Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
We posted our 52nd installment of Weekend Snapshot yesterday, marking one full year of our weekly approachable adventure series that celebrates the quick bikepacking getaway. To help us grow this reader-submitted photo feature, we’re calling on you to share a photo from one of your rides in 2023. See some of our favorites and find a link to share your photos here…
We started Weekend Snapshot in January of last year as a way of showcasing local overnighters, backyard rides, and more from our global community of readers, and we shared more than 150 glimpses of your bikepacking trips in 2022. As much as we love sharing feature films, stories, and routes from dream trips in bucket-list destinations, we also think it’s important to have a space to share some excitement for the 99% of trips that start closer to home or don’t involve taking weeks of time off.
Of course, if you’re lucky enough to take a big trip somewhere special, there’s room for you in the Weekend Snapshot series too! Beyond highlighting local adventures, it’s also a great place to share a quick photo and a snippet from your trip without needing to invest a lot of time in writing a full story or hauling a high-end camera into the backcountry to document your ride. Weekend Snapshot is what you make it.
You can find a dozen hand-picked photos and their accompanying backstories from the past year below. Once you’ve had a chance to browse through them, we encourage you to share a photo from a recent ride with the community. If you don’t have one at the ready, please consider helping this series thrive by submitting one at some point this year. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the first year of Weekend Snapshot, and here’s to another one!
Veneto, Italy
By Olaf Stofferis
We encountered a lot of steep and long climbs while riding the Veneto Divide, especially on this day. I always hope that a long climb will result in a rewarding decent. This turned out to be one of the best experiences we ever had on a bike: a beautiful singletrack-heavy descent with trails seemingly leading into infinity and breathtaking views of the Dolomites in the distance. After reaching the bottom of the valley, we didn’t speak a word about the climb, like we forgot it ever happened.
Oaxaca, Mexico
By Cass Gilbert (@whileoutriding)
One of the high points of the Hebras de Ixtepeji route – literally and figuratively – is reaching the Paledo Chico lookout tower, perched up a 3,080 metres. It’s a bit of a mission to get there for sunrise, especially as there’s a bit of a hike-a-bike to contend with. But the sweeping views across the Sierra de Juárez and the sweet slice of singletrack to get back down again make it more than worth it!
Minneapolis, Minnesota
By Andrew Nepsund (@andrew_nepsund)
On this particular Rivendell Ramble Jamble through the twin cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, we rode nettle-filled bandit trails, river bottom doubletrack, and back alleys galore. Shady stops were enjoyed with Burger King Rodeo Burgers and whatever tasty NA beers we had rolling around in the basket bags. Pictured is Eric (@eric_dabbert) with his Rivendell Joe Appaloosa. Shot on a Canon SureShot WP-1 using 35mm Fuji Superia XTRA 400 film.
Colorado, USA
By Ann Driggers (@anndriggers)
Leaving after work on a Friday evening under a few sprinkles of rain and clearing skies in the forecast, we found our home for the night in a beautiful meadow of lupine. More accurately, we gate-crashed another’s home: a bear showed up around 4 a.m., woofed at our tents, and then went on his way. At sunrise, two hours later, I looked out across the meadow, and he was on the other side eating shoots and leaves of bear weed (aka skunk cabbage). We quietly watched him for about 45 minutes. When I started up my stove, he stood on his hind legs, cast his eyes upon us, and lumbered off into the aspens.
Huascaran National Park, Ancash, Peru
By Ben Brough (@ben__brough)
A week after landing in Peru, we set off to complete a short acclimatisation loop of the Huascarán National Park (a variance on the Northern Cordillera Blanca route from this site). We were treated to the biggest climbs, longest descents, and some of the most amazing mountain vistas we’ve ever experienced, along with the excellent trademark Peruvian hospitality and delicious food. We’re looking forward to the journey south on the Peru Great Divide!
Zielona Gora, Poland
By Wojtek Waloch (@coffeeteatrip)
Recently, I’ve only been out for quick reconnaissance forays, searching for good roads and places to sleep. This time, we didn’t have much luck. Something that we planned for a five-hour adventure with a break for warm cocoa from a thermos took us around eight hours. Sandy and rough tracks prevented us from rolling at any speed. Fortunately, the sun finally came out after a few weeks of hiding. All in all, it was a good adventure.
Potosi, Bolivia
By Andrea Molina (@molinandrea55)
Imagine riding across the largest salt flat in the world. The Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia (3,700 m.a.s.l.) was an incredible place and definitely a highlight of our trip. Kilometers and kilometers of salt, lots of sun, infinite whiteness, and chilly mornings and nights. At sunset, the salt turned orange and I felt as if I was living in a dream. What a place to ride a bike!
Altopiano della Gardetta, Italy
By Edoardo Frezet (@cicloreporter_photos)
A real classic! The Gardetta is a plateau at 2,000 metres, with the imposing Rocca La Meja (2,831 metres) at its centre. All around, green and orange fields are crossed by a military road that connects ancient forts from the war between France and Piedmont in the 1700s, modern fortifications from WWI, and more recent cheese farms. Even on a cloudy day, the autumn colors were shining as we enjoyed one last day at high elevations before winter (hopefully) comes.
Orebro, Sweden
By Michael O’Dwyer (@bikepackingsweden)
The low-lying mountains of the Örebro region might not look like much on paper, but in reality, they offer an adventurous playground for all to access. On our 140-kilometre overnight ride, we got to pedal on parts of the region’s extensive mountain bike network, freeze in the unexpected minus conditions, and watch the most beautiful sunrise we had ever seen.
Kanjanaburi, Thailand
By B Kamolsakpitak (@buffalo.bags)
Recently, I’ve been searching for overnight trips for weekend escapes. The mountains around Kanjanaburi are quite interesting. They have a beautiful variety of terrain and a lot of rivers that pass through the mountains. It’s not illegal to wild camp, but locals told me it’s dangerous at night because wild animals will come out and disturb you. So, my best advice is to camp in the ranger camp or national park.
Etela-Savo, Finland
By Andrei Turro (@a4d3e)
A sub-zero two-nighter to Mäntyharju, where we rode trails, slept in lean-to shelters (laavu), and enjoyed the full-body health of a wilderness sauna just two hours from home by train.
Valais, Switzerland
By Loic Marin Lamellet (@loic__ml)
Last weekend, Marco and I played cat and mouse with the rain around the Combins in Switzerland. We managed to escape it and got rewarded by magnificent landscapes, skies, and technical singletrack.
Send Us Your Weekend Snapshot
We’ll be selecting three photos per week to feature in Weekend Snapshot. Send yours along for consideration, and if it’s selected, we’ll be in touch! Note: we prefer 3:2 ratio landscape oriented photos.
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