while out riding

I thought of that while riding on my bike. Albert Einstein, on the theory of relativity.

Welcome to my blog, a photo-story charting a bike journey south from Prudoe Bay, Alaska, through the American backcountry and along quiet dirt roads where possible.

It’s a blog about the things that happen ‘while out riding’.

At the moment I’m not completely sure where I’ll end up; life has a habit of slotting into place when I’m on my bike, so I’ll let it take its shape. Everyday living becomes more straightforward, funnelled through the simple act of spinning pedals, and the in ‘n out rhythm of breath. A bicycle is minimal and uncomplicated, so it’s fitting that riding is a great de-clutterer. A brain and body sieve; keeping muscles and lungs working the way they should be, helping unmind the mind.

I enjoy biking for its natural connection with the outside world, be it on a ride through city streets, a cargo haul to the shops, or a journey across a continent. Going only as fast as my legs can propel me, carrying only as much as my engine will allow. Possessions streamlined to the contents of a set of panniers. Life simplified.

Let’s see where my wheels take me…

Cass

Wrapped up in wintry Montana. (photo Robert Macinnis)

Going light. Bikepacking on the Arizona Trail. (photo Nerys Evans)

Hanging out with Che in Cuba. (photo Nick Gilbert)

Pitstop in Panama. (photo Isabella Schaider)

About:

I’m an avid traveller and cyclist, and have been touring regularly for the last 11 years. I’ve ridden from Sydney to London, across Central Asia on a tandem, through Tunisia and Morocco, around SW China and Laos, and through backcountry Cambodia. I love touring and mountain biking: my ideal journeys fuse the two, keeping to quiet dirt roads and singletracks.

I used to work as a bike journalist and co-run a bike touring business in the Indian Himalayas called Out There Biking; the old blog can be found here.

I’m part-funding this trip by writing for bicycle magazines, and have been submitting words and pictures to Cycling Plus, What Mountain Bike, Adventure Cycling, Boneshaker, the CTC and wired.co.uk

If you have a couch/yard/floorspace where I can lay my head for the night along the way, I’d be most grateful. I can be reached by leaving a message on this blog or by emailing my name, cassgilbert, with yahoo.co.uk