How to be an ultra-distance bikepacker

(Part 4)

This is the final chapter in Ritchey’s coverage of the IGARE Challenge. You can read Part 1, the Giro d’Italia; Part 2, the Tour de France, and Part 3, the Vuelta a España by following their respective links.

If there’s a number one question everyone loves to ask an ultra-distance bikepacker, it’s not about riding a bike or what to bring, but about money. The question is loaded with curiosity because where to sleep, what to eat, and what bike to ride all have a cost. What the asker really wants to know is, “Can I be an ultra-distance bikepacker?”

Becoming vs. being an ultra-distance bikepacker

Becoming an ultra-distance bikepacker is a choice you make when you throw your leg over a bike and pedal for at least 200 kilometers (124 miles) or six hours (according to the World Ultra Cycling Association). Being an ultra-distance bikepacker, well, that’s a different kind of journey — one that has neither a concrete start nor a defined finish. This is the story about a kid who inherited his grandfather’s bike and rode his way into being an ultra-distance bikepacker. Stay with us, you’ll find some useful strategies for how to manage your own bikepacking trip.

The Ritchey Montebello gets tested

In the autumn of 2024, Javier García Reboredo already had a plan to ride all three Grand Tours in 2025. He presented his plan, named the IGARE Challenge, to Ritchey in-person. It was happening; were we in or were we out? Having just launched the Montebello, a go-anywhere endurance road bike, literally weeks prior to discovering Javier, we were all in. Javier was going places in 2025, and the Montebello was going with him.

Suddenly, the Montebello would get tested by someone without a stake in the bike’s success. Would the frameset’s features match up with the Montebello’s real time performance? After 24,000 kilometers (14,913 miles), Javier had answers.

“The center of gravity is closer to the ground, which ultimately makes you feel more secure when pedaling, and for me, more comfortable,” Javier said.

Javier had other bike options for the IGARE Challenge, so he could afford to be choosy about a bike for the project. He’s also not new to ultra-distance bikepacking. He started out probably like many others with a lust for long distances — by using his bike for transportation. He inherited his first bike from his grandfather and used it to fetch bread 30 kilometers (19 miles) away. Later he started connecting towns and cities.

“I don't recommend that anyone do this” — Javier García Reboredo

“I started ultra-distance riding, partly to get to know myself, more than anything else,” Javi explained. “I did my first ultra-distance trip from Lugo to Madrid (about 500km), and I did it in one day with my first road bike, which I bought about five or six months earlier. I set off one afternoon and said to myself, ‘Well, I’ll go as far as I can.’ I left Lugo at 5:00 p.m. and arrived in Madrid at 10:00 p.m. the next day without sleeping. Nothing hurt — my hands were numb, but I was fine. I don't recommend that anyone do this, but that's how I got started.”

“I don’t have a Montebello; can I use my bike?”

It’s not the first day that will suck if you don’t properly set up your bike for riding long distances but every subsequent day. Truthfully, you can use any bike you’d like (within reason) for ultra-distance cycling, but if you’re not comfortable before your first pedal stroke, all that friction, all those micro adjustments and muscle fatigue will only get worse as the hours plod on. The best way to minimize pain is with the help of an expert bike fitter who should be able to pinpoint your perfect fit.

TIP: Get a professional bike fit to gain riding comfort and enjoyment because you’ll be a lot happier on a bike that’s oriented around your unique biomechanics.

What do I need for bikepacking?

Not long ago, one could travel by bike with just a few frame- and fork-mounted bags, a handlebar bag, and paper maps from the gas station. The only real peril here was failing to read the map correctly. Without a doubt, technology has dramatically improved navigation and gear quality, and has put bikepacking within reach of those of us with ordinary wanderlust.

What you think you need and what you actually need will be different after your first bikepacking trip. Even though Javier is an experienced bikepacker, he still overpacked for the Giro d’Italia.

When it was time for him to pack for the Tour de France, this is what he brought with him:

By the time he returned to Italy for the start of the Vuelta a España (ya, it didn’t make sense to us either), Javi had his gear needs down to a science.

“I have rack bags, but I didn't bring them so I wouldn't get tired, because they would’ve made me less aerodynamic, and because I didn't want to carry too much weight,” Javier said. “I brought a mat, sleeping bag, pillow, and down jacket. Then in my handlebar bag, I had another change of clothes, raincoat, waterproof pants, and shoe covers.”

What he didn’t expect once he returned to his native Spain was the overwhelming kindness of strangers, which was expressed through a breakfast paid for here and there, gifts of his favorite pastry: chocolate-covered palmiers, dinner and a bed at someone’s house, and Iberian ham — the ultimate salty, sweet, rich treat that’s powered Spanish cyclists to victory for nearly a century. These acts of kindness add up.

How much does bikepacking cost?

“The challenge was to be self-sufficient, but self-sufficiency means managing yourself and arranging your own accommodation however you want,” Javi explained. “Financially, it was impossible for me to pay for hotels every night, because every night was between 50 and 100 euros. For example, I think I spent the most nights in hotels during the Giro, I think it was six out of 21.”

Bikepacking is what you make it. If your aspirations outspend your budget, think differently about your aspirations to make them fit your budget. Javier adapted to each region throughout the IGARE Challenge and found shelter in bus stops in Italy, public restrooms in France, and church porticos in Spain. By the time the Vuelta came around, he was an expert at finding places to sleep outside and only spent three nights in hotels throughout 22 days. In a stroke of strategic genius on one of those nights, Javier took advantage of an overlapping race route between stages to get some rest and gain distance, and to do some damage to the hotel’s breakfast buffet.

“During the Vuelta, I left Turin in northern Italy and did the first stage to Novara,” Javier explained. “I left at midnight, rode all night, finished the first stage, and did the transfer to Stage 2. I saw that the second stage and the transfer to Stage 3 shared a section that intersected at Cuneo.”

He arrived in Cuneo around 7 p.m., checked into his hotel, and went to sleep. He arose shortly before 3 a.m. to knock out a 114-kilometer (71-mile) lollipop loop (free of gear) south of Cuneo and arrive back at his hotel just in time for the buffet breakfast.

Your own bikepacking trip may provide similar opportunities and lucky you — you’ll have lots of time on the bike to strategize.

What happens when things fail?

Unless failure threatens your safety, embrace it. Look for the chance to learn because no matter how much pre-planning takes place, there are always surprises (road closures, strikes, outdated travel information and so on). Of course it’s fundamental to take command of potential failures, like flat tires, worn brake pads, and cracked or snapped derailleur hangers, and bring along tools and replacement parts like these:

Throughout more than 50 years of riding, Tom Ritchey has always stuck by the credo that you should be able to fix your bike and safely get back home no matter how far out in the wild you are. If your bike fails on an ultra-distance bikepacking ride, that’s far less of a problem than if your will fails, because the tools to fix that are a lot less defined.

Something that’s effective at solving problems is time. How often has the solution come to you once you walked away from the problem? Walking away may not be practical on a bikepacking trip but distancing yourself from challenges gives you a fresh perspective and creates space for new solutions.

The best way to be an ultra-distance bike packer is to stay curious — it’s the seed from which all bike adventures grow. If any lingering beliefs have still been discouraging you from bikepacking, challenge them. You’ll be great at this; we know because you’ve arrived at our final bits of advice:

• Keep it simple
• Don’t overthink every detail
• Pack light
• Stay positive