Very Small, Very Alive

We attempted the most remote cycle in Europe

Dear reader,

Back in August I left the heat of Ibiza and boarded a plane to Iceland, dragging a bag the size of a small baby through the airport. By evening I found myself in an old wooden pub in Reykjavík, surrounded by five of my closest friends, giddy for the adventure to come.

As a group of friends, we are unusually scattered across the world — Los Angeles, New York, London, Melbourne, Ibiza. Over the years we’ve hiked Na Pali in Hawaii, traversed through Bhutan’s ancient forests, cycled the length of Japan and summited Mont Blanc. It had been a while since the last trip. We were all ready to get away from our screens and back into the embrace of Mother Nature.

The idea started when someone dropped a link in the group chat — a bikepacking route through the Westfjords of Northwestern Iceland, designed by adventure photographer Chris Burkard. We were lucky to connect with Chris and the local tourism board early on, which made all the difference for understanding what we were really in for. The more we learnt, the more certain we were this was the adventure for us.

What followed was a trip of extremes. More beautiful and more brutal than I could have imagined. The light up there does something to you — it stretches across the sky in a way that makes you feel very small and very alive at the same time. The roads at times are hardly roads at all. The wind can hit you like a brick wall and the rain will drench you in seconds… when you least expect it.

The first film is a three minute cinematic love letter to Iceland, Nature and brotherhood. Find a quiet moment and give it a watch.

But that’s only the highlights. Of the six of us who started, only four crossed the finish line on bikes. Along the way we lost cameras, sustained injuries, and spent more time than we’d like to admit pushing rather than pedalling. The second film goes behind the scenes — funny, honest, and a little revealing.

Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. It was exactly what we needed. A sharp reminder of what it feels like to be out in the elements. Wind swept faces, empty stomachs, aching muscles and a deep gratitude for simply being alive.

If you have an adventure you’ve been putting off — a route you dream of doing, a trip that lives in your head but not on a calendar — this is your nudge. Stop thinking about it and make it happen. You won’t regret it... not once it’s all said and done anyway.

Enjoy,

F

A huge thank you to Chris Burkard and Visit Westfjords for making this trip possible, and to Rapha, Ostroy, Tailfin and Leica for kitting us out so well.