The two Italians who created a new highland route

In recent years, cycling routes across the highlands have gained great popularity among bicycle travelers that come here. The popularity is due to the fact that two Italians went this way in the summer of 2018 and posted a detailed travel description with photos and video on one of the most popular homepage website, BikePacking. com.

This was discussed in detail about this the new route in the wheelbarrow last yearbut then the undersigned had come across a number of cyclists when a similar route was cycled and was confirmed from the huts and representatives of the Icelandic Touring Association that the interest of bicycle travelers on this route had increased greatly. It is not unreasonable to estimate that hundreds of tourists have already cycled this route and that in the coming years it will increase further. It could be said that the new Laugavegur bicycle traveler is being born.

The Italians in question are called Francesco d’Agesio and Giorgio Frattale, but they were back to Iceland late last summer to try out a new route, but this time around Langjökull. They have already released a video of that trip and possibly further travel description will be included later.

The wheelbarrow talked to Francesco and Giorgio when their new trip was completed and before leaving the country. Among other things, they went over what caused two middle-aged Italians to make tourism their main work, why they chose Iceland at the time and how the Iceland Divide route came about.

First image distributed on DVD

The members are both from the town of L’Aquila in the Appennin Mountains in central Italy. Francesco says they had their first mountain bikes around 1990 and that they met a little later. However, it was not the wheels that first connected them, but they first met as a graffiti. After the turn of the century, they then made their first mountain bikes together and received distribution around the world on DVDs.

It was then in 2013 that the idea of ​​Montanus started, but that is the name they come up with when they send out all the material when it comes to cycling. « We started the project on time, when » bikepacking « was bursting, » says Francesco.

After a few trips to Italy’s mountain region, the first trip abroad came abroad and chose to travel the mountain road White Rim in Utah, USA. It is just over 110 km in the Canyon National Park, but the Colorado river flows through, among other things. At that time, Giorgio was used to traveling, but Francesco said he had little experience with them. « It was my first real trip. Three days in the desert and with seven liters of water per person, » he says laughing, adding that there is a lot of wild animals and fun areas. « But then it started to snow and the road was closed and we think I alone in there. » However, they were able to finish the trip and it was clear that the bacterial bacterium had heard them and did not return.

The Italians went Iceland Divide on broad wheels and claim to recommend it. However, many have gone this route on mountain bikes or gravel wheels, but chapters can be rather rough.

Photographs/Montanus

« Started traveling to ride a ride »

Next on the agenda were travel around Estonia and Switzerland, some trips through different mountain ranges in Italy and Patagonia in South America. « Bikes changed my life, because I started traveling to ride, » says Francesco about these first big trips.

It was then in 2018 that they decided to come on their first trip to Iceland and Francesco says that they wanted to come to a place where they could be alone in nature and receive the raw natural forces.

Although they are both in fine physical form, Giorgio says that the main preparation for big trips like this is spiritual preparation. « It’s not just about how many miles go every day or such, » he says.

Their main work today

Things have changed significantly for these two Italy in the last decade, but when they were starting with Montanus, they were in full -time work as graphic designers. Today, they say that a large part of their work involves traveling, picking up content and working, distributing the content on social media and communicating with sponsors.

Is this full work for you?

« We were first working 100% as graphic designers, but today this work is maybe 25% but 75% in this project (Montanus), » says Francesco. They get paid from various sponsors and social media content, but they say they try to go at least 2-3 big trips each year to create content.

ALWAYS did you have to become manufacturers of such content?

« No never, it started as a joke, but then this is life now, » says Giorgio laughing. Francesco adds that this has actually begun to flow slowly and slowly like a stream but become bigger and bigger and today is big for them. « But this combines our interest in cycling, photography and design and so we can work on this, » says Giorgio.

It costs slopes effort and equipment so that the trip can make a good return.

Prefer rather wider tires

When they arrived in 2018 and went the route, which later got the name Iceland Divide, they met on Fatbike. Now, the second time when they traveled around Langjökull, they were, on the other hand, on mountain bikes with 2.6 « wide tires, which said somewhat smaller tires than before.

Asked if they prefer a broad bike or mountain bike to travel in Iceland, there is no answer. Broadcasts, they both say, but Francesco states that although such wheels are slightly slower on asphalt and well -packed mountain roads, they actually fly across the sand road and the worst impassable.

« It is up to 2.6 » but it must not be less, « says Giorgio. A journalist must disagree with him, as he has some experience of traveling around the highlands on a 2.25 » mountain bike and on a 40-45 mm gravel bike, and they have usually gone well, although it has been quite successful. Giorgio states that it increases the comfort and facilitates that they have to ride with considerable accessories when it comes to shooting. « So our motto is exploring remote places, » says Francesco. « Then it is better to be on wider tires. »

The Iceland Divide route like the Italians Giorgio Frattale and Francesco d’ASOSIO, who calls themselves Mountain, originally left in 2018. Many have followed their wheels since then.

