It doesn't matter how many kilometers we travel, how many meters of altitude we climb, whether we are 10,000 km from home or around the corner. The emotion you feel when you ride alone for a couple of days in bikepacking has only one name, it's called freedom.
The freedom to leave and unplug, disconnect from everything and everyone to get lost in our thoughts, in our emotions.
Wander almost aimlessly, looking for the perfect path of the most sinuous and elegant road.
When I'm alone in these places, I think about how little we need to be happy.
I think of the immense pleasure you feel when you chase the scent of the bread that the local baker still knows how to give us, I think of how beautiful it is to stop every 5 meters to breathe in everything that surrounds us and makes us feel enveloped in nature.
A tent, a fire, some hot food, ready for a night under the stars, ready for a well-deserved rest but with your mind fantasizing about where you will ride tomorrow.
Photo: Lorenzo Rui
Rider: Piergiorgio Simoni