Her “chaotic cycling adventures” take place across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, and many more African countries, with the newest addition of South America’s Argentina and Chile. Some of her most stunning feats include reaching the Equator Crossing or the world’s southernmost city of Ushuaia by bike.
Her journey to tens of thousands of kilometres in the saddle started curiously: by not being able to afford plane tickets to Amsterdam and deciding to buy a “highly unsuitable” 80s commuter bike for £45 to get there. This sparked a lasting passion in Saoirse, who, in her own words, “once ran 5 km and couldn’t walk down the stairs for a week, and was terrified of riding bikes with drop handlebars”.
Now she’s a Guinness World Record holder, a co-founder of Bikepacking Buds, and a relentless adventurer travelling sometimes alone, sometimes with other like-minded women. In the words of Matt, our very British host, “flipping heck, that’s amazing!”
At the time of the podcast, Saoirse was in Antarctica (yes, really) and spoke to Matt about how deep her love for bikepacking runs, described that very first memorable trip to Amsterdam, how the social side of cycling and women-led biking initiatives keep her going, shared her tips for people wanting to dip their toes into bikepacking, outlined her 2025 travel plans, and more.
