My name is Lydia, and I am geek about food and how it’s grown. I want to better understand the agricultural situation of South and Central America from the view of my bicycle. This is a view hopefully slow enough to allow serendipity to lead me to people and organizations that will share their experiences with me. I’m curious to see how the changing circumstances created by global climate change and global markets are affecting the possibility to live as a small farmer. I hope you will join me on my journey and that we experience the power of breaking bread together!
Category: WOW Women On Wheels
Megan Tasker
Megan took a career break back in the fall of 2012 to become a professional day dreamer (and travelling yogi), after three years of traipsing around the world she managed to travel to more than 35 countries in 6 continents! After backpacking and city hoping, it was clear that long epic trip that required nature and physical activity, she walked 900 km across the Camino Frances in Northern Spain, followed by cycling 6700 km across Canada, solo and self-supported. An avid photographer, advocate for the environment and lover of picnics in the park, you can read all about her adventures, photographs and musings, on her blog.
Anna Kitler
“My name is Anna and I just recently graduated college in the U.S. Growing up in Germany, I always loved traveling and experiencing new people, food or scenery. After four years in New York, I felt like I didn’t know a lot about the United States, so I decided to turn my cheap road bike into a touring bike and start touring across America. On this adventure, I am not planning on following any of the major bike routes, but rather old high ways and smaller streets that will take me into little towns and neighborhoods that haven’t seen any bicycle tourists. So far, this rather adventurous approach has paid off, because people have welcomed me into their homes and showed me around their areas a great deal. I am planning on being on the road for at least seven months so that I can cover about 8000 miles. However, I am already contemplating to extend my tour and ride through more states. You can follow my adventures on myfacebook page“
Fredrika Ek
I’m Fredrika. I’m from Sweden. And I’m in love with pedaling my bicycle. Or well… I’m in love with the places, people, adventures and all the unforgettable stuff pedaling my bike leads to. Nothing in this world gives me the same sense of freedom as loading my panniers with food, water and (of course) crazy amounts of chocolate, and then pedal away on some road to small to exist on any map. I still feel like I’ve just gotten started on my world tour, and I’m so ridiculously excited to know – that I really DON’T know what’s in store for me these upcoming couple of years.’
HAVE YOU READ THE BIG WOW BOOK?
Crazy? Well, Only On a Good Day!
“No doubt exists that all women are crazy; it’s only a question of degree.” – W. C. Fields …I read this quote and had to laugh. Crazy? Well, only on a good day & every day is a good day on a bicycle tour! Happy 100th to Women’s Bicycle Touring! Check out over 100 WOWsers (women on wheels) on the Women on Wheels Wall!
Photo: Long story short, I met Kat on route 40 Argentina. Kat´s strap is like that because we were trying to sort out how to fit a lost hungry tiny kitten into a very hot pannier for her ride into town. More stories on the WOW (Women On Wheels) Wall!
Cycling Queens of 2013…The Pedal Medals
“I got boobs, I got a bike” may be this year’s slogan for bicycle touring. The booby led bicycle touring revolution has become amply endowed this year with the WOW (Women On Wheels) Wall filling out to include over 100 solo female bicycle tourists. The Wall busted her britches with the sisters of cycling from all over the world coming together in celebration of a growing community. It is a remarkable top heavy resource that has kept my skalatitude@gmail e-mail box overflowing this year with all the free camping, safety and gear questions. Drum roll please………this year’s Pedal Medals go to…
Ballsy Bronze
Cycle touring on one wheel, not at all of classic proportions for a bicycle, unicyclist Anne-Sophie Rodette took on a 6 month dirt and pavement tour of Patagonia. Anne-Marie got in touch with me on twitter to join the community and to say that my completion of cycling the length ofAfrica was inspirational to her. “Tsst”, I said “enough about that, Emma Sweden Meets Africa On A Bike (FB english website swedish) just made it to Cape Town, the book Desert Snow was just released with great reviews, and I just met South African Leana Niemand through the WOW FB fan page, she has been on the road for over 6 years. Brenna Coupland is setting up a mobile bicycle repair project in East Africa. Psst, lets here about your unicycle because it isn´t everyday that I get to meet someone on such an intrepid journey on only one wheel” The bronze medal goes to Anne-Marie for inspiring with her balanced courage to take it slow and offer some great advice for the new year “sure, it’s slower than a bicycle but I’m in no rush in order to better discover, learn and think along my journey.”
Splendidly Silver
At 64 years old, Kathryn Mossbrook Zimmerman is the oldest woman on the WOW wall. and Rachel Hugens, at 63, are top contenders. The youthful Antoinette Morgan who overcame an emergency hysterectomy is also a force to be reckoned with. But Gerdi Geist takes the lead. Geist, the years silver winner, who this year cycled to the Black Sea says it best: “Many years ago, I took a year out of university to travel. I had lived a sheltered life and I wanted to ‘find myself’. Now 35 years later, I live a sheltered life again. I have a husband, a mortgage, an all-consuming job and grown up children. And again, I want to break free. So, I’m going on a bike ride. On my own. I’m middle aged, not very fit, I don’t know much about bike maintenance and I am not particularly resourceful. But I want to experience the thrill of being a nomad again, the thrill of not knowing where I will sleep that night, not knowing who I will meet and the thrill of fending for myself. The thrill of feeling alive.”
The GOLDen Road
In the last 2 months I have met 3 solo females camping and cycling solo on RT. 40 Argentina. Mati was on a 3 week holiday from Barcelona. Dorothee Fleck was triple loaded on her second bike tour around the world and Kat from Australia on a 6 month tour of South America. Kat had started the tour with her partner but when the relationship dissolved she headed for Ushuaia solo. Kat and I laughed when we both admitted to free camping concerns. “My headlamp is on my wrist when I sleep” Kat says. “My headlamp used to be on my forehead and I have slept with my shoes on so I could run away from the boogie man” I laughed and said in complete comederie. Camping solo is a popular concern, Teacher Alison Davies says “ if I get scared camping, I put my ear plugs in!”
The gold award goes to all WOW (Women On Wheels) who despite occasional gliches completed their first bicycle tour this year. Lori Bell and Heather Jones across America and sums it up“Ladies- We can soar like birds, traveling the world on our bicycle, embracing our independence, and making our lives our own. I’m so proud of all of us! Pedal on!”
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Special note: I just loaded 2 weeks of food on the bicycle.There will be lentils dangling from my handlebars at 4748m/(15,577ft) in the Paso San Franscisco (Chile/Argentina border), the Paso Pircas Negros is unfortunately closed until January. I am not sure about communications but check the right side bar for updates from the cell company through my smart phone. Happy Holidays!
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The gold award goes to all WOW (Women On Wheels) who despite occasional gliches completed their first bicycle tour this year. Lori Bell and Heather Jones across America and sums it up“Ladies- We can soar like birds, traveling the world on our bicycle, embracing our independence, and making our lives our own. I’m so proud of all of us! Pedal on!”
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Special note: I just loaded 2 weeks of food on the bicycle.There will be lentils dangling from my handlebars at 4748m/(15,577ft) in the Paso San Franscisco (Chile/Argentina border), the Paso Pircas Negros is unfortunately closed until January. I am not sure about communications but check the right side bar for updates from the cell company through my smart phone. Happy Holidays!
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