Bikepacking from Dolomieu to Dakar

I’m not sure how or when we decided to swing our legs over some bikes and ride from Dolomieu in France to Dakar in Senegal, but here we are, our little lives packed up on two wheels (well, three for Ben with a trailer) and part way through our grand plan. We have now been on the road for 76 days and have just ticked over the 3,000km mark in a small town called Vila de Nova Milfontes, south of Lisbon, Portugal.

Before I go any further, I better introduce ourselves. My name is Laura, hi! And this is Ben. Based on the Surfcoast in Victoria, Australia we have spent the past few years juggling work and our passions for the outdoors, the environment and chasing waves in remote areas.

In January 2024, we set off from home to embark on a journey from Antarctica to Africa. This blog update is about our ride from France to Africa.

The ‘plan’: ride our mountain bikes across France until we reach the Atlantic coast and follow it all the way to Senegal, carrying all our gear to allow us to ride, camp and surf where possible. The route is approximately 7,000 km, and our goal is to immerse ourselves in the outdoors, chase some waves, connect with those we meet along the way, and explore beyond the typical tourist spots as we travel further down the African coastline.

A few stats, so far:

• Consumed at least a baguette a day, 150 croissants and more than our weight in cheese and yoghurt
• Only 5 flat tyres Ben / 0 flat tyres Laura (hope I don’t jinx myself)
• Chain replacements for us both
• 1 new set of bearings in the rear hub and 1 in the bottom bracket for Ben
• 3,000km ridden (almost half-way!)
• Approx. 28,0000m climbed (and a few extra muscles in the legs!)
• 1 x bout of food poisoning for us both

France

We started on the 14th of August in Ben’s family hometown, Dolomieu, close to the French Alps. Riding through central France was a fairy-tale introduction to the life of bikepacking. The daily temperature hovered around 25 degrees with barely a breeze to cool off our sweat. We built up our riding strength climbing up the many passes and mounts, and fed our engines in all that we could find in the small boulangeries along the way.

We wild camped in farm fields, preparing our dinners using our surfboard trailer as a table, washed our bodies with water we collected at cemeteries and a soapy face washer (could have been a funny sight for the farmers), and then jumped into our sleeping bags with the fading light. We rode through idyllic villages, stopping to talk to the friendly locals with many a conversation sparked by the odd sight of surfboards tied down to Ben’s trailer. We plucked and shook ripe pears, plums, apples and figs from trees by the side of the road and dodged many skinks taking a nap on the warm roads.

Central France is rich in history, culture and glorious views without a soul in sight. In those first few weeks I experienced many thoughts and feelings while riding. From missing the family, to worrying about what could happen to us on the trip, to the most extreme happiness and feelings of freedom, almost to the point of letting out a joyous shriek at the top of my lungs. Often I would see Ben throwing his arms up in the air at the approach of a new vista or at the top of a climb. I think that moving along at this slower pace allows us to truly be in the moment and to connect with ourselves and our surroundings. And I feel very fortunate and grateful that we are able to experience this right now.

It was near the town of Le Puy en Velay that we came across the first of many pilgrims making their way along the Camino de Santiago.

The Camino, or the Way of St. James, is a network of ancient pilgrimage routes across Europe that lead to the tomb of St. James in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Its history dates back to the 9th century, when the tomb was first discovered. There are various routes to Santiago, with many starting points. The scallop shell is one of the most iconic symbols of the Camino de Santiago and we would see it painted on trees, sidewalks, tiles and signs helping to guide pilgrims heading to Santiago along its many different routes. From Le Puy en Velay in France we found ourselves following the Camino del Norte, which takes pilgrims along the coastal towns of the Basque Country, Cantabria, and the Asturias in Spain before heading inland to Santiago. We saw the pilgrims almost daily as we made our way through France and Spain and it was so nice to experience the fleeting interactions of a little ‘bonjour’, ‘bon camino’ or hearing surprised voices exclaiming, ‘planche de surf?!”, fading into the distance as we whizzed past.

As we approached the Atlantic coast, cycling through the dark hours of an early morning, we found ourselves caught in a monstrous electrical storm that tested both our nerves and the waterproofness of our gear as the clouds finally unleashed heavy rain. The sky was alight with lightning and our bodies felt every rumble of thunder. Taking shelter we let it pass and then ventured out again on our mission to reach the coast. Arriving at the surfing town of Biscarrosse was a true shock to our system. We hadn’t surfed in three months and we were as excited as kids in a candy store, ready to jump into the water! However, we were a little overwhelmed by the lack of wild camping opportunities, the sheer number of people in the water and the huge campgrounds (some with capacities up to 4,500 people) all along the coast. Wowee, quite a difference from the quiet villages from central France. But no worries, we suited up and enjoyed our first surfs in the french atlantic waves. Such bliss from the moment you dive under the surface.

Spain

The north coast of Spain certainly delivered its beauty, ruggedness, steep climbs and weather with great force. There were days when I was gripping the handlebars, knuckles white, hoping I wouldn’t be pushed into the way of passing cars by furious gusts of wind. And other days we would arrive at an Albergue (local hostel) like little drowned rats, our hair plastered to our foreheads, soggy shorts and fingers like prunes. It got a bit tiring, but we still had big smiles on our faces.

On days of rare sunshine, we were treated to quiet, sweeping roads and trails that wound along the coast, lined with tall gumtrees that shared their sweet scent of eucalyptus; it was almost like riding along the Great Ocean Road at home.

