Journal | Hunt Bike Wheels

In October of last year, Ken (US Brand Manager) & Luisa (Product Engineering Manager), traveled to Kona, Hawaii to spectate some of the most talented athletes in the world partake in the annual Ironman World Championships. In a way, things were simpler then. We could hug friends new and old, fly on planes to races and holidays, and enjoy the outdoors without feeling we'd be adding to the burden of the healthcare system. Little did we know, a mere six months later the world order we once took for granted would be a vastly different place.

As everyone adjusts to a new type of normal, we checked in with a long-time friend, Dan Gampon, who lives in Kona, to get a feeling of how he's adjusting this lifestyle.

For most of us the world has changed in the past few weeks and lockdowns have been enforced in many countries across the globe. Some of us are still able to ride and others can’t yet go any distance from home. When riding resumes it's likely that it will only be possible in the local area so you need to be able to make the most of what's on your door step.

So what better time to make the most of your time in lockdown than planning local routes or exploring your local tracks and trails?

In October 2019 a super typhoon was closing in on Japan. Hagibis. Japan was ready: airports got closed, Shinkansens were put on hold, two rugby world cup games got canceled and everyone was getting prepared to spend a weekend inside.

Everyone except for 49 people who traveled to Kagoshima to go on a bike ride.

 Sofiane Sehili has made waves in the world of Ultra racing in the past year winning Italy Divide, Inca Divide and most recently the inaugural Atlas Mountain Race. He has developed a tough style of racing which entails very little sleep. We spoke to Sofiane to find out more about him and what makes him tick.

Read on to find out more…

HUNT Beyond was created to focus on developing wheels for those riders who don’t quite fit into the ‘normal’ cycling bracket. We all know that one person who just has to go a little too far, not content with ‘just’ riding 100 miles they are the ones that would ‘just’ ride 150miles off road instead, or go on a family holiday to Spain and ‘just’ ride there. Or ‘just’ disappear for a month and return after cycling across some far flung mountain range in central Asia.

We know you are out there, and we are here to serve you and make the best products for the job.

The Altlas mountain race is a second new race to the early season Backpacking calendar and, as the name suggests, takes part in the Atlas Mountains of Morroco. The Atlas Mountain race is a predominantly off road event which began in Marrakesh on feb 15th, crosses the Atlas mountains and winds its way through the fringes of the desert and smaller Anti Atlas mountains before finishing on the coast near Agadir.

At 1000km in length this isn’t the longest event on the calendar, however the substantial elevation, rough roads and tracks will make it a tough ride. Winning times will be expected to be under 4 days, with the majority of the participants completing the event in around a week.

Sofian Sehili is no stranger to the world of Bikepacking having won Italy Divide and Inca Divide in 2019 as well as previously finishing in the top 10 of the Tour Divide. Sofian is a bike messenger based in Paris so long days in the saddle come very naturally to him.

HUNT Beyond will be supporting Sofian in 2020 and he is already at the pointy end of his first race, The Atlas Mountain Race.