Chainwheel Diaries

Greetings, bike travelers and bikepackers. Welcome toanother episode of Chainwheel Diaries, stories about bike travel, told by the travelers themselves.

I’m your host, Brian Berlin.

Many of my listeners are bicyclers who go on adventures.Today's guest is an adventurer who loves epic bike rides.

Chase Haubert started his bike adventures by riding hiscollege bike from Columbus to Akron. Then he decided to ride across Ohio and, of course, then across the U.S.

This past summer, he rode the Adventure Cycling NorthernTier Route from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Anacortes, Washington, with his dog Luna riding shotgun.

Chainwheel Diaries is available wherever you get yourpodcasts, so please like and subscribe.

Now let’s meet Chase Haubert.

Greetings, bike travelers and bikepackers, welcome toanother episode of Chainwheel Diaries.

Stories about bike travel told by the travelers themselves.

Today is Freaky Friday, where I change places with ChrisCompton, one of my bike adventure buddies. Chris will host the show and interview me, Brian Berlin, about my bike misadventure on Catalina Island.

Let’s just say, bike trips don’t always turn out the way youplanned them.

Chainwheel Diaries is available wherever you get yourpodcasts, so please like and subscribe.

Now let me hand it over to Chris Compton.

Greetings bike travelers and bikepackers, welcome to another episode of Chainwheel Diaries.

Stories about bike travel told by the travelers themselves.

I’m your host, Brian Berlin

My guest today is Brielle Wacker.

Brielle is a tour leader for the Adventure CyclingAssociation and has led members on three epic rides: the Southern Tier and the TransAm Express – twice.

Her evolution from casual bicycler to ACA Tour Leader is agreat story and one I’m sure you’re going to want to hear.

Remember to subscribe to Chainwheel Diaries wherever getyour podcasts.

Now, let’s meet Brielle Wacker.

Do cows appreciate Shakespeare? My guest today has recitedShakespeare while pedaling alone through Montana, with only a few cattle listening in.

Taylor is an actor that has appeared in films, television,and theatre, and you may have seen him in one of his many acting performances.

He’s also the cohost of Bike Talk, a podcast about prioritizingbicycle transportation and we’re going to dig into that subject as well.

Taylor’s going to share his epic bike adventure as he pedalsfrom San Francisco to Lansing Michigan to visit is 101-year-old father.

Now, let’s meet Taylor Nichols.

Greetings! Bike travelers and bike packers, welcome toanother episode of Chainwheel Diaries.

Stories about bike travel, told by the travelers themselves.I’m your host, Brian Berlin.

Today’s guest survived an encounter with a wallaby during abike adventure, but both he and the wallaby were able to ride, and hop away from the incident.

His name is Mark Farrugia, from Victoria, Australia, andhe’s ridden extensively throughout the continent. He offers great insights on his favorite bikepacking routes, and he’s sold me on wanting to ride some of these.

Mark is also a photographer and takes great pride in thelighting and composition of his bike adventure photos. He’s captured stunning images of Australian landscapes armed only with his mobile phone.

Mark’s love for bikepacking in Australia comes through loudand clear. I guarantee you’ll want to hop on a plane and join him on future rides, wallabies or no.

And if you’re enjoying this video, please click thesubscribe button. Subscribers really help me grow the podcast and also let me know you find the content to be relevant.

With that, let’s meet Mark Farrugia!

Bike travelers and bike packers are very familiar with theacronym EFI. What does it stand for? You’ll soon find out.

EFI originated with an epic bike ride from Cairo, Egypt, toCape Town, Africa. The whole continent, from one end to the other. This epic bike ride had never been attempted before and was entered into the Guinness Book.

And the man who created that bike tour and founded TDA Global Cycling is today’s Guest – Henry Gold.

Henry has led an extraordinary life. Here are just a few ofhis bona fides.

