This article was produced in association with ASSOS
Iceland has long been regarded as a unique outdoor tourist destination for its geographical and geological diversity. But in recent years, with the rise of gravel riding, it has also become a cycling destination, as many of the most singular sites on this island are only accessible on unpaved roads and paths.
And when ASSOS-sponsored cyclist Virginia Cancellieri visited the island for a photo shoot, she knew that she had the ideal opportunity to discover the country in a unique way. Like many cyclists, Cancellieri had got at least a glimpse of cycling in Iceland from images of the Rift Gravel Race Iceland, an iconoclastic event that loops through barren lava fields around the central area of the island known as the Highlands. And it proved to be the perfect starting point for her own bikepacking adventure.
“I had never been to Iceland, so when I had the chance to come, I thought I should do a bikepacking trip so I could see this place with my eyes and my bike,” the 26-year-old Italian said. “I knew about the Rift Gravel Race and I always thought it looked really amazing. So we came up with this two-day loop that started with the race route and then went beyond.”
To come up with an ideal short bikepacking route Cancellieri worked with local cartographer and photographer Snorri Thor Tryggvason, who has worked with the Rift Gravel Race and has designed countless itineraries for travellers and adventurers visiting the island.
“I wanted to come up with a loop that started with the Rift Gravel Race, but then went beyond it into what we call the Highlands, something that would be much more interesting than looping back to Hvolsvollur, where the race starts and finishes,” said Thor Tryggvason. “I wanted to make a loop that was sort of a sample plate of Icelandic nature. That said, the first part of the Rift Race offers a great route into the Highlands. It’s this backdoor route with no traffic, a great entryway into this magnificent area.”
Hvolsvollur is little more than a crossroads, roughly an hour and a half from Reykjavik, the country’s capital. A gas station, a supermarket and a small restaurant make up the town centre. Meanwhile the Lava Centre – a geological exhibition space – has long been the town’s only tourist attraction. That said, since 2016, it has also attracted cyclists from around the world in July, as it hosts the Rift Race.
But while the town is a practical starting point, it instantly faded into the distance behind us as we rolled out into the great expanse of the Icelandic landscape. The paved road, in fact, lasted for only a couple of kilometres before we turned left onto our first stretch of gravel, which would make up the majority of our two-day 250-kilometre ride. And while a small forest greeted us initially, we were soon in a land rarely seen.
“Do you see that tree?” said Thor Tryggvason. “That will be the last one for a long time.”
As Virginia powered across the first of several river crossings, the landscape became increasingly bare, and rocks mixed with deformed lava fields became the new visual reality for as far as the eye could see. And yet, as the kilometres unfolded before us, we quickly learned that lava fields are constantly changing, in colour as well as form.
We were crossing through the Fjallabak, which roughly translates into ‘the land between the mountains’. Sand deserts quickly faded into lava fields and then into mossy, mountainous terrain, all tucked between a major glacier and Hekla, one of the most active volcanoes on the island.
“Suddenly I was in this landscape I’d never seen before. It just got better and better,” said Cancellieri. “Everything was so beautiful. Nothing was not special. It’s funny because I was actually in the middle of nothing, just nothing. There were no trees, no houses, no cars... It was so quiet. And yet the scenery kept changing. Sometimes I had to stop, drop my bike and look around, as I tried to take it all in. Riding through all these lava fields is like riding through this endless lunar landscape. I felt like I was in a desert, but a dark mountain desert. Sometimes the mountains could be black, but then there were sections covered in moss that were so green, or times when the rocks were really red. And then there was the steam constantly coming up from the earth. To be honest, it is hard to digest everything visually. The textures and colours changed all of the time.”
But while the scenery was beyond breathtaking, Cancellieri also had to remain attuned to the road in front of her, as the rocky surface was constantly changing. “The terrain was plenty technical,” she said while stopping to fill up her water bottle in one of the fresh streams along the way. “You have to be really active and concentrated all the time. Some of the roads are built on jagged rock faces, others are super bumpy, and then some roads are virtually sand. It’s amazing, but you really have to be focused and follow the movement of the bike.”
And then, of course, there were the near-freezing temperatures, not to mention the biting winds, which provided their own set of challenges. As the sun began to set Cancellieri understood that she needed to pick up the pace and get to our first destination while there was at least a semblance of daylight.
Landmannalaugar is a remote base camp in the heart of the Highlands. In fact, it was the first dwelling we had seen in nearly 100 kilometres. It could not have been better situated after a long first day. Located in the heart of a geothermal area renowned for its hiking trails, the rustic lodge nevertheless provided a kitchen, showers and dormitory-style rooms. For Cancellieri – a modern-day nomad who easily spends over half of the year sleeping in her van – camping outside was the only option. And after a quick dip in the nearby hot springs, she quickly set up her tent next to a handful of other like-minded campers.
“I sleep so well outside,” she said. “It’s always my first choice.” Waking up early the next day, Cancellieri had clearly recharged her batteries. “It was quiet, and it snowed a bit at night. When I woke up there was even a light snow on the ground,” she said as she began suiting up for the second day. “It was magical.”
