Roughly fifteen years ago, my life took a turn for the better. I went to Laos and bought a second-hand mountain bike in a rental shop. Equipped with this old clunker, I set out to explore the mountains of Indochina. It was here that I discovered bike touring and fell in love with this hybridContinue reading “The Bikepacking diaries: Thailand, Laos, Vietnam”
Category Archives: bike touring
The Rhino Run
It’s around 2 am, somewhere in South Africa. I am cold and trying to muster whatever energy I have left to climb a gnarly hill. The Rhino Run, a 2,740 km long bikepacking race, started at 6am, which is now a day in the past. At this point, I’ve covered around 350 km on a wideContinue reading “The Rhino Run”
Malteni Bootleggers 2022
In just a few years, the Malteni Bootleggers has emerged as one of the premier gravel events in France. With a challenging distance of nearly 250km, uncertain weather conditions, technical gravel on spoil tips and some of the most infamous paved sections of the flemish spring classics, it’s no wonder it took little time forContinue reading “Malteni Bootleggers 2022”
Silk Road Mountain Race 2021 / Final day
As my final effort in this race begins, I can’t say I have a lot of energy. My last resupply was roughly 18 hours ago and I have very little food left. Thankfully I don’t have far to go. 90km is all there is left. However, it looks like there’s around 2000m to climb andContinue reading “Silk Road Mountain Race 2021 / Final day”
Silk Road Mountain Race 2021 / Day 6
As the sun slowly rises, I’m still slowly making my way towards Tash Rabat pass. The skies are clear and the temperature rises steadily. In my misfortune, I’ve been lucky enough that it didn’t drop too much during the night. At this altitude, it can easily go down to -10°C. I made it through theContinue reading “Silk Road Mountain Race 2021 / Day 6”
Silk Road Mountain Race 2021 / Day 5
I wake up in my comfy bed just 5 minutes before breakfast, get dressed and head straight to the buffet. Ample amounts of coffee, crepes, all sorts of pastries, bread and eggs: I down as much food as I can in the least amount of time possible. While doing it, I exchange a few messagesContinue reading “Silk Road Mountain Race 2021 / Day 5”
The hardest race
People often ask me what’s the most difficult race I’ve taken part in. Well, not that often actually. But I think I’ve already been asked the question a few times. Anyway it’s one I’m keen to answer. And this being my blog, nobody is gonna stop me. It’s not easy to answer though. Each race hasContinue reading “The hardest race”
Why I race
Why do I race? Ultra-cycling is hard. You’re miserable most of the time. There’s always a part of your body that’s bothering you; whether it’s your legs, your neck, your ass, your hands, your feet. You’re always tired, exhausted even, sleep deprived. It may very well be the hardest sport in the world and there’sContinue reading “Why I race”
How it all started
I’ve always dreamed of travelling far away. Preferably in a land with a culture as different as possible from my own. When I was around 18, I started fixating on Asia. It seemed to me I would find something there, the adventure I was looking for. The feeling of being lost in the most foreignContinue reading “How it all started”
Doubt, desert & dust // Part II
Finally it’s the heat that gets me out of my sleeping bag. I don’t wanna do it; I don’t want to deal with the broken pavement that lies 50m away. But I have to. I’m packing up and eating the last cookies I had left over from yesterday, when I see what looks to beContinue reading “Doubt, desert & dust // Part II”
Sofiane Sehili 