Offroad bikepacking in Portugal🇵🇹 (theGOATS)

After a successful 2023 season, I decided to take part in one last race for the fun of it. I was to mentally and physically tired to give it a proper go, but I was determined to have some fun. And that’s how I started the GOATS. While fun was definitely had, that course proved to be a big challenge and not easy to complete. I discovered Portugal and its limitless gravel possibilities and I was amazed! So come with me to the home of the greatest sailors in history and lets ride 🙂

PS: I want to thank Tiago Semedo for lending me a wheel, thus allowing me to take part in this

_____________________________________________
*Footage*
Sofiane Sehili

*Additional footage*
Edgar Santos

*Editing*
Fanny Bensussan

*Thumbnail pic*
Ryan Le Garrec

*Music*
from Epidemic Sound

_____________________________________________
00:00 intro
01:09 day 1
02:43 day 2
07:03 day 3
10:33 day 4
12:04 bloopers

750 kilometers in the mountains of Portugal with a shitload of climbing and gorgeous weather the days leading up to this were pretty EIC I did no prep for this I have very little Al of what I’m getting into I was very tired very stressed out I

Show up to Portugal with a bike with only one wheel I went to the to the bus station in Paris and then I packed my bike there to take the bus to the airport and I put the bike in the Box everything but the front wheel I forgot

My wheel I forgot my front wheel I am super ready for this race I am like so [ __ ] ready yeah thankfully I uh sorted everything out now I have a bike that uh that I can Ride these are the first goats I see in this race saw a lot of sheep and not many Goat I want to have a good time I want to I don’t want to push hard and not sleep and ride through the night it’s the end of the season it’s my fifth race pretty tired yeah want to see the course just enjoy Portugal never been

Here and it should be fun it’s not going to be exactly a vacation cuz I’m probably going to have to ride 15 hours a day to get this done in 3 days but so cool man somewhere in a small village looking for a place to sleep I live in

10k I will have an opportunity to find M Hotel it’s much much earlier than I expected but the thing is after there’s like like a 1,000 M of elevation gain climb that I don’t want to do right now I’d much rather sleep and then do it

Fresh there been very little T right so far so we’re in um what do you think of my Portuguese accent okay some some of the RS are some of the RS on it was uh it was hard to find a room because they were not really

Willing to rent the room because it’s a little bit of work and they don’t really like to work so hey it’s me looking forward to that shower in that bed hey here I am it is 6:30 a.m. I wish I could get you sleep during a race but for some reason I can’t

Really so I’m not even racing so that’s a bit stupid 7 a.m. Sun’s riding Rising here it’s the first big climb of the course and this one is a natural pass I’m really glad I stayed in the hotel last night it would have been a big mistake to ride this at Night after a big climb usally we have a big downhill all for It uh yeah not real gravel bike territory how are things going Rudy yeah I’m okay he’s okay broken uh at the crash and it’s pretty rough here it is B’s broken here there’s a little piece of wood in there [ __ ] happens huh yeah Exactly I have to find food here this little cafe is of a Min market and I bought a can of peaches there but I’m don’t think I’m going to try it 3.2 calories per 250 mlit that’s what I call a big fail not Cool already booked myel for tonight I than 150k away so I won ride 200 to days not too bad yes this is the course I know it’s Weird I didn’t drop the camera I wonder if I C Co I just stopped in a cafe to resupply and uh I couldn’t taste my food couldn’t taste my food couldn’t tast my drinks even my coffee I try to smell the trash cans here doesn’t smell like anything which is weird I don’t feel so well too

It’s a bit Sil that I booked a hotel huh and it’s not near it’s a 100K to go and more than 3,000 M of Climbing when I was looking for a race to finish the season and I saw the goats I was like okay I like the the place I like the fact that it’s gravel but probably it’s going to be too hard so I hesitated and uh yeah it is hard yeah

Definitely for my tired legs of the end of the season it’s uh it’s a bit of suffering Welcome to the hotel of California you can check out anytime you like which you can never leave they even now seven up with all the actual sugar that I need [ __ ] that was a hard day I’m just coming back from the breakfast buffet and amazingly I get taste and

Smell my coffee also was smart enough to pack a couple sandwiches from the breakfast buffet I actually have some I ate too much very different weather today foggy the Mist is gone it’s ingredient little bit of walking here huh maybe I don’t have the right gearing 40 in the

Front or than 42 in the back not recommend this for the goats I’m testing this uh red shift cockpit and the thing is instead of having middle of your hand the Palm here that takes all of the weight of your of your body on the handlebars you have a

Much larger surface so the weight is uh is carried by just Morris race so it’s more comfortable obviously yeah quite happy with that some people say Cristiano Ronaldo is the most famous Portuguese of all time other people say it’s vas my vote goes to ver magal AKA majelan was the first to circumnavigate

The world living from Sevilla and going back to Sevilla and finally proved that the world is a globe take this you flat Earther and so to close the topic of sailors and explorers when they say that Christopher Columbus discovered America they really should say say that it brought America to the attention of Europe but he didn’t discover [ __ ] there were already people there since I did absolutely no prep

About this ride I have no idea what this place but it’s pretty cool there little struggled to find food here there’s actually a restaurant in this Village but no one’s There salt is definitely what I needed it’s hot here [Applause] it’s better now my buddy kristo dman W the race he just finished I’m uh I don’t know like 160k from the finish so I’ll finish tomorrow but I’m really happy for him he’s a really nice guy good job Chris good

Job it’s getting dark it’s already 7:30 p.m. seems like I’m in a pretty unpopulated area time to start looking for a hotel well I can hardly believe it but everything works out fine in the end uh find a hotel at midnight I am not going to sleep in the ditch all right Tomorrow 20 to ride and it’s not going to be easy this thing is hard the goats is hard I actually didn’t sleep well because it was a bit noisy and there was a mosquito let’s go and finish this go home tonight I know I’ve said it before but I’ll say it

Again these heels are steep it’s always the same you know when you’ve been riding flats for hours you only thing that you want is a climb when you’ve been climbing a lot well you want ride flat when you’ve been riding lots of rough gravel you want pavement I just want everything to be

Different all the time trying to see what I can do with that life perfect gravel pack beautiful mountain sun shining man I love my life it’s a sweet life I get to ride my bike all the time in all places pretty cool you know this one it’s the Snickers that

You buy then you don’t want to eat it and it gets hot it melts then at night it reforms when the temperature drops and it does so every day until it’s time to eat it and yes the time is now magnificent end to a beautiful course Portugal delivered life is

Great here I am in the Portuguese Supermarket eating roast chicken it’s a weird life but it’s my life stop not here