The day ahead had an itinerary of 140 kilometres, again stretching out across the Highlands before returning to the paved roads and the greenery of civilisation. The snowfall quickly thickened as the temperature dropped below zero, accompanied by a biting glacial wind, but Cancellieri powered on, inspired by two nearby crater lakes, resplendent with a potpourri of colours. The road to the Stutur Crater possessed a deep orange-red tint reflecting the clay and rocks just underneath the surface. In contrast, the road to the Hnausapollur Crater – only a few kilometres away – simply consisted of black sand. Cancellieri stopped to admire the deep turquoise waters below, but only momentarily, as the cold and wind only increased along the exposed cliffs of the crater. When Thor Tryggvason said he wanted to design a loop that was a sort of a sample plate of Icelandic nature, he clearly had a gastronomic menu in mind. And while the crater lakes were stunning, the next landmark, the waterfalls of the Sigoldugljufur Canyon, were breathtaking. But to get there, Cancellieri had to navigate through the Fjallabaksleid nyrdri black sand deserts. “That road was so bumpy, just chiselled out,” she said. “Physically it was really tiring, but then to see these waterfalls, it was worth it.”
Climbing out of the Canyon, Cancellieri reached her first paved road since leaving Hvolsvollur the day before. And while the barren landscape of the Highlands still stretched on for kilometres, it eventually gave way to more fertile soil, and with it a sprinkling of small farms or the occasional village.
A quick stop at the Hrauneyjar Highland Centre for a bowl of Icelandic stew provided fuel for the rest of the ride. And while there were 80 kilometres still to go, Cancellieri picked up considerable speed on the paved roads as she descended into the Thjorsardalur valley, with textured hills covered with pumice and then alongside Thjorsa River, the longest river in Iceland. Next on the itinerary: the Hrunalaug hot springs, situated in the grounds of a farm, near the town of Fludir. These have existed for centuries and the stone walls built into the earth offer several pools with a range of water temperatures. Cancellieri wasted no time getting into her swimsuit for a well-earned bath after two exhilarating but demanding days of riding.
“Finishing with hot springs was a real priority for me,” she said. “Iceland is famous for its hot springs, and what better way to finish a ride?” Floating in the different pools, Cancellieri began to reflect on everything she had seen and experienced in Iceland. “It was all so amazing – the landscape, the riding... This land inspires respect. For one it is so clean, so pristine. But it also inspires respect in a different way. The weather can change so quickly and there is no place to hide. You really have to be aware of nature, and you have to respect it.”
Even on the following day, as we walked around the capital city of Reykjavik, Cancellieri admitted that it would take some time to better understand everything she had witnessed in her intense two-day Icelandic bikepacking adventure. “I’m still trying to reflect and digest everything I saw,” she said. “Lately, I have been travelling so much. In this past year I have moved around from Indonesia to Sardinia to the Canary Islands to California to the Pyrenees, and now to Iceland. It has all been amazing, but sometimes I feel like I don’t give myself the time to digest it all. This winter I am going to spend more time at home, to rest, but also reflect on everything I’ve seen. I don’t know if I will succeed, but I’m going to try at least.”
Cancellieri's equipment
UMA GTV Winter Bib Tights C2
Women’s Winter LS Skin Layer P1
RSR Thermo Rain Socks
GT Winter Booties EVO
GTO Ultraz Winter Thermo Rain Gloves
Winter Face Mask P1
UMA GT HASHOOGI Winter Jacket S11
For her Iceland bikepacking adventure Virginia Cancellieri relied on a full line of ASSOS winter wear. Cancellieri is a big fan of the ASSOS UMA GT line for its combination of comfort and performance, and she wore both the UMA GTV Winter Bib Tights C2 and UMA GT HASHOOGI Winter Jacket S11.
“I really like the UMA GT line, and the winter jacket was perfect for this ride. It is super comfortable, but also really breathable. And I can tell you that neither the snow nor the rain worked its way in. I was never once cold,” she said. “The bib tights, too, are amazing. They are super warm, plus the bottom of each leg near the ankle is made with neoprene. That is practical, because if they get wet, they don’t really absorb the water and they stay dry. On a ride like this, I can tell you, that is a great feature to have. It was practical because I kept crossing rivers and creeks. And of course, the BisiClick clips on the back of the women’s bib are great for any needed nature breaks, especially when it is as cold as it was here.”
Cancellieri was quite literally dressed from head to toe in ASSOS gear, as the brutal conditions rarely allowed for any direct exposure to the elements.
“The combination of winter socks and winter booties was really perfect,” said Cancellieri. “The booties protected my feet from the biting wind; the socks kept my feet warm inside. And the GTO Ultraz Winter Thermo Rain Gloves were simply insane. I never had such a warm pair of gloves.
“I really like the GT Mille line of ASSOS. It is super comfortable on long rides like this, and also very breathable. I am never too hot or too cold.”
But if there was one piece of equipment that Cancellieri particularly cherished on this trip it was her face mask. “My P1 face mask was a real lifesaver. I normally don’t like to have too many layers around my face and neck, but I couldn’t have done this ride without it. Not only did it keep my ears and face warm, but I could also really breathe through it. At one point it moved a little bit and I could immediately see the difference it made because all of sudden this spot on my forehead was freezing. I understood then how essential it was.”
