DotWatcher.cc
Bikes of Across Andes: Patagonia Verde 2024
23 November, 2024
Just when you thought the 2024 bikepack racing season was over, the southern hemisphere's kicks off! Across Andes returns to Patagonia Verde for the second time to tackle the Carretera Austral and some gravel road detours along Chilean Patagonia's iconic fjords and densely forested mountains with a few gaucho towns along the way.
Have a browse below to see what riders are taking for this 950km route on some often-toured Patagonian gravel over the next week.
Don't miss a beat with this year's commentary here.
Carlos Oliveira
Age: 41
Cap number: 122
Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Bike: Trek Checkpoint SL5, 1x12 SRAM AXS, Rotor inpower powermeter, Roval wheels SLX24, Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M 700X45.
Key items of kit: Apidura saddle pack 9L, Apidura frame pack, Rhinowalk long toptube pack and Apidura handlebar pack. Knog PWR Road 700 bike light, MagicShine bike light and two Knog Plus Rear Bike Lights.
Diego Aravena
Age: 31
Cap number: 153
Location: Chile
Bike: I’m riding a Canyon Grizl CF SL 8 in size M, equipped with Shimano GRX 810 11-speed drivetrain, featuring a 48/31 chainring and an 11-40 cassette. The wheels are DT Swiss G1800 Spline, paired with tubeless Schwalbe G-One R tires in 700x45.
Key items of kit: I’m using the Ortlieb QR 13L seat pack for lightweight items such as rain gear, warm clothing, and medicines. This pack offers a lightweight design and a convenient quick-release system for easy access. On the frame, I opted for the Apidura Racing Long Top Tube Bag 2L to store all electronics and mechanical tools. Below it, I’ve mounted a 2L Apidura Frame Bag, ideal for carrying heavier, technical nutrition items like gels, pills, and energy powders. Positioning these in the center of the bike helps maintain balance. Additionally, I’ve attached two 1.2L Apidura Food Pouches to keep treats and snacks easily accessible during the ride.
Juan Pablo Mejia
Age: 39
Location: Guatemala City, Guatemala
Bike: Wilier Jena with mullet drivetrain: XO AXS rear derailleur, 10-52 XO cassette, SRAM Red cranks with 1x 38T chainring, Force AXS shifters. Miche wheelset. Panaracer Gravelking 700x45 tires. CeramicSpeed bottom bracket, waxed chain. Profile Design carbon aerobars with adapted shifters.
Key items of kit: Apidura seat bag, frame bag, and fork bags; FOLK handlebar bag. Lezyne light system: 1600XL front light, Stick Drive Pro & KTV rear light. Double bivy for sleep + merino PJs. Lucky item: my collarbone plate inside my jetpack.
Bernarda
Age: 51
Cap number: 2324
Location: Pleterje, Slovenia
Bike: Specialized Diverge Comp Carbon Gravel.
Key items of kit: Rusjan bikepacking bags and dry bags.
Steven Davis
Age: 39
Cap number: 31
Location: Girona, Spain
Bike: ENVE MOG, ENVE G-23 Wheels, Schwalbe G-ONE Overland 50mm Tires, SRAM Eagle AXS Force 38t x 10-52t.
Key items of kit: Tailfin Aeropack, Restrap Top Tube Bag, Restrap Frame Bag 2.5L, Restrap Race Top Tube Bag 1.5L, Cordel Durum Velodrom Bar Bag, Supernova Airstream 2 Light/MagicShine EVO 1700, NiteCore 10000 charger, and every Layer of clothing that Velocio makes!
Diego Olivos Leyton
Age: 39
Cap number: 121
Location: Coyhaique, Chile
Bike: Specialized Diverge E5 Kelobike, Mavic wheels, Máxxis Ravager 700x40 tyres, Shimano GRX transmission 1x11 40 x 10-46t. Prologo AGX saddle.
Key items of kit: Frame bag AndinoPatagonia hand made.
Byron Holcomb
Age: 44
Cap number: 164
Location: Guatemala
Bike: Rodeo Labs TD4 with 2x mechanical Shimano GRX. Continental Race King tyres.
Key items of kit: Tailfin and Ortlieb bags. USWE jetpack. Suspension Stem.
Sean Martin @sean_eric_martin @cncptteam
Age: 45
Cap number: 1
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Bike: Cervelo Aspero 22/23, Fox Tapercast 32 fork, Easton EC90 AX: Seatpost, Stem, Bars. Easton EC90 AX wheels. Pirelli Cinturato M 40mm tires, Shimano GRX Di2 1X Mullet, Wahoo Bolt, Silca Nastro handlebar tape and Silca Tattico hand pump.
