By Gary Robinson, Founder of AvidCyclist.com
Sometimes the most inspiring stories in cycling aren’t found at the finish line of a major race, but on a winding road on a Friday afternoon. I was driving home to Castle Rock, Colorado, descending the long, windy hill known as Wolfensberger, when I spotted two cyclists. They were carrying more packs than most mules, and as I got closer, I noticed a small detail that immediately caught my attention: a license plate that simply read “France.”
Intrigued, I pulled over ahead of them. What followed was a brief conversation in broken English and French, aided later by AI translation, that introduced me to Bea and Damien Bertaux—a French couple undertaking an extraordinary five-month bikepacking journey from Cancun, Mexico, to Calgary, Canada.
That brief roadside meeting led to an exchange of emails, a few AvidCyclist stickers, and eventually, a longer sit-down conversation over the weekend as they made their way from Denver toward Boulder. I quickly realized that their story wasn’t just about the miles they were covering, but about their deep love for cycling and the slow, deliberate way they choose to see the world.
I was able to arrange to meet up with them on Sunday, May 10 as they were done for the day. We sat down in a park as I learned about their background, their trip, and even more, their passion for traveling by bike.
The Long Road to the Starting Line
For Bea and Damien, this journey has been years in the making. “We started to plan it in 2020,” Bea explained. “During three years we planned it, we saved money, we prepared our apartment to be rented… because we have to have some money.”
Their original plan was to ride from Calgary south to Mexico, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced a cancellation. They bought a house, did some renovations, and started saving again. They aimed for 2025, but a broken bone delayed them once more. While recovering, they toured southern Europe in a small van. Finally, when the time was right, they reversed their route. Starting in February meant winter in Canada, so they began in the south, pedaling north from Cancun.
A Lifetime of Two-Wheeled Travel
While the Cancun to Calgary route is their longest single trip, Bea and Damien are no strangers to cycle touring. They began traveling by bike in 2013 with a short, two-day trip between small villages in France. “We found this experience very funny,” they recalled. That sparked a passion that has seen them spend their six-week summer vacations touring across Europe.
To date, they have cycled through Italy, Portugal, Croatia, Germany, Austria, Poland, and Sweden. Their ultimate goal in Europe is to reach every capital city by bike—they have already visited 19. “We love so much Sweden,” they noted, praising the quiet roads and easy camping. “In Germany, in Austria, there are lots of bike lanes. So it’s very easy to plan a trip there and visit lots of beautiful places.”
All told, they estimate they have spent more than 16 months of their lives traveling by bike.
The American West at 10 Miles Per Hour
By the time I met them in Colorado, they had already traversed a significant portion of the American West. After starting the U.S. leg of their journey in Las Vegas, they pedaled through some of the country’s most iconic landscapes. Their route took them through Arches National Park, Moab, Mesa Verde, and Monument Valley.
They also braved the elements at Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. “It was very nice, and it was very cold,” they shared. “We spent two nights there, and one night with the snow, with minus one degrees during the night. It was a bit fresh. We were in the campground, so in the tent all the day, because we were cold.”
As they push further north, they are constantly adapting. Snow and road closures in the mountains mean their route is evaluated and adjusted daily.
The Real Challenge: Keeping It Fun
When asked about the biggest challenge of their trip, their answer wasn’t about physical exhaustion, mechanical failures, or the logistical nightmare of flying loaded touring bikes across the
Atlantic. Instead, it was about maintaining the spirit of the journey.
“What we like is to make this trip quite easy and fun,” they explained. “And I think that the most difficult is to keep this funny and quite easy. Not to be tired at the end of the day, to see people. Sometimes it’s not easy to end the day and to be able to speak with people, to not just want to sleep.”
For Bea and Damien, cycling is a means of connection. “We love cycling because it’s a free time for us to discover our landscape, discover people… we love meeting people. It’s a slow way to
discover countries.”
To help manage the long distances between cities and the high cost of motels, they frequently rely on the “Warm Showers” community—a hospitality network for touring cyclists. It was through this network that they found places to stay in Denver and Boulder during our weekend meetings.
Following the Journey
Meeting Bea and Damien was a reminder of why I started AvidCyclist.com. It’s about the community, the shared passion, and the incredible places a bicycle can take you. I feel like I made two new friends on Wolfensberger that Friday afternoon.
We will be following Bea and Damien as they continue their journey north toward Calgary. Stay tuned to AvidCyclist.com for more updates, photos, and videos from their incredible adventure. Be safe, Bea and Damien, and enjoy the coming days, weeks, and months!
