Ville Jokinen: The Man Behind The Camera

We're giving away FREE copies of Kristen's book 'Joy Ride!' See the bottom of the newsletter for details.

Apr 14, 2023

Meet Ville Jokinen!

Originally from Tampere, Finland—this handsome Scandinavian stallion goes by many names: filmmaker, adventurer, former financial analyst, guitarist, semi-pro football player (the European kind), husband, brother, friend, son, and on warmer days—the nude biker seen around the world. His documentaries and short films have been featured in the Bend Bike Film Festival on multiple occasions and throughout our presentation circuit (need some cool people to speak at your business or event? You can hire us!). Ville’s always capturing footage of Kristen and our travels—but who is the man behind the camera? Read on to learn more about Ville Jokinen and gain access to the playlist that inspires him to lead a venturesome life.

Daydreaming All The Way to Nordkapp

Until Ville was ten, his family of four resided in a standard Finnish row house before moving to an apartment in Porvoo—where he would live until adulthood. Ville’s childhood memories are full of sports, friends, and scenic journeys his family would take through Central and Northern Europe in their RV. He remembers those trips fondly and often reminisces about laying above the cockpit—staring out the window at striking landscapes and daydreaming—while his brother, Antti—read quietly in the back. One of Ville’s favorite trips was to Nordkapp—a fishing village on the North Cape of Norway. These brief—but memorable—excursions drew Ville towards a life of adventure and ambiguity.

Big Break to Soul Searching

Ville’s teenage years were spent on a football field—rather than in the compartment of an RV. Even though his family had all but stopped their trips—due to his rigorous training regiment—he never lost his affinity for traveling. Ville wasn’t just good at football; He had excelled in all areas of the sport since he was a young child kicking a ball around in a tiny patch of grass. His lifelong dream of playing professional football was temporarily interrupted when he had to attend a 6-month stint in the mandatory military—like all other non-disabled men in Finland. Even though he had to take a break from playing the sport he loved, Ville enjoyed the training and various social interactions that came with being a part of the reserves.

His big break came in the form of a football contract from Algeria—he packed his bags and headed south—where he would spend the next few months eating dates and playing football (the team even sent him back home with a date tree at the end of the season). After his first season, he would head back to Finland to get surgery for a torn ACL. Ville’s continual knee and leg issues ultimately caused him to end his dream of going pro in football, but he still plays for fun in Portland!

With the dream of professionally playing football coming to a close, Ville turned towards a polytechnic business school in Helsinki and the financial world. After graduation, he went on to take a position at a global car company—but soon grew tired of the monotony of an office job. The wide-eyed kid riding above the cockpit in his parent’s RV never left him, and he knew adventure would heal his tired soul. He left his company, said goodbye to his family, and decided to go backpacking through Southeast Asia—it turned out to be best decision he ever made because it led him to Kristen on that scuba diving boat in the Nha Trang, Vietnam waters.

Ville with Kristen, his mom, and friends (human + furry)

Listen to Ville's Spotify Playlist!

We’re Giving Away FREE Fair Trade Guatemalan Coffee + Copies of Kristen’s Unreleased Book—Joy Ride!

Kristen in Bend, Oregon at Strictly Organic Coffee with Colin Manhood

Calling all coffee lovers (and book lovers)! To celebrate Kristen’s new book Joy Ride: A Bike Odyssey from Alaska to Argentina we’ll be doing a giveaway of Fair Trade Guatemalan coffee from Strictly Organic in Kristen’s hometown—Bend, Oregon, copies of Kristen’s unreleased book (you’ll be one of the first to read it!), and a mug from Kristen’s locally-loved Portland indie publisher—Hawthorne Books—on our social pages tomorrow (4/15) through Wednesday (4/19)!

Why specifically Guatemalan coffee beans, you might ask? There’s a story inside of the book that references our ride through Huehuetenango, Guatemala, and a run-in with a raw bean transporter:

We were biking through Huehuetenango, Guatemala when a truck filled to the brim with raw coffee beans passed us. About 30 minutes later—we witnessed the same truck off to the side—and saw beans spilled on the pavement. We pulled over to help the driver collect the beans that had spilled from some ripped bags—in the process—learning they were on their way to a Starbucks facility. To thank us for helping him, the driver gifted us with seven pounds of raw coffee beans! We would spend the next few days biking with them to the neighboring city of Quetzaltenango. Upon our arrival, we found Tostaduria Grano de Café—a local roaster that helped us roast and package the beans (the staff was incredible)! We took some back to the States to share with friends and raffled off the rest to help fund the remainder of our 18,000-mile adventure.

You can read more about this run-in and taste some of your very own Guatemalan coffee beans when you enter our giveaway! See you on our socials tomorrow!