• He led a successful NGO in Ethiopia called CPAR(Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief) to promote foodsecurity, health, sanitation, agriculture, water, and reforestation
• He’s a documentarian, having produced documentary films including 'Burden on the Land' (DEMO reel) and AIDS in Africa, which was the first in-depthdocumentary on the AIDS crisis in Africa.
• He has crossed sixcontinents by bicycle

Previous guests on this podcast have raved about TDA GlobalCycling tours. So I wanted to meet the man behind TDA and have him on the show so you can hear his stories as well.

Now, let’s meet Henry Gold.

Greetings, bike travelers and bikepackers, welcome to another episode of Chainwheel Diaries, stories about bike travel, told by the travelers themselves.

I’m your host, Brian Berlin.

Today’s guest is Stephen Growden, a retired high schoolsocial studies teacher who has ridden dozens of organized bike tours.

Stephen has chosen different tour types and tour providersto match the type of adventure he’s seeking. If you’re contemplating joining a bike tour and you’re wondering about the options, you’ll want to tune into this episode.  

Quick reminder: Chainwheel Diaries is available on Spotifyand Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.

So, Thanks for tuning in, wherever you are, and if you’reenjoying this podcast, please be sure to Like and Subscribe.

Now, let’s meet Stephen Growden.

Links to the products & services mentioned in this episode:

https://www.vbt.com/

https://www.backroads.com/

https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/southern-tier/

https://www.adventurecycling.org/guided-tours/van-supported-tours/transam-express-westward-van/

https://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/adventure-cycling-route-network/pacific-coast/

https://tdaglobalcycling.com/orient-express

https://bikepacking.com/bikes/lael-wilcox-around-the-world-bike/

https://cascade.org/rides-events/rsvp-2026

https://cascade.org/rides-events/seattle-portland-2026

https://www.adventurecycling.org/about-us/history/

https://www.vbt.com/destinations/europe/italy/lake-como-bike-tour-in-the-lake-district

Like most people, I don’t like spiders. I’m not terrified ofthem, but I don’t like them.

My guest today, Andre Batista, had a spiderexperience while riding his bike. Seems Andre’s spider wanted a ride, but Andre wasn’t having any of it.

This story is just one of many as Andre recounts his manybikepacking adventures. His stories are humorous, educational, and inspiring.

Quick reminder: Chainwheel Diaries is available on Spotifyand Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. The podcast is also available in video.

So, Thanks for tuning in, wherever you are, and please besure to Like and Subscribe.

Now, let’s meet Andre Batista.

Links to various products, articles, and videos mentioned during the episode.

https://superiorbikes.com/us-en/

https://dotwatcher.cc/results/2025/tour-divide-2025

https://www.tuff.ventures/mtuff/info

https://www.indianpacificwheelrace.com/

Warmshowers.org

https://www.southaustraliantrails.com/trails/mawson-trail/

https://racearoundpoland.pl/

https://bikepacking.com/routes/tahoe-twirl/

https://www.italydivide.it/

https://northcape4000.com/

https://www.lostdot.cc/tcr

https://tourdivide.org/about_the_route

https://europeandividetrail.com/

https://bikepacking.com/routes/stagecoach-400-bikepacking-route/

https://www.komoot.com/collection/1070173/european-divide-trail-7-600-km-across-the-continent?utm_campaign=collection_embed&utm_medium=embed&utm_source=europeandividetrail.com

https://bikepackingreviews.com/posts/bikepacking-vs-bike-touring

https://bikepacking.com/plan/expedition-vs-racing/

https://www.instagram.com/andre___bat/

https://youtu.be/-3OFJxyADXQ?si=C6PCvMIHor53xPDR

https://youtu.be/kBsTvFPTRiI?si=5tDiYQfWkLMutkQX

https://youtu.be/0eDDES4xgCU?si=ZBnJ0nKCgTYfkq_1

https://youtu.be/kBsTvFPTRiI?si=0tuymuy2M91LVovS

I’m kicking off the 2026 season with a compilation of someof my best interviews from past episodes.

I reviewed these past episodes and realized there are somereally great bike travel stories being told. I picked out some of my favorites and edited them into what I’m calling my Best of Chainwheel Diaries podcast.

I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I have.

Thanks for tuning in, and please subscribe wherever you getyour podcasts.

Coming up, Best of Chainwheel Dairies, 2026