Solo Female Cycling Around the World

The Big WOW Book: 100 Women From Around The World Travel Solo By Bicycle

2016-09-16T01:24:00.000+12:00

It’s finally here, have you read this? The Big WOW Book: 100 Women From Around The World Travel Solo By Bicycle. There are books, ebooks, a companion section and a lot more on the new solo female cyclist website. Celebrate solo female cycling around the world, let the fun begin on social media with The Big WOW 100 countdown. Ebook Introductory price of only $8.50. Join the fun?

PURCHASE BOOK HERE

NEW WEBSITE HERE

How Would You End A Bicycle Tour?

2014-06-11T09:42:00.000+12:00

I am tired now, I think I will go home Forest Gump’s brilliant words come to mind as I push the pedals on first gear up the Cordillera Blancha road in N. Peru’s national park. My legs towing the weight of my bicycle bags, they are strapped behind me on the rack. The pedals spin round as they have for 5 continuous years of touring, a 40 country, 5 continent effort that will soon complete my first bicycle tour.

Will I ever meet THE ONE?

2014-05-07T09:26:00.001+12:00

Nearly every social interaction I have had for the last 3 weeks begins with one simple question. “Solita?(alone?)” followed by porque (why?). I can be entirely oblivious to my single, one woman status and all of a sudden I am all boo hoo hoo very much alone. The lonesome ache of travelling about alone by bicycle creeps back into my stomach like a long forgotten cramp. I’ve daydreamed about Mr Right, Mr. Wrong and just about every other kind of Mister in order to fill the familiar ache of lonesomeness. I am tempted to give rewards to people for NOT asking if I am alone, gifts of sweets? hugs? It happens so infrequently that I could even afford to give folks a crisp 20USD bill. On the 20USD bill it would say “thank you for recognizing that a woman travelling alone is not a safety hazard, she can take care of herself”

How To Practice Gratitude, Cycling and Meditation

2014-04-22T05:52:00.000+12:00

Just a few months back, I was tossed like a ragdoll after getting hit by a bus miraculously suffering nothing more than a mildly bruised arm, a couple of shredded fingernails and destroying a bunch of expensive replaceable gear. The vivid memory drifts into my conscience while pedaling towards Cusco, Peru.

Breathe in, breathe out, focus on breath…push, pull, push, pull, coast… My legs repeat the circular motion of pedaling.

Peru...Photos and Gringos

2014-04-16T11:39:00.000+12:00

Absolutely beautiful kind old woman who I befriended today. She grabbed my hands gesturing hello and tapped me on the shoulder with a huge grin when I met her on the street twice today!

Crazy? Well, Only On a Good Day!

2014-03-27T05:03:00.004+13:00

"No doubt exists that all women are crazy; it's only a question of degree." - W. C. Fields …I read this quote and had to laugh. Crazy? Well, only on a good day & every day is a good day on a bicycle tour! Happy 100th to Women's Bicycle Touring! Check out over 100 WOWsers (women on wheels) on the Women on Wheels Wall!

Photo: Long story short, I met Kat on route 40 Argentina. Kat´s strap is like that because we were trying to sort out how to fit a lost hungry tiny kitten into a very hot pannier for her ride into town. More stories on the WOW (Women On Wheels) Wall!

I've Got Boobs, I've Got A Bike

2014-03-09T07:56:00.001+13:00

Happy International Women's Day (IWD)! Check out the many updates on the

WOW (Women On Wheels) Wall!

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I've Got Boobs, I've Got A Bike

(an article written for the IWD 2014 website)

"Solita? A woman alone?" The middle aged Chilean man asks. His faded denim shirt buttons barely hold back his protruding belly. The 'mute button' on my natural wit switches on, smothering a half dozen wise ass remarks in response to a question that has become as repetitive as a chronic case of travelers' diarrhea.

The Big Bolivian Adventure...A Photo Show

2014-02-22T05:24:00.000+13:00

Solo Female Cyclist: Loretta Henderson

You are going to die” The man shouts and raises his hand to gesture a knife cutting his throat. He is well dressed. His blue button down tour operator shirt appears freshly cleaned. His belt bunkle shines in the sunny glare.

“Thank you sir, will you come to my funeral? I like purple flowers” I mumble while giggling at the dramatics that are unfolding.

Why I Love Bicycle Touring

2014-02-02T11:08:00.000+13:00

On the muddy road to Uyuni, Bolivia (4100m/13400ft) on the third day of 24hr/day of non-stop freezing rain/hail I decide while significantly stuck in the mud that about all I can do is practice positivity. I start laughing when my altitude frazzled brain decides that all the frozen snut running down my face really isn´t all that bad. I feel so pretty, I think to myself and begin convincing myself that the dripping snut quite nicely complements my high tech plastic garbage bags. My cold hands and feet are tucked tightly underneath my ´oh so sexy´ plastic bag fashion statement. My weeks theme song for cycling into Uyuni during the rain season of Bolivia, the song lyrics "If you´ve got to be dumb, you got to be tuff", spirt from my frozen sticky lips.

Are You A Traveler or A Cyclist?

2014-01-24T04:49:00.002+13:00

“You have got to love a family guy who goes on holiday to the campground in Salta Argentina with every tool possible.” I say as I clap my hands together in gratitude as I wonder how I can thank him for his generosity.

