The first-ever Women's Bikepacking Overnighter was held on 10-11th June in Helsinki, Finland. The idea behind the event, run Henna Palosaari, is to bring women who are interested in bikepacking and gravel riding together. It gives women an opportunity to take on a challenge and have some fun with the support of a community of women. With this idea front of mind, nine women gathered together on 10th June and set out for a 122 km overnighter trip around Helsinki following the Ring G South by Cycle bikepacking route.
Right from the start, it was clear that it was going to be a great two days of bikepacking – all the women showed up with big smiles on their faces, clearly ready to have some fun. The first evening's ride – a moderate 38 km – passed quickly, characterised by chatting, with everyone getting to know the other riders and enjoying the beautiful (some might say secret) forest roads out of the city and ending the day on the scenic gravel roads of Sipoonkorpi.
The first night’s camping spot was the Ängesböle lean-to with a fireplace, tent site and outhouse. Once everyone’s tents were set up, we gathered around the fireplace to make dinner and share stories from our adventures. Time flew under the midnight sun and before we knew it, it was already midnight and time for some sleep.
The next morning began with an easy-going breakfast and morning coffee before packing up and hitting the road. On the second day, the ride was kept at a nice, unhurried pace, with yet more stories being shared. We followed the same route back to Kuusijärvi cafe and Sauna before heading off on a loop around Helsinki to reach the Nuuksio National Park on the other side of the city. It’s amazing how you can get around Helsinki almost exclusively on gravel roads and paths.
We stopped for lunch at Cafe Pehtoori (great food and beautiful place), before joining the marked route 2000 that led us into Nuuksio National Park. They say there are no hills in Finland but just wait – there’s plenty of rolling hills here that present you with steep, punchy climbs. If you don’t believe me, go ride in Nuuksio and you’ll know. Despite being only a short distance from the capital, the Nuuksio leg of the route provides a great perspective of the ancient, impressive Finnish forests.
On the second day, we rode 89 kilometers, amplified by the rolling hills, so by the time we reached Espoo everyone could feel the effort in their legs. We were tired but happy when we got on the subway that took us back to the city where we enjoyed a dinner together at Peloton Cycling Eatery, the only real cycling cafe & restaurant in Helsinki. The best part of events like this is the way you share the adventure with like-minded people, meeting new people that you feel like home with right from the beginning and get inspired by their adventures and stories. The weekend exceeded all expectations and we’ve already started planning for next year’s edition.
The Women's Bikepacking Overnighter is an all-women event created in response to the low percentage of female participants in bikepacking races and events.
The event was organised by PALO and made possible by Velocio Apparel. Other event partners were Komoot, Nosht, Nordic Gravel Series and Taivasalla. You can find out more about the event (in Finnish) here - paloadventures.com/bikepacking