Roadtrip report about the making off a promotional movie for SANDMAN BIKES.
Location: Spanish Pyrenees: Ainsa. France: Les Dunes De Pyla, Arcachon, Bordeaux.
Being back after a big challenge in South Africa, I find myself home with an empty feeling. My next adventure is the TransAlp but it‘s not until July and in the meantime there are just a few marathons planned in our sweet Belgian Ardennes. Don ‘t get me wrong; I love the Ardennes. It is a great place to bike, but I have been a bit spoiled lately. I got used to wide landscapes, to high and endless hills, rough roads and tricky trails. As I reflect on this, I receive an email message.
“Hi Sara, long time, no see, …” and I read the remainder of the note while holding my breath and blinking my eyes to make sure I am not dreaming. SANDMAN Bikes is making a promotional movie about their bikes in the Spanish Pyrenees and they ask me to join them as a rider.
I think we have all heard about SANDMAN Bikes. The first thing that pops in our mind is: “ fat tires!”
My first experience with a SANDMAN bike took place exactly one year ago when I even got the chance to ride one. The SANDMAN crew assisted at a XC race with some test bikes and a moving platform covered with branches and other debris to create a short but high-level single trail.
What happened? I wasn’t quite sure, but being tired of the race I think I simply forgot to pedal. Even with a SANDMAN one must still perform the most characteristic movement about cycling: pedaling. After this ridiculous scene, I saw my friend, with no relevant bike experience, riding smoothly over the platform. As I tried for the second time, I discovered a bike novice like my friend could ride it, as there was nothing challenging about a single trail.
Now, it is Wednesday and the mail says we leave for Spain on Saturday. Instantly I drop the idea of a romantic long weekend with my friend and change it for a new and unknown five-day relationship with a SANDMAN.
Being back after a big challenge in South Africa, I find myself home with an empty feeling. My next adventure is the TransAlp but it‘s not until July and in the meantime there are just a few marathons planned in our sweet Belgian Ardennes. Don ‘t get me wrong; I love the Ardennes. It is a great place to bike, but I have been a bit spoiled lately. I got used to wide landscapes, to high and endless hills, rough roads and tricky trails. As I reflect on this, I receive an email message.
“Hi Sara, long time, no see, …” and I read the remainder of the note while holding my breath and blinking my eyes to make sure I am not dreaming. SANDMAN Bikes is making a promotional movie about their bikes in the Spanish Pyrenees and they ask me to join them as a rider.
My first experience with a SANDMAN bike took place exactly one year ago when I even got the chance to ride one. The SANDMAN crew assisted at a XC race with some test bikes and a moving platform covered with branches and other debris to create a short but high-level single trail.
After my race and shower, I jumped on the fat bike with my miniskirt and Crocs and attempted the obstacle. Of course I wanted to try this new style of bike! The attempt ended before it even started, next to the platform and left me with a silly face and scratches all over the legs.
Now, it is Wednesday and the mail says we leave for Spain on Saturday. Instantly I drop the idea of a romantic long weekend with my friend and change it for a new and unknown five-day relationship with a SANDMAN.
The Crew :
Iciar Van den Bergh:
Age: 23
Professional athlete: 5th at world championship trial biking
Student in sports
Lives in Tremelo, Belgium the home of the SANDMAN Bikes
Roderick Lindner
Age: 42
Novice in mountain biking and already SANDMAN addicted
Marketing manager at SANDMAN Bikes
Lives in Bierbeek, Belgium the home of the SANDMAN Bikes
Martin Campoy:
Age: 30
Breaths and lives bikes, specially SANDMAN Bikes
Cameraman
Lives in Torelisa, Spanish Pyrenees SANDMAN Bikes paradise
Age: 30
Breaths and lives bikes, specially SANDMAN Bikes
Cameraman
Lives in Torelisa, Spanish Pyrenees SANDMAN Bikes paradise
Sara Mertens
Age: 33
Competition marathon biker
(Copy) writer – reporter
Lives in Sint-Amands, Belgium the home of the SANDMAN Bikes
- Mr. Hoggar Ti SANDMAN
- Mr. Gobi SANDMAN
- Mr. Atacama SANDMAN
6.30am on departure day is no problem when the reason is biking and off I go to Iciar’s place in Tremelo. There I find his car stuffed with five SANDMAN Bikes. There is hardly a place for the luggage and there seems to be a third person joining us - Roderick - marketing manager at SANDMAN Bikes.
None of us know exactly where we are going and or even what to expect. The only one who does know is Martin Campoi and he’s currently at our destination in Aragon, Spanish Pyrenees. An ultra sports athlete, Martin will be our guide and cameraman for the coming days. He has a special relationship with SANDMAN and they go out together on the most unbelievable trails. (Check out his movies on the home page of the Sandman website). 
Put three strangers in a car with five bikes and the tone is set. Without seeing the time passing by we spent 15h and 1287km on the road talking about bikes and life and bikes again. The last 217km are even more memorable, with non-stop climbing switchbacks and heavy rain to complete the scene. We are all anxious and excited to see where this road will take us.
