An Atlas Mountain Race Attempt

[@fromwhereweare]

What a beautiful down to earth, unpretentious documentary. I'm captivated by your personality & storytelling. Great showcase how such a beautiful piece can be told with very limited equipment as well. Well done there mate!

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Thanks a lot!

[@ronaldvanwalraven6981]

Beautiful scenery. Super honest video. Finally someone who is in it to enjoy bike riding, not some heroic report of riding like a mad man, hardly sleep and not aware off the beautiful surrounding your traveling in. Big thumbs up.

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Thanks Ronald. There is definitely a whole other side to these ultra rides than the glorious fast people in riding at the sharp end of the race :)

[@dr.rennsau]

❤

[@BasWit]

Come to Marocco they said, it will be fun ;-) Nice edit!!!

[@erwinsikkens_com]

😂

[@lumacagabi]

Thanks for the video, Erwin, I have watched your video several times. I'll be leaving for Morocco soon. I wonder how I'll feel, not a little respect and maybe frightened, travelling with ...

[@erwinsikkens_com]

So how was it for you? 😮

[@hadiderouiche7143]

Thanks a lot for this.

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Thank you for leaving your comment :)

[@MehdiLoneRider]

thanks for the video I hope one day you can finish this race or anything else. Cheers from Morocco

[@robertjonsson7618]

I really like your video!

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Thanks for your compliment!

[@EvidenceofaFabulousLife]

Well done, if you don’t try, you don’t know. Many don’t try. You’ll be back! Enjoy your riding! 🚀🚀

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Exactly my thoughts ;-)

[@jamesherd9132]

Well done Erwin I thought you did well to get as far as you did . looks brutal

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Thanks a lot for your kind message James :-)

[@pascalgaudette8973]

Beautiful images, great music, pacing and editing - a story well-told! It may not be a story of triumph, but it certainly was one of courage. Well done for both attempting that race - something most of us will never do - and conveying your experience in such a convincing manner!

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Thanks a lot for those kind words Pascal. I’m glad you see it that way 🙏

[@shelbsvideo]

It’s all about fun. Great video, thanks for sharing

[@erwinsikkens_com]

I totally agree. Thanks for your comment! 🙂

[@lascampbell1050]

The word brutal springs to mind, very brave 👏 we'll done.

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Thanks a lot Las!

[@omare_biketonature]

Looks so damn hard! I like it and I think I can do it, probably not compete for the first places but ride it, finish it and enjoy it. Thanks for showing us an sharing your experience, subscribed! Cheers!

[@erwinsikkens_com]

If you’re thinking about it, definitely go and try it. It’s only through our experience that we learn 🔥👍🏼

[@rorykemper6920]

Thanks for the sharing this. All of it is relatable. Looking forward to riding with you again.

[@erwinsikkens_com]

It was such a hard one... Looking forward doing that ride party pace stylo 🔥🌲🍻

[@dominiquenuyts8309]

Thanks for putting this out there. Life is about fun, if it doesn’t make you grow or you don’t have fun with it, what’s the point? In all aspects of life

[@erwinsikkens_com]

I totally agree. Thanks for your comment :)

[@stevenmoatt4736]

great video. lively content. never say never. Happy riding Steve

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Happy riding to you too Steven. Hope you get some great KM's in.

[@johnmoody1642]

i think trying new and different staff is already a big win, but in one way or the other you have to enjoy it, the suffering or the riding or doing anything in order to complete it and if it ain’t fun it just means u can try with smth else, solid effort and it was a pleasure to see how positive you tried to stay up until the end

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Love your comment. Thanks John.

[@michellekoning8003]

Fantastisch en inspirerend om te zien; ik moest aan een quote van Michael Jordan denken: "I can accept failure, everyone fails at something, but I can’t accept not trying" ;-) Dank voor het delen!

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Michael Jordan quote in the pocket 😎😆

[@michellekoning8003]

@@erwinsikkens_com 😂

[@dodginglions5163]

You gave it your best shot, you did great!…keep your head up and on to the next challenge!…thanks for sharing this video, you’re an inspiration!…😎

[@erwinsikkens_com]

too kind, thanks Dodging Lions!

[@bloemherrebout4924]

Mooie edits! Goede poging is het begin, op naar volgende avonturen💪💪

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Merci merci

[@Rideout_bike]

Great experience any way! I've tried to reach Mont Blanc peak once with a team. And we didn't because of weather and there was no chances so we quit. But I will remember that travel for all my life. I believe it was not about the peak. It's about place and people around, spirit and atmosphere of mountains - to feel and to see with ,y own eyes.

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Definitely an open door that’s true… it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Glad you also see it this way 🙌

[@toufikams6332]

Respect Erwin!!

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Merci Toufik! 👋

[@SaracenNL]

Prachtige beelden, en ondanks het niet kunnen finishen is het een onwijs knappe prestatie. Ben erg benieuwd naar je volgende avontuur!

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Thanks Ricardo 🙌

[@raimondwamelink5208]

Respect mate! 🙌🏼 Wel heel tof om te zien.

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Met de frisse ogen van thuis kan ik ook meer genieten van de landschappen dan toen ik zat af te zien op de fiets 😅

[@raimondwamelink5208]

@@erwinsikkens_com …en je hebt het mooi wel ff gedaan.

[@Bertie..]