Being on the bike, we are fortunate to be so close to nature—the scent of ripe figs in the air, chestnuts scattered across the ground, and the warm sun on our backs. However, we are also confronted by the impact we are having on the planet, much more than we would notice from the comfort of a car. The litter on the sides of the road that have been thrown carelessly out of car windows, hard rubbish dumped near remote dirt tracks, and fumes from factories and passing cars lingering in the air, while the waterways are brown and smelly from drain runoff. Sometimes even new construction sites right next to abandoned buildings. It is a very confronting and thought-provoking way to travel.

Pushing pedal stroke after pedal stroke, we have time to ponder. It was probably partway through the north coast of Spain that Ben and I shared how important it is for both of us to feel connected to the people around us. Yes, we all know that as humans we are wired to connect, and it has been said that it is as fundamental as food and water to our wellbeing. But it really hit home for us. We noticed that a small wave out the window, a beep or a smile from a passerby would make our day. Sometimes a town that wasn’t so pleasant to the eye could be made so much brighter because we met the friendliest of people, versus the prettiest of places without any interaction would leave us feeling empty.

However, more than not we have experienced genuine connections and generosity along the Way.

• Eating and sharing dinner in the communal kitchen of an Albergue, listening to pilgrims sharing their stories sometimes bringing us all to tears, mostly about the kindness of others around them.
• Enjoying a beer, sometimes a schnapps, with retired couples we have met at campsites. Always a few pearls of wisdom to be taken onboard amongst the chats.
• Warmshower (a cycling community website) hosts sharing their home-cooked meals and squeezing our bikes and the trailer into their living rooms.
• Gisle from Norway, waving us off the road to offer us a beer, some Jaggermeister and lunch. Which turned into shared dinner and drinks at the local campground.
• Meeting Serge, an 84-year old bike packer who rides 5,000 kms every summer throughout Europe and would wild camp along the way. When we met him at midday, he had already ridden 100km that morning.

Portugal

The land of warm-hearted people, stunning coastlines, tiled-buildings, cork trees and tangy sweet mandarins fresh from the trees. Aah Portugal, you are a special place. Apart from a bout of food poisoning that hit us whilst staying in a 9-bed dormitory, both of us at the top beds of three-tier bunks (pretty tough to clamber up and down a ladder surrounded by strangers when things are about to burst), it has been an absolute delight! Our timing with nature has been more positive - the sun has been shining, swell and wind direction has been more favourable… resulting in fun mornings of riding along gravel trails and surfing in the afternoon.

From here we will continue our slow ride south to Sagres situated on the southernmost point of Portugal, before heading East towards Tarifa where we will catch a ferry across to Morocco mid-late November and most likely pause there till early January. Then we will continue on through Western Sahara, Mauritania to our final destination - Dakar, Senegal.

A little bit about our daily routine

Before embarking on our trip, we daydreamed about all the time we would have to enjoy relaxing activities like reading, yoga, and meditation after a long day of riding. However, reality has been a little different, especially with the shorter days as we move into winter.

A typical day looks a little like this:

6.30am: wake up and start packing up our tent and gear. We have got it down to a fine art now, as all things have their specific places in bags and on the bikes, but it still takes us up to 1 - 1.5 hrs! Enjoy a brekkie of oats, nuts, banana, yoghurt, peanut butter and cinnamon. Yum!

7.45am: on the bike to the tune of Willy Nelson’s ‘on the road again’ to ride 15-20km, at which point we are on the hunt for a local boulangerie / panaderia.

12.30 - 1.30pm: find a nice spot for lunch. Generally a baguette filled with tomato, cucumber, cheese and some pesto. A piece of fruit and a few sweet biscuits.

3 - 4p / after riding anywhere between 50 - 100km: we are looking for a spot to sleep (sometimes accommodation when there is heavy rain as we are not in love with packing up a soggy tent in the rain).

5pm: setting up the tent, handwashing our riding gear, bike maintenance, planning the next day’s route and making dinner. Dinner is often a hearty salad, or a one-pot veggie mix with some couscous on the side, or a big plate of pesto pasta and a healthy dose of cheese on top. Then into our tent and sleeping bags by the time it is dark! We have organically fallen into our different roles which has helped to create a smooth routine and we love the natural rhythm of each day.

Some of the Sea to Summit gear that has helped make this trip so enjoyable:

• Big River Dry Bag: keeping our gear dry in our trailer
• Spark Ultralight Sleeping Bags: super light for carrying on the bike and super warm for those chilly nights
• Telos Bikepacking Two Person Tent: The best tent ever!!! It comes in two waterproof bags that strap onto the front fork of my bike, is super light and is very roomy inside. We can even do our daily stretches inside (when it is raining out).
• Ultralight Insulated Pads: Light, comfy and easy to blow up and then pack away each morning.
• Frontier Collapsible 5-piece set: Has made cooking easy, enjoyable and fits perfectly in my pannier!
• Ultra-Sil Packable Day Pack: I use this almost daily - for shopping, carrying my camera and my valuables when I’m away from my bike. Plus it packs away so small and takes up no room in my panniers!

All in all, our little adventure throughout France, Spain and Portugal has been truly wonderful so far. We have soaked up the special moments of human connections, found a new relationship with time and distance, and love the feeling of riding our bikes alongside each other, in nature, every day.

Much love until our next update,
Laura @lauramaywilson13 and Ben @duck_whispering