Gustavo (@gus_lord) is our International REID Rider of the Month for May!
Gustavo from Argentina has become our International REID Rider of the Month for May on his Granite 2.0! He caught our eye after writing an incredible blog on his bike packing adventure to the hidden village! We caught up with Gustavo to find out a little bit more...
Introduce yourself... (A bit about yourself, where you're from etc)
My name is Gustavo Almada. I was born Buenos Aires, on 1964. Since then, I´ve been growing in the same turmoil as my hometown, sometimes with a tango rhythm, sometimes with football, between long nights in bars or “pizzerias”, and “asados” with friends. An average Argentine.
So when and how did you get into bike riding?
I got my first bike late in life, when I turned 21. That's why I been balancing on two wheels since then, in order to recover the lost time.
So what made you choose the Granite 2.0?
I didn't choose her, she simply chose me. Sometimes the train passes by and we got to jump on it, despite not knowing where it will take us.
What and where have you been with it?
It hasn't been long since I got my Granite 2.0. Apart from my daily commute and weekends longs rides, my first proper adventure was a trip to an old abandoned mine in Córdoba, 800km away from Buenos Aires.
And how have you found the Granite 2.0?
Buenos Aires is not too steep, the closer mountain is 300km away, and still Mountain bikes are the most popular bicycles around. Mountain bikes in a city without mountains, it sounds weird but it's true.
I love gravel style bikes, and its adaptation to any kind of terrain. My Granite 2.0 is fast on the city´s pavement, and it allows me to rapidly escape from it. On weekends the rides are long, and just a few hours away from home I can be riding country roads on gravel and mud.
Do you have any future adventures planned?
It would take a lifetime for me to archive all my planned adventures, the world is waiting and I like to be surprised by any trip that crosses my path. I´ve raced on London´s folding bikes events, I´ve participated on many Eroicas, I´ve discovered many cities on my bikes, I've crossed the Andes mountains with my son. Any adventure will do, the joy comes with every pedal turn. Australia? Why not? Right now I'm waiting for a new Granite 2.0 for my son, the adventures will come on its own.
Finally, what advice would you give to those who have never been on a biking adventure or even a bike?
For those who have never enjoyed the pleasure of bike adventuring, I´d say that life is too short not to do it. Grab your bike and go ride it.