With over 60 talks across three stages, the Adventure Bike Rider Festival is the perfect place to get exclusive insights and inspiration for your next big adventure from those who have been there and done it. Across three days you’ll be able to see the most inspiring names in the world of adventure motorcycling.
Share the moment with other like-minded riders, experience the incredible atmosphere, and get ready to hear fascinating stories that capture the beauty of adventure riding so perfectly.
Entry to all talks across the weekend is included with an ABR Festival ticket. You can get yours here.
2023 CONFIRMED FESTIVAL SPEAKERS
RYAN F9
Ryan F9 is one of the biggest motorcycle YouTube stars and one of the most recognisable faces in adventure biking. Ryan proved a huge hit at last summer’s ABR Festival and the Canadian biker enjoyed himself so much, he’s flying back to the UK to join us in 2023. Photo by: davidgoldmanphoto.com
ELSPETH BEARD
Famous for being one of the first British women to ride solo around the world, Elspeth embarked on her 35,000-mile ride in 1982. More than three decades later she wrote a book called Lone Rider which made her one of the world’s most inspirational adventure biking icons.
SIMON & LISA THOMAS
In 2003, Simon and Lisa Thomas (known as 2 Ride the World) embarked on a 16 month around-the-world trip. Almost 20 years later, they were still on the road with 507,000 miles and 122 countries under their tyres. They’ll be hosting the Campfire Stage at next year’s festival.
THE GIRL ON A BIKE
Vanessa Ruck, better known as The Girl On A Bike, is a huge social media star and inspiration to many. Hear her incredible story and discover how, following an accident, she emerged stronger thanks to her love of adventure biking. She’ll be hosting the Masterclass Tent at the festival.
BILLY WARD
Billy is no stranger to the worlds of adventure biking and celebrities having worked with the likes of Charley Boorman and Ross Noble. He’s also travelled through Africa, Afghanistan, Australia and the USA on his travels, and he even rode to the frontline in Iraq for a documentary.
TED SIMONS
On 6th October 1973, at the age of 42, Ted set off from London on a 500cc Triumph Tiger motorcycle on what became a four year solo journey around the world, covering 64,000 miles through 45 countries.
With the aim of discovering how the world had changed in the intervening 28 years, aged 69, Ted embarked on a second journey. This time Ted rode over 59,000 miles through 47 countries.
THE MISSENDEN FLYER
He’s a nice guy who loves bikes, a simple formula that resulted in The Missenden Flyer becoming one of the UK’s most popular biking stars on YouTube. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on The Missenden Flyer hosting the ABR Festival pub quiz alongside Teapot One and Richy Vida.
NICK SANDERS
A total of 19 days and four hours: that’s how long it took Nick Sanders to ride around the world. He’ll reveal how he achieved this seemingly impossible feat of endurance and what drove him to circumnavigate the globe seven times throughout the ABR Festival.
LYNDON POSKITT
Lyndon had been racing motorcycles since he was ten years old, which saw him compete in seven different disciplines; the pinnacle being the Dakar Rally, renowned as the longest and toughest off-road race in the world.
In 2013 a near-fatal training incident changed his perspective on life. He kick-started his long-held dream of riding around the globe and also racing on each of the six populated continents. To do so he designed and custom built his own motorbike, Basil, (named after his grandfather) for his project that he named ‘Races to Places’.
CHRIS SCOTT
Chris first coined the term ‘adventure biking’ and knows more about riding the Sahara than anyone else having ridden more than 50 expeditions. Chris wrote the book on adventure biking, literally, having authored eight editions of the Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.
CHRIS BIRCH
Chris Birch is a life-long motorcycle addict. He is an eight times New Zealand Enduro overall champion, three time Roof of Africa winner, he has been on the podium seven times at Red Bull Romaniacs including winning it in 2010. Chris has ridden and raced in over thirty countries and has a thirst for adventure, and he will be joining us at the ABR Festival.
