Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives #1

Jana Wahl: Rolling with the rhythm of bikepacker life

Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Lives (OWEL) is a series that celebrates the unusual paths that women take – whether it’s a short diversion in their life’s journey, or a new route entirely. It’s about women who are sometimes brave, sometimes bold, often vulnerable, and usually curious… and their quest to create a life that reflects who they truly are.

Jana Wahl, riding through Armenia in 2022. Photo © Johan Wahl

Dear NE-One

I don’t remember the first time Jana Wahl dropped onto my radar. It was on Instagram, I know that for sure, and what I remember is that she did so quietly, without crazy hashtags or elaborate reels, or any calls for attention. In fact, it was the enchanting images taken by Johan Wahl, Jana’s husband, that initially caught my imagination – moody photographs of rough, winding roads, rugged hills, wide open spaces and, often, someone on a bicycle – a tiny speck in the distance. Who were these people, travelling quietly across wild landscapes, and through places so beautiful that my body ached to be there?

Eventually, after travelling vicariously with them along gravel roads and below snowy peaks from Georgia through Armenia, into Iran and then Turkey, I dropped Jana a line. I’d love to hear your story, I wrote, can we connect?