Across Andes 2025: 800 km Through the Volcanic Heart of Araucanía
Across Andes 2025 – Volcano Edition pushed AURUM riders Juanjo Pereira and Javier Pastor through one of the toughest and most remote territories on Earth: Chile’s Araucanía region. Over 800 kilometers and 12,000 meters of climbing, in full self-supported mode, crossing active volcanoes, native forests, Mapuche communities and dramatic gravel terrain that redefines what adventure means.
This is the story of their journey and how the AURUM MANTO performed in such an extreme environment.
A physical challenge and a cultural odyssey
Across Andes is far more than a race. It is a journey that blends landscape, culture and human endurance.
This year’s route crossed the Kütralkura Geopark, shaped by iconic volcanoes such as Llaima, Lonquimay and Sierra Nevada.
Riders pedal through volcanic ash, araucaria forests, wooden bridges and remote Andean roads where silence meets Patagonian winds.
For Juanjo and Javier, the event became a transformative experience: very little sleep, constant navigation, managing food and water, and the emotional intensity of riding through a land that feels ancient and infinite.
“Across Andes is more than a race; it is stepping into an ancestral territory that demands respect and humility,” Juanjo said at the finish.
The self-supported format: complete autonomy
Riders must handle everything on their own:
- nutrition
- hydration
- bike maintenance
- navigation
- sleep strategy and pacing
Every decision carries weight: where to stop, how much water to carry, when to rest, how to distribute your gear. This format makes Across Andes one of the toughest gravel ultracycling events in the world.
AURUM MANTO: engineered for the extraordinary
For a route of this magnitude, equipment choice is critical. Juanjo and Javier rode the AURUM MANTO, our gravel platform developed for long-distance riding, varied terrain and unpredictable conditions.
The MANTO demonstrated:
Stability under load
Both riders carried around 16 kg of gear, and the frame maintained stiffness, control and steering precision even on 20% descents and loose volcanic gravel.
Long-distance comfort
The ECT-10 carbon layup, gravel-specific geometry and generous tire clearance provided comfort during extremely long days on the bike.
Reliability in extreme conditions
Aside from a minor issue with tire pressure and a GPS mount adjustment, the bike ran flawlessly — a real-world stress test in one of the harshest environments imaginable.
“The MANTO performed beyond expectations. It’s a bike that lets you keep moving forward, even when the terrain does everything it can to stop you,” Javier explained.
Official data: distance, time and final classification
Juanjo’s Hammerhead device recorded:
- Total distance: 819.58 km
- Total elapsed time: 81 h 35 min
- Moving time: more than 49 hours
A continuous and disciplined effort that highlights the real difficulty of the route and the physical and mental endurance required to complete it.
The pair formed by Javier Pastor and Juanjo Pereira finished Across Andes 2025 in 12th place in the overall pairs classification, an outstanding result in one of the hardest gravel events in the world.
An experience that goes beyond sport
Across Andes is an emotional journey that challenges both body and mind.
It is wild nature, ancestral culture, silence, volcanic dust and the humbling presence of towering Andean volcanoes.
For AURUM, adventures like this reflect what our products are built for:
performance-driven design, real-world reliability and a true spirit of exploration.
Acknowledgements to our partners
Across Andes 2025 would not have been possible without the support of our partners — brands that share AURUM’s vision for adventure, precision and passion for cycling.
A special thank you to:
Main Partners:
Lenz & Staeling, Magicshine, POC, Prologo
Technical Partners:
226ERS, Apidura, Sidi, Deda, Inflata, Elite, SRAM, INSTA360
Logistic Partners:
Hotel Antumalal, Chery Chile
To all of them: thank you for helping us go further.