Enjoyed the video. I'm planning to do the ride in 2025. I come from the world of Ultra running, understand the dark places you go when your body suffers. I've now caught the long distance bike packing bug. Im curious if you were to do it again what would you do differently. I'm retired and in my late 60's so have lots of time to train and fortunately from years of MTB racing in my 30' I'm super fit . I'm also looking for a partner, want to do it again?

[@erwinsikkens_com]

I probably will some day, but not this one. Too extreme. Little bit too much hiking for my taste. I’d probably take on a more ridable and less extreme challenge also food-wise than AMR. Good luck on your adventure though 🙌

[@stichtingride4kids]

Respect....

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Thanks!

[@WAM_Art.and.Cycling]

Nice!, what model is your bike?.

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Salsa Cutthroat

[@oliver.abroad]

Sooo......what's next? 😀 Just found your channel and watched both your ultra cycling attempts - very nice editing and filming. I'm tempted to attemp an attemp as well. Probably sth easier though ;)

[@erwinsikkens_com]

God idea on the easier stuff and thanks for the compliments. 2023 = no ultras… maybe 2024? 😅

[@john-mikaeljarvenkyla]

looks like fun...

[@erwinsikkens_com]

You don't know until you tried right? ;-)

[@cykelnteam]

👏👏👏

[@Canal300K]

Amazing video Man. Thanks for share. Impressioned with this quality images. Do you record with 2 cameras? Wich cameras do you use. Thanks 👏👏👏

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Thanks Canal 300K. I actually shot it all on my 4 years old iPhone ;-)

[@timtaylor9590]

can you zip up your brevit jersey all the way? mine is tight around my neck and chokes me, its also doesnt stretch at the neck

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Hi. Brevet is no problem around the neck... PRO fitting is a bit tight for me... but in general I like to zip open a bit, letting the fresh air in 🙂

[@timtaylor9590]

@@erwinsikkens_com hmm well I do grapple occasionally may be it's due to that but overall I'm skinny.

[@jago7735]

What an amazing experience Erwin! I will do road bike trip in Tenerife, 6 days, 500+ Km, the climbing will test my calves :) BTW, what happened to Katharina? Best!

[@craigant2522]

You soon realise that when you do ultra racing (such as the AMR , SRMR or TCR ) there is a lot more type 2 fun than type 1 and sometimes a bit of type 3 fun.

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Yeah... and I don't mind a bit of type 2 fun from time to time, but the whole time is not my piece of cookie. Respect though for those battling the conditions for days in a row.

[@senv2312]

Giving up is not a fail but an experience! Learn from and try another time - if any

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn ;-)

[@claudiolima224]

@@erwinsikkens_com and you certainly learn more when you don't win!

[@b4sti44n]

That looked like fun 😂😂😂

[@erwinsikkens_com]

It was quite the interesting experience ;-)

[@amineroadbikerider1504]

just by seeing this video i felt dry again haha. really really hard

[@erwinsikkens_com]

😂😂😂

[@hichamlahsaini]

Bro that is so hard 🫡..

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Yeah… much respect for all those who finish rides like these 🥲

[@dennisatema7069]

Wauw indrukwekkend en respect! Mooi vastgelegd met de juiste muziek 👌🏻 Moest je 150km/dag afleggen of heb je dat jezelf opgelegd?

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Merci Dennis. De 150 km per dag was om de finish binnen de gestelde tijd te halen: 8 dagen voor 1200 km.

[@mtbscale10]

Mooie video! Had je echt tri-bars nodig?

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Echt nodig? Nee. Maar ik was er wel erg blij mee. Voor mij is het niet vanwege aero voordelen, maar om tijdens lange dagen in het zadel van positie te kunnen wisselen.

[@arjanschild3552]

Gaaf!

[@erwinsikkens_com]

🙌🏼

[@arjanschild3552]

@@erwinsikkens_com Ben wel benieuwd naar je fiets, wat je allemaal mee had, je voorbereiding etc.

[@khunlongpete]

I think gravel bike was wrong choice. Tyres, no suspension, gears; bar etc. Every day 12 to 15 hours on the bike is suffering for every one. But not all the time. More about the mind than about the fitness. Once you start to think about stopping it's a selffulfilling prophecy. U have to divide every ride in o lot of targets/goals to reach to trick and reward yourself.

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Bike was great. Mind just not so much

[@bernovanderwal]

Asfalt is Tarmac toch? Mooie film jammer dat je de finish niet hebt gehaald maar het gaat om de reis niet de race

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Ja tarmac… of asphalt ;)

[@Fernwee]

First!

[@erwinsikkens_com]

ik was DNF 😆

[@bernovanderwal]

Nadat ik deze week Granguanche stopte herinnerde ik me ineens deze video… je zegt precies waarom ik ben gestopt. Het survival aspect te hoog het fiets en fun gehalte te laag… je weet t niet totdat je t hebt ervaren…. van buitenaf makkelijk een oordeel te vormen totdat je t zelf hebt geprobeerd. Het is niet de conditie of t mentale aspect maar de spirit of mind…. The state you become in (or not 😂)….

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Bedankt voor die heerlijk oprechte opmerking ❤

[@mioszbrzozowski4657]

at least you eat some intresting food..

[@erwinsikkens_com]

hahaha, I don't know about that. I can eat omelets at home also ;-)

[@TheJabukasiga]

Undoable on gravel bike. Gravel bike is good choice fof shitty roads, not mountain racing..

[@erwinsikkens_com]

Lucky then I brought my drop bar mountain bike 👍🏼