As anyone familiar with bikepacking will know, things rarely go to plan. But the twists and turns along the way are all part of the adventure! That was certainly the case with the recent overnight bike trip while cycling in Tunisia. The bike ride was from Tunis to the coastal town of Bizerte. Read on for what happened when a short ride to a scenic seaside town goes, quite literally, off the rails.
Setting the scene
Salem and kia ora, I’m Bronnie from Aotearoa New Zealand! In December 2025 ended my month of travel in Tunisia with a stint at Nomadic Bike. I had only a short time left in the country, so was interested in doing some short, overnight bikepacking trips from Tunis.
Lucky for me, the Nomadic bike community is a treasure trove of knowledge on local biking routes, and are very eager to share. Many of the bikers mentioned Bizerte and nearby Ghar al Milh as some of their favourite places to cycle to and camp overnight.
As Alaa said, Bizerte has everything – “the beach and the mountains all in the same place”.
The stars aligned as Yassine – a reggae-loving, computer engineer turned agriculturalist – mentioned he had a graduation ceremony to attend in Bizerte later in the week. He suggested we bike there together and camp, before staying a second night by the beach in Ghar al Milh on the way back. A plan was formed and everything was looking great (or so it seemed…)
The night before the adventure, I stocked up on some Bsissa for my breakfasts – a powder of ground grains and spices which you mix with olive oil for a nutritious and filling biking fuel! (see here for my article on eating vegan in Tunisia).
Then I helped myself to Nomadic’s incredible stash of biking clothes and gear – we’re talking bib shorts, vests, hi-viz, water bottle holders, jackets, sleeping bags, and camping hammocks. It was like its own mini-fripe! (See here for an article on the “fripe” aka second hand markets in Tunisia)
The next morning, fully kitted-out and feeling like a true cyclist, I farewelled Selim’s mum, Semia, and set off on my way.
Yala! – Let’s go cycling in Tunisia!!
Things started off smoothly, weaving through the traffic on the busy streets of Tunis. Surprisingly, I felt more safe cycling on the roads here than back in New Zealand! Even though the drivers are much bolshier, everyone is so much more alert on the road, meaning you never feel at risk of getting side-swiped by a car that hasn’t seen you.
We made our way out of the city and into a low fog, trucks and buses passing us by with generous overtaking distances. The route was largely flat, and it seemed the 60km to Bizerte would pass in no time…
Disaster strikes
About 25km in, as we began to climb one of the few hills, I struggled to change down gears. Suddenly I heard a terrible clunk and the sound of metal on metal as the pedals started whirring uncontrollably. I swerved over to the side of the road, frantically looking down at my feet for an explanation. The problem was immediately clear – the derailleur had snapped clean off!
There was no way I could ride the bike another 5 metres, let alone the remaining 35km to Bizerte. Mentally I was already flagging down a pick up truck to hitch-hike my way back to Tunis. And if I had been alone that’s exactly where the adventure would have ended. But luckily Yassine was there with his tools and know-how to save the day. In no time he shortened the chain and converted the bike into a fixed speed. Then, with the help of the metal road barrier, he bent the bars of the pannier which had been blocking my rear brakes. It’s so common to have also locals helping with any issues you confront if you plan cycling in Tunisia. It’s a big part of the culture to help travellers here.
We made our way out of the city and into a low fog, trucks and buses passing us by with generous overtaking distances. The route was largely flat, and it seemed the 60km to Bizerte would pass in no time…
About 25km in, as we began to climb one of the few hills, I struggled to change down gears. Suddenly I heard a terrible clunk and the sound of metal on metal as the pedals started whirring uncontrollably. I swerved over to the side of the road, frantically looking down at my feet for an explanation. The problem was immediately clear – the derailleur had snapped clean off!
We were on the road again, and were making progress, but it was slow going – especially on the hills. We were going to make it to Bizerte, but now we had a new problem to worry about – would we be in time for the graduation? I implored Yassine to go on without me, but he had a better idea – finding a discarded piece of plastic rope on the side of the road and tying it to my handlebars, he proceeded to tow me!
Now we were FLYING along, much to the amusement of the passers-by. We must have looked like some strange tandem, or like one of those controlling parents with their kid on a leash.
I, like all cyclists with tired legs, have dreamt at points of being towed – but I didn’t expect it to work so well! Aside from a few whiplash moments and my accidentally drifting around a roundabout like a wakeboarder, it was very effective.
Plus, once we passed my maxixmum peddling speed it gave me plenty of opportunities to look around and take in the scenery! As if on cue, the sun came out, lighting up the fields of windmills as we made our final descent into Bizerte. Our spirits high, we sang Dido and Bob Marley – doing our best to keep in time despite not really being able to hear each other.
We arrived in Bizerte victorious, and with time enough to spare for Yassine to change clothes for his graduation (congratulations!!)
Back from Bizerte
After passing the night in Bizerte, we enjoyed exploring the old port the next morning. Bizerte has a fascinating history, due to its geographical location as the northermost city in Africa. The first Phoenician city in Tunisia, it was occupied by the German and Italian armies in WWII and the final place from which the French colonial powers retreated after Tunisia gained independence.
We decided the best idea was to part ways and for me to catch a louage back to Tunis, with the bike in the back. Ghar al Milh will have to wait for next time! 😢
In case you were wondering, Louage are the inter-city collective taxi vans here in Tunisia. You can take your bike on a Louage (if you find a driver who is willing). You’ll just need to remove the wheels, and they will normally charge you an extra space for the bike.
Although it was not the adventure we had planned, it was an adventure nonetheless! I can happily recommend Bizerte as an easy overnight bike trip from Tunis (just make sure you have functioning gears!). Be aware that the ride there is mainly on the road, but once you get to Bizerte there are apparently some great mountain biking trails.
And of course, if you are planning a biking trip in Tunisia be sure to reach out to the Nomadic bike community. I am very grateful for Yassine for his help, his calm energy and his fantastic company.
I had a much better time than I would have on my own and I learned a lot about bike maintenance. It should be clarified, however, that the Nomadic bike community is not in the habit of offering towing services 😂
In New Zealand people like to say we have “kiwi ingenuity” and are famous for finding fixes with the simplest and most unlikely of materials. If this adventure, and the past month more generally, has taught me anything it’s that Tunisian ingenuity is a very real thing too!!
