“This isn’t a place to rush through. We don’t want people to come here and ride as fast as they can because then they will miss everything.” – Tyler
Cycling Westfjords is a coalition of bicyclists working to expand and strengthen bike tourism in the Westfjords of Iceland.
Spotted by: Carina Burroughs
Based out of Ísafjörður, Iceland, the team consists of Halldóra (Dóra) Björk Norðdahl, Ómar Smári, Nanný Arna Guðmundsdóttir, Tyler Wacker, and Lynnee Jacks. I sat down with Lynnee and Tyler to learn about their work.
Based out of Ísafjörður, Iceland, the team consists of Halldóra (Dóra) Björk Norðdahl, Ómar Smári, Nanný Arna Guðmundsdóttir, Tyler Wacker, and Lynnee Jacks. I sat down with Lynnee and Tyler to learn about their work.
Can you tell me a bit more about what Cycling Westfjords does?
We primarily organize races and self-guided tours. For the self-guided tours, we provide route maps, consultations and support, recommendations, and discounts for businesses on-route, and more. Our race, the Arna Westfjords Way Challenge, is a 960 kilometer, 4 stage race over the course of 5 days. We kicked off the race in 2022 and are currently preparing for the 2023 race.
What aspects of your business are unique or innovative?
There’s not a lot of companies around the world that are using the type of support model we are with our self-guided tour. The focus we have is on providing route support and information for people to bike it on their own. We are also the first business really focused on biking in the Westfjords. We’re really fortunate that we have this route that’s blown up and brought lots of interest to the area.
The race also has this innovative concept of Cultural Connections. These are stops along the race at local businesses, hot pots, and other unique spots where riders can “stop the clock” and experience the place. This is about encouraging people to slow down and actually enjoy the place that they’re biking in. It really changed the whole feeling of the race. Riders got to take a lot of time to connect with Iceland.
There’s a ton of global ultra-events where you show up to a country, get on a bike, ride straight across it, and leave. And we wanted to do something different- this isn’t a place to rush through. We don’t want people to come here and ride as fast as they can because then they will miss everything. It also created an opportunity for businesses and the whole region got really excited about the race.
How long has Cycling Westfjords been in business?
As a company, Cycling Westfjords has existed for about a year. But research for a company like this started in 2019, when Dóra was working on her bachelor’s thesis on the experience of bicycle tourists in the Westfjords, which paved the way into starting Cycling Westfjords.
Who are the customers?
The customers are currently mostly American and European tourists. For people coming to bikepack the route and utilize our information and trip planning support, it is primarily international visitors. The race saves 40 spots (out of 100) for Icelandic participants and many of the others are American or European.
What challenges have you faced?
For the race, there were definitely some additional logistical challenges for the Cultural Connections. Last year we used time stamped photos to keep track of race times with the stops, but we’re looking at making this more efficient. Geographically the length of the race (960 kilometers) can also add logistical challenges. For both the race and in supporting the self-guided tours, the weather here can always be a challenge. We went on a race preview trip last May and got snowed out just driving around.
What are the future plans and goals for Cycling Westfjords?
One of our big goals is that the Arna Westfjords Way Challenge is representative of the global cycling community. We utilized a stepped registration and created a BIPOC scholarship to help break down barriers and create an inclusive and representative event. For next year’s race we are aiming for a 50% women’s start line.
At the same time, we want to provide space for Icelandic riders. Overall, the goal is to be representative of the entire international cycling community, while promoting Icelandic participation and supporting the Icelandic cycling community. We go through a ton of effort to make sure Icelanders, women, BIPOC riders have a chance to ride.
Another plan is to expand this year’s race by having a “race within the race” on the last day. We want to make it possible for 100 more riders to join the last bit, creating an option for other skill levels. More broadly we plan to focus on different events and routes catered to different skill levels and bikes as we continue to expand.
You can find Cycling Westfjords at cyclingwestfjords.com and on Instagram @cyclingwestfjords. Registration for the 2023 Arna Westfjords Way Challenge (June 27-July 2, 2023) is now open online.
