Words and photos by @muntagnin_citadin
Back in January 2017, my friend Andrea texted me that he was taking on the Transcontinental Race, Mike Hall's famous unsupported ultra-cycling race across Europe.
The standard route is 4000 kilometers to complete in 15 days, passing 14 countries with 4 checkpoints. In this case, I wouldn't be able to follow Andrea in any way or circumstance
because that is one of the obvious rules of an solo unsupported bike race. So we decided to draw two different routes. Andrea would be trying to optimize time and kilometers, while I would be on a slower pace taking my bike on trains, ships and night buses, hoping to cross our ways at the checkpoints in time for cheers and meet again at the end in Kalambaka, Greece.
From the start in Geraardsbergen, the adventure becomes a long chase through Europe discovering so many roads, with far more city climbs and small towns than we would have imagined at the beginning.
We were both on the same map making different decisions but directed towards the same place, with the same end goal. That's what friends do, right?
The race was a success for us, as Andrea made it to Greece safe in fifteen days.
For me, the time spent on the road shooting pictures was what was most important! We learned a lot during the trip and can't wait to do it again, and again, and again.
Andrea and I started riding together long ago in a small city close to the Alps in the north of Italy. Cycling pushed us to explore the environment around our territory.
Since the beginning, we tried to merge narratives and exploration: taking pictures of the amazing people, places, and experiences we meet during our local adventures.
Starting from the idea to deeply explore the places around us with our friends: "Muntagnin Citadin"(which in our language is "a mountaineer who is a citizen or vice versa") was created in 2016, a group of great people in love with bikes, rides, mountains, and good company.
During the Transcontinental Race, Andrea mounted WTB Exposure 30 tubeless tires to his Cicli Bonanno and they were very conformable, durable and perfect for long rides. On my 3T Exploro, I used WTB Horizon 47 Road Plus tires, which I am totally in love with.