Bike Life

What do you get when you combine a love for adventure and cycle touring with a passion for nature conservation and awareness?

Hanna Ollos and Jonas Sommer embarked on an epic cycling journey from Germany to Southeast Asia, with the goal of promoting nature conservation and raising awareness about the biodiversity crisis. Little did they know that their one-and-a-half-year journey would take unexpected twists and turns, pushing them to their limits and teaching them invaluable lessons about flexibility and going with the flow.

As Hanna and Jonas navigate through different terrains, climates, and encounters with local communities, they share their firsthand experiences of the challenges and rewards of long-distance cycling. From extreme droughts and scorching temperatures to the hospitality of the South Asian people, they paint a vivid picture of their journey that is both awe-inspiring and humbling. Their insights provide a unique perspective on the interconnectedness of humanity and nature, and the urgent need to protect biodiversity.

If you've ever dreamed of embarking on your own cycling adventure or simply want to learn more about the importance of nature conservation, this episode is a must-listen. Hanna and Jonas offer practical advice for starting small and gradually building up to bigger trips, encouraging everyone to connect with nature and make a difference in their own communities.

Learn more about Hanna and Jonas at Biking4Biodiversity.org and follow them on Facebook and Instagram @Biking4Biodiversity.

Join our community at Warmshowers.org, follow us on Instagram @Warmshowers_org, and visit us on Facebook. Contact Tahverlee directly at [email protected].

Theme Music by Les Konley | Produced by Les Konley

Happy riding and hosting!

Alissa Bell takes us on an inspiring adventure as she shares her transformational journey from the corporate grind to the liberating world of global bike touring.

Following the motivating stories of women adventurers, Alissa stepped out of her comfort zone, leading to remarkable experiences in East and West Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America. These experiences culminated in a newfound love for bike travel and a desire to share her stories with the world.

As the founder of Bike Sleep Bike, her online community project that brings together a diverse collection of personal bike travel stories, Alissa has logged over 20,000 miles cycling across the globe. Through the power of storytelling, she highlights the challenges and rewards of solo travel and overcoming fears. Her insights provide a powerful testament to the life-changing impact of travel and the vibrant spirit of the cycling community.

Catch up with Alissa on her website, Exploring Wild, and follow her adventures on Bike Sleep Bike and Facebook.

Join our community at Warmshowers.org, follow us on Instagram @Warmshowers_org, and visit us on Facebook. Contact Tahverlee directly at [email protected].

Theme Music by Les Konley | Produced by Les Konley

Happy riding and hosting!

Today’s episode of Bike Life aired earlier this year and quickly became one of our most downloaded shows of all time. All of our 2023 guests have been simply amazing! We hope you enjoy this encore presentation of Murdock, the Hosting Legend.

Richard Martin, aka Murdock, discovered Warmshowers entirely by chance. Eight years and 200 guests later, Murdock has become a hosting legend!

One day, on his way to work as a wildland firefighter, he met a cyclist on the road who had just climbed a steep hill and looked exhausted. He stopped to offer her Gatorade, which turned into an offer of a place to stay, and then dinner, where she told him all about Warmshowers. The rest is history.

In his eight years of hosting, Murdock has met incredible people from all over the world. He’s seen it all; unicycles, tricycles, families with dogs, you name it. For Murdock, it’s all about the story, and someone new with a unique story always comes along!

Follow Richard on Facebook and Instagram at @pinkmoondiving.

Join our community at Warmshowers.org, follow us on Instagram @Warmshowers_org, and visit us on Facebook. Contact Tahverlee directly at [email protected].

Today’s episode of Bike Life was hosted by Jerry Kopack, Warmshowers Board member and finance chair.

Theme Music by Les Konley | Produced by Les Konley

Happy riding and hosting!

Today's guest is Pinar Pinzuti, the founder of Fancy Women Bike Ride; a woman-only bike event held in cities worldwide. Pinar's goal is to bring more diversity into the cycling world and empower more women to ride more often.

Pinar has been traveling by bicycle since 2006 and using Warmshowers hosts around the world. She has tried all forms of bike touring; long-distance Cycling in South America, adventure cycling in Iceland, bike-packing in southern Italy, road biking in Spain. She loves discovering cities by bike and believes if you "go slow, you feel more."

As an avid cyclist, Pinar participated in many bike events and began to notice that she was often one of only a few women involved. As a result, she became shy and somewhat insecure when riding. Pinar's neighbor, who learned to ride a bike for the first time at the age of 39, came up with the idea of having a bike event for women only. So together, they held the first Fancy Woman Bike Ride in 2013.

They were only expecting about ten women to join the ride, but to their amazement, 400 women showed up! They invaded the roads of Turkey with their fancy clothes and decorated bicycles, smiling and waving to onlookers. Almost 50 journalists came to cover the event, which grew from there.

Pinar believes that Cycling is a compelling way for women to become visible in society and an entirely new way to interact with their city. Fancy Women Bike Ride is a grassroots event for women, organized by women to remember the liberating joy of Cycling and to inspire more women to ride more often. The more women who cycle, the more women will be encouraged to cycle.

Pinar is also creating powerful ways for women to be seen in the industry. In addition to founding Fancy Women Bike Ride, she works closely with the Woman Cycling Initiative. Women in Cycling is a new initiative to help women get more visibility, impact, and leading jobs in the cycling industry. They seek to boost equality and diversity in the sector, shine the spotlight on women in the industry and provide networking, mentoring, and training opportunities.

Next year will be the 10th anniversary of the Fancy Women Bike Ride. Look for a local event in a city near you in September 2022. Besides creating more diversity in the biking industry, Pinar hopes to encourage women to dust off their bikes, join the ride, and then keep going for the pure joy of it.

You can follow Pinar, who calls herself a cycling brainwasher, on Instagram at @pinarpinzuti, Facebook, and Twitter at @pinarpinzuti. But beware, she will convince you to take up cycling!

Learn more about Fancy Women Bike Ride, Women in Cycling Initiative, Bike Italia, and Bikenomist.

Join our community at Warmshowers.org, or you can reach Tahverlee at [email protected].

Follow us on Instagram; @Warmshowers_org

Do you want to get into cycling without breaking the bank? With over 30-years of experience, John Bolton knows a lot about cycling and the gear that goes with it!

John runs a YouTube channel called Cycling on a Shoestring. He is an avid cyclist who gives honest, objective reviews, tips, and tricks in his videos. Whether it’s clothing, gear, bikes, routes, or components, John reviews it all.

John is passionate about the cycling community. He shares low-cost products with great value and the resources you need to follow your passion for cycling and do it affordably.

5 Fun Facts and Observations from John:

• He likes climbing mountains - yeah, he likes to suffer!
• His Road ID wristband says, “ Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.”
• Riding a bike gives him time to think and keeps him sane.
• Patching tubes is still a thing.
• You see the world from a different perspective from a bike saddle.

Learn more about John and follow him on his YouTube channel Cycling on a Shoestring, Instagram at @cyclingonashoestring, and Twitter at @ConAShoestring.

Join our community at Warmshowers.org, follow us on Instagram @Warmshowers_org and visit us on Facebook. Contact Tahverlee directly at [email protected].

Theme Music by Les Konley | Produced by Les Konley

Happy riding and hosting!