The Accidental Bicycle Tourist
by Gabriel Aldaz
Host Gabriel Aldaz sits down with other bicycle touring and bikepacking enthusiasts to have unexpected, revealing, and often humorous conversations about their most memorable bike touring adventures. You’ll hear individuals, friends, partners, and families from all walks of life share the joys (and sometimes challenges) of bicycle touring. A willingness to explore the unknown, overcoming self-doubt, resilience, and experiencing acts of kindness from complete strangers are recurring themes. Gabriel hopes that the episodes, dropping every other week, will inspire you to get out and see where the road leads you. For links to podcast platforms, feedback via email, the podcast website, and Instagram: https://linktr.ee/accidental_bicycle_tourist
Episodes
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ABT068. Bikecentennial: Fifty Years Later
Fifty years after the summer of 1976, the voices of the Bikecentennial generation are still full of energy, gratitude, and adventure. What began as a celebration of America's bicentennial grew into something much larger. In this special episode, riders from across the United States look back on...
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ABT067. Reorienting Your Internal Compass: Two Life-Changing Trans-American Adventures
In 1972, fifteen‑year‑old Cyndy Schlaepfer‑Youker had barely bicycled beyond her hometown of Ithaca, New York. In 2020, fifty‑six‑year‑old Teri M. Brown hadn’t bicycled in four decades. Neither woman fit the profile of someone poised to pedal across the United States. Yet both did, tracing...
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ABT066. Finding Adventure in the Everyday
Alexander Leonard reflects on a life shaped by bicycles, from his long student commutes across Montreal to his two-wheeled explorations through Berlin in search of forgotten corners like an abandoned swimming‑pool complex. In 2013, 18-year-old Alex traveled to Cambodia, where his volunteer work…
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ABT065. Live to Your Full Potential
In this inspiring episode, adventurer Renata Chlumska recounts her time supporting Göran Kropp’s historic, self-powered ascent of Mount Everest in 1996 and how witnessing both tragedy (the disaster Jon Krakauer chronicles in Into Thin Air) and triumph (Göran’s successful Everest summit) shaped…
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ABT064. No Ordinary Bicycle Ride
Imagine visiting a museum to study a penny-farthing—a classic bicycle with a giant front wheel and a tiny rear one—not out of idle curiosity, but with the intent to build one yourself. Then, you decide to hop atop this contraption with no gears, solid rubber tires, and virtually no brakes and...
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ABT063. The TransAm Trailblazers
How do two novice cyclists with almost no overnight trip experience wind up pioneering the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail in 1974? For Jim Richardson and Linda Thorpe, the journey didn’t begin on a grueling mountain pass or in a velodrome. In September 1973, they crossed paths in a Weight Watchers...
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ABT062. The Original Bikepackers and the Improbable Bikecentennial (Part 2)
What happens when you combine empty pockets, stolen bicycles, sheer determination, and a healthy dose of pure 1970s idealism? You get the parallel wild stories of riding the second half of the Hemistour expedition and organizing the landmark Bikecentennial '76! In this episode, Part 2 of 2, join...
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ABT061. The Original Bikepackers and the Improbable Bikecentennial (Part 1)
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bikecentennial ’76, this two-part series tells the extraordinary story of four bicycle pioneers – Greg and June Siple, Dan and Lys Burden – who took a circuitous path from a shared dream to successfully staging a massive bicentennial event. Ultimately, more…
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ABT060. Whole Lotta Plov: Lessons in Global Kindness
What happens when you trade the comfort of a predictable life for an open-ended ride across the globe? You might just find yourself eating a whole lotta plov. In this episode, guest Tom Bruce recounts his journey pedaling across Europe, the Stans, China, and the United States with little more…
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ABT059. Freewheeling Spirit
Have you ever hitchhiked with a sack of pigs, used cheap construction goggles as rain visors, or slept in a room where an unknown mammal with really big eyes watched you from the ceiling? With a unique mix of grit and humor, Laura Killingbeck explores how thousands of miles on a bicycle helped…
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ABT058. Bikes From Hell
Who needs a spoon when you have a wrench? Who needs a whole paddle when you have two blades and a firm, sturdy stick? Welcome to Roman Dial’s world. In this action-packed episode, the legendary Alaskan adventurer recounts some of the harrowing tales that led to the birth of "hellbiking" in the...
