Shows / Cycling Hokkaido
Cycling Hokkaido
There are so many amazing things to see out there. What better way to see them than on a bicycle? Come along with me and let's see what we can find.
Episodes
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.166 Lake Utonai: It's For the Birds
A little autumn cycling, a trip to Lake Utonai, and a look at what a Ramsar site actually is. Lake Utonai is one of Hokkaido's 13 internationally important…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.165 Hints From the Universe
Ever have one of those days when things keep going wrong, and you start to wonder if you're just not meant to be out there? A few days ago, I had one of those…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.164 Ancient Hokkaido by Bicycle: Footprints in the Clay
Hop on your bike and join me on a journey into Hokkaido's ancient Jomon past. The Kitakogane Shell Mound is a fascinating archaelogical site, from pit…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.163 Gokibiru: A Hokkaido Hidden Gem
Gokibiru is a beautiful destination for a bike ride. If you're looking for a day's ride less than 100km from Sapporo, Gokibiru could be just the place for you…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.162 Cycling Hokkaido...in Tokyo
Last week I was down in Hachioji, Tokyo and got some excellent riding done. Riding down in Tokyo, I think the most obvious difference from Hokkaido is the age…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.161 Not Just a Pretty Place
When you cycle around Hokkaido, one thing you can't miss is the farmland. But there is a lot more to those fields than meets the eye. In this episode, I take a…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.160 Ups & Downs in Niseko
Episode 160 of the Cycling Hokkaido podcast is about my ride out to the Niseko area, my first time out there this year. An awesome ride with tons of climbing…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.159 Yubari on a Full Stomach
Over the last couple of weeks, I did two rides out to the Yubari area. The first one was to see the movie posters along the famous Cinema Street and hopefully…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.158 The POW BAR with Norris Scott
This episode of the Cycling Hokkaido podcast brings you the story of how The POW BAR came to be. My guest, Norris Scott, is the co-owner of this Niseko-based…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.157 The Pursuit of Paradise with Denise & Riley
This past weekend I was lucky enough to meet Denise and Riley at the Furano Freewheeling Cycling Festival. Denise and Riley are a young couple who have spent…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.156 Grateful for the Ride
3 years, 156 episodes and a whole lotta kilometers! This week is a little different. I don't have a big ride or adventure to share so I'm taking a moment to…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.155 Heat, Hills, Shooting Stars & Shakotan
Shakotan is one of Hokkaido's most beautiful places to ride, and this Obon we got our annual ride to Kamui Misaki done. Rather than tackling the 200+ km…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.154 Wild Camping & Yoichi's Hidden History
In this episode of the show, I talk about the beginning of the summer festival season here in Hokkaido, including the lively Otaru Ushio Festival. I also share…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.153 Cycle Shikoku in Hokkaido with Norman White
My ride to Shiretoko was amazing for many reasons, and one of the highlights was randomly meeting Norman White from the tour company Cycle Shikoku at the top…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.152 From Air Bike Tours to False Peaks
In this episode of the Cycling Hokkaido podcast, I'm joined by two fantastic guests: Mackenzie Doyle, who appeared in the YouTube film False Peaks, and Gareth…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.151 Cycling Lake Kussharo & the Bihoro Pass
After riding the Shiretoko Pass, the adventure continued in eastern Hokkaido. Having spend the night at the Mashu Onsen Roadside Station, I drove to Ikenoyu…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.150 Cycling the Shiretoko Pass
This week on Cycling Hokkaido, I finally take on the legendary Shiretoko Pass. After a 7-hour drive from Ishikari I finally arrived in Utoro at 1:30am. In the…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.149 Mashike, Route 231 & Tunnel Bypass Options
In this episode, I head to Mashike to meet up with a friend who is camping by the coast. Over peanut butter&jelly sandwiches and a Frisbee chuck about, we had…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.148 Ryoma Sakamoto's Footsteps in Urausu, Hokkaido
What does one of Japan's most famous historical figures, Ryoma Sakamoto, have to do with a small town in central Hokkaido? In this episode, we follow the…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.147 An Aunt, a Nephew and a Hokkaido Cycling Adventure
