Boulder’s own Ryan Van Duzer and Ali Geiser — two months into their new love — set off from the Pacific Northwest coast in early July for a cross-country bicycle trip.
Both had not been in long-term relationships recently and this trip — they dubbed #LoveCycles — provided a crash course in love and relationship. When you have to be together everyday all day, especially in the sometimes stressful bike-packing life, things get real, and they did.
Half way through Ryan, who chronicles this adventure (and many others) on his YouTube page, paused editing and pushing out videos to focus on Ali and the relationship. For anyone who’s edited video knows, it is time- and energy-consuming.
Making enough time for your partner — that’s one of the big lessons Ryan learned.
“Once we started pedaling, things got real, real fast,” Ryan told me via email. “In past relationships, I’d run away when things went south, but on this ride, we really took the time to work through issues.”
But, 3,500 miles and three months after setting out, they hit New York City last week. They’re both now in Boulder. And still together!
Ryan’s favorite moment?
“While it’s hard to pick out one favorite moment, I REALLY enjoyed our two days camping with a bunch of Harley biker dudes in the tiny town of Mackey, Idaho. They welcomed us into their family and we got to experience a bit of motorcycle culture. The rodeo they put on was incredible, lots of goofy games, including barrel racing on Harleys, and plenty of general debauchery. We’ve been in contact with many of them since we pedaled onward in early July, and hope to see them down the road somewhere.”
If you’re thinking of testing love on a bike-packing adventure, Ryan and Ali have some advice, at least for the easy stuff — the gear:
Feature image: Ryan and Ali in New York City. Credit: Ryan Van Duzer, Instagram.
