Sicily Divide: This Broke Me | Solo-Bikepacking Documentary

#SicilyDivide #bikepacking #adventure
I had one goal this year: Finishing my first solo-bikepacking tour. Although, not being new to ultra-endurance cycling: The Sicily Divide route broke me. This is my story.

ABOUT ME:
Hi, I am Nono. I am a amateur triathlete and bikepacking enthusiast from Hamburg in Germany. I love exploring the world by bike whilst learning something about myself and the areas I am visiting. I believe that challenging my mind and body and sometimes reaching my limits helps me to grow and improve as a human-being.

LET’S CONNECT
If you have any questions, ideas, feedback or want to otherwise get in contact: Let’s have a chat on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nononymus/

ABOUT SICILY DIVIDE:
The Sicily Divide route is a beautiful bikepacking trail cutting right through Sicily from Trapani in the west to Catania in the east. With a distance of 458 km (285 mi) and 8,550 m of elevation gain (28,051 ft) it’s recommended to do this adventure in 7 days – I tried to do it in 4 days.
Website: https://sicilydivide.it/en/

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0:00 Intro
1:33 Chapter 1: The start
4:00 Chapter 2: Good vibes
5:20 Chapter 3: First struggles
10:00 Chapter 4: Cretto di burri & Poggioreale
13:43 Chapter 5: Night ride
16:01 Chapter 6: Finally Food
17:28 Chapter 7: Starting day 2 in Montevago
20:35 Chapter 8: Breakfast in Sambuca di Sicilia
22:11 Chapter 8: Railway Bridge
23:18 Chapter 9: Heat & Exhaustion
28:49 Chapter 10: Final push
32:48 Chapter 11: Defeat
36:20 Chapter 12: Redemption at Hanse Gravel

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#outdoors #cycling #documentary