In this episode of the Cycling Hokkaido podcast, Marty is joined by Canadian aunt-and-nephew duo Aerin K. Bowers and Quinn Hoffman. This is a story about…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.146 Talking Ainu Culture & History with Matt Cotter
This week I'm joined by long-time Sapporo resident Matt Cotter for a conversation about Ainu history, culture, language, and life in modern Hokkaido. The Ainu…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.145 Rice Paddies, Headless Buddhas & the Sea of Japan with Ryan Hill
Episode 145 of Cycling Hokkaido features Ryan Hill from Vancouver, BC, who joined me for a ride through the Hokkaido countryside before sitting down to record…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.144 Cycle 5 to Survive: Next Stop, Africa
Welcome back to the Cycling Hokkaido podcast. Today I'm joined by PL and Kristen from Cycle 5 to Survive, a project that's taken them across continents on…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.143 Group Rides, Hidden History and Hokkaido Roads
In this episode, I follow up on a listener question about group rides in Hokkaido and share some of the information I found while digging into the local…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.142 From Cape Sata to Cape Soya with John Swain
I first came across John Swain in one of the Facebook cycling groups when he was planning to ride from Cape Sata to Cape Soya, cycling the full length of Japan…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.141 From England to Everywhere: Daisy & Charlie's World Ride
What does it really take to leave home and cycle across the world? In this episode of Cycling Hokkaido, I sit down with Daisy & Charlie, two cyclists who set…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.140 An Unexpected Lesson & an Ancient Tree
In this episode of the Cycling Hokkaido podcast I give you my review of the 2026 cherry blossom cycling season and get into a whole lot more. I never knew the…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.139 Petals, Pedals & the Unexpected - Cherry Blossom Cycling in Hokkaido
Cherry blossom season is finally getting underway in Hokkaido, one of the most anticipated times of the cycling year. In this episode, I talk about what it's…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.138 Riding Into the Wind in Hokkaido (And Rethinking What Makes a Great Ride)
Riding in Hokkaido isn't always about perfect conditions. In this episode, I head out into strong winds and end up learning something unexpected: a great ride…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.137 Spring Cycling in Hokkaido isn't Easy
In this episode of Cycling Hokkaido, I kick things off with a quick story from a recent family trip to Tokyo including a visit to the famous Tsukiji Outer…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.136 Renting Bicycles in Hokkaido & Japan: What you Need to Know
Planning to cycle in Hokkaido or elsewhere in Japan but not sure what kind of bike to rent, or where to start? In this episode, I break down the different…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.135 Snowshoeing Onuma-yama in Hokkaido
Snowshoeing up Onuma-yama in the waning of a Hokkaido winter, I joined a group of 14 experienced snowshoers and quickly found myself pushing to keep up on a…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.134 Top 5 Rides from Sapporo
In Ep.133 I talked about the top 5 rides in Hokkaido, but not everyone has the time or ability to travel across the island to ride them. So this week I'm…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.133 Top 5 Rides in Hokkaido
If you're planning cycling trip to Hokkaido, these are five routes you shouldn't miss. In this episode of Cycling Hokkaido, I count down my top five favourite…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.132 Riding Into the Hokkaido Thaw
The thaw has come to Hokkaido earlier than expected, and the 2026 cycling season is officially underway. March 2nd marked the first ride of the year, with most…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.131 Furries in Front of Hokkaido's History
In this episode the contrast between modern culture and traditional Japan is very obvious. Furries holding a photo meet and greet day in front of one of…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.130 The Hokkaido Flag
In this episode Marty talks about the Hokkaido flag. Most people you'll ever come across have never heard of it and I'm not just talking about travelers…
Cycling HokkaidoEp.129 The 76th Sapporo Snow Festival
The 76th Sapporo Snow Festival was excellent. I love that event and this year it did NOT disappoint. The sculptures were stunning, and I ended up learning more…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.128 Sapporo Chaos to Asahikawa Chill
That was one wild ride. Heavy snow slammed Hokkaido and travel turned into chaos - especially at Sapporo Station, where cancellations and delays were…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.127 Snowmageddon
