Belén Castelló and Tristan Bogaard, the couple that will convince you that your next trip is by bicycle
the adventurer Mike Bracic says, more or less, that "a bad day on the bike route is always better than a good day at the office". Tell it to the Valencian Belen Castello and to dutch Tristan Bogarard, they started to ride together in 2017 and since then they have hardly stopped at home.
She had a steady job architect in London. Until that year, she had never slept in a tent or cycled more than 20 kilometers at one time. He, with more miles on her legs, wanted to add her to her cause. That summer they cycled for four months through Norway, freely camping here and there.
They went out in 2017 to see the world with their bikes and they have hardly been back home
“It was an incredible experience in a spectacular place. And a great start for us, who until then had kept the relationship at a distance, ”they both explain from the Netherlands, where they now reside for the short time they stop still. That trip was followed by three years around half the planet, traveling through places like Portugal, the Canary Islands, Central Asia or the west coast of the United States. More than 15,000 kilometers of experiences that have been collected in their book Bike Life, cycling around the world (Anaya Touring).
The bicycle is now the lifestyle of this couple who, because they don't have, don't even have a house. “Traveling by bike is amazing. The traveling experience is much better at all times”, says Tristán. “It gives you all the freedom to stop wherever you want: Opportunities always appear and things that you would never have planned”, Bethlehem adds.
both underline the special satisfaction of visiting the world on two wheels. “It is not the same to go up to a viewpoint at the top of a mountain by car than by bicycle. When you have arrived with your own effort, everything seems more important, you enjoy it much more”, says Belén.
“Besides, as a bike tourist they respect you much more, people are very curious about your story, You interact more with the local population. You become more humble and the trip becomes something very genuine”, says the Valencian.
The next destination of the duo is the Balkans: It will be their first trip in more than a year due to the health crisis, except for a getaway through Asturias that they were able to make last fall.
Belen Castelló and Tristan Bogaard
Belén Castelló at the Syklisthuset cyclist shelter in Lofoten
Many of the exceptional circumstances of their routes are recounted in bike life , which is a great postcard with dozens of photographs of the landscapes that Tristán and Belén have conquered with their bicycles. They are all impressionable places that will make you directly search for their location on Google Maps and write them down as your next destinations.
There are magical places like the Syklisthuset cyclist shelter in Lofoten, Norway, a country whose fjords such as Hjorundfjorden, Geiraingerfjord or Sognefjord also leave breathtaking images, as it must have taken them to ascend to their viewpoints. The Passo Gaiu or the Mondeval plateau recall the harshness of the Italian Dolomites. "After three days our legs were very tired and our knees ached a little," they write in the book. There is also room for the vertigo of the Caminito del Rey -a marvel that if it caught us thousands of kilometers away would amaze us much more-, the deserts of Fuerteventura, the singular Teide landscape either the beauty of El Hierro. What do you feel like inflating the wheels for?
It is enough to read a few pages to make you want to hit the streets with your bike. Even more so when reviewing the chapters dedicated to Central Asia. first by Kyrgyzstan (“The most beautiful country we have traveled by bicycle”, says the couple) with places such as the Orto-Tokoy reserve, the Osh market, the yurts that populate the valleys or the enormous walls of its mountains.
Then it was the turn of Tajikistan, following the silk road, crowning peaks over 4,000 meters high or the winding road from which you can see Afghanistan. “A country is, in general, how dangerous you think it is”, say the cyclists, who dedicate the last chapters to a great route along the west coast of the United States.
They say of Kyrgyzstan that it is "the most beautiful country we have traveled by bicycle"
Probably at this point in the book you have already thought about looking at panniers, a good helmet and even learning how to fix a puncture. Even more so when you see that you can follow exactly the same steps, since the couple share their routes through applications and their website, as well as their YouTube channel.
Bike Life is not a travel guide or a place to read recommendations for hotels to sleep in or restaurants where you can get to know the local cuisine; it is rather an inspiring work, a book to go to to understand the truths of traveling by bicycle, with its joys and its difficulties, with a path full of surprises that includes the hospitality of the inhabitants of Tajikistan as well as an unexpected corner in Lanzarote or the camaraderie and connection that arises with other travelers on two wheels.
In his account they also include advice on the necessary equipment, how to plan the route, the figures of your average expenses in each country, what is the best time to travel according to the destination or if in it, the roads (and drivers) have facilities for coexistence with cyclists. There is also room for recipes with a saucepan and a camping gas. They are humble, but they taste like glory after so much pedaling, whether it's a yellow lentil curry or a pasta with vegetables.
If they have already convinced you that the next trip is by bicycle, Tristán and Belén have several tips. The first, you don't expect it: "Do not look at Instagram before traveling." Why? “People have a natural tendency to upload only positive things, but a bike trip is a very real experience that has ingredients that do not appear on social media”, Tristan explains.
Tristan at the Ak-Baital pass in Tajikistan
The Dutchman gives the example of bad nights in the tent -in the book there are some, such as when his was flooded with them inside in the middle of Norway-, sweaty clothes or bad odors accumulated by the efforts. “You still can't eat what you want when you want, or sleep peacefully or shower for a few days. Your legs will ache. This is hard and will take you out of your comfort zone." he insists he.
Then, yes, he offers the one of sand: “The pain is only temporary, at some point you can take a shower and when you later join all the memories, the complete image that emerges is very good”, he underlines to add the importance of including in the pack a camera or a good cell phone. "You have to document the trips to share them with other people, with the family or relive your best memories." For them it is a fundamental tool because it allows them to write books, maintain a dream Instagram or make videos of their trips, elements that have allowed them to live from it. "We are privileged," they acknowledge.
There is also room for recipes with a saucepan and a camping gas
For those who have already decided to go out on a saddle to travel the world, cyclists also recommend starting easy. It is not necessary to leave everything behind without knowing how it will go on two wheels. “A good idea is to look around you, start with a small project, for a weekend or a week, That way you check how it goes”, explains the Dutchman, who points out that if the experience does not go well and you prefer to return sooner than you expected, you cannot consider it a failure. "You should not have a bad time if the experience does not work", he underlines.
The couple also recommends going little by little in terms of distances. In fact, they rarely exceed 40 kilometers a day. And the good thing about riding a bike is that the physical improvement is noticeable practically from one day to the next: just start rolling so that you will soon easily overcome what days ago cost you a world.
Likewise, they believe positive that everyone adapts the trip to their preferences. For example, they usually sleep every night in their tent, although from time to time they book accommodation through platforms such as Warmshowers or rent rooms. "That is our choice, but if someone feels more comfortable sleeping in hotel establishments, it is a good option too," they say.
Belén Castelló in Tenerife
"There are a thousand ways to travel by bike and all are valid", underlines Tristan, who together with Belén has taken advantage of the confinement to write the book 50 ways to cycle the world with the stories of 75 cyclists from 23 countries and which is published, in English, at the end of the month. The Spanish version will probably be ready in 2022.
Belén Castelló in Ålesund
Now yes, it is time to pedal. Do you want to, but don't know if you can? “We are capable of doing much more than we think, as long as we have the will and the courage to give ourselves a chance”, points out the couple, who also works in the organization of guided trips so that anyone can accompany them on their routes around the European continent. Maybe it's another great way to try cycling tours. It may happen to you like Belén and Tristán: that you get hooked and never look back. We're leaving now?
Anaya
'Bike life' by bike around the world
'Bike life' by bike around the world