It's been already 4 years since I started racing abroad my country, seriously. I went to Texas, having my volunteering days at SXSW as an excuse. I succeeded in a pandemic year, and during lockdown I was motivated and lucky to keep training and improve my fitness for whatever was going to happen after those crazy months.
I went out stronger than before and I dedicated a lot of time to search for races in the US that fit my schedule and my budget. At the beginning my shop was giving me some support to go learn about gravel racing and come back to Bogota to a new born discipline in the cycling scene. We were building community. In 2021 I decided to start doing long distance bikepacking races with the misfortune of crashing really bad on the first edition of a race across my home country, Colombia.
I had to give up on my plans for that year but wanted to succeed on getting back on the bike and I did. Also I signed up for a 300mi (500km) race in Nebraska and I got support from some friends yo make it happen. And it happened 5 months after the crash. 5 hard months of recovery and training and dental appointments to get my biting back together. I went to race in Nebraska with the lack of some teeth and some pain while chewing. I was strong enough to finish 2nd overall after 21 hours of racing.
I wanted more and I keep looking for more since then. Long story short, I have had the support of a bike brand (Specialized Colombia) which allows me access to a bike and some top notch gear that is saving some money on this expensive journey.
For 2024 I decided to get back to my goals of 3 long distance races. One in my home and 2 abroad. My first race this year I finished 7th overall after 1000km (600mi) and 24.000m of elevation gain (70.000ft). My next goal is Mexico for a shorter race of 800km from CDMX to Puerto Escondido, a beach in Oaxaca. I'll take the start line in April 27 with my friend Daniel as a duo.
The big race of the year is in Europe. That's the one I need more money support for. I'll have to take the start of a 4000km route (yes, four thousand) in the south of Spain to the south of Italy, in July the 20th. Via Race will be the pinnacle of my cycling career as of now. I'm an amateur, I'm following the dream and trying to celebrate my 40th birthday in a way that makes me feel the most alive possible: on my bike. Accomplishing one of the hardest races ever, will also motivate a lot of people over in Colombia, I know. The people who have gotten into gravel cycling in my country has been growing since 2019, and we are a point of reference for a lot of yourger riders who are ambitious enough to race abroad, to do Worlds, to look for success beyond frontiers.
Bear with me in this journey, this ride and let's have some coffees along the way.