Go'Lum has been following Axel Carion's adventures for several years now. This extreme cyclist and founder of BikingMan cultivates his passion as a way of life. His cycling explorations have given rise to exchanges that have taken us on a journey. Even inspired the most daring. Find here the exchanges between Axel and me on his Jordan Bike Trail. And here , his exchanges with Annabelle, on the Ho Chi Minh trail.


A look back at Axel Carion's exploration of the United States...


Adrien : Axel, you're no stranger to exploring by bike. Can you tell us about your latest trip: your "US bike trip"?


Axel : I dreamed of crossing the United States to discover the North American continent after having explored South America several times. I left from New York, on the east coast, following a large part of the American "trails" which are old railway lines built during the "gold rush" era and which have been partly transformed into cycle paths. In 5800 km, this allows you to connect Astoria in Oregon to the west coast!


It took me 25 days in total to complete this crossing, covering an average of 240 km per day.


Adrien : How do you choose your bike trips?


Axel : I am passionate about the roads, trails, and networks built by humanity that still allow bicycles to travel today. For 14 years, I have been undertaking major crossings, drawing inspiration from human migrations (commercial, military, religious) to find routes "off the beaten track" that allow people to rediscover the countries explored by bike.


The United States is a "young" state and it was the right time, especially with the explosive electoral context, to go and meet its inhabitants by crossing the "mid-west" on a route where few cyclists venture each year.

Adrien : Let's talk about equipment. Can you give us some details about your gear?



Axel : I chose a fairly light bikepacking setup with a fully equipped bike weighing almost 20 kg. I rode an Origine Graxx 3 GTR gravel bike equipped with Prymahl carbon wheels (without a dynamo hub) and 40mm Schwalbe G-ONE RS tires. For panniers, I tested the English TAILFIN technical range, which allowed me to experience the same pleasure as my early days on a bike when I traveled with panniers on a randonnee. I had their AEROPACK bag on the back with two mini 5-liter side panniers as well as a mini top tube pannier and a frame bag.


As for lighting, I had my Piom3 on my helmet and for safety I used the Exposure bike lights at the front and rear which, like the Go'Lum, have a long battery life.

On the clothing side, I took the Ekoi x BikingMan high visibility ultradistance range which did me a lot of good on the few high traffic sections that I was able to cross in low light because it allowed me to be ultra visible. I also had the high visibility "princess" helmet from Ekoï which is the ultimate weapon at night to be seen.

Adrien : On demanding projects like this, what are your selection criteria for your equipment?


Axel : On this type of long expedition, anything can happen . For this one in the United States, I had two absolute priorities:




  • the reliability of the equipment because the route I followed included many very isolated sections without any possibility of repair, particularly on the bivouac part - because I slept 19 nights in a tent - and on the textile solidity (5 showers in 25 days...)

  • Visibility because my research and the testimonies I had gathered on the "bicycle" experience in the USA were quite frightening. So I put the package together to be very visible from head to toe and in terms of lighting.


To feast your eyes – Axel, extreme cyclist on France TV :



Since then, the insatiable adventure-devourer has already started a new one:














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A post shared by Axel Carion (@axel_carion)





➡️ Find Axel on Instagram , Facebook and on https://axelcarion.com/expeditions/ ?

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