The Unbeaten Van.
Since we moved to Ainsa we met a some amazing people. Three weeks ago I said goodbye to Andrew and Alix also know as McTrailrider and miss McTrailrider. They are traveling through Europe in their motorhome. Earlier this year they started to make their living from vlogging. They review all the mountain bike trails they ride during their travels. It was great riding with Andrew, specially because we share similar ideas and values about riding our mountain bike. This blog is about the relevance of the #vanlife mountain bike vlogger.
On instagram #vanlife is a very popular hashtag among the traveling/ digital nomad/ location independent community. What you’ll see is a lot of hipster and hippy couples traveling and living in there VW T1- T4 vans, there Mercedes Sprinter or any other rebuild van.
I own a Mercedes Sprinter and although I choose to live in the mountains the occasional van life trip or #vanlife is not alien to me. The main requirement next to sleeping is it being able to carry our bikes safely. And that is pretty tight in a normal wheelbase Sprinter or VW.
The #vanlife mountain bike vlogger
Let me introduce you to another type of #vanlife community. The van life mountain bike vlogger. They mostly don’t have a hipster VW Transporter, but a very practical white motorhome. For a good reason I assume, because they need to fit at least two bikes, plus equipment and sometimes even more bikes. These practicalities are necessary to run a traveling Youtube channel about mountain biking.
Marce is following the couple behind Wolfpack Adventures on YouTube since the beginning of the year. Amanda Dexter and Alex Holowko have been traveling and riding their mountain bikes through Europe in a motorhome since early this year. On their youtube channel they share their life on the road. Marce loves it because just like her Amanda new on the Enduro/trail mountain bike. And seeing Amanda progress was a huge motivation for Marce to push harder. And the fact they travel with the big white trail dog Kai is a bonus of course. Here they are in Finale Ligure.
Back to Ainsa, Spain. I have never seen so many people sleep in camper vans and motorhomes as I have seen here in Ainsa. It seems like a cross- points for everyone in Europe that lives their life on four wheels, temporarily or permanently. This summer we met 2 of them, Mark Robinson and Adele Beck, a Scottish couple that live semi permanent in there extended VW Crafter. We are happy to call them our friends now. Mark runs SkyeMtb when he is not in the Spanish Pyrenees.
It was Mark who pointed me towards Andrew Macavoy the McTrailrider (Andrew) and his girlfriend Alix Aldum. We had a few great rides together. Andrew and the other mountain biking vloggers that are stopping in Ainsa, Zona Zero & the Spanish Pyrenees are important to me and the area. Because for us it is publicity. When you want to go mountain biking in a certain place you check out Youtube to see fellow mountain bikers that have ridden the trails in that region. They give you there opinion, they show you what the trails look like. And in McTrail rider his case he even recommends Unbeaten Adventures, something to be very grateful for.
So if you live in an area with good mountain biking. It is great to have the #vanlife mountain bike vlogger passing by. Invite him/ her/ them for a ride, show them around and collaborate. They are an inspiration to people who watch their videos. They inspire other mountain bikers to go out and ride, to improve their riding skills, to explore new areas and maybe to do the same.
Go out and ride your mountain bike and live the adventurers life!
Author: Jeroen Spoelstra
Pictures: Jeroen Spoelstra
Movies: McTrail Rider & Wolfpack Adventures