So, you guys probably already know Tristan Bogaard & Belén Castello.  We had a talk with them prior to their book release in September.  Lannoo Publishers from Belgium sent us a copy of their book named Bike Life.  After interviewing Belén and Tristan I must admit I had high expectations of the book,  mainly because of all the pictures that I had seen and the intriguing stories Tristan and Belén shared with me during the interview. I was immediately impressed by the size of the book, with its 256 pages it is a real heavyweight and a nice addition to your coffee table book collection.

Unlike most other cycling adventure books this one has a lot of written content and that makes the book stand out from a lot of others.  I must admit I am a sucker for great storytelling.  Apart from the storytelling there is a lot of information in the book on all the cycling destinations Belén and Tristan have discovered over the years.  But most importantly they have added a whole section that deals with bicycle touring and how to get started and how to prepare for those big trips: mapping, picking the right bike and the right gear. There’s even a section on food and a couple of one-pan meal recipes that will make all you cycling foodies grow hungry instantly.  Tell me, who doesn’t like yellow lentil curry, right?  It’s also nice to see them adding some contemporary themes like sustainability and gender into Bike Life. 

The main reason people will probably buy this book is because of the great photographic content.  The book packs a ton of pictures of incredible landscapes from green Norwegian mountain tops, epic Portuguese coastlines to dusty valleys on the Silk Road in Tajikistan.  There’s a lot of full page and even double paged pictures which will leave you dreaming about your next cycling destination once this pandemic is behind us.  In our interview they talked about the drone being kind of the third member of their team and the book quickly reveals you why.  Some of these drone images are just insane and suck you right in.  Their photography doesn’t stop with the landscapes they experience but they toss in a lot of personal images and portrayals of the people and the different cultures they met on the road too.

The structure of the book follows their cycling from the start in Norway until their last trip through Washington state just before they started working on this book.  The couple started in Norway because they thought that Scandinavia was probably the better cycling destination if you’re new to bike touring and wild camping and want to build up your experiences gradually.  So that’s what they did; build it up, gather some experience and eventually end up in Central-Asia. Every chapter features another destination and comes with a small map, some background and personal notes and a bunch of tips: what is the best season to cycle, what about campsites, cost, water supplies, etc …

So who’s this book aimed at?  The classic world-tourer who wants to go for the long haul?  Adventurous bikepackers?  The occasional cyclist?  Actually, everyone with a love for cycling, the great outdoors and exploring will love it.  The book gives readers a ton of inspiration for their next adventures, one destination a bit closer to home than the other.  I’m already looking forward to a follow -up for this one since I know Belén and Tristan changed their bike-set up to tackle even more of the grid destinations.

Enjoy the read and get inspired!

Bike Life, Tristan Bogaard & Belén Castello, Lannoo Publishing Group ISBN 978-2-39025-115-6

Words: Philippe Michiels

Photography: Philippe Michiels, Tristan Bogaard & Belén Castello