SPENCER CONWAY
From living with nomads in the Sahara, to being shot at by bandits in Kenya, Spencer has seen it all. After giving up an office job, he set out on his bike to solo circumnavigate some of the most hazardous and awe-inspiring places on Earth, including crossing the almost impenetrable Darien Gap.
CHRIS NORTHOVER
Chris has managed to cram a ridiculous amount of motorcycling into his 36 years, from marathon rides on a Honda C90, to competing in the Scottish Six Days Trial and racing in the World Superbike paddock. His enthusiasm for bikes and talking about bikes is boundless; a trait which has led him to a career as an off-road instructor and a TV presenter for Bike World.
RICHY VIDA
Popular YouTuber Richy was bitten by the motorcycle bug from a young age. He cut his teeth in the quarries and fields of Derbyshire and has since ridden into Norway’s midnight sun and cruised along the beaches of Dubrovnik on his motorcycle travels.
PATSY QUICK
Patsy Quick is probably the best known female off-road motorcycle rider in the UK today. During more than 20 years of riding, she has completed major overland expeditions, been British Women’s Enduro Champion and the European Women’s Champion. Patsy became the first British woman to complete the Dakar back in 2006.
AUSTIN VINCE
Austin is a legend in the adventure biking world having pioneered the motorcycle documentary genre with the iconic Mondo Enduro. He’s ridden the Road of Bones and crossed the Zilov Gap, two of the toughest two-wheeled challenges on Earth.
MOTOBOB
MotoBob produces some of the most engaging motorcycle videos found anywhere, having amassed almost 250,000 YouTube subscribers. If you want to learn the secrets of making great bike videos, don’t miss out on meeting MotoBob.
DYLAN WICKRAMA
The Darien Gap between Panama and Colombia is said to be impenetrable. So, when Dylan Wickrama came across it after three years on the road, he decided the logical thing was to build a raft powered by his motorcycle to go around it.
BEN KING
Aged 17, Ben set off to explore the world by bike. He’s spent the past seven year’s travelling across Asia, Central and South America, Europe and North Africa. Most recently he rode overland from London to China via Iran and Pakistan.
JACK GROVES
in 2019, 21-year-old Jack Groves mounted a second-hand Royal Enfield Himalayan in a bid to circumnavigate the world by motorcycle. His 35,000 mile expedition was initially planned to last a year, but eventually took just under two, due to a 255-day enforced halt in Peru because of the pandemic.
HENRY CREW
For his first ride abroad, Henry rode 52,500 miles around the world on a Ducati Scrambler. Despite overnighting in a prison with a wannabe suicide bomber in Pakistan and accidentally booking into a hotel that turned out to be a brothel in Colombia, he completed his journey unscathed.
TEAPOTONE
Bruce Smart, also known as ‘TeapotOne’, is an ex-met police officer who embarked on a remarkable journey around the world on his Suzuki GSX-R1000 motorcycle. Before his mother lost her battle with cancer, Bruce promised her that he would one day ride around the world. Determined to keep that promise, he set off on a solo and unsupported journey that covered 74,000 miles through 54 countries in 442 days.
CLAIRE ELSDON
In 2012, Claire Elsdon set off on a trip of a lifetime riding the length of Africa from London. Five years later and she’s the mastermind behind Pikilily, a charity based in Tanzania which aims to educate riders in the art of motorcycle maintenance and road safety.
STEPH JEAVONS
Ever wondered what it’s like to ride on Antarctica? Why not ask Steph. She was one of the first people to ride solo around-the-world on a motorcycle, taking in all seven continents over four years and 53 countries in total.
GRAHAM FIELD
Graham Field was travelling to foreign lands before he was eligible to have his own passport, rode motorbikes before he was old enough to have a licence, and has kept a daily diary for over thirty years. He was born to tell tales of motorcycle travel; it just took him a long time to realise it.
THE SIDE CAR GUYS
Matt Bishop and Reece Gilkes were the first people to ride around the globe on a scooter and sidecar. They travelled for 34,000 miles through 35 countries to earn an official Guinness World Record and gathered plenty of fascinating stories to tell along the way.