One of the wildest weekends, came at the hands of the biggest snowstorm in 21 years here in Hokkaido. Here in Ishikari we had two 50+cm snow days in four days…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.126 Peak Eating, Not Peak Riding
In this episode, Marty dives into the Sapporo Snow Festival as it kicks off—then takes a delicious detour into where to find great cheese in Sapporo. He also…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.125 I'm Still on My Way
In life we are all still on our way. Some of the rides we do are such perfect metaphors for life. This episode has some things that I hope resonate with you…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.124 Off Base: Another Holiday in Thailand
So last year, our New Year's holiday in Thailand was pretty much destroyed by mechanical problems, this year the holiday was awesome! Bangkok and Koh Phangan…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.123 Rolling Into 2026
Happy New Year!! Up here in Hokkaido New Year's is a bit different than in other places in Japan. The feasting goes on for a few days and starts on December…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.122 What I Learned in 2025
2025 was a great year, eh! New places were explored, new limits were tested, and I got to meet a whole lot of excellent new people. This year also gave me a…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.121 This Podcast is Bigger Than I Thought
Small Podcast, Real Listeners! Folks, thank you all so much for tuning in to the show in 2025. I can't believe the numbers the Cycling Hokkaido podcast's…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.120 Earthquakes, Bright Lights & Celebrities
So much happened this week! Life in Japan can be absolutely wild. One minute you might be going along, happy as a clam, the next you're worried if your ceiling…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.119 Good Food & Great People
Cycling is obviously coming to an end, is the storm of December 3rd it!? We shall see. I'm seriously hoping for a few more riding days but it looks like this…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.118 A Murder of Crows
I can't believe I never knew crows were such stone cold killers! That was a brutal scene we came across in Asari the other day, but at least it was a learning…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.117 Winter Hits Ishikari & Chocolate Milk
Winter is upon us! Ishikari got slammed pretty hard, actually really hard for November 18th. I know we have to shovel a lot of snow up here in Ishikari but on…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.116 Biker's Elbow & Bears
In this episode Marty talks about an injury that took a while to manifest but it's here. You can still ride with biker's elbow but you gotta be careful to not…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.115 Chasing Fall Colours
Ain't no doubt about it, up here in Hokkaido, fall is my favourite time of year. The temperature is very comfortable, the food is delicious and the colours on…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.114 Texas, Haggis & Sister Cities
Yo folks! This episode is a little bit different. I had 3 guests. Texas Doug, who was my guest on Ep.69 of the Cycling Hokkaido podcast and his lovely wife…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.113 Climbing to Yakumo
The ride to Yakumo is turning into an annual thing. Yay! This year I decided to take on the hills and ride through the middle of Hokkaido. I rode from Ishikari…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.112 Learning About Ainu Culture & History
The other week I set off on another Drive'n'Ride but this time the cycling kind of played second fiddle to the learning. I wanted to learn more about the Ainu…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.111 The Mikuni Pass in Daisetsuzan National Park Pt.2
My time on the Mikuni Pass in Daisetsuzan National Park was so much fun and the way I did it deserved 2 episodes of the show. Episode 2 is about me cycling up…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.110 The Mikuni Pass in Daisetsuzan National Park Pt.1
At 1,139m the Mikuni Pass is the highest national road in Hokkaido and last weekend I finally got a chance to ride it. I spent 2 days riding the pass and it…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.109 Ringing in Autumn
This is a really fun episode. There are sound effects. Hahaha!! I just kind of ring a bell a couple of times. But what I did find really interesting was how…
Cycling HokkaidoEp.108 Saying Hello to Mt.Yotei
Every year, I want to make my way to Mt.Yotei to say hello. I don't know what it is, but there is something so healing about seeing that mountain. It is such a…
- Cycling Hokkaido
Ep.107 Kyrre Havik from Norway
First off, sorry folks, I made a little mistake in this. Hojicha is not a wheat tea. It's a kind of green tea. My bad. Right, let's get down to…