Images that Beckon the Bicycle Traveler

August 29, 2014

Some bike travel photos are stunningly beautiful. Some make you smile or laugh. And then there are the photos that make you want to pack your panniers and go. The photo above does that for me. Now I have a personal connection to this photo. I took it. That's my wife off in the distance. It was late morning, and we were on our way to Luang Prabang, Laos. When I lifted my camera to take the shot, I was grinning ear-to-ear. It was one of those "pinch me" moments when the beauty of your surroundings overwhelms you. I will admit to thinking, "Oh my God, that is going to be a hot climb ahead," seconds after I took the shot.

But you don't have to be the photographer to be seduced by a travel image. If you didn't see them earlier this year, you only have to look at the winning images of The 4th Annual Adventure Cycling Photo Contest to feel the open road beckoning you to get on your bike ... now!

So get out there on the open road for a day, a week, a month, whatever. Remember to pack your camera, so you can later submit your best shots for The 5th Annual Adventure Cycling Photo Contest, which opens this Monday. Who knows, your image might change someone's life.

Photo by Willie Weir

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SIGHTS AND SOUNDS is posted every other Friday. Willie Weir is a columnist for Adventure Cyclist magazine. His books, Travels with Willie and Spokesongs, will inspire you to hit the road, and might change the way you approach bicycle travel. He lives in Seattle with his wife Kat. You can read about their adventures at http://yellowtentadventures.com.