INSPIRE OTHERS

Share Your Journey

Reflect on where you’ve been, what you’ve learned, and what surprised you along the way. Bike travel can be pretty powerful. Share those experiences. Your adventure can become someone else’s inspiration.

Got a bicycle travel story or film worth sharing?

BIKE Beyond is looking for community storytellers to share their cycling adventures during the upcoming Winter Inspiration Series. Submit your story, and you may be selected to share it with fellow bike travelers.

What is the BIKE Beyond Winter Inspiration Series?

What does it look like for a storyteller to share their experience?

For three evenings in January, February, and March, the BIKE Beyond community comes together to get inspired by fellow bike travelers and the stories, adventures, and ideas that get us excited to get out there and ride.

Across the series, we’ll explore a range of bike-travel tales, including:

Bike Adventure Videos
Overnight Trips
Family Adventures
Local Tours, and
Epic Journeys

The mix of stories and themes takes shape based on the adventures shared by the community.

Each evening features:

Stories from fellow bike travelers
Slideshows and/or films
Practical resources for planning your own adventures
Audience Q&A
Community conversation
Connections with organizations that support bike travel

Dates and venues are forthcoming.

Think 5-20 minutes of inspiration, storytelling, and adventure — not a formal presentation or lecture. You don’t need to be a professional speaker. You just need a bike story you’re excited to share.

A great BIKE Beyond story should:

Tell a Story. Take us along for the ride. What inspired the trip? What happened along the way? What surprised you, challenged you, delighted you, or changed the way you see things?
Be Engaging. Bring your personality and enthusiasm. Make us feel like we’re there with you.
Have a Beginning, Middle, and End. Give us a sense of where you started, what happened along the way, and where you ended up — literally or figuratively.
Show, Don’t Just Tell. Use photos, videos, and other visuals to bring your experience to life.
Show Us a Map. Help us see where you went and how the pieces of the adventure fit together.
Share a Few Takeaways. What did you learn? What would you do differently? What advice, resources, or inspiration can you offer someone who wants to try something similar?
Leave Us Wanting to Ride. The goal isn’t to document every mile. It’s to share the parts of your experience that might inspire someone else to get out there and explore.

After your presentation, stick around for audience questions and conversations about your trip.

Your adventure doesn’t have to be epic, exotic, or Instagram-worthy. A great bike story is a great bike story.

How do you become a storyteller?

Submit your story! We’ll select 4-6 storytellers for each evening of the Winter Inspiration Series.

You can share your adventure in one of two ways:

Video — Share your story through a short, edited adventure video.
Live presentation — Tell your story in person with a PowerPoint presentation featuring photos, maps, and other visuals.

Selected storytellers commit to:

Choosing a 5-20 minute time slot and sticking to that time limit.
Being available afterward to answer questions and chat with people who are curious about their adventure.
Helping fellow community members who are interested in following in their tire tracks — for example, by sharing a map, route information, resources, or answering logistical and navigation questions.

The goal isn’t just to tell a great story. It’s to inspire others to get out there and create their own.

What is needed to submit?

Important Dates

Submitting your story is pretty simple. You’ll be asked to provide a few details, including:

Which theme you’re submitting for
The time slot for your presentation
A title for your presentation
A short description of your adventure and what you’ll share
A short bio about yourself
Your photo
A link to your video if you’re submitting a video, or 5-10 photos you plan to use in your presentation

That’s it! Videos must be completed when submitted. If you’re giving a live presentation, however, you don’t need to have your entire presentation ready yet — just an idea of what you’d like to share.

All submissions will be reviewed by a panel of bike travelers. We’ll select stories that, together, create a fun and varied evening of inspiration — with adventures in different settings, a range of riding experiences and challenges, spectacular scenery, and a variety of voices and perspectives.

If your story is selected, you’ll receive an email with tips and suggestions to help you prepare for your evening in the spotlight. You’ll be asked to submit your final video or PowerPoint Presentation 10 day before the event.

November 1: Submissions open
December 4 at noon: Submission due
December 20: Presenters notified

Return here on November 1st to share your adventure.

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