Devin Cowens set up Radical Adventure Riders Atlanta to lead inclusive, two-wheeled trips through her backyard in Georgia. But a group trip in Croatia with Intrepid reminded her of the simple pleasure of pedalling in a pack.
‘I’ve been thinking. Let’s go on a cycling trip together,’ Lyn, my partner said to me one rainy Atlanta afternoon. ‘Nothing super intense, though,’ she said, with a look that made it clear she wasn’t interested in joining my usual style of bikepacking trip.
I’ve been cycling for over a decade. My brother built me my first single-speed bike in 2011, while I was living in DC and wanted to start commuting by bike. At first, it was just a way to get around. But after a breakup in 2018, I doubled down on cycling, searching for a sense of community.
I moved to Atlanta in 2015, where my first bikepacking trip – along the Silver Comet Trail, just outside of the city – changed everything. I’d headed off with a couple of friends, using borrowed gear and a $90 Craigslist bike. It was challenging, fun, filled with emotions – and the hardest thing I’d ever done physically.
Cycling gave me a sense of freedom. The physical act of pedalling to a place that felt far, yet was easily accessible by bike, felt limitless. I suddenly had this opportunity to see my city and the surrounding nature through a different lens. It provided accessibility to the trails around me and showcased the beauty in my backyard; revealing nature as this beautiful, healing place in a way I hadn’t previously experienced. I wanted more, but the cost of a gravel bike and all the associated kit was a huge financial barrier as a queer black woman and lifelong non-profit worker.
Breaking down barriers to bikepacking
Back home, I googled ‘women bikepacking’ and stumbled upon Radical Adventure Riders, a movement devoted to creating more inclusive spaces in the cycling community. I signed up. Cycling became ‘my thing’ – and just a year later, I founded Radical Adventure Riders ATL (RAR ATL) – the Atlanta arm of the organisation that had inspired me.
The rest, they say, is history. We now host monthly rides, open workshops and bike-maintenance clinics, plus we have a gear library where community members can rent gear to go on bikepacking trips, free of charge.
But it wasn’t only cost barriers I was keen to overcome. In a world where many queer and black people are under attack for simply existing, I wanted RAR to offer a welcoming, inclusive space that would provide essential support and security for anyone in the saddle.
I wanted to create an environment that was free of judgement, while also providing a space to learn, mess up, try again, and feel supported along the way.
In practice, I often lead small groups on bikepacking trips across Georgia that cover 25 to 50 miles per day, through the state’s hilly terrain, teaching people camping and outdoor skills, equipping them to take their own independent trips.
So, yes – my love of cycling could be described as ‘intense’. But while I’m an ultra-cyclist, who trains and rides weekly, Lyn is a social cyclist who does an occasional group ride but mostly enjoys riding for fun. So we needed to find a happy medium. After some deliberation, we settled on the week-long Cycle Croatia journey with Intrepid, which felt like a great way to meet in the middle.
We loved how the trip had cycling as a component but also featured a solid amount of downtime to explore, take in the views and refuel with delicious food, while covering a lot of ground on two wheels. But more than that, it would be a great opportunity for me to take off my leader helmet and simply enjoy the ride for a while.
Connecting with our group in Croatia
Sometimes travelling to new places can feel scary. There are just so many unknowns. As a queer couple, we always do research on the queer friendliness of a place we’re visiting in advance. I’m happy to report that Croatia is a country with legal protections for discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people. We had no issues, from the beaches to the cities and everywhere in between. We were affectionate in public, and felt safe around locals and tourists alike.
Partly this came from being made to feel comfortable within our group of like-minded travellers. We were a motley crew of eight, from all over the US and Canada – including a retired rural doctor, an immigration attorney, a marketing professional and public-health project manager.
We were assured to see the range of backgrounds and experiences represented in such a small group and felt at ease when connecting with our fellow travellers over shared meals and activities.
Not only did the group vary in terms of background and industries, but we had a range of cycling experiences too. One person rode an e-bike, while another was not used to climbing hills. Happily, the support and gear van was always close at hand, just in case anyone wanted to sit one out.
Tackling challenges head on
As one of the more experienced riders, I relished the opportunity to be a bit of a support system and cheerleader for some of the less-seasoned cyclists. I tried to remind them that they were capable and that the end of each ride would reward us with amazing views and abundant ice cream – which, invariably, it always did.
There were some challenging but incredible climbs. One day, we rode up the heart of Hvar, one of Croatia’s most-coveted summer islands, on a 10-kilometre climb with 560 metres of elevation gain – and I remember Lyn mentioning how hard it was.
Keen to keep morale high, I kept repeating to her ‘you can do hard things’ and stayed with her so she had support during the climb. I also reminded her that we could take breaks.
Luckily, we were quickly rewarded for our efforts. As we came around a hill that was blocked by mountains at first, the scene opened up out of nowhere to reveal a snapshot of the Starigrad Bay. I turned to Lyn and saw her mouth drop once she realised how high we were. Her face said it all: ‘Did I just climb that?’.
Security in the saddle
But aside from always having to be on high alert for good views, we were comforted by the fact that Intrepid handled all of the nitty-gritty logistics of the trip, which took the guess work out of planning and allowed us to relax and not feel exhausted on arrival at the end of each day.
Having local guides proved invaluable to our experience of Croatia. Our tour leader, Davor, taught us key Croatian phrases like ‘Pozdrav svima (greetings everyone)’ and ‘Laku noc (good night)’, which helped us ingratiate ourselves with people we met on the trail.
He also recommended excellent food spots to check out during down time, including a classic Dalmatian restaurant hidden underground in a cave-like setting in Split, and went out of his way to give us the history of the areas we were visiting.
More deeply, Davor really seemed happy that we were there and genuinely interested in getting to know each of our stories. He was knowledgeable about not only the bikes, but the regions we travelled through, as we moved from Dubrovnik to Split, ticking off three key islands in between.
Learning to enjoy the downhill
As someone who personally plans trips all the time, both for the RAR ATL, with friends and also for my partner and me, I didn’t realise the immense relief and joy I would feel from not having to think about the logistics for once.
This trip struck the perfect balance for us: a combination of challenge, adventure and exploration, fused with rest. Too often, my holidays are not really holidays: they’re just time in a new place, packed full of physical activity. In Croatia, I finally found both: opportunity for exertion, with plenty of downtime to recharge.
It was a reminder of why I fell in love with travelling and cycling in the first place with both providing a deeper connection to the land and my body while grounding me in nature and the world around me.
The opportunity to experience freedom in the saddle in a safe, welcoming, empowering way, is something we all deserve – especially those existing within historically marginalised identities. It has empowered me to continue to have these expansive adventures, one bike ride at a time.
Bikepacker Devin Cowens is the founder of Radical Adventure Riders Atlanta. She travelled with Intrepid on the seven-day Cycle Croatia adventure.
