WHY WE RIDE

At Factor, we believe the bike is a catalyst for experiences and emotions, a machine of freedom and discovery. It takes us on journeys: into ourselves and beyond.

It’s always been that way. Since the bike was invented, it has been an innovative way for humans to travel to places they otherwise wouldn’t have gone, to see things they’d never seen, to feel things they’d never felt. Flying on the ground.

Doing the Traka 560 was my way of tapping back into this, far removed from the stripped back minimalism that has been the majority of my cycling life. I converted my OSTRO Gravel into something else, loaded it up and prepared it for everything and anything. It never let me down.

Scary exciting

Preparing for it was terrifying and exciting in equal measure. I trained as much as I could, spent countless hours fiddling with my bike, and sent Lachlan Morton random messages searching for advice and reassurance. He told me to push through the night, that I could do it, and expect to be overcome by “the stops,” a situation where your mind proposes endless reasons to cease pedalling. I did push through, although the stops did happen.

It was a mad adventure: 560 km, 9,500 m of climbing, 30 hrs from start to finish without sleep. I didn’t know if I could do it, and that was the reason I wanted to try, because it’s not often these days that I get the chance to see how far I can go, to find out what I am capable of. It was something I thrived off when younger. The bike was my experience machine, it took me places very few people get to go. The Traka 560 reminded me of what it’s like to struggle, to find courage, to be simply in the moment. It reminded me of why I ride.

Learn more about OSTRO Gravel.

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