In the early summer of 2022, father and son Bruno and Damien Calandre decided to tackle a version of the Iceland Divide. After a harsh and snowy spring, the ride proved to be tougher than they anticipated. Watch the video they made along the way here…

At the end of 2021, Bruno and Damien Calandre decided to take a cycling trip through Iceland. In June 2022, the two flew to Reykjavik, ready for two weeks of adventure on a route using the Iceland Divide as the backbone. Iceland had a harsh spring that year, and the Highlands tracks were still closed, so they had to make a few modifications to the route to avoid sections with excessive snow. The benefit of going this early in the season is that they had the Icelandic backcountry to themselves—six full days without seeing a single person. Watch the video they made along the way below and then scroll down to learn more about the route.

As Bruno reported, Iceland proved to be super demanding on the bikes, even more than he expected. The mix of sand, water, and ice was hard on their drivetrains, and the rugged lava paths were quite rough. Plus, the conditions evolved from slowly rideable to not rideable at all, as the footage in their video shows. Find more details in our guide for the Iceland Divide linked below.

  • Calandar Iceland Divide
  • Calandar Iceland Divide
Calandar Iceland Divide
Iceland Divide
Just below the Arctic Circle, situated between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates, a remote land emerges from the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, dominated by huge glaciers, ashen deserts, and mighty lava structures. Here, along the fault line that crosses the island from north to south, the incessant work of fire and ice traced a route that runs through a world of immeasurable desolation and enthralling beauty, the Icelandic Highlands. Full route guide here.

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