Street Biking: Asmawa Roadtrip - Photostory
by Poncho, Mar 5, 2012
http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Article/roadtrip-patrick-seabase-
in-eritrea-photostory-021243172458661
In western and Asian metropoles, the term 'fixie' represents urban mobility
and a do-it-yourself lifestyle. Switzerland's Patrick Seabase breaks out of
this context and proves to be a genuine extreme athlete. His latest
adventure took him to Eritrea, a little known country situated on the Horn
of Africa.
The fixie is simply a track bicycle. It owes much of its recent renaissance
to the bicycle messengers of San Francisco. Needing a low-maintenance ride
for the rough terrain of their city, they took this bicycle from the
velodrome to the streets. Nowadays, the minimalist fixed gear bike is a
popular symbol for urban mobility and a DIY-lifestyle of the young
generation. <
http://patrickseabase.tumblr.com/> Patrick Seabase from Bern,
Switzerland, is an inadvertent figurehead of this globally connected scene.
He regularly causes a stir online with videos that show him riding down
mountain passes or motor-pacing at speeds of 83 kilometers per hour behind a
car. This latest adventure took place in
<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eritrea> Eritrea, a country that is barely
noticed on the world stage, officially only existing since 1993. Here is a
little Q&A with Patrick:
Q: Why Eritrea?
A friend of mine has a Swiss-born Eritrean girlfriend. In the summer of 2010
he visited the country to attend a wedding. After the trip he showed me some
pictures of a road that winds its way from the capital city Asmara, situated
at 2350 meters above sea level, down to the Red Sea. It's a rampant road
with many sharp turns, mainly used by camel caravans, overloaded lorries and
speeding buses packed with people. The last part of this road heads through
an apocalyptic desert. I really wanted to ride this road as I felt that this
was my chance to do something that no one had done before.
Q: How did you approach it, then?
I assembled a team and together we drafted a concept for a documentary film
which would take the fixed gear bicycle out from its urban context. There
would be my story however; we all felt strongly that a story of Eritrea
should also be told. It's an unknown country with a lot of history, a place
where cycling is more popular than football. I started to research and
inform myself in-depth about Eritrea. I'd never been to Africa or the Third
World before so I had no idea of what to expect. The cultural differences,
diet, emergency medical care (in case needed) security etc. All of these
were big issues in the run-up to the trip.
Q: How did the people in Eritrea react to you?
They were all so very kind and polite. Some of the team had been in Africa
before. They told me stories of people being bothersome and demanding. That
was not the case. In regards to the project, most of the people we spoke to
did not understand why I had come to Eritrea with my track bicycle. They
laughed and said I was crazy. Nevertheless, they were interested. Many
people wanted to help in some way, one even offered me his racing bike for
use as he thought it was impossible to ride down the road to Massawa without
hand brakes.
Q: You were in Eritrea for 10 days. The ride from Asmara to Massawa would
not have taken more than a day?
The ride itself took only half a day. However, we wanted to get to know
Eritrea and its rich cycling culture. Nowadays, in our dense and networked
world, few things remain undiscovered. The case is different with Eritrea.
Most people outside of Africa have never heard of the country, let alone
know where it is situated on the world map. Eritrea has the richest cycling
tradition in Africa, producing the best racers on the continent. It's crazy,
no? People have to know about this. That's why it was important to document
this and not just make a film about 'Euro-boy' riding down a mountain road
in Africa.
Q: How did you prepare then for the downhill ride?
Well, I could not train as much as I wanted to. The winter was very cold and
snowy in Switzerland so I kept myself fit by exercising at home on a cycle
trainer. Then, two weeks before the trip I went to Aigle and trained on the
indoor track. That was all the preparation I had. Once in Eritrea I then had
a 2-day long training ride with some local up and coming racers, on a road
out to the Western Lowlands. Through meeting people I then also had the
opportunity to ride through the streets of Asmara with the Eritrean national
team. When I jumped the red lights they wouldn't follow and stayed back
yelling after me. After a while they then followed and took pleasure in some
risky business. That was fun.
Q: How did the downhill from Asmara to Massawa challenge you physically and
mentally?
103 kilometers through unfamiliar territory, 60 kilometers of that steep
downhill, it really takes it out of you. When I ride I never put my feet up,
I control the speed by skidding, many times. My state of mind is so
different when I'm on my track bike. I have to be clear and focused; it's
not like a regular road bike. You can't just let the bike roll and enjoy the
environment. Riding fixed, brakeless, for me means being 3 seconds ahead.
Foreseeing and assessing the contingencies requires a hundred percent
attention for that very moment and beyond. Physically I recovered very soon
after but it took me at least an extra day to be mentally present again.
Q: What was the most formative experience on your trip?
I would say that the whole adventure was one of the most formative
experiences of my life. I came to know and love a country that I would
certainly visit again. I learned much about a culture that is unfamiliar but
at the same time in many ways familiar. I met people who treated my like I
was their brother and people who respected me as an athlete. I had a
physical and mental achievement. For that I am proud and thankful.
Photos C Yuhzimi/Red Bull Content Pool
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Received on Mon Mar 05 2012 - 22:14:29 EST