Map/mbl.is

Iceland not part of the earth

Like many others who have traveled around the highlands, Giorgio and Francesco have difficulty describing their admiration in the highlands and their experience there. « Iceland is not like part of the earth, » says Giorgio. « I can die happy now after experienced all this, » he adds laughing.

They both say that all their places of arrival on the way have been very interesting in their own way. However, it will soon be clear that two chapters are at the top of their minds. On the one hand, the chapter around Kistufell, north of Vatnajökull, and then Mælifellssandur, north of Mýrdalsjökull.

Before the trip, they said they were especially excited for the environment north of Vatnajökull, but Francesco says they have read about the arrival of US astronauts to prepare their journey on the moon. Furthermore, volcanic interest also promoted their tension for the trip, and Francesco says that the opposites in nature, between black or dark colors and green colors of moss or grass, is something he does not get enough of and specifically refers to Mælifell in Mælfellssandur in that context.

« We enjoyed every mile of the way, » says Francesco, before he thinks a bit, saying that they did not enjoy the last miles on the asphalt on the ring road at Vík, but besides that, the trip was perfect. Then they mention that it has been incredibly fun to ride down from the highlands (explosive sand on a broad -wheel and need to worry about the brakes. « We had to stop several times and rest our hands, » says Giorgio.

A large number of attached to the wheelchairs

As mentioned earlier, their journey seven years ago has been a bit better for balls when it comes to the interest of other cyclists. Last year, we talked to one of those who had found the way and decided to ride it, as well as having the summer of 2023 come across a few in Sprengisandur who were halfway on the way. It was unanimous of everyone’s reason that Montanus’ coverage had attracted their interest and pushed them, and the reason was not least that the route gets the highest level of difficulty on the site.

If you look at YouTube, you can end up today a number of videos of people go this same way, or the way with variants. In most cases, there is a endeavor for the people, but for some time the person in question has even had to admit to being victorious if the weather has been palpable.

They themselves landed Giorgio and Francesco in the storm the day they were on their way through Fjallabak to Álftavatn and had to ride the wheels for much of the day. « I have never been in such a storm before, but this shows the powers of nature, » says Francesco. « You have to feel nature on your own skin. »

He is joking with the fact that the greatest fear in Giorgio’s eyes at this point was not because of the weather itself, but because they were supposed to be home in a timely manner where Giorgio was supposed to marry his expectant wife a few days after returning home.

One of the people who followed the Italian wheelchair was the American Parker Kempf who talked to the wheelchair last year.

Photo/Parker Kempf

« Went far beyond our expectations »

Asked about the aforementioned interest of other tourists to follow in their companies by cycling Iceland Divide and whether this interest has come as a surprise, Francesco says they have always expected some reaction. « But this far exceeded our expectations. »

Francesco mentions that by 2023 he returned to Iceland with his girlfriend. It was just a traditional trip and not on wheels. They were in Vík in Mýrdal, where the route formally ended, and there was one man on a bike to finish. « He came to me and asked me if I was Francesco, » he says, stating.

Since the Icelandic visit 2018, these partners have kept busy and traveled around the world in their search for interesting adventure routes. Among other things, they went to the island of Socotra outside Yemen in 2023, a few shorter trips around Italy and back to Patagonia and there about 550 km route around some volcanoes. Then they went to Kyrgyzstan and planned to create a new route, but landed in very bad weather on their way up to 4,000 meters and decided to cancel.

Number of tasks left

Asked why they decided to return to Iceland last year and go around Langjökull, they say two things have been considered. On the one hand to return to Kyrgyzstan and finish the route there or to Iceland, as the attraction from Iceland is very strong. In the end, it won and not least because they wanted to show that there were many more interesting ways in Iceland than just Iceland Divide. « There are plenty of places to look at, » says Francesco.

But what are the next projects? « Possibly to finish Kyrgyz, or return to South America, » says Giorgio.

Finally asked if they are living the dream by working on traveling in this way they answer yes. They both state that 10-15 years ago, they never suspected that they would end this place. What was first a small side project has improved significantly and is now the main job. Giorgio, however, states that there is considerable work to be able to do this, apart from the trips itself. There is a great deal of work in the process, presentation and distribution of social media. So there are communication with sponsors and related work that takes a lot of time. However, it is all worth it until they can travel around the world like this.

The interview first appeared in the Morgunbladid Bicycle magazine.