Outsiders: Leanne Bentley

Leanne is a graphic designer and bag maker from the UK, currently living in Amsterdam. Last year she won the inaugural Alps Divide women’s race, a mixed-terrain bikepacking route which crosses back and forth along the borders of France, Italy and Switzerland.

We caught up with Leanne on her riding plans in 2025 and to learn more about her creative practice.

(Words by Leanne Bentley, photos by Gavin Kaps, Tom Gibbs, Evan Christianson and Leanne Bentley)

Hi Leanne, tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into bikepacking and ultra distance racing?

I’m a graphic designer and bag maker from the UK, currently living in Amsterdam.

Bikes have always been a big part of my life, I was obsessed with riding as a kid, and when I moved to London for uni and work, I rode a track bike everywhere. I couldn’t afford public transport when I was interning at design agencies, so my bike was a total lifeline.

Eventually, I got a road bike and started doing longer rides and a few one-day events. Ironically, moving to the bike capital of the world took me away from cycling—I got an omafiets to get around but left my road bike in the UK. I didn’t ride for fun for a couple of years, and instead got really into indoor climbing.

When the pandemic hit and gyms closed, I got back on the bike and it quickly escalated. I built up a gravel bike and started riding off-road, and going on longer and longer rides.

I signed up for my first ultra, the Dales Divide, in 2022—less than a year after hearing the word bikepacking for the first time. From that point on, I was all in. Throughout my life, bikes have always been a symbol of freedom, and ultra racing has only deepened that connection.

You had an amazing year in 2024. Do you have any big plans on the bike for this year?

I’m starting the season with the Trans Balkan Race at the end of May. I’ve never been to the Balkans, so I’m excited to explore a new part of the world, and it looks like a stunning route.

In August, I’m racing the Silk Road Mountain Race with my friend Jack Taylor. I usually race solo, so I’m looking forward to mixing it up. We’re heading to Kyrgyzstan two weeks early to acclimatise and explore a bit. I’m excited (and slightly apprehensive about the 25km hike-a-bike!).

How do you balance running a creative studio and training for races

Working for myself gives me the freedom to take more time off for races, which I’m really grateful for. I’ll be in Kyrgyzstan for nearly a month this year, which wouldn’t be possible if I still worked in an agency.

The flip side is that working for yourself can be unpredictable. When work is busy, it’s hard to fit in all the training I want, but when it’s quiet, I’ve learned to embrace it and spend more time on the bike instead of stressing about when the next job will come in.

I run Dad Agency with my creative partner Ulla. We’ve got a similar outlook on work/life balance and both take plenty of time off—when I’m away, she holds down the fort, and vice versa. It works really well for us.

You like to combine your love of design and your love for the bike. Can you tell us about Carrie Gere and how that started?

During the pandemic, I had a lot of time on my hands and was falling deeper into the bikepacking rabbit hole when I stumbled across the MYOG (Make Your Own Gear) community online. I was blown away by what people were making.

I didn’t know how to sew, but I bought a cheap machine and taught myself the basics so I could make a framebag. Coming from a design background, I was able to transfer over a lot of skills, using the same software I use for graphic design to create patterns, for example.

Friends started asking for bags, and I wanted to put a label on them—so Carrie Gere was born.

Racing has been an amazing way to design and test new products. My mind would start wandering while racing AMR and I’d be designing my idea of a perfect hydration pack in my head. You interact with your kit so much on ultras—it’s a goldmine of inspiration.

For the Alps Divide last year I set myself a goal to reduce my base weight by 2kg, and to help achieve this I made a set of ultralight bikepacking bags. I stripped away everything that wasn’t absolutely necessary in the design process, and the finished seatpack, framebag and front roll/harness had a combined weight of just 645g. Being able to test new designs over a long race in pretty adverse conditions is invaluable.

You also have a rally coming up. What’s the story behind Wildcard?

I’ve wanted to put on my own event for ages, so I asked my friend Melvin if he wanted to team up. The idea is a bikepacking weekend meets an Alleycat, and we want it to be accessible, with something for people of all experience levels.

There’s a fixed start and finish, but no set route. Riders have 10 hours to cover as much distance as they can—earning one point per kilometre. Bonus points come from doing missions like riding an impractical bike, riding MTB trails, bivvying, or litter-picking.

Putting on an event is also a nice opportunity to make a graphic identity around a topic I’m passionate about. Ulla and I worked on the branding and then asked Jack Taylor to make some fun illustrations for it.

The first edition of Wildcard is in May, and if it goes well, we’ll definitely do more.

What’s your most memorable day on the bike?

The first full day of the Alps Divide last summer. The previous day had been stormy, and I’d mostly ridden through the night. When the sun came up, I was floored by how beautiful it was.

I spent most of the day climbing, eventually topping out at 2800m on the Col de la Bonette—the highest paved road in Europe. It was a pretty spectacular day on the bike.

What’s your favourite local bike shop?

I try and do most of my bike maintenance myself as I think it’s an important skill to have when racing in remote places. When I do need the extra help I’ll head to Wheelrunner, not only because it’s a great shop, but because Bas is an ultra-racing veteran and we always have a nice chat about our racing plans.

How do you find training for mountainous races in the famously flat Netherlands?

It’s funny—despite all my training being in the flatlands, I actually love climbing (and descending). It’s the flat stuff I struggle with on races.

The plus side of riding here is that it’s perfect for long, steady zone 2 efforts, and because you’re always pedalling, I think it helps you develop good form.

What’s the one thing you couldn’t leave for an adventure without?

My Ricoh GR3 camera. I love taking photos on bikepacking trips and it’s the perfect camera for adventures, because it’s so tiny.