Omar and the Hobootleg Geo at SRMR

Meet Omar, an ultra-endurance adventurer with a unique and fascinating background. This year, he conquered a gruelling 2,000 km in the Silk Road Mountain Race, facing wild weather, steep passes, and remote landscapes. Join Omar as he shares his cycling journey and his relentless pursuit of adventure in some of the world’s most extreme locations.

Read on for the full story.

 

I was born in 1983 in Torre Annunziata, Italy. My mother is Italian and my father is from Alexandria, Egypt. 

In 2001 I joined the Elite Alpine units of the Italian Army as an assault rifleman. Stationed in various locations in the Alpine region, I developed a love for the mountains, understanding them above all as a difficult environment, where I could explore my limits.

For thirteen years my life was a succession of tasks related to security and investigations. For a period I served in the intelligence of the US State Department, after which I decided to leave the State and start working as a Private Investigator, carrying out investigations throughout Italy, North Africa, the United States, Venezuela and several European cities, carrying out undercover assignments, in the field of drugs, kidnapping of minors, counter-espionage, etc.

 
Over the years I have acquired various diplomas related to physical activity, including the latest ones as a Crossfit Trainer and Personal Trainer CONI in 2013 I decided to turn my passion into a profession so I closed a chapter of my life.

I started cycling in 2018 when a friend and I decided to do the Camino de Santiago. After this I continued to use the bicycle as a means of reaching the mountains.

 
I have been a part of the Cinelli family for some years, in 2019 I used a Hobootleg Geo for an expedition in Oman. I did various ultra gravel events with the Zydeco and the Nemo and with my Expedition project used the Veltrix for The 5 Mountains and the King Zydeco for the Egypt Expedition. 

This year I decided to use the Hobootleg Geo for the Silk Road Mountain Race because I think it is the perfect bike for a Mountain context. A Gravel with a comfortable geometry for long distances, a soft and resistant triple-layer steel frame with external cable routing for easy maintenance in remote places where it is difficult to find a mechanical workshop, the possibility of mounting tires up to 3 inches, in short the right bike that maintains a Gravel style with nothing to envy to MTBs.
 

 

I am not a "racer", I define myself as an adventurer, I have never participated in races that depend on the clock and I am attracted to races that have the characteristic of an adventure.

I have always seen the Silk Road Mountain Race as the most extreme race in the bike adventure panorama and this was the right year to participate. I was motivated by a personal challenge, by the desire to test myself by participating in an extraordinary competition, one of a kind: the longest bikepacking race, along the Silk Road in Kyrgyzstan, a fascinating undertaking and place. It was a very extreme experience both physically but above all spiritually.

I have a strong connection with nature and I immediately felt how impressive and unforgiving Kyrgyzstan was. Passes from 3800m above sea level, wild horses, heat, cold, wind and even snow, a land that spared me nothing. 2000 km with 30000m of positive altitude difference, I was aiming to finish in 10 maximum 11 days but towards the end I slowed down a lot due to a broken spoke, fearing that on those tortuous terrains others could break, not reaching the finish line would have been worse.

 

The unexpected is part of the adventure especially in a land that does not forgive. It was essential to listen to the signs of nature. I spent the last two nights under the deluge of storms seeking shelter in the shepherds' Yurt tents, living the adventure is what I look for in my travels, but safety comes before anything else, especially in a mountain environment. Those nights, some cyclists fell and hurt themselves badly, having to withdraw.

I looked for a compromise with the race and with the times I had set myself, still trying to experience the journey, stopping to meet the children, to sleep as a guest in the tents or in the small homes of the villages or simply to listen to the silence of the mountains.

Together with my Hobootleg we rode endless valleys, crossed rivers and took turns carrying each other. When she couldn't, I was the one carrying her on my shoulders on the steep slopes and then down very fast for dozens and dozens of kilometres on old Soviet roads eating dust. The bicycle is just like a horse, you have to love it and treat it with care, there must be empathy and feeling, the Hobootleg was fantastic!

My next project is ULTRA GRAVEL RIDE on October 26 and 27, it will be the third edition. ULTRA GRAVEL is a non-competitive event, which I created with the aim to share the passion for gravel and nature. Pedalling in a unique setting overlooking Lake Como, through the mountain paths of the beautiful Alta Valle d'Intelvi and part of the Cadorna line on the border with Switzerland. A historic territory that marked the lives of soldiers and fighters during the Second World War.

This is one of the many areas where I spend much of my time training for adventures, meditating and clearing my mind of the pollution of everyday life.

I studied and created this route to reach the base of Monte Generoso by bike and then continue running to the top. I took the wrong track a lot of times, tried and tested routes, mule tracks, single tracks, to find a connection that was rideable and avoided asphalt roads as much as possible. Here it is!

Head to Omar’s website for more information about ULTRA GRAVEL RIDE.