For this week's guest blog, we've brought on a longtime friend of Bivo: Angharad. She was the first person to test a Bivo prototype on a bike and we are forever grateful to her loyalty and support. Plus, she takes some pretty rad adventures on two wheels. While Portland, Oregon is her home base, Angharad spends the time she can take traveling the world on her bike. Welcome, Ang! 

Author: Angharad Porteous. Weekend warrior. Bike racer. World Traveler.

I’m known by my friends as a bike racer and triathlete. But I fell in love with cycling as my vehicle to explore the world. Putting in effort to combat the elevation and elements allows me to see and experience so much more of the world than by hiking or driving. Over the past few years I’ve sought out a variety of different adventures by bike and hoping it can provide some inspiration for fellow bike explorers! 

1. Join an organized tour to explore a new country 

Every year I seek to maximize my PTO and travel to new countries. Often my friends are too busy to join, so, instead, I have sought out group trips offering challenging and adventurous experiences. At first, signing up for trips with strangers was nerve-racking. But, my experiences have been astonishing; everyone always arrives on Day 1 with a great attitude, determined to complete the challenge and have fun along the way.

This winter, I joined an expedition with Much Better Adventures, crossing Costa Rica from West to East. Four local guides led our group of 14 on a 250km route that involved a mixture of biking, hiking, canoeing, and rafting. Traveling from the Pacific to the Caribbean, we departed from the typical tourist track, and experienced the deep rainforests interspersed with stays at riverside Eco camps and small towns and villages. 

Other trips I have been on / have planned this year:

• Tokyo to Kyoto
• Dolomites with Trek Travel
• Iceland Coast to Coast

2. Bike packing from my front door with friends

As well as exploring new countries, I’m eager to know “my backyard” intimately. I love studying maps and ideating where I can ride my bike. One of my favorite ways to explore the PNW has been to go on multi-day trips that include hotel or motel stays, rather than camping. I like this version of “bike packing” where I stay in a hotel/motel each night because then I just need to carry a large saddlebag with some extra clothing, pajamas, flip flops, and essential toiletries. Since I don’t carry much weight on the bike, I can cover longer distances each day and look forward to some rest and relaxation each evening. 

Some trips I’ve enjoyed from my front door:

• Portland to Sisters, OR and back! 5-day route, 400 miles, with overnight stops at Belknap and Breitenbush Hot Springs, and the famous Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood. 
• Portland to San Francisco! 8 days, 800 miles down the US 101 and 1, staying at local motels enroute.
• Portland to Willamette wine country! 2-day weekend trip, 100 miles, with an overnight Airbnb at a winery.
• Portland to Coast and back! 2-day weekend trip, 250 miles, with an overnight stay at a cheap hotel. I’ve done this twice, and the second time we had to get the bus back due to torrential rain! 

If any of these rides sound fun to you and you'd like any advice, let me know in the comments!

Cheers, Ang