Bicycles And Bellies...How Many Kilos Are You Pack´in?

2014-01-05T13:06:00.000+13:00

My tanned hand cinches the strap on my otlieb rack pack, my load feels light this morning. The week´s worth of food (470km) I carried over San Francisco pass from Chile to Argentina has been eaten. The 10 liters of water that was attached to the frame has been reduced to 6 liters. The next big food shop is only 50 km away. The morning sun beats hard on my shoulders as I park at the bank machine on the way out of town.

Cycling Queens of 2013…The Pedal Medals

2013-12-24T11:41:00.001+13:00

“I got boobs, I got a bike” may be this year’s slogan for bicycle touring. The booby led bicycle touring revolution has become amply endowed this year with the WOW (Women On Wheels) Wall filling out to include over 100 solo female bicycle tourists. The Wall busted her britches with the sisters of cycling from all over the world coming together in celebration of a growing community. It is a remarkable top heavy resource that has kept my skalatitude@gmail e-mail box overflowing this year with all the free camping, safety and gear questions. Drum roll please………this year’s Pedal Medals go to…

Mashismo and Cyclismo...Don¨t let It Be Dismal!

2013-12-18T09:36:00.000+13:00

“Are you alone (solita)?” The aging man´s face wrinkles into the mid morning glare. The scent of fresh daily bread fills the shop. The man raises his hand and begins to wag his index finger in disapproval. Like an itch I can not scratch people here in Chile asking me if I am alone has reached epidemic proportions.

How Long Is Too Long For A Bicycle Tour?

2013-10-31T06:35:00.000+13:00

The grass is always greener, I reason to myself as I find myself missing family and friends back home. The nephews and nieces, who have learned how to walk, run and dance in my absence. My friend´s new homes I have never visited.

Blitz Blog

2013-10-29T14:25:00.002+13:00

Have You Thrown Your Egg Today?

2013-10-14T11:56:00.001+13:00

Hit By A Bus In Patagonia

2013-10-11T10:50:00.000+13:00

Rambling On and On and On...A Photo Show

2013-09-27T04:47:00.002+12:00

As anyone who has met me knows, occasionally I suffer from verbal diarrhea. Babblying my way to babbleon, a favorite pass time of mine. Rambling on and on and on, often, I could frighten a coma patient with my energy level. Sitting still has never been my strength. Sometimes, I (and all those aching ears around me) are lucky enough to encounter scenery so phenomenal that it is best expressed in the silence of a photo.

(70 Km from Ushuaia, Argentina)

Rehab is For Quitters...Why You Should Winter Cycle Tour in Patagonia

2013-09-20T11:58:00.001+12:00

“Ah fuckity” I say out loud into the frosty Patagonian air.

My gortex gloved hands grasp the frigid wobbling handlebars. The mighty force of the gale triumphs over my futile attempts to hold the handlebars from wobbling. The winds velocity slams me in the forehead like a hindi dot. My mind wonders to all things warm. Thoughts of spicy Indian dahl and chicken tikka massala pass the time as the Indigo Girls song '...Let's Make Peace Tonight' blasts into my MP3 player. The brittle plastic headphones are tucked into my warm ears under my fleece head wrap.

Latest News: The WOW (Women On Wheels) Wall

2013-09-08T07:51:00.001+12:00

Looking for Inspiration? Check out The WOW (Women On Wheels) Wall

"As a unicyclist for many years and someone who loves travelling, I thought it was time to explore a bit of the world alone on my only wheel. What better bait to initiate encounters with locals? Sure, it's slower than a bicycle but I'm in no rush in order to better discover, learn and think along my journey." Anne-Sophie Rodette

Wintertime Bicycle Touring, Wise or Wacko?

2013-08-18T07:42:00.001+12:00

“If I ever get on a sailboat like that again for 6 weeks with three smelly boys to cross the Atlantic ocean please feel free to hit me over the head with a large hammer”

Cycling Routes in South America...Any Suggestions?

2013-07-05T10:37:00.001+12:00

“Whoop whoop”

The words burst out of my greasy salting lips as my huge smiling eyes focus through the thick morning glare. A maze of obstacles appear from the ocean surf, green and red navigational buoys in the Forteleza, Brazil port multiply as the South America landfall approaches.

Ascension Island

2013-06-19T03:42:00.001+12:00

Sailing The Atlantic...This Side Up.

2013-06-07T00:26:00.001+12:00

“I was wearing full condom holding AK 47 in Poland military” Frederyk explains as he motions his calloused hands to his torso, his veteran guitar player hands gesturing that the term 'full condom' used by creative English speakers means full body protection. His freckled bare arms sway with the boats rocking motion. His cycling tan has faded and has been replaced by developing sea legs. The ocean swells heave the boat from side to side as the hours pass. The crew and captain of 'This Side Up' have been living together at sea for 148 hours.

Rub A Dub, Dub, Three Guys and A Girl In A Tub...I Mean Sailboat

2013-05-27T05:49:00.001+12:00

“Ziabeschieh” Frederyk shouts through a chorus of laughter. His Polish accent is as thick as his sense of humor. Droplets of salty spray from Wavis Bay splash his brown rimmed glasses as his blue grey cycling shirt clad arms hold his guitar to his chest for safe keeping. The guitar has been Frederyk trusted companion traveling by bicycle from Poland to Africa since 2005, playing music on the streets as he goes.