Episode 153: The Garbage Bag Boys

Bikepacking From Vietnam to Spain

The Wild Adventures of the Garbage Bag Boys

There are bike adventures… and then there’s the journey that Australians Luke Fowler and Sam Edder, collectively known as The Garbage Bag Boys, are taking on. When they left Northern Vietnam with their bikes pointed west toward Spain, they knew they wanted an adventure. What they didn’t expect was just how hard the routes they’d take on would be. I caught up with Luke and Sam while they were in Greece, closing in on their end goal of Malaga. Behind them was what can only be described as a huge ride adventure.

From Hitchhikers to Bikepackers

Their story began three years ago when the two met during their paramedicine and nursing studies. A chance conversation while abseiling in the rain in the Grampians led to a spontaneous decision: Let’s hitchhike India. They bought ultra-cheap bivvy bags (quickly nicknamed “garbage bags” by their flatmate, and hence their nickname) and then they set off.

That journey actually started in Bangladesh and it was a confronting way to start what could only be described as an intense, and unpredictable adventure. It was exactly the kind of experience both of them were after and it laid the groundwork for the bigger adventure to come.

The Ride Begins: Ha Giang to the Gobi

Their bikepacking journey launched in northern Vietnam on the demanding Ha Giang Loop. It’sa route that immediately shattered the idea that Southeast Asia would be “easy” cycling. They crossed into China, rode through bamboo forests, then took a train to the edge of Mongolia to “get to the real adventure.”

The Gobi Desert delivered that reality check in full force. Or should that be gale forced head wind force?

They pushed their bikes through deep sand, which was challenging but it would be the unrelenting headwinds which hammered them through this section which would leave the deepest impression. Sam mentioned the headwinds were so strong they’d be cycling along in their lowest gears on a flat road, crawling along at 4 km/h with their heart rates pinned to max. It was the hardest riding they’d ever done and the place they both agree they never need to see again on a bike.

Storms, Wolves & the Roof That Blew Off

While they were in Mongolia one of the most frightening moments of the trip occured. Luke and Sam sheltered in a tiny abandoned building during a huge storm. In the middle of the night the wind rose from dead calm to jet-engine intensity, ripping the entire roof off the structure while they screamed to each other over the noise. They emerged to sideways snow and the roof lying metres away.

“That was probably the most intense weather we have ever experienced in our lives,” Sam said.

Travelling With Eyes Open

This episode goes far deeper than physical hardship. With Sam’s background in journalism and war photography and their work in healthcare, each of them speak candidly about what it’s been like witnessing inequality, and understanding the privelige that comes with ‘winning the birthplace lottery’.

Long-term bikepacking has shaped their worldview as much as the landscapes have shaped their legs. “I’ve felt like the most selfish person at times,” Sam admits, “but this trip has also given me perspective. It changes what you know you need to do when you get home”.

Why They Keep Going?

Despite exhaustion, fear, wild terrain and emotional heaviness, both Luke and Sam seem to level up the difficulty with each route they take on. Their’s been a fatigue which comes with it. Both of them admitting that huge mountain vistas which should quite rightly take their breathe away, have become the norm. Still there have been some extreme highlights. The Gobi desert may be a place they never want to see again, but the Tian Shan Mountains were the closest they’d both felt to experiencing true and unadulterated freedom.

Something both Luke and Sam admit is they have tried to not go into each route with pre-conceived expectations. They highlight how China was a place they weren’t looking forward to at all, and yet it was a place they enjoyed immensely. Conversely looking especially forward to a place, could leave you open to being disapointed on arrival.

I hope you enjoy this episode, it’s packed with laughter, intensity, vulnerability and incredible storytelling. Thanks Luke and Sam.

You can follow their future adventures via their instagram page – @GarbageBagBoys

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