SUPPORTED BY

Since our founding, we have been actively working to help increase diversity in the bikepacking industry and would love to see more people from under-represented groups to join us at our event.

The Startline Bursary began with a simple but impactful aim: that bikepacking should be accessible to everyone. The bursary is built on three core goals; giving back to the community and sport, opening doors to people from under-represented groups, and for us, creating something more than just bikepacking events.  

Since launching in 2021, the Startline Bursary has supported 20 riders on their journey into bikepacking. Each year, we have watched first-time riders grow into confident, capable people - building their skills, gaining knowledge, and embarking on journeys that once felt out of reach. These stories of personal growth and development are so important to share with the community – they pave the way for inspiring others to get into bikepacking. 

When we first started L’esperit del Bikepacking, we organised ‘experience weekends’ where we took first-time bikepackers on multi-day trips to build confidence and knowledge. When we started putting on events, we knew we wanted to continue working to increase access to the sport. As a result, we created the concept of a Startline Bursary, to support people who would otherwise not be able to join us. Every year we have people who turn up at our events and defy their expectations of themselves, whether that is by finishing or simply managing to get to the startline. This is the reason we keep running the bursary. 

The bursary exists as a platform for opportunity, inspiration, and change for people from under-represented groups in bikepacking. These groups are, including but not limited to; women, ethnic minorities, non-binary, and transgender. By focusing on applications within Europe, we are able to maximise the impact of the support we offer, and so we can help more people to get to the start line of our events, increasing access and diversity within the sport. 

We want to thank Tailfin for their continued support and belief in the bursary. They have been involved in the bursary since its creation 5 years ago, contributing towards covering financial costs and lending equipment to bursary riders, helping to break down barriers within bikepacking. 

We are excited to see who will be inspiring the bikepacking community through the bursary for 2026!  

APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2026 STARTLINE BURSARY NOW OPEN!