Arctic to Africa. We both quit our jobs and decided to bike from Nordkapp to Morocco.
Text and illustration by Chris Fleugel and Cooper Symonds.
>Moonlight: What is your previous experience with night riding? How did you approach this aspect of the trip?
>Chris: Before we dig into the questions, we should start from the beginning…
Ultimately, this trip is a divine pairing between my and Cooper’s skills. Cooper is a travel freak. He’s been to more countries than most people could ever dream of. I, on the other hand, am an endurance freak. Coming from an ultra trail background I’m no stranger to all-day (and night) efforts in the mountains.
This trip would be the culmination of our passions all in one epic summer adventure. We both quit our jobs and decided to bike from Nordkapp to Morocco. This would be both of our first big adventures by bike, so our experience with night riding is, let’s say… limited. We’ve both got a lot of night running and backpacking experience under our belts. So we felt pretty confident in that aspect of the trip. Not to mention, we had 24 hours of daylight for the first few weeks.
>Moonlight: How do you feel when riding at night?
>Chris: Riding at night is a double-edged sword. On one hand, settling into the bubble of the headlamp is so peaceful. All the distractions fade to darkness and all you can do is focus on exactly what’s in front of you. On the other hand, it’s hard to avoid the thoughts of uncertainty while you’re out there in the dark of night.
>Moonlight: So, tell us more about your light setups.
>Chris: We’ve both got two pretty unique setups.
(Left) I’m running aero bars, so I use a phone and bike computer mount by BarYak. Right up front, I’ve attached a GoPro mount where I’ve mounted my Moonlight 2000. The battery fits right into my handlebar bag. It’s been a flawless setup.
(Right) Cooper’s got his Moonlight 2000 mounted to a Mous GoPro base which is attached to his handelbars. His battery is also in his handlebar bag.
Using Moonlight’s GoPro mounting system has been a pretty critical part of our setups. It’s allowed us both to fit our lights exactly where we need them.
>Moonlight: Any tips for fellow followers who want to get started in bike packing?
>Chris: Tips to get into bikepacking… oh man, where do we start? Our main one is just to get out there and try it. Big or small! It’s an incredible way to see your local area or the world. You can travel a pretty long distance in a day, but you’re still moving slowly enough to take in all the sights, sounds, and culture of a place.
>Moonlight: Bon voyage!
800 real lumens
2-40 hours
248g
