Xiao, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you here. I’ve been following your journeys and the honest, spontaneous way you share your adventures, and I couldn’t wait to sit down and talk with you. You’re young, you’ve already crossed half the world by bike, and your energy is contagious. First of all, thank you for being here with me today.
Hey Emanuele, I am Xiao, I come from Belgium and just graduated from university. As a side job, I am also a bike mechanic!
How did your passion for cycling, and especially bikepacking, begin?
My mom always tells me that I went cycling straight after getting out of the stroller. My first bike trip was also with her. I remember cycling to the north part of the Netherlands from Belgium. A bad idea because there is a lot of wind haha. I don’t really know why we did it by bike, it was a first experience for both of us and it was a long time before bikepacking became popular. I was 14 years old, back in 2013.
About Adventure bikepacking, I would say that it all started in 2018 with my first bike trip with three of my friends just after graduating from school. We grabbed our bikes, bought Decathlon’s cheapest pannier and even one of my friends borrowed a bike. We had one destination in mind in France, the bus tickets for the return and a tiny budget of 5€ pp per day to respect. It was my first time sleeping in a tent, under the stars and discovering the joy of bike touring.
After that, we repeated the experience every time we had the occasion and explored all Europe! Bike touring was the best way to travel for us because when you are young, you have time but no money.
Can you tell us about one of the most meaningful or transformative moments from your bikepacking trips?
Sleeping in a tent and under the stars for the first time. Also, cooking with a camping stove, travelling for very cheap. I finally understood how to be free.
On your YouTube and Instagram channels you share very authentic videos and stories. How important is it for you to document your journeys?
Since my first trips, I always documented everything. One of the best gifts I ever received was an action camera with no brand but it really sparked my love for vlogging when I was around 16. When my auntie upgraded my equipment offering me a Gopro hero 8, I was in heaven!
I remember spending days and sometimes weeks editing a vlog and then watching the premiere together with all my friends. It is so rewarding! Creating and forging memories analogically and digitally is for me as important as the trip itself. It is nice to live the moment but it is even better to relive it forever whenever you want. Sometimes, with my friends, we meet again and rewatch these vlogs and we realize that we forgot so much stuff! Doing a vlog of my trip from China to Belgium was thus obvious from the beginning. Not to show it to everyone but for myself.
Daily vlogs were totally new for me. I wasn’t using social media at that time, my friends showed me these daily influencers and I decided to give it a try. In the beginning I did it mostly for my family and friends, I knew that it could have potential but I wasn’t ready for what’s coming next!
“If you wait for everything to be perfect, you never start. I’m afraid to die, but I’m more afraid to not live.”
When you plan a bikepacking adventure, how do you organize your gear? What are the essentials you always take with you?
For me, the essentials are a tent, a good sleeping bag, air mattress and a cooking stove. These are the really important stuff that you need for Bikepacking, the rest, you will see.
What are the biggest challenges you face during a bike trip (weather, mechanical issues, fatigue…) and how do you deal with them?
I love challenges. I don’t like cycling that much, it gets boring very fast. I like to be in difficult situations especially in remote areas with unpredictable weather. Of course I am prepared! I have clothes for all kinds of weather, I can fix my bike anywhere whenever and about fatigue, it is only in these tough conditions that you are challenged. The trip makes sense only when there is no alternative but to improvise and go beyond your own physical and mental limitations.
“I finally understood how to be free.”
How do you balance the desire for adventure with the need for safety on the road? Do you have strategies to stay safe and ride sustainably?
I don’t overthink things, but of course you need to be prepared otherwise it can get dangerous. It’s always about finding the balance between recklessness and preparation, because if you wait for everything to be perfect, you never start. But I’m not dumb, I am afraid to die but I am more afraid to not live.
What is your favorite memory from your bikepacking adventures, and what destination would you love to explore next?
Riding between the border of Sichuan and Tibet at 4800m was a crazy moment. It combined all of my passions: bikepacking, mountains, snow, discovering new cultures, exploration, challenge,… I wasn’t afraid for my life but it was very challenging.
My goal is to explore the whole world. The next destination will be the Arabian peninsula including a small island near the African coast 🤫🤫🤫.
What would you say to someone who wants to try a bikepacking trip for the first time but feels unsure or not ready?
It’s easy: just go.
How has traveling by bike influenced your lifestyle? Do you feel that these experiences have changed you?
Seeing people live with so little comfort while I’m able to travel and chase my dream really puts things into perspective. You realise we’re in the top few percent of the world, and yet so many people don’t see how lucky we are and still complain. That’s something I can’t accept anymore. We should learn to appreciate what we already have and stop constantly reaching for more.
Finally, what does the online cycling and bikepacking community mean to you?
Content creation is hard. There is no secret to it. If it were easy, everyone would do it. I’m grateful that I’ve managed to build a small community that follows me every day. Reading comments from people who say they feel inspired by what I do is incredibly rewarding. That is the real goal: “I just want to share my passion for Adventure”. Having this community behind me gives me the motivation to keep going. It truly means a lot to me, it motivates me! Thank you!