DAVID GOLDMAN
David Goldman is an award-winning documentary and portrait photographer / filmmaker from Canada. David uses his motorcycle as a mobile photo studio, and to date has traveled well over 30k miles, and has photographed in excess of 100 subjects. He has ridden some of the most dynamic and challenging roads in North America including the Trans-Labrador highway.
THE GREAT RIDE ALONG
Young adventure-destined couple Mitchel & Nadia are out to explore the world. Creating a life as Adventurers, Digital Nomads, Content Creators and Brand Ambassadors they share their journey into the world of adventure biking.
LENNART ANDREAS
Freelance photographer Lennart has ridden from LA to New York and over the highest passes in India. He feels lucky to be able to share his passion for motorcycling with his wife Maia, and together have ridden tens of thousands of miles on two wheels around the world.
SAFFY SPROCKET
YouTuber and motorcycle vlogger, Saffy Sprocket, will return to the ABR Festival in 2023. The Chester-based biker, best known for her travels around the UK, will appear on the Masterclass Stage to pass on her knowledge and expertise on how to start and grow a successful YouTube channel.
LUKE PHILLIPS
Luke is an adventure rider and ex-British Army paratrooper from Stourbridge, England. In 2007, he quit his job, sold all of his possessions and has never looked back. He has ridden his bike all over the world, with more than 110,000 miles, six continents, and 47 countries travelled so far.
THROW YOUR LEG OVER
Bridget Hallam and Alan Cox (also known as Throw Your Leg Over) are motorcycle adventurers and authors from Australia. They’ve ridden over 80,000 miles two-up in Australia, Europe and North Africa.
OLLY CROWIE
To help you prepare for your next adventure, Olly Crowie from Wrenchride will be passing on his expertise in a series of workshops, covering buying advice, maintenance, trip prep and more.
PHILIP WESTON
Philip Weston, the president of the IronButt Association, has some impressive rides under his belt. From rallies in Europe to the Saddlesore 3000, and riding from Gibraltar to Nordkapp in 72 hours, he has plenty of stories to tell.
MICHAEL JAY
Michael Jay uses his knowledge, passion and experience to share with other riders what the motorbike world has to offer. Join Michael in a Masterclass Tent alongside Vanessa Ruck for a lesson on how to pick up your bike.
COME AND MEET
NOHIGHWAYS
Thalassa van Beek – online better-known as NoHighways – has been riding motorcycles for over 15 years, but only in the last few years started adventure and off-road riding. She takes her Ténéré 700 all around Europe and uses her WR250 in the Spanish mountains to improve her off-road skills.
JADERIDES
Having struggled with mental health issues since she could walk, motorbikes, and more importantly riding them on adventures, saved Jade.
Last summer she rode her trusty Yamaha WR250R as far east as she could; it got Jade to Georgia, riding over 13,000 miles and going through 19 countries without any support.
USERNAMEKATE
Usernamekate is a female motorcycle content creator who describes herself as a Youtuber, track addict and excellent tea maker. She particularly enjoys testing out different types of motorcycles, submerging herself in any experience that will better herself as a rider and going on motorcycle trips with her partner recording everything along the way.
LUCIA AUCOTT
A passionate biker who won’t say no to any bike challenge. Lucia loves discovering unbeaten tracks on her enduro bike, twisty roads on her road bike, as well as track riding and flat track racing.
COURTNEY SCARLETT
Fascinated by motorbikes since she was a child, Courtney Scarlett has been riding for the last 10 years and has owned Harley Davidson’s and Triumphs in that time.
Receiving some negativity as a female in the sport, Courtney is passionate about inspiring women to get involved and lead an all female ride from London to Wales for the first women’s motorcycling event in the UK.
We’ll be revealing more speakers as we get closer to the event, but that incredible line-up should whet your appetite and give you an idea of what to expect.
Remember, the only place to see all of these speakers together is at the ABR Festival 2023. You can get your tickets to Europe’s biggest adventure motorcycling festival today here.
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