Hello  -

May is bike month! To celebrate we are launching our 2023 Bike Giveaway. Here's your opportunity to win the bike of your choice to take you on your next touring adventure. 

Also in May, view the world's best bike movies at the 21st Annual Filmed by Bike Film Fest. Even if you can't attend in person, there are plenty of ways to view the films.

Whether you are hosting or touring, we wish you happy trails!

Win the Bike of YOUR CHOICE

The annual Warmshowers Bike Giveaway is here! Enter to win the bike of YOUR CHOICE (valued at up to $2000 USD). You pick the bike, and we will take care of the rest. 

Entering is easy; just donate to Warmshowers today! Donations made between May 15th and June 25th, 2023, will automatically earn one entry into the drawing. 

ONE world, TWO wheels, THREE reasons to donate

1. Keep our technology running smoothly. Your donation helps maintain our organization and allows us to continuously improve our technology, which supports our vision of growing the community.

2. Benefit directly from your donation. Any time you reach out to a host, use the forum or request help from our community, you’ll feel the benefits of contributing.

3. You could win a bike! During the next six weeks only, your donation doubles as a chance to WIN our giveaway prize — $2000 toward the bike of your choice.

How to enter: 

• Make a donation. Your donations are essential to keeping our technology and organization moving forward. Thank you! (Must be a donation; new registrations and app purchases do not count as an entry.)
• If you cannot donate today, you can enter the drawing by mailing a postcard with your username to the address at the bottom of this newsletter. Entries must be postmarked by June 25, 2023, or earlier to be eligible. (A cash donation is not required to enter the drawing.)

Giveaway Rules: Sending emails or using the “Contact Us” form on our website do not count as an entry. To enter the drawing, you must be a current user (yes, we will check). Warmshowers will pay up to $2000 USD, including tax and shipping, towards the bike chosen by the winner. The giveaway ends on June 25, 2023.

WATCH BIKE MOVIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

The 21st Annual Filmed by Bike film fest is coming up May 18-21 in Portland, Oregon with bike rides, movies, #coffeeoutside, parties and more.

Streaming options are available so you can watch the movies no matter where you live. Streaming programs launch at the same time as the theater shows, and viewing access is available all the way through 2023!

Filmed by Bike features the world's best bike movies with more than 50 films from 14 countries showing all weekend long. Everything from bikepacking and animation to important stories about diversity and inclusion. 

New this year, the festival presents Land:Connection, a program about the impact cyclists and their bikes have on the environment through which we ride.

And as always, the popular Adventure Night program on May 20 features tales of adventure from the rugged road, films that are sure to inspire. 

We think Warmshowers members will particularly enjoy the film “Riding Han” by Eugene Pak, which is playing in the Adventure Night program. In this film, which was funded by a Filmed by Bike BIPOC Filmmaker Grant, Eugene reflects on life and bicycle travel as a Korean cyclist. 

Even though you can watch the streaming options through the end of the year, we suggest you tune in during the festival weekend. Snack on your popcorn knowing bike lovers just like you from all over the world are watching the same incredible movies!

Buy a pass or get individual tickets for theater or streaming programs on the festival website HERE.

I Just Have to Move My Legs

By: Alison Alsup

In the summer of 2021, when I was 20 years old, I took a Greyhound bus from Columbus, Ohio, to Seattle, Washington. The three-day bus trip included me barfing on the pavement at the Minneapolis station, being offered hard candy “for a good time” in Billings, Montana, and disgusting motion sickness through Idaho. But my journal entries were about the incredible sunrises over the lakes in Minnesota, the rock formations around the Badlands in South Dakota, and the unforgettable sunsets in Wyoming. I loved seeing the vast American scenery unfold before me- I just wished I could travel through it more slowly.

In 2022, I saved a portion of each paycheck from my fast-food job that I work during the school year in Cleveland, Ohio, and bought a bike. It was a Jamis Renegade A-1, and I decided that I was going to try to bike to Colorado. I got a summer job building hiking trails in June, but school ended at the beginning of May. What was I supposed to do for a whole month? I could try to bike there! It’s slower than a Greyhound bus- the scenery wouldn’t look so blurry.

I thought my idea was genius. I just have to move my legs. And I get to be alone and outside!

The Warmshowers.org Forums were established as a communication hub for our users to discuss their travels, hosting experiences, best routes and equipment and more. They are a great resource for many people, both on the road and off.

Looking for hosting, a travel partner or route and country information? Post in Planning Your Next Trip.

Do you have a blog, YouTube channel or media resources to share with our users? Post links and information in Share Your Blog and Videos Here.

Have equipment for sale or looking to buy? Equipment, Resources and For Sale is the perfect forum to post equipment for sale, let the community know you are looking for specific equipment or get recommendations on the best equipment to meet your needs.

The forums are the perfect way to communicate with fellow users, get answers to your questions, and find out what's happening in the community. See you there!

Forums, Social Media, and Submissions

Forums: Looking for a friend to tour with or route planning advice for your next trip? Be sure to check the Warmshowers Forums! 

Facebook: Please join us in our private Facebook Group. Quick reminder: we only post user related stories about touring and hosting. All technical questions, host requests, items for sale, etc. should be added to the forum section of our website and will not be posted in the Facebook group.

Instagram: Follow us on Instagram at Warmshowers_org and tag us. Each photo that we repost will include a shout out, AND we will follow you back! 

YouTube: Subscribe to our Warmshowers.org YouTube channel for videos of the latest Bike Life episodes.

Stories from the Road and Host's Corner: We want to hear your story! Please submit a 500-1500 word overview, in English, including up to five photos HERE. We love sharing the stories of our users across the globe!

Bike Life Podcast: Interested in being a guest on our top rated Bike Life Podcast? We'd love to share your story. Click HERE to complete the submission form.

Great Reads: Click HERE to submit your recently published cycle touring book that you would like to share with the community. Books must be authored by a registered Warmshowers user and published within the past 6 months. 

Warmshowers.org Foundation is a registered 501c3 and relies heavily on your support.  If you would like to donate, please click HERE.