Marie-Pierre Savard and Nicolas Bourdeau - La BAJA : L'aventure à vélo

By Marie-Pierre Savard and Nicolas Bourdeau

An account of a month's bikepacking in Baja California, Mexico, where a group of four acquaintances (Marie-Pierre, Nicolas, Marie-Camille and Marc) meet up for an adventure on the mythical Baja Divide.

In April 2023, from San Diego to San José del Cabo, they pedaled 1900 kilometers, between the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Cortez, mountains and desert. Completely self-sufficient, with sometimes up to three days to go without the possibility of refueling, this crossing took them out of their comfort zone and into constant learning.

During this evening, logistics, equipment, itineraries, day-to-day organization and the challenges of group travel will be discussed, through anecdotes and magnificent photographs. An inspiring and heartwarming evening, guaranteed!

About :

Marie-Pierre Savard has been a keen adventure cyclist for almost fifteen years. It all began with her first solo trip to Central Asia, and since then her curiosity for little-known places has guided her choice of small and large adventures. She has made numerous trips to Mexico, Newfoundland, Portugal and a dozen American states, mostly solo. In August 2020, she became the first cyclist to join Gatineau to Percé on the Quebec Bikepacking traverse, and following this experience, she became interested in creating bikepacking routes in remote areas.

Co-founder of the Gravel and adventure bike collective Les Fines Garnottes, Marie-Pierre is also a brand ambassador for Panorama Cycles and Station 210 Ateliers de roues, as well as a contributor to Vélo Mag magazine.

Nicolas Bourdeau got the bug for bike travel in 2018, on his first long-distance cycle tour, the Maritimes (Mont-Joli to Cape Breton). In 2021, he will realize a dream by crossing the rest of Canada from Victoria (BC) to Montreal. He took the opportunity to combine his two passions, photography and cycling, and even created his first photo exhibition. This was followed by a shorter, but equally rejuvenating trip in 2022, from Kamouraska to Natashquan.

It wasn't until 2023, with Marie-Pierre Savard's initial idea, that Nicolas experienced his first big off-trail adventure bike trip in complete autonomy on the Baja Divide. The adventure was like any good bikepacking trip: beautiful, grandiose and unpredictable at times.

La Maison des cyclistes: a unique cycling hub

The Maison des cyclistes is located a stone's throw from Parc La Fontaine, where two of Montreal's most important bicycle paths intersect. In addition to Vélo Québec's offices, it features a bicycle travel agency, a boutique and a café, where Vélo Mag conferences are held.

The Maison des cyclistes is a space for services, exchanges, information and troubleshooting for cyclists, and is a project financed under the Agreement on the cultural development of Montreal between the Ville de Montréal and the Government of Quebec.