latest PEZ at the Movies, we look at a new film that captures the essence of bikepacking through breathtaking landscapes, personal challenges, and the camaraderie of the journey. Whether you’re a seasoned bikepacker or just curious about this growing cycling discipline, this film offers a compelling glimpse into the highs and lows of life on two wheels.
With winter howling outside (we had 48 cm of snow in the last two days, with 30 cm more to come shortly!), the mind easily turns towards sunnier days and cycling adventures. The explosive interest in bikepacking as a form of endurance racing as well as simply touring has developed into a whole range of organized events. From an organizational standpoint things can be made pretty easy: no road closures and minimal manned checkpoints, for example, but also requiring participants to be self-reliant. This can extend not only beyond the usual mechanical issues, meals and sleeping accommodation, but even to working out the route to be taken itself.
One of the newer events was established by a group of enthusiasts in Slovakia and the inaugural “Race Through Slovakia” took place in May 2023, with 42 men and 3 women, and is the subject of a YouTube video (in Slovak, but with English subtitles). The race, with categories for solo men and women and well as two-person teams, was 1,000 kms length but in terms of route management it was up to the riders to get to the various checkpoints however they decided to go.
The video begins showing the riders assemble for the start in Bratislava. Something unusual is that somebody brought a fishing scale and was weighing the bikes with packs. One of the women was chagrined to learn her setup weighed in at 19 kgs, with most seeming around 15 kg or so. After getting their trackers and final words of encouragement from the organizers the countdown began and the group headed out through the city before the first hills would break up the peloton. Then it would be every man and woman for themselves.
The video focuses on several of the riders, including two different women and an interesting type who registered as “Reggae Dancer” and sported dreadlocks. We see the challenges facing the riders, which along with hills include some pretty unpleasant weather. To the amazement of the organizers the fastest rider to complete the 1,000 kms only took 48 hours, while the third-placed did the race with only a backpack. The organizers, while impressed with the fast finishers, pointed out that the race was for everyone and one has to applaud the cheerful 70 year old who paced himself at 150 kms per day, taking 150 hours to finish. But he did finish and seemed to have a great time.
The Race Through Slovakia is set to go for its third edition, which will not only offer a long route of 1070 kms but also a shorter one of 650 km. The rules are quite interesting as they definitely require self-reliance: no drafting, no staying overnight at a friend’s place and—my favourite—if you have to climb a hill for a checkpoint and return down it you cannot unload your bike on the way up!
Here is a map showing the long route checkpoints, which will take riders beyond Slovakia and into neighbouring countries when the race goes in May. However, the 150 places available were all taken within ten days so you are out of luck for 2025!
For more information and to subscribe to the race’s newsletter, here is the multilingual link: rtsk.cc/trasa-rtsk25/.
If Mitteleuropa in May is not your cup of tea, there are other interesting events on offer. How about going to the Land of the Midnight Sun in August? “Mother North” is another 1,000 km bikepacking event, having begun in 2024. It takes riders through a range of terrain, from small villages to mountain regions, and features 16,000 m of climbing. There will be gravel so the organizers recommend 42/45 mm tires. The scenery looks staggering beautiful.
It is again self-supported to the degree you cannot pre-book accommodation until you are actually underway at 9 am on August 3, 2025, with a time limit for completion of August 10. The webpage is great in a Norwegian-recalcitrant way. For example the response to the question “What if I have mechanical problems?” it suggests “Try to fix them yourself.” It is also a requirement to follow the track the organizers provide as one suspects getting lost in the wilderness in Norway could cause some problems.
Although it appears that registration for 2025 is open, it is not entirely clear from the website. More information can be found there at this link: www.mother-north.com/.
These look to be pretty hard events even if you are not racing. There are alternatives that can be appealing if you want to take your time, enjoy the scenery, and maybe sleep in a bed instead of a ditch. The Grand Escape is a different approach in that the organizers give you a start date for a loop route through some really beautiful places (Tuscany, Italy/Slovenia, Germany, Austria) on paved roads and cycleways. You can take as much time as you like to cover the roughly 600 kms of each ride. You are provided with a tracker so friends and family can see where you are but otherwise are pretty much on your own and you have to arrange your own accommodations and meals, which should be pretty easy given where these roads will take you.
The cost of entry (and numbers are limited) is pretty modest. You will get a paper map as well as a GPS course, the tracker, a video and photos of the trip and some useful advice. The Italian ride gets you a bottle of wine, which is nice. There are other events offered by this organizer, the Bike Adventure Series, including some gravel events such as the celebrated Tuscany Trail, which has 5,000 participants and is considered the biggest bikepacking event in the world.
- For more information on The Grand Escape as well as other offerings and some very good articles on bikepacking, go here: www.bikeadventureseries.com/.
Enough daydreaming…time to get the snowblower out again!
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