Laura Killingbeck

3 weeks ago | adventurecycling.org | Laura Killingbeck

I met Nick on a dating app, and our first date was a bike ride. We pedaled to a river and sat on a rock by the water. He asked me lots of questions and listened thoughtfully to the answers. He was cute and sincere, and we had a lovely afternoon. After that, we met most weeks for bike excursions or dinners. Nick rides an old Surly Straggler which is probably a size too small for him. But he pushes it to its full capacity, logging thousands of hard, fast miles each year in Colorado’s thin mountain air.

Mar 17, 2025 | adventurecycling.org | Laura Killingbeck

No matter where I am in the US, there’s always an Adventure Cycling route close by. When I lived in Michigan, I pedaled out my door onto the North Lakes route. In Arizona, I was just a few miles from the Great Divide. When I visited my friend Alison in San Francisco, I biked from her house onto the Pacific Coast Route. And in Massachusetts, I got to host my friends Kaisa and Christoffer as they pedaled down the Atlantic Coast Route.

Jan 10, 2025 | adventurecycling.org | Alissa Bell |Laura Killingbeck |Kyle Dunlin

Photo by Laura IrwinIf bike touring with panniers is like traveling with a big roller suitcase, bikepacking is like traveling with only a carry-on backpack. The goal is to have everything you need and also to need everything you have. Bring less stuff! Ask yourself “What would happen if I didn’t bring this?” If the answer is unremarkable, then leave it at home. Repackage consumables like toiletries, food, and chain lube into smaller containers and remove extra packaging.

Oct 14, 2024 | adventurecycling.org | Chris Walker |Laura Killingbeck

This story originally appeared in the 2025 Nov/Dec issue of Adventure Cyclist magazine’s Final Mile essay anthology. On the outskirts of Shanghai, the buildings began to grow skyward. Factories morphed into apartment complexes. Apartments stretched into office towers. It felt like I was cycling into a man-made canyon, its glass and steel walls a potent reminder of China’s booming economy. It was December 12, 2013, and I was as anxious as I was excited. I knew my buddy Morgan was, too.

Aug 29, 2024 | adventurecycling.org | Hollie Ernest |Laura Killingbeck

Climate change is increasing North America’s dramatic wildfires each year, with apocalyptic smoke-darkened skies and scorched landscapes. In 2021, smoke from California wildfires reached as far as New York City, while ashes from Colorado fires fell on coastal regions. “Unfortunately, because smoke can travel thousands of miles, you don’t have to be close to the fires [to be adversely affected] by wildfire smoke,”  said Dr. Mary Prunicki, director of air pollution and health research at the Sean N.