Key items of kit: Apidura Backcountry Handlebar/ Saddle Pack. Apidura Racing Bolt On Top Tube Pack. Outer Shell Stem Caddy x 2, Big Ass 1 Liter Bottles x2, Outbound Hangover Light, Knog Blinder 1300 (Backup) and Knog Rear Lights x 3.
Lukasz Ugarenko
Age: 41
Location: Poland, Krakow
Bike: Raccoon by Velopoint.pl. Custom build, carbon frameset. Zipp 303 XPLRS wheelset. Goodyear Zipp XPLR 700x45 tyres. SRAM Red gravel groupset.
Key items of kit: Apidura racing bags, Brookman front light, Knog rear light and Wahoo for navigation.
Ranie Eltagonde
Age: 52
Cap number: 109
Location: Bunbury, Western Australia
Bike: Specialized Diverge 2023. SRAM Rival AXS front shifter with GX 12 speed AXS derailleur. E-Thirteen Helix Race 9-50t cassette. SRAM Force 165mm cranks with Unite Co. 36t chainring. SRAM Rise 60 29er carbon wheelset with Schwable G-One RS 45m tires. Regal short fx carbon saddle. Redshift carbon aero bars.
Key items of kit: Tailfin aeropack. Restrap bags. Exposure Strada lights. Garmin Varia radar lights. Cruise control dropbar grips. Garmin 840 Solar gps computer.
Carlos Luna
Age: 37
Location: Colombia
Bike: S-Works Diverge 2022, Shimano GRX 810 Di2, 30/46 and 11-42t.
Key items of kit: Two Apidura bags and an Ortlieb bag. Front light Magic Shine.
Jason Anderson
Age: 30
Cap number: 7
Location: Harrisonburg, Virginia
Bike: Specialized Crux. 38t Wolftooth Chainring paired with SRAM GX AXS rear derailleur and X01 10-50t Cassette. Roval Terra CL wheelset on 47c Tracer Pro tires. Industry Nine stem with integrated mounting.
Key items of kit: A mixture of Apidura, Specialized Fjallraven, and Rock Geist bags. Coros Dura solar GPS computer. Outbound Lights.
Marcelo Florentino Soares
Age: 52
Cap number: 611
Location: Brasil
Bike: Soul
Key items of kit: Lanterna traseira e dianteira
Yves Van Gastel
Age: 40
Cap number: 3
Location: Antwerp, Belgium
Bike: Open WI.DE with Enve wheels and Panaracer tyres
Key items of kit: Tailfin bags
Pedro Magalhães
Age: 26
Cap number: 179
Location: Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Bike: 2022 Trek Checkpoint ALR 5, with Hutchinson Tundra 700x45 tires, and Shimano GRX 2x11 (48-32/11-44)
Key items of kit: Bags from Bontrager (top tube, frame, downtube) and Rhinowalk (saddle, handlebar, food pouch)
David Alexander
Age: 56
Location: Mexico City
Bike: My bike is custom-built by me, using a titanium frame from Walty, carbon wheels from LightBicycle, 40mm tires, disc brakes and levers by LTwoo, an electronic SRAM GX mountain groupset, a 12-speed 9-50 cassette, and an integrated handlebar.
Key items of kit: The bags I use were purchased on AliExpress, from the brands RinoWalk and Rockbros. The handlebar bag is from Chakger, a Mexican manufacturer. I don’t think I’ll be using the top tube bag; I’ll probably remove it.
Tomas Perez-Barros
Age: 37
Cap number: 98
Location: Santiago, Chile
Bike: Giant Revolt carbon fibre, SRAM AXS Rival 1x12 and Maxxis Rambler 700x45c
Key items of kit: Choike bags: top tube bag 1,2 L, framebag R, and seatbag 7 L. Fenix light 1600 lm, sleep system: bivouac and my lucky item: a photo of my son.
Becca Book
Age: 35
Location: Seattle, Washington
Bike: Otso Waheela C, HiFi Session 30 carbon rims laced to shutter precision dynamo front hub and Fidelity rear hub, 45 mm continental TerraSpeed tires, SRAM AXS Force shifters paired to SRAM x01 Eagle derailleur. ENVE handlebars and seatpost.
Key items of kit: Custom frame bag and aero bar bag by LOAM equipment, tailfin top tube bag for all the snacks, and wolftooth teklite bags. Sinewave dynamo light with USB charger And light and motion vis 360 helmet light. Rapha Pro Team Gore-Tex rain jacket. Sleep system: emergency Bivvy, caffeine pills and a credit card. Omamori for safe travel from a 2023 bike tour across Japan.
