Bikepacking Islande (Film)

Photos and video by Joffrey Maluski (@joffreymaluski)

Following up on his fantastic Plastiqu’Adour film from earlier this year (find it linked at the bottom of this post), Joffrey Maluski is back with a new release, and it’s as stunningly shot and edited as ever. This time around, he was joined by two friends for a three-month and 3,000-kilometer circuit around Iceland in the summer of 2021, traversing some of the most astonishing landscapes on the planet.

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Bikepacking Islande is beautiful and uplifting to watch, but not in an overproduced or glamorized way. Rather, it’s an honest documentation of a journey that was anything but easy for the riders, and it also doesn’t celebrate their suffering. Reaching the grand vistas and brilliant scenery in the remote Icelandic backcountry meant experiencing moments of pure exhaustion, as well as plenty of small crashes and failed river crossings, all of which the trio took in stride. You can watch Joffrey’s 11-minute film below, followed by my brief interview with him and a wonderful collection of his images from the trip.

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Where’d your route inspiration come from, and how confident were you that it could actually be ridden?

After two bikepacking trip in France, one in the French Pyrenees that included climbing, highlining, and mountaineering, and a second one in the French Alps by bike and ski touring, I was looking for a challenging new destination. As I was already in Iceland in 2016, I knew it would be a great place for a trip with epic landscapes, and I always wanted to come back to experience more of the interior in a deeper way. The maximum length of visa I could obtain for Iceland was three months. So, I planned a three-month bikepacking itinerary, weaving a vast figure-eight through as much of the country as possible, including the north/south and east/west Highlands crossing. We had some doubts about some sections, but that’s all part of the adventure, which is exactly what we went looking for.

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Who were your traveling companions? Was it difficult to convince them to join you for the trip?

I asked Léo-Paul and Katia if they wanted to join, and they were super excited about it! Leo-Paul is an old friend from school, and we’ve done lots of mountains and highline projects together, as well as the bikepacking trip in the French Pyrenees. Katia is his girlfriend, and this was her first bikepacking trip. She had a relative lack of experience, but she is always smiling, joking, and motivated so we knew she would be an incredible partner.

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Share a little about the bikes you were riding and how they held up to the rugged Icelandic terrain.

I’ve been riding a Genesis Vagabond (1×12, 10-51) for a long time, and it was my bike of choice. Léo-Paul had a Riverside Touring 700, and Katia was on a Surly Bridge Club. We all went with fully rigid bikes with heavy and resistant 2.35” tires to avoid tearing one in the middle of the Highlands. We opted for bikepacking bags because I think they make the bike easier to push in difficult sections and to carry on your back when crossing rivers. We brought some spare parts, but we thankfully didn’t have any issues.

What are the best and worst things about riding in Iceland?

Each part of Iceland has its own landscapes, and the most surprising one was the northern F26 part; I didn’t know it would be so dry and sandy. It’s like a desert, with nothing around for hundreds of kilometers, but you are also riding between huge glaciers. I thought it would be more green with lots of water like other places in Iceland, but it wasn’t at all like that. We really enjoyed the river crossing as well. It was like a game to find the best way to cross them without getting off of our bikes. Except for the dangerous ones, of course, across which we carried the bikes on our backs. As for the worst thing, I could say the wind, the humidity, or the food, but it’s part of the trip and definitely worth it.

Tell us about one memorable moment that stands out from the trip.

The volcano, for sure. We were lucky that it was very active during the first days we were in Iceland. Seeing it was an incredible experience! Otherwise, the two-day, 90-kilometre section north of Hofsjökull glacier was truly amazing and challenging. It’s in the middle of Iceland, everything is far away, and it makes you feel so lonely. The glacier is only a few kilometers away, and there are many rivers to cross. Two of them are big, really cold, and dangerous. Everyone said we wouldn’t be able to cross them with bikes, but we were here for the adventure and challenge. Actually, the last one before arriving back at the F35 was too powerful to cross. So, we had to find an easier way upstream where the river splits into many channels and sandbanks spreading out over a wide area. We picked our way from sandbar to sandbar with the bikes secured with a rope and finally made it to the F35 after a difficult 16-hour journey.

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What’s one essential piece of advice for folks thinking about a bikepacking trip in Iceland?

Cycling against the wind teaches you a lot! It’s a huge burden on you, your motivation, and your mindset. It’s exhausting, but you have to forget it and keep going. A friend texted me this when we were in Iceland: “Wind is like life, sometimes you fight, sometimes you fly.” It’s definitely true in Iceland!

Looking back, is there anything you’d change if you could do the trip over again?

I don’t think so. We did everything on our planned itinerary and visited most of the country, even Thórsmörk, which we kept in bonus for the end if we still had some time. This trip was beyond words and will remain etched in our minds forever.

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Finally, any upcoming films or projects that we can look forward to in 2023?

Yes! The film from my last bikepacking trip from France to Nordkapp, Norway, last winter (February-March) will be out next year. Then I’m working on a new bikepacking expedition in the Icelandic Highlands for next February, too.

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