Axel Carion - Bolivia, 1,000km by bike in extreme conditions

Following Axel Carion's latest bikepacking expedition in Bolivia, Adrien went to meet him for a chat between the founder of Go'Lum and this cycling explorer. You can find our discussions following his crossing of the United States , his Jordan Bike Trail already in pairs or his journey on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Adrien : A new bike exploration under your belt. Can you still count them? ;) Can you give us a quick tour of all the ones you've done?

Axel : The exhaustive list of all my cycling epics would be too long, but I remember the greatest crossings:

• South America from Colombia to Argentina twice in 2015 in 240 days, then in 2017 in less than 50 days with a gravel bike

• The Ho Chi Minh Mountain Bike Trail through Laos and Vietnam (2022)

• Crossing the United States in 25 days with a gravel bike (2024)

Adrien : How did you choose this one?

Axel : Bolivia is fascinating to explore by bike because it combines extreme challenges with the climate and high-altitude topography of the Altiplano region, while also being a territory of unparalleled beauty. I dreamed of returning there to complete a mountain bike trail, and I was able to make this happen by accompanying an experienced athlete with numerous BikingMan titles: Grégory Girard.

Adrien : Can you tell us about your adventure companion? Had you ever cycled together over long distances?

Axel : Greg has completed 5 BikingMan events, including the formidable BikingMan X in Morocco twice, as well as the Euskadi 2021 in the Pyrenees. He is also an accomplished athlete who has participated in numerous multisport adventure races.

We did the BikingMan Taiwan reconnaissance together in 2023, which allowed us to test ourselves over long distances as a team. I know the subject well, having completed several expeditions together, and this requires ensuring that several parameters are met: similar athletic level, sense of team spirit and mutual support, conviviality in extreme efforts, sense of direction, etc. Greg is an exemplary expedition partner, and Bolivia together confirmed this.

Adrien : You experienced an adventure in extreme conditions. Can you tell us about it? How did you handle the altitude?

Axel : Our expedition aimed to cross Bolivia by mountain bike from the capital LA PAZ, following 90% of the tracks. The Altiplano region is well known to cycling travelers because it contains many treasures, including: the Sajama National Park (the highest peak in the country: 6,542m), the salt deserts of COIPASA and UYUNI and the crossing of North and South Lipez with its extraordinary high-altitude lakes. The major challenge of this adventure was to progress at an average altitude above 3,600m with numerous passages at nearly 4,000m and a pass at 4,920m. Managing the effort with 25kg bikes is particularly formidable at altitude because everything takes on a different dimension: hydration, nutrition and resistance of the equipment in extreme conditions.

Everything costs money because the slightest hardware failure can be extremely complicated to manage. The Go'Lum we took on these 1,000 km clearly demonstrated its reliability and resistance to extreme temperatures.

Adrien : What images do you keep in mind?

Axel : There are too many to list in an inventory, but the most memorable is the team arrival with Greg at the 4,920m pass before reaching the Chilean border near the Licancabur volcano. It was a very strong moment of sporting friendship and transmission of this passion that drives me to explore extraordinary places on our planet. The French magazine Cyclist – Hors série Gravel n°12 will publish my account of this adventure in early 2025, with the most powerful images that David Styv took during the journey.