SAMAYA x JOHAN MAZE

 

 

15 days of bikepacking in the Pyrenees. Minimal weight with only one change of clothes and a 655-gram tent. No water or food supplies. For Samaya, Johan Maze looks back on his adventure and shares what drives him and draws him to bikepacking.

 

For this second bikepacking trip, why choose the Pyrenees mountain pass route?

Johan Mazé: The idea for this road trip came about because I wanted to do the Pyrenees pass route, followed by the Alps pass route. In the end, I didn't do the second part because logistics were rather complicated with the train. I was able to ride through extremely diverse, very wild landscapes, while crossing paths with few people. I took the opportunity to visit old friends near Pau, Tarbes, and along the coast, then continued on the Pyrenees pass route.

 

How did your days unfold?

JM: Generally, I would ride until 7:00 PM, then stop to find spots to have dinner. I hadn't brought anything to eat and had almost nothing in my bags. When I was hungry, I stopped. On a bike, it's quite simple to do it that way because you can easily cover a lot of kilometers. After the meal, I would start riding again until I found a nice place to set up my bivouac.

 

Your bikepacking trip lasted 15 days, during which you covered a huge number of kilometers each day. What was it like?

JM: In terms of time, they were long days, but I wasn't necessarily riding the whole time and not necessarily fast. I rode calmly, but for 10 hours. At the end of the day, that still added up to 200 kilometers. Believe it or not, I also achieved quite a bit of elevation gain in the Pyrenees. In the Aubrac, there were also a few bumps; I spent my time climbing just to go back down. It was very tough because they were straight, linear climbs where I didn't really feel the sensation of making progress, whereas on pass roads, it winds, the landscape evolves, and you are more aware of the elevation gain.

 

Did you come across other bikepackers during your adventure?

JM: I was surprised. On the Pyrenees pass route, there were many cyclists and motorcyclists. But I crossed paths with very few cyclists as light as me. I mostly saw them with big bags on the front and back. So, I didn't have the opportunity to ride with other cyclists because I was lighter and therefore faster. To be that light, I had the bare minimum, but always kept some comfort. I had my cycling kit and an evening outfit with trail shorts and a t-shirt. When I wore that outfit, I would wash my cycling clothes, and when I wore my cycling clothes, I would wash the other outfit.

 

You are a mountaineer, how do you feel about bikepacking compared to your other pursuits?

JM: Basically, I come from the world of cycling and gradually entered the world of high mountaineering. It's completely different from hiking or trekking. Different and incomparable. With bikepacking, you pick up a bit of everything you need along the road. I would ride for 10 hours without getting bored. I would start my days and already think about the stages that would enliven it. Stopping to eat, finding water, setting up to sleep. With a bike, it’s really simple to do it like that. That’s what I loved.