After cycling across Africa, South America and Europe, Saoirse returned home craving connection. Here’s how one bikepacking event sparked a thriving cycling community in Ireland.
There’s an African proverb I heard when cycling there. It goes “When you see a tree, you can chop it down and use the wood to build a sailboat or you can take the seeds and plant them to build a forest.” It poses the question ‘would you rather travel and explore the unknown or stay and establish a community?’
Over the last few years I’ve cycled all over the world. I spent five months in Africa, four months in South America and had several adventures across Europe. When I moved home to Ireland, I was craving community. I wanted to explore my own doorstep but struggled to find other people that wanted to go on cycling adventures with me.
Inspired by New Forest Offroad Club's mantra “If you can’t see it, build it”, last year I decided to do something brave. I organised a bikepacking gathering and shared it online. At the time I only knew one other person in Ireland who bikepacked. I genuinely wasn’t sure if anyone would show up. But within 24 hours 20 people had signed up.
In the end 30 strangers arrived and quickly became friends around the campfire! Over the next two days, we cycled, swam, relaxed in a sauna, drank Guinness, ate pizza and we were treated to some surprisingly beautiful Irish sunshine! The weekend was amazing, but the most impactful part was seeing the connections people formed after the event and the adventures they went on after because of it. It showed me the power of bringing people together and building a community. Feeling motivated I decided to create Snailblazers. This year we’re running a bikepacking festival, group rides, bikepacking weekends, and workshops in Ireland.
Snailblazers is about creating a space that feels welcoming for all, especially people that are under-represented in traditional cycling groups. I often describe it as the hippie cousin of traditional cycling. It’s about showing that cycling doesn’t have to look one particular way.
Bikepacking has allowed me to experience things that have completely changed my perspectives on life. Most importantly, through these cycling adventures I’ve gained a huge belief in my own abilities and competence to face many different situations.
And that’s what I want to pass on. I believe outdoor adventure can show us that we are capable of more than we think. Why not give it a go?