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ABT057. Sweat and Smiles: Side by Side Across Europe and Africa
Jacqui Webster and Joe McNamara are a middle-aged Australian couple who in 2023 paused their sensible careers for one year to hop on heavily laden bicycles and pedal from England to Singapore. Except things didn’t go as planned and they ended up riding across Europe and Africa instead. Prior to...
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ABT056. Instrument of Discovery: Unpacking the Legacy of Dervla Murphy with AI
Dervla Murphy has long fascinated host Gabriel Aldaz, who years ago had picked up her first and most famous book, Full Tilt. The intrepid travel writer from Ireland died in 2022 at the age of 90, but Gabriel has remained curious to learn more about her. For this experimental episode, he goes into...
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ABT055. Maps and Miles: Connections Beyond Borders
Israel or Palestine? Damascus, Syria or Damascus, Virginia? West Virginia or Western Virginia? To David Landis, all are points on a map. David has made it his mission to find shared humanity across borders, even in conflict zones like the Middle East, through hiking and bikepacking trails. Having...
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ABT054. How to Choose a Bicycle for Touring and Bikepacking
If you are feeling overwhelmed by the vast array of choices when selecting a bicycle for touring or bikepacking, this episode offers essential guidance. In this lively discussion with Manuel Schürholz, co-founder of Bombtrack Bicycle Company, we systematically break down the confusing world of...
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ABT053. The Continental Cyclist
At age 70, most people are perfectly happy to take up golf or knitting. Not Canadian Tom Perlmutter. After accidentally agreeing to a weeklong cycling trip in Patagonia because his friend essentially dared him, Tom found himself hopelessly addicted to long-distance bicycle touring. In this…
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ABT052: No Plan, No Problem: Biking the World by Chance
In this laugh-out-loud episode, discover how New York City native Judi Desire went from sending a mass guilt-trip email asking for help to learn how ride a bike all the way to solo touring on six continents. Listen in as she recounts her chaotic method of bicycle travel, which intentionally…
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ABT051. Heinz Stücke: The World by Bike (Part 2)
Fifty-one is the number of years that Heinz Stücke spent on a bicycle away from home. Fittingly, Episode 51 provides the finale to the Heinz Stücke saga, where more keywords are pulled from the Christmas cookie tin. Heinz recounts how he stumbled his way into an audience with Ethiopian Emperor...
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ABT050. Heinz Stücke: The World by Bike (Part 1)
What do you do if you absolutely, positively do not want to work as a toolmaker with a wife and 2.4 kids in post-World War II Germany? If you’re Heinz Stücke, you simply get on your bike and don’t come home for fifty-one years. In this landmark episode of The Accidental Bicycle Tourist, your host...
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ABT049. Queen of the Ice
In the Season 3 premiere, you’ll meet Antonella Giacomini, an Italian mountaineer and adventurer who has been called the Queen of the Ice because she loves to traverse glaciers in remote corners of the world. A woman accustomed to skiing while pulling a sled across ice fields, Antonella recounts...
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ABT048. 2025 Holiday Special
It’s time to celebrate another memorable season of the podcast! During the 2025 Holiday Special, Sandra and Gabriel reveal the top three episodes of the past season (as chosen by the listeners) and check in with each guest to hear the latest from their busy lives. Topics discussed include the…
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ABT047. Travels with Dexter
On this episode, you’ve got a front-row seat to one of the wildest rides of the year. Follow the story of Ana Carmen Navajas as she evolves from an innocent 14-year-old who brought along a water pistol and a pile of CDs on her first group overnighter to a hardened road warrior. A critical moment…
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ABT046. Work/Ride Balance
Ever dream of telling your boss, "I'll be back in six months... or a year," and pedaling off into the sunrise? Mike Vermeulen didn't just do this once; he made a habit out of it. Join us for a wild ride as Mike explains his genius strategy: work for five years, then take a personal leave of…
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ABT045. Pedaling for Peace: How a World Bike Trip led to a new Visual Language
Imagine setting out on a bicycle tour for world peace, only to be chased by machine-gun-toting militias in Syria, get dangerously ill from rancid kidney beans in the Sahara, and be forced by border guards to take a huge detour to Jerusalem, only to get tear gassed upon arrival. That was Alan...
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ABT044. The Biking Viking
What kind of travel club demands that you visit a number of countries at least equal to your age? Welcome to the world of De Berejstes Klub (DBK), Denmark's "Travelers' Club.” Meet Claus Andersen, "the Biking Viking," a man on a decades-long quest to keep his coveted DBK membership card! Journey...
