In the organizer's words:

Everything Tony Ramenda had read in preparation and in reports about the Silk Road Mountain Race sounded feasible to him: River crossings, long carrying and pushing passages, extreme temperature differences, hundreds of kilometers without towns and riding in the high mountains of the Tienshan Mountains. But he couldn't really imagine it.

The Silk Road Mountain Race is one of the toughest bikepacking races in the world - a true extreme sports adventure through the wild heart of Kyrgyzstan. 1,800 kilometers, over 30,000 vertical meters, mountain passes over 4,000 meters high, endless gravel roads and icy nights. The Silk Road Mountain Race is an extreme sport far from civilization - and far from any comfort zone.

Tony wanted to live his dream - and ended up at the start of the 8th edition of this legendary race in Osh. His goal: to find out what really drives him to tackle long distances on extremely challenging terrain, to spend the night in the open air and to find his way without support. Free from the routines and stimuli of our modern world, completely at one with himself - in the midst of silence, cold, wind and breathtaking nature.

It was the greatest physical challenge of his life. Full of hardship, unpredictability and moments of deep intensity. He froze, improvised, trusted - and grew. At the same time, he was able to experience a different culture and meet people and animals who touched him deeply.
In his talk, he will take you on this journey - to a place where boundaries blur, freedom becomes tangible and adventure is still real.