The Ultimate Adventure: Cycling to the Askja Volcano and the Central Highlands of Iceland (Stage 2)

If you are looking for the ultimate cycling adventure, then our three-stage ride to the volcano Askja is for you. It is an iconic Icelandic adventure that takes you inland to one of the most famous volcanoes in Iceland. You get there on an F-road, which is a rough, unpaved gravel road leading to the inner part of Iceland – the highlands. These roads are only open during the summer and should only be used by experienced adventure cyclists, as one is going to an extremely remote area that requires planning, self-dependency, and technical skills crossing rivers with a bike. It’s important to be well-prepared for this ride. The reward for completing this challenging route is an unforgettable experience in one of Iceland’s most remote and awe-inspiring regions.

Lava fields, ash plains, and towering mountains dominate the scenery of the second stage, creating an almost otherworldly backdrop. Cycling through the lava fields demands a slow, deliberate pace and a fair amount of technical skill. The road takes you through another icy river, which is much easier to cross than the last. As you delve deeper into the volcanic wilderness, the surroundings grow increasingly alien, evoking images of Mars. Two additional river crossings await, both via sturdy bridges that spare you from the icy waters. The jet-black sands, bizarre lava formations, and expansive desolation offer a cycling adventure like no other. Few people traverse these roads, making every moment a rare and tranquil escape into nature’s raw, unfiltered beauty. This is a ride deserving a place on everyone’s virtual bucket list.

Take your indoor cycling to the next level with Open Road, our ultra-real training app
Experience the ultimate indoor cycling adventure with Open Road, our training app for Windows. Designed to bring the outdoors inside, the app transforms your effort into realistic speed, immersing you in rides that feel just like the real thing. Compared to our ride-along videos on YouTube, Open Road offers a more dynamic and authentic indoor cycling experience.
The app is fully compatible with all ANT+ cycling devices, including smart trainers, power meters, and speed sensors. For athletes using spinning or exercise bikes without ANT+ connectivity, manual speed control is available, ensuring everyone can enjoy the ride. During your training sessions, you’ll have access to essential cycling metrics like altitude, distance, speed, and heart rate, giving you a complete, data-driven workout.

Learn more about our indoor cycling app ‘Open Road’ and sign up for your free ride on our website: https://bikethe.world

Support the Channel:
Our channel is free to use at home. But if you like the content and it helps your training we would appreciate your support. You can support us by taking a membership or giving us a ‘Super Thanks’. This will help us make it possible to create and share more professionally produced cycling videos from all over the world.

Strava:
Join our global cycling community and get kudos from fellow cyclists who like to bike the world: https://www.strava.com/clubs/biketheworldcyclingclub

Bike the World with Others:
Many indoor cycling studios around the world are using our videos for their indoor training sessions. If you want to bike the world at your local indoor cycling studio, please tell them about us.

Facebook:
Do you like our cycling videos? Then learn more about new rides, our training app ‘Open Road’, and other cycling-related activities by giving us a ‘like’ or ‘follow’ on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/biketheworldvideos/

Just add music:
Most cyclists would agree that the ride to Col du Tourmalet is outstanding. But with music, opinions are very mixed. So we have added no music. Instead, we recommend adding your favorite music to the ride. It is quite simple. Mute YouTube and open a browser window. Find a site that offers music (Spotify, YouTube, etc.) pick the music you like, and enjoy the ride… We have left the original sound of the ride out. This is because the noise from passing cars, vibrations from the road, wind, and the rider’s breathing drowns the natural sound of the surroundings.

Terms of use:
Bike the World has filmed this ride with the journalistic purpose of documenting, describing, educating on, and informing about world-famous and epic bicycle rides around the world. As a courtesy, this video is free to view at home. Any public and/or commercial use needs a license or membership (contact us at https://bikethe.world for more information). Our videos may not be copied. Likewise, one may not use our videos outside our YouTube channel or our training app ‘Open Road’ without written permission. Our videos are protected by international copyright laws and any misuse will be prosecuted accordingly.