that’s me defeated broken done not what I wanted to show to you so what [Music] happened okay so this thing working great okay hi I’m no no I’m 32 I’m from Hamburg in Germany and normally I’m an amateur triathlete but last year I found a really strong passion for bike packing and this year will be another year of bike packing adventures and this is my first one and I want to tell you about it so I’m planning to do the Sicily divide track it’s a beautiful bike packing route cutting right through Sicily from Chapan in the west to katania in the East with a distance of around 450 kilome and 8,500 M of elevation it’s normally recommended to do this whole route in 7 Days my plan however to do it in 4 days but I did something like this before in the past so I think I will be able to do it and I’m really looking forward to a challenge so I will be doing this on my own so it will be my first solo backpacking trip only my second back packing trip overall so maybe I’m a bit naive but I’m actually looking forward to this Challenge and I really want to try it at least [Music] [Music] [Music] it’s 700 in the morning I’m here to start line in trapan and I’m super stoked to just get going to do this whole thing the whole Adventure however I’m also a bit afraid and scared but yeah we’ll see how I do it there is a feeling of Freedom that you can only experience on a bike and this was such a morning this magical atmosphere of sun wind and nature were just pulling me forward and forward I just couldn’t stop smiling [Music] it’s just so beautiful right now I’m so happy I’m so glad to be here I hope you can [Music] tell so the perfect backpacking breakfast just kidding bread from yesterday some tortilla chips from yesterday and some Er gray because I love ER Gray [Music] I’m faster whoo so I finished the first 40 km it’s around a third of the route of today but all the climbing is actually way ahead of me so there are three really big steep climbs that I will have to do today but yeah it’s already halfast 11 so I feel that I’m a bit behind time and although I don’t have the feeling that I’m sweating a lot I already drank a lot of water I drank around two bottles already and I only have a bit in my cam back left so so I hope my water will be enough and yeah I’m Keen to get going [Music] actually I really planned on having a really nice Pizza nice nice lunch in salimi however I kind of forgot or didn’t know that um yeah well it seems like Sicilian people are doing some kind of lunchtime naps yester thing so nothing was open and no restaurants no bakeries nothing and I’m a bit craving food right now um I do still have enough uh bars and everything but I want to save that up for the coming days so yeah I don’t know let’s hope I find some food in the next couple kilometers wish me luck nonetheless the rout was just beautiful a mixture of lonely streets and gravel roads all surrounded by stunning views and breathtaking nature exploring this region on my bike was such a joy and really helped me to ease my [Music] struggles so I got some additional wats for the upcoming climb have a look I got flower power put flower power up the hill woohoo no actually I’m not much of a hippie but yeah I just needed something to cheer me up [Music] yeah well I think I hit my first down point I did find a pizza which was nice but I had to do a lot of climbing directly after the pizza and I think it just hasn’t arrived yet so I just ate a gel to give me some sugar some more blood sugar because I’m already feeling that I’m losing power and getting into a bad mood mood yeah I guess I will get over it but it’s a bit annoying right now I tried to listen to some music but yeah that’s not really [Music] helping everything would be so much easier with a just lighter bike but yeah well I did pack this and that and everything I actually really took care not to pack too much but everything I have something I kind of need but since I’m solo bike packing I’m kind of expecting the worst so I try to bring a lot of repair stuff to be self-sufficient especially because there are no real bike shops out [Applause] here but that’s why my bike is heavy [Music] yeah it turns out I can’t ride 15% with that heavy bike and my current condition I’m really at the low point oh yeah let’s just keep going it will go over I guess [Applause] [Music] here we go again this is hard this climb is too hard for me damn it’s getting late [Music] Yoo I think I’m getting my mood back woohoo [Music] [Music] on the 14th of January in 196 eight several earthquakes hit this region hard several Villages were devastated and destroyed to the ground and we are going to visit three of them today this one is actually the first one Jina veia like many other Villages around in this region this Village was not rebuilt after the catastrophe the destroyed Village however was given into the hands of a Buri an Italian artist to turn the area into a memorial known as the cretto deuri his idea was to cover all the remaining Rubble with concrete creating these Barren blocks that seen from above let you still recognize the former Street layout [Music] it’s really peaceful I think it’s it’s really a peaceful place now but just imagining that this was like a whole village with houses and people and I don’t know kids running around and now it’s just just gone and however I still feel that this is kind of a peaceful and maybe a hopeful place um still has this kind of beauty and this flowing feel it’s of course it’s sad it’s a memorial side but it’s also it also gives me hope I think that’s that’s at least what I want to see in it [Music] yeah behind me is POD Val another Village that was destroyed in the 1968 earthquake like Jina which I visited before this one was also left alone after this earthquake and was totally abandoned and was rebuilt on another location my problem is just that arrive too late it’s already getting dark and I can’t get in there and actually over there there is a um security camera which is actually following every move of me so yeah I can’t go in there but maybe I can show you some aerial [Music] shuts it’s getting dark I’m way behind schedule it’s 8:00 now I’m almost 12 hours in and at around 100 five or 103 km so there is still 20 to go [Music] oh wow my spirits are totally lifted I can’t believe it I don’t know I just feel so one with everything I’m I’m such in a such a flow state I’m just riding home I saw so many inspiring and great things today I overcome some struggles and yeah I think I finally have arrived here in Sicily and that’s that’s really something [Music] yeah yeah I guess you can’t see anything but I’m still in the final Ascent to monu and I don’t know it seem like I’m in the middle of