The Ride

Three and a half years passed since I left Lisbon for more than 12 days. As much as I loved Lisbon, lowly it became my personal mind prison. Time to saddle by bike once again and discover the world. Leave Lisbon now for a while, or soon for ever!

Mountainbiking meanwhile became a core element in my life. So I could finally realize several planes and dreams. Together with my brother I crossed the Andes from Chile to Argenina , I trailed a 4500 downhill trail and the world class bike resort Sorata in Bolivia. I visited old friends and cycled hundreds of miles along the Brazilian and Uruguayan Coast.

Something deep inside connects me with South America since the first time I had the chance to visit this place. Fabulous landscapes and a culture so similar to ours but so surprisingly. Even if I sweared myself to visit another destination next time, I’m already looking forward to another stay!

The Bike: La Guerrera

This was my first bikepacking trip. Instead of a rigid bike with panniers I went with a Full suspension.
Two years earlier I shot a good Mondraker Factor for a great price. When I bought her, I never expected how much I will apreciate this bike. 100mm Fox front and rear suspension, 3×10 Deore / XT transmission, 180mm SLX breaks and Schwalbe Hans Dampf tires. Perfectly agile on the trails, but very streigt on flats and asphalt.
The bike is equipped with Ortlieb Seatbag 15l and Ortlieb Handlebar Bag Classic. Furthermore a self-made toolbox and 3l bottle-holder on the top tube. Specially for the long time of the trip a backpack was unavoidable.
As we expected some tough ride we brought as many replacement parts as possible and brought a lot of replacement parts. We didn’t had too many problems, but as quality bikes are rare in Southamerica, small issues can easily turn into big problems.