Pictures by Marek Ogień, Mireia Simo and Steff Gutovska
Hi I’m Szymon [SHI-mawn] I am a photographer, guide, writer and above it all I am a romantic cyclist.
I grew up in Polish Pieniny mountains, now I’m living on the road, just simply trying to do my best to be able to spend my time doing what I love, riding my bike in the mountains.
After I quit studies, three times, I decided to chase what I really want to do in my life, which led me to many beautiful places, giving me the opportunity to create photos, videos and stories.
From Scandinavia, where I used to earn extra money by catching summerjobs, to the south of Europe, where I spend winters. I’ve mainly work for the Cycle Sierra Nevada and Freedom Of Cycling as a guide and social media manager. This allow me to continue traveling with my bike, exploring new places, riding through some of the many mountain passes of the Alps or Dolomites, discovering new roads from Iceland to Tibet.
Here is the list of what I’ve done so far and what I am most proud of:
- I’m the author of the Roadtripping series from Norway, Calpe, Tirol and Sierra Nevada made for cyclingtips.com.
- I worked as a PR agent for a World Champion Michał Kwiatkowski, and it was me, who convinced him to go for the „kwiato” nickname.
- I used to race for 11 years, mainly on the roadbike, but also on mtb, where I won bronze medal in National Championships, now I’ve found a different way to finding joy from cycling, and called it Romantic Cycling, which has become quite a big movement now (already around 30k pictures on Instagram with my hashtag #kolarstworomantyczne).
- I’ve worked on various projects with tourism boards, mostly Visit Tirol, Visit Swiss and Visit South Tyrol.
- I’ve been a model, photographer, producer and scout for numerous cycling projects.
- My works were published in quite a few paper magazines and books like Lonely Planet, Cabin Porn, Kraft, PNT, Magazyn Rowerowy, Far Ride Magazine, Szosa or National Geographic Traveler.
- My picture won 2nd place in 2016 Mark Gunter Photographer of the Year Awards contest.
- I work with many brands, helping promote their products and creating content. At the moment Isadore and Pinarello.
- Right now I’m trying to publish my book about Romantic Cycling, stories about finding joy without competition and my attitude to modern sport.
Where to find me:
Instagram: @szymonbike
Facebook: /szymonbike
Vimeo: /szymonbikepl
Tumblr: szymonbike.tumblr.com
Strava: athletes/szymonbike
email: szymonbike@gmail.com