some sheep farm or anything but there are so many dogs barking at me and quite aggressively oh man I really don’t want to have beef with dogs now in the middle of the night I’m really done I really want to finish this day and I’m super hungry yeah I made it I made it to montago oh really happy they didn’t stop [Music] earlier I did really really make it to Mont this was so struggling like I was really struggling on the last bit but I really really made it and really really happy and and I actually really found a restaurant and this is so amazing I just ordered two pizzas and a salad and I’m so happy I can’t imagine I think my unusual appearance made the kitchen Chef curious so he joined me at my table hearing what I was doing he just could not believe me and tried to convince me that the route that I was on was too hard and that I should go to the coast where everything was easier and had more infrastructure in a way it was really reassuring to hear his concerns but at that moment I didn’t believe him or I didn’t want to believe him but honestly well he wasn’t too WR [Music] wow I’m so happy I just found this old ruin or not so old R so it seems to be stable and I will just put my tent over here yes and I’m really ready to sleep so I guess you can see it I’m really done for today good night good morning yeah just woke up like this it’s 5:30 day two I’m still pretty tired and yeah but I slept kind of well that’s good I really fell asleep very fast which normally doesn’t happen when my heart rate is up the whole day it really normally takes me some time to go down but um yeah at worked so that’s something but I woke up during the night and was awake for quite some time so I didn’t know how much recovered I really am but right now I’m really oh really [Music] tired starting day two was really hard my head was burning I didn’t sleep well and my body was wasn’t recovered at [Music] all in addition to that I also slap one of the 10 poles right into my eye which hurt quite a bit I was a bit scared for a moment but then yeah I could go [Music] on I plan to leave like I don’t know half an hour ago but I don’t know it just takes time to pack my bike I kind of underestimated that anyways I’m here I’m ready for day two it’s around 100 kilm but 2,200 km M of climbing which is I think quite a lot however I think the first I don’t know 80 or or 70 km are quite flat but there will be a really really Steep and long clim at the end um yeah not really looking forward to that my whole plan plan for today is to be a bit faster a bit more concise more steady so to speak so that I kind of reach like my destination before Sundown um yeah and actually my planet is already in Jeopardy but we’ll see on behind me is actually Mont vaju like the old montaj and that’s also another rued city like that’s the third City I promised you yesterday they also did something different than the other two cities with this kind of Ruin City so there are some rooms which are decorated like they were in the past but then they also integrated some mural artwork which is super nice I’ll try to show you but I don’t have too much time as I said I really need to press on [Music] after riding my bike for 2 hours I reached sambuka where I bought some food for breakfast some kind of ceremon is going to happen here they were just cleaning the street and some military men with musical instruments were just preparing themselves and they all those flags out feels really cool maybe they’re just welcoming me I don’t know I think I deserved it stopping in this pesque Village enjoying some food and relaxing in the sunshine made me forget the hardships of the previous day this moment was how I imagined my trip but it shouldn’t [Music] last oh this is so amazing mhm yes yeah [Music] I was so starving already I think that’s great about bike pecking it’s just learning again to to enjoy just the small and easy things about life just like some medium OAS bread this this is just making me so happy right now and then the stunning view oh my God unbelievable [Music] [Music] no what the what happened this Majestic Railway Bridge was built in 1920 and collapsed Just 4 months prior to my trip as I later found out for me this meant that I had to turn around and find a detour which was adding even more kilometers to an already challenging day there’s this Le divite host if you see this there’s missing a rather large piece of your route yeah [Music] [Music] yeah guess what another Clos restaurant so I really don’t get it why why I’m so unlucky because if there is a village with a restaurant I only ever hit it when everything is closed so all the time when everything is open I’m just in some area without any restaurants so it’s the second day now and I really hope that doesn’t continue because it’s super annoying to be burning that much calories and not really getting anything in return I really would like to have something proper to eat ah [Music] since I was also running low and fluids I was over the moon when I found this well however until that point I think the heat had already done its damage but it’s really weird weather again so I’m overheating and freezing at the same time kind of [Music] funny but for every hardship there mesmerizing route rewarded me with yet another gorgeous and tempting Vista which just kept me going willing to keep [Music] exploring I mean it’s 12% grade too much and it’s just going on more than 9 hours ago I started and I just finished 2/3 but the last two climbs they look so small on the map but they were super hard and I’m already neered I’m really a bit scared of the final climb and I can already I can already hear my mind think possibilities is over to stop in the middle of climb and to go to sleep and I don’t know not to the climb today do the climb tomorrow and everything but I know if I do this then we’ll have to do it tomorrow and then the other two days will be super hard so I kind of have to do it today but I don’t want to do it during dark but yeah sorry that I’m owning so much today it’s uh really a day full of challenges there’s Beauty but I’m really not able to capture and to articulate it I’m just really dark and in a dark space the whole day yeah okay I think I found my Mount Doom so somewhere over over here it’s the final climb of today and it’s actually about 900 M of elevation um and around 30 km now that I see it I kind of want to do it you know what I mean [Music] yes what a descent speeding into this magical Valley on a freshy toic road you just couldn’t wish for more a very welcome distraction [Music] ah I need some pizza I need food food food I did found a supermarket and I bought some stuff for tomorrow because tomorrow is Sunday and probably