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ABT043. Tour d'Afrique
“Just Do It” is Henry Gold’s motto for life. (In his mind, at least, he beat all famous athletic footwear companies to this slogan). Henry’s story is a wild ride, starting with a childhood fascination with Africa sparked by a legendary barefoot marathoner. Henry moved from Czechoslovakia (via...
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ABT042. The Accidental Origins of Bicycle Touring
Ever thought your daily commute was tough? Try cycling around the world on a high wheeler in the 1880s! Our guide to these incredible-but-true stories of journeys sparked by sheer chance is Canadian author David Houghton, who has traveled to over eighty countries around the world, cycling most of...
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ABT041. 3 Wheels, 2 Seats, 1 Goal
What's the best way to cycle 20,000 miles from the top of Alaska to the tip of Argentina? Probably not on a tandem bicycle pulling a trailer - by yourself - hoping that complete strangers will hop on the back seat. Still, that's exactly what British filmmaker Dominic Gill did between 2006 and…
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ABT040. Commit. You'll Figure it Out!: The Pan-Mass Challenge
Ever wondered what it's like to be part of a massive, two-day cycling event that has raised over a billion dollars for cancer research? In this episode, we hear from Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) veterans Lew Kornberg and Sameer Kazi. Lew is a seasoned 14-time rider, while Sameer has in recent years...
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ABT039. Connecting Africa with Purpose
Get ready for an inspiring adventure as Ellie Mitchell-Heggs shares her incredible plan to pedal 10,000 kilometers across Africa. As of this episode, Ellie is in Tanzania, one-third of the way to Cape Town. She discusses the motivation behind her ambitious project – which she calls Cycle Africa –...
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ABT038. A Bear of a Ride: From the Canadian Wilderness to the Tour and Back
From dropping out of high school to go mountain climbing to becoming a world-class professional cyclist, Svein Tuft's journey is anything but ordinary. In this episode, hear how a simple need for cheap transportation to climbing spots led Svein to weld his own bike trailer, tour the backcountry…
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ABT037. Open Source, Open Roads: The Hacker Bikepacker Story
What happens when a Spanish software developer who loves open-source technology and an Austrian biomedical scientist who didn’t always love bicycling decide to travel on second-hand grocery-getters from Europe to Central Asia? You get the wild, unpredictable, and heartwarming adventure of Hacker...
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ABT036. Finding a Place in the Wild
What if you could reframe your greatest fear not as a barrier, but as an invitation? Join Laura Grace on her incredible journey from being too afraid to wild camp alone to spending over a year on a solo bike tour through South America. In this inspiring episode, Laura shares how she learned to…
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ABT035. Bitten and Back: Overcoming Fear After a Dog Attack
For cyclist Julia Esser, a dream journey through South America turned into a nightmare when she was brutally attacked by three dogs in a remote Colombian town. Forced onto crutches and faced with a long, painful recovery, Julia had every reason to fly home to Germany. Instead, what happened next…
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ABT034. Alpine Escapade
Join me and my old buddy Jason Ruhl as we spend a week pedaling through the stunning landscapes of Southern Switzerland and Northern Italy, from Luzern to Jason’s charmingly rustic Italian retreat overlooking Lago Maggiore and back. Fueled by pure grit, espresso, and lots of pastries, we conquer...
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ABT033. Zigzagging Across the Americas
Ever dreamt of dropping everything to cycle across continents? Meet Yann Tourman, who did just that, embarking on an epic bicycle adventure in 2018 that's still rolling! Beginning with a spontaneous decision in New York to bicycle to the tip of South America, Yann's journey has been anything but...
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ABT032. Touring with Type 1: A Journey of 10,000 Miles
Join Erik Douds, as he shares incredible stories from the road, starting with a spur-of-the-moment decision to join friend Annalisa on a TransAmerica bike tour – a journey that even included a detour for the New York City Triathlon! Discover the unique challenges that Erik, Annalisa, and other…
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ABT031. Into the Unknown
Meet Giacomo Turco, an aerospace engineer from Italy, who on this episode shares his thrilling bikepacking adventures across Iceland, Mongolia, and South America. Discover how a chance encounter on Instagram with a previous guest, Melanie Schautt, led to an unexpected friendship and shared...