Jéssica Röpcke
Age: 33
Location: Brasil
Bike: Specialized STR with a Diverge FACT 11r carbon frame and FACT Carbon fork with Future Shock 2.0. Drivetrain includes SRAM Rival eTap AXS shifters, SRAM GX Eagle AXS derailleur, ICTUS New Evolve XD 10/52 cassette, SRAM X01 12-speed chain, SRAM Rival 1 Wide crankset with ICTUS 36T chainring, and SRAM DUB BSA 68 bottom bracket. Rolling on Roval Terra C 25mm wheels paired with Rhombus 47mm tires. Additional components include a Future Stem Comp 80, Specialized Adv Hover handlebar (103mm drop x 70mm reach x 12° flare), Supacaz Super Sticky Kush bar tape, Power Mirror saddle, S-Works Carbon seat post (20mm offset), and Look Gravel pedals.
Key items of kit: Bags include a Draisiana top tube bag, frame bag, and handlebar bag, along with an Apidura saddle bag. Lighting is a Flux 850 and 250 headlights. For protection, there's a Win Wing ass saver. Garmin Edge 530 GPS.
Marcin Barwinski
Age: 31
Location: Lublin, Poland
Bike: Specialized Diverge STR with DandyHorse Hyperion 30 GRV wheels and Pathfinder Pro 42mm tires. Equipped with a 36T front chainring, 52-10 cassette, SRAM Force drivetrain, and Eagle derailleur. Features 180mm disc brakes and Hope RX4+ caliper brakes.
Key items of kit: Under-saddle 2.5L Btwin bag, Apidura 1L frame pack, JackPack "Płetwal," and an Ass Saver Win Wing for rainy conditions. Light: Magicshine Allty 1500.
Guillaume Bridon
Age: 40
Cap number: 115
Location: France
Bike: Chiru Chilkoot with a Campagnolo groupset (38/10-48), Campagnolo Shamal wheels, Profile Design aero bars, and Michelin Power Gravel 40 tires.
Key items of kit: Restrap race bags
Rodrigo Alegre
Age: 41
Cap number: 102
Location: Santiago, Chile
Bike: 3T Exploro
Key items of kit: Botellas de agua, Luces and Bolsos
Brad Sutton
Age: 36
Cap number: 206
Location: Ciudad de México
Bike: 2023 Bombtrack Hook EXT-C. Sram Rival / Eagle Mechanical Mullet with Ratio Kit. Enve 27.5" XC rims and a fresh pair of Rene Herse Juniper Ridge.
Key items of kit: Revelate Terrapin and Mag-Tank, Apidura Expedition Full Frame Pack and Downtube Pack. Profile Designs Aero-Bars and Knog lighting.
Karim EL-Antably
Age: 42
Cap number: 127
Location: New York City
Bike: Trek Checkpoint SLR with Sram Red AXS and Eagle Groupset, ZIPP 353 NSW Wheelset, 45mm Pirelli Gravel M tires, Specialized Power Pro Mirror Saddle and 51 Speedshop aero extensions.
Key items of kit: Full Apidura bag, front and rear Supernova lights, reflective tape on the wheels for extra visibility and wahoo computer for navigation
Manuel F Santana
Age: 40
Cap number: 198
Location: España
Bike: Specialized Diverge, SRAM electrónico, ruedas SpeedSix.
Key items of kit: Bolsas de cuadro, bolsa sillín, top tube, light supernova ect
Gaspar Rodriguez
Age: 38
Cap number: 192
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Bike: 3T Exploro RaceMax, Shimano GRX 1X, Newman 32m wheels and Pirelli Cinturato 40cc
Key items of kit: Restrap bags
Andrés San Martín
Age: 36
Cap number: 260
Location: Santiago de Chile
Bike: Specialized Diverge Carbon Comp 2021 talla 52 con GRX 810 biplato 48-31T y piñón Deore XT 11-40. Ruedas DTSwiss G540 y neumáticos Schwalbe G-One bite 700x40c en tubeless con 3 AA ya. Sillín Specialized Power Mirror. Aerobarras Profile Design Sonic Ergo 4525a con alzadores. Vivac al cuadro.
Key items of kit: Headlamp Fenix HR65
Cristián Ugalde
Age: 38
Cap number: 170
Location: Chile
Bike: Mendiz G10 SRAM Rival 1x. Ruedas DT Swiss GRC 1600 con Neumáticos Pathfinder Pro. Electrónica Garmin. Ropa BioRacer. Bolsos Choike y Blackburn. Mochila de Hidratación Uswe.
Key items of kit: Buena música.