nothing will be open especially for breakfast however that’s more stuff that I will have to carry up this long climb but I think it’s worth it I think people would think I’m crazy I am probably but that’s what you do that’s what you do if you have if you’re scared of starving nice when overreaching your limit there’s a moment when everything just becomes comical a resignation to fate laughing at your own hardship you just carry on and that was such a moment yeah another restaurant this time it’s too early not too late so it’s a quter to 7 and they haven’t opened yet and yeah I think it’s a sign from I don’t know the cycling guard that I will that I just have to press on and just finish this climb so let’s just do it such a stupid routing I was on such a nice beautifully tked street with I don’t know just I don’t know 5 or 6% and now I’m here because this route has to do a detour sure give it to me yeah give me detours give me meters of climbing give me everything oh yeah I’m pushing again yeah yeah I know but it’s 15% again I can’t write that Sugar Sugar is my only hope keeping mood up sugar coating that’s my strategy for this mountain just sugar coating everything wow just look at this this is really giving me peace I I think I’m just finally making peace with this day and with myself and oh there was so much negativity today and uh I don’t care anymore I decided I’m going to have fun again let’s have fun again when I reached the mountain pass it was Pitch Black freezing cold and I was still craving food my body was shaking only adrenaline and fear kept me awake meanwhile cars were rushing past me at break next speed at the moment I was thinking to just camp at the peak but my body temperature was already low so I was scared that stopping would cool me down even more so my only chance was to continue to the next city which I reached at around 10: p.m. okay unbelievable I made it but as you can see I am not in a tent but this was I definitely found my limit and not having food for like proper food for I don’t know 14 hours being super cold out on the bike in the dark climbing a super seep Hill for I don’t know 30 km having a lot of traffic on the road in the dark is this was definitely my livid and I thought I really needed a a hotel or anything because I was really freezing I was really it sounds a bit bit overd dramatic but I was really yeah struggling for life in a way so I took a hotel and yeah I think it’s fine why would somebody eat a pizza like this I can tell you it’s called over ambitious I’m bike pecking they didn’t slice the pizza so it’s not my fault that I have to eat like an animal couple hours ago I I don’t know it would have been would have done everything for some food some pizza or anything now I have one I literally don’t have the the power anymore to read sorry I’m a mess I’m a really mess day three Day of Defeat I gave up finishing only half of the route when I woke up I was was feeling dizzy and feverish expecting another hard day with possibly even less food and an even more remote rout I decided it wasn’t safe and Worth to continue there was one chance of just getting to a chain and now I’m here on this dirt road I don’t know what that is oh I’m not feel feeling well and now I’m stuck in this mud but I was stuck in the middle of rural Sicily with almost no infrastructure but I had to reach Katana as I had a flight back home in 2 days so my plan was to reach a nearby train station but my B computer L me into the most stickiest clay or mud that you can imagine it was just horrible okay I got rid of most of the mud and I’m able to ride it again but yeah just feels like and now it started to rain really hot I’m really cooling down which is not good I hope I just reach this train station in a couple minutes okay I think this is what the feet looks like mud all over me mud all over my bike I’m really not feeling well I think I got some kind of heat stroke yesterday um I couldn’t sleep this night took me I don’t know 3 hours to fall asleep and my head is really overheating and yeah I think that’s it for me and yeah I went out to find a limit I think I found a couple limits and yeah I’m here at the train station now and hopefully I will just get some train back into civilization actually never before have I failed to finish an endurance event giving up returning by train missing the chance of visiting the coming beautiful places was and still is really hard to accept but these are the moments where we grow accepting the feed is triumph in its own because this is where you learn something and I learned a lot mainly that even when you plan everything and give everything things will happen that are out of your control Success is Not Guaranteed but that’s the nature of an adventure and a good lesson for life in general not achieving a goal is an essential part of our Lives the question is what do we do with it do we turn away or face our fears again and again until we Master them [Music] to be honest it really took me a while to touch my gravel bike again like this whole bike packing thing I was almost over with it but I’m now really really happy that I did not lose the whole joy and the desire to do bike packing trips so right now I’m planning my next trips and I’m really really Keen to get going and to do another trip so I’m really looking forward to this and right now I just want to grab my gravel bike and hop on it and just get going so bye [Music] hell yeah I made it yes okay after 600 km or more than 600 kilm I finally made it I’m so happy oh man after this whole sisly divide disaster this is just this is so amazing I just finished the solo backpacking thing oh I’m soy happy so relieved and although the start was hard um in the end it was really joyful and yeah I think I’m looking forward for our next adventure yes okay wait one more thing before you go I would really like to do the sisly Divide route again however you have to help me to overcome My Demons so if this video reaches more than 10,000 views I will definitely go back there and do it again and you can watch me suffer in another new video so how can you help me please like this video subscribe to this Channel and also use the comment section to ask all your questions about this adventure this will help so that many more people can see this video and together we reach a 10,000 views besides if you want to follow my overall bike packing child on Journey just head over to my Instagram I would love to meet you there and to connect and have a chat and answer all your questions also just stay tuned for the future I have a lot of cool bike packing and trione experiences and videos planned for the the future so stay tuned until then cheers [Music]