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ABT030. Diving into the Silk Road Mountain Race
Alden Roth shares his thrilling experience in the Silk Road Mountain Race, a grueling, mostly unsupported, two-week cycling event through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. A self-proclaimed “diving in headfirst” kind of guy, Alden recounts past exploits, such as a cross-country road trip, repeated...
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ABT029. Bicycle Frame of Mind: Portland. Film Festival. Community.
Ayleen Crotty, founder of the prestigious Filmed by Bike movie festival, joins us for a captivating conversation about the fascinating origins of this unique event, born from Portland's vibrant bike culture in the early 2000s. Ayleen shares her personal journey into cycling, from a hesitant start...
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ABT028. Metal Cowboy
Saddle up for an inspiring conversation with Joe Kurmaskie, the "Metal Cowboy." Joe recounts his incredible family-cycling-adventures-turned-books, including hauling his two sons – and his dad's ashes! – across America (Momentum is Your Friend) and a later epic journey across Canada with his wife...
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ABT027. Take the Long Way Home
Eric Matthes, author of the bestselling Python Crash Course, embarked on a life-altering, year-long bicycle journey around the United States in the late 1990s. This episode dives into that fascinating period in Eric's life, when he interwove bicycling with his other passions: programming…
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ABT026. Tracking Lawrence of Arabia
Journey to the Middle East with Miles Spencer as he unravels the fascinating story of T.E. Lawrence's early life and adventurous spirit. Discover how Lawrence's youthful bicycle tours through France, meticulously documenting medieval castles and cathedrals, foreshadowed his legendary role in the...
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ABT025. Cranking up the Challenges
Meet Laura and Shaun, a Canadian couple whose cycling adventures began when the 2020 lockdown forced them to cancel their plans to spend a year traveling the world. Hear their hilarious first tour stories, complete with grocery-getter bikes, backpacks, bungee cords, and borrowed panniers from the...
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ABT024. 2024 Holiday Special
Ever wondered about the voice that welcomes you to The Accidental Bicycle Tourist podcast? In this special holiday episode, host Gabriel pulls back the curtain, inviting his wife Sandra as a guest for the very first time! Join them in their cozy home in Germany as they reflect on their summer…
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ABT023. Salt Flat Tires: A Bikepacking Roller Coaster Ride
Fueled by a quarter-life crisis and the desire to break free from routine, bikepacking newcomer Melanie Schautt embarked on a transformative half-year cycling adventure through South America with her friend Louise, a seasoned cyclist. From battling fierce headwinds and a near-quitting moment on…
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ABT022. Top 3 Touring Debates with Gemini AI
This episode takes a highly experimental turn as Gabriel, your host, brings in not one, but *two* AI guests, Scout and Rambler – instances of Google’s Gemini AI. These digital personalities debate hot topics in bicycle touring, offering unique and sometimes hilarious perspectives. Prepare for a...
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ABT021. Big Hairy Audacious Goal
Alan Gilbert has always been interested in long, challenging bicycle rides. For Alan, the chance to ride across the United States from Pacific to Atlantic in 38 days finally presented itself in 2022, upon retiring from his job as a technology executive. The timing also coincided with the end of...
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ABT020. The Pedaling Polyglot
Roger Levy, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, considers himself a scientist of language and a polyglot, speaking five languages fluently and many more conversationally. In this episode, Roger will share the sounds and flavors from his six…
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ABT019. Life is Wild (Part 2)
Barbados. Dominica. Guadeloupe. Martinique. These are some of the exotic Caribbean islands visited by André Plumeau with his bicycle, Frieda. In Part 2 of this double episode, André again defies the odds by sailing west from the Republic of Cabo Verde on various boats, with diverse crews....
About this show
Host Gabriel Aldaz sits down with other bicycle touring and bikepacking enthusiasts to have unexpected, revealing, and often humorous conversations about their most memorable bike touring adventures. You’ll hear individuals, friends, partners, and families from all walks of life share the joys (and sometimes challenges) of bicycle touring. A willingness to explore the unknown, overcoming self-doubt, resilience, and experiencing acts of kindness from complete strangers are recurring themes. Gabriel hopes that the episodes, dropping every other week, will inspire you to get out and see where the road leads you.
For links to podcast platforms, feedback via email, the podcast website, and Instagram: https://linktr.ee/accidental_bicycle_tourist
Hosted by
Gabriel Aldaz