With Roderick at the steering wheel and the Dutch stand-up comedian, Joep van ‘t Heck, yelling through the speakers we arrive safely at our destination, Hotel Sanchez. We take the fast lane to our rooms with the promise to meet at 9u for breakfast; Martin will join us there. We hope for the rain to stop!
The only thing I can think about is, “When can I ride the bikes?”
Spanish breakfast is different from what we are used to and the Magdalenas (sort of soft butter cakes) don’t get us overly enthusiastic. The accommodating hotel owner, El Flaco (the flat guy), soon supplies some toast and marmalade along with some café con leche, which will be our daily morning routine from then on.
Martin eventually joins us, and his laidback attitude, lack of English and stress free way of living is something we all happily adjust to. Since we don’t speak Spanish, this causes a few funny situations. The Babylonian confusion of tongues will be the red line through our five days journey together. Luckily on the most crucial moments there is Martin’s wife Isabel to serve as a translator.
The only thing I can think about is, “When can I ride the bikes?”
Finally, we prepare the bikes and ourselves and we’re off. After only 5k by car, we arrive at a prairie and are asked by Martin to get on the bikes and ride on a small path. The time has come to ride the bikes but the terrain Martin has chosen isn’t too exciting. I don‘t complain and I’m glad, as after a few shots, we are asked to continue along the path and what is revealed after only a few 100 meters is amazing. It looks like a giant bike park built by nature!
After lunch we cycle to Ainsa, a cozy medieval city with steep narrow streets and a ruin of an old citadel overlooking it all. It is now time for Iciar to perform on the SANDMAN Atacama. The bike takes him through the city and there is no doubt they are having a great time. Roderick and myself go for a little ride around the city centre. El Rodrigo takes his very first flight of stairs with the Hoggar and it looks and feels like he did it countless times before. The bikes and their tricks impress bystanders and we eventually end up not riding but explaining the advantages of the bike to a fascinated audience. When we ask if they like to try, they don‘t hesitate.
It is after 9pm when the shooting with Iciar is finished and nearly 11pm when we find ourselves at the dinner table exhausted from the exiting day.
When we wake up the next day, the rain greets us and we are forced to stay in. Cleaning the bikes is the only thing to keep us busy, and that’s what we do, knowing they will be dirty again after the first 100m of riding.
After waiting for a few hours, we decide to go ahead with what we had planned and hope for the rain to stop. We go higher up in the mountains and our prayers our answered after lunch, as it stays dry for the rest of the day.
The scenario is the same as yesterday; the terrain is even more exiting. With Iciar on the Hoggar and myself on the Gobi we conquer stony descents, slippery grass fields and stroll on a trail curving around a mountaintop. The path takes us to a place where I can say with confidence that no one has ever arrived before on a bike, let alone a great SANDMAN bike.
It is again late when we finish and Martin has another surprise. He takes us to his home
“en la medio de la nada”, the middle of nowhere, where his wife Isa waits for us with a richly filled table. Martin cooks Argentinean meat in the stove and we eat and eat till the juice drops from our chin and our bellies are fit to burst.
We eventually find the way back to the hotel for another short night.
The following morning we say goodbye to Spain and head for France. The SANDMAN road bike and the Hoggar on 29” wheels will be the subjects of today’s filming. The scenery is now the high pass off Azet with amazing views on the surrounding snowy mountaintops. It is up to me to ride the SANDMAN road bike and the light titanium frame permits me to fly over the asphalt.
The following morning we say goodbye to Spain and head for France. The SANDMAN road bike and the Hoggar on 29” wheels will be the subjects of today’s filming. The scenery is now the high pass off Azet with amazing views on the surrounding snowy mountaintops. It is up to me to ride the SANDMAN road bike and the light titanium frame permits me to fly over the asphalt.
I admit wish I could be off biking on my own for the rest of the day, but the director’s word is law and I obey wisely when he asks me to come back and to ride the same line again and again, until I get his approval. We then load the van yet again and move to the next spot in at the foot of the mountains. Iciar takes the Hoggar 29” for a shoot around the lake, while Roderick and I raid on the local supermarket. It is 7pm and we didn‘t have time for lunch.
When Iciar and Martin finish their shoot, we pack up again and move 400km to Arcachon. We will be filming in Les Dunes de Pyla the next day. At midnight we find a hotel along the way ,and without proper dinner, crawl into bed and fall asleep. It is a mixture of bikes and trails, luggage and junk food that flit in my dreams and it takes a hard knock on the door to wake me up. Martin is there, ready for a great day of fun in the sand!
And fun we have! Sand is the terrain where a SANDMAN feels at home. Martin is so exited that he puts Roderick behind the camera and himself on the bike. We have a great time and the sun is at our service. We could stay here forever, but alas, our tight schedule inevitably calls us onwards.
At 4.30pm we load the van for the last time and Roderick takes the wheel. With only a few quick stops for food and a stretch, Roderick delivers us safely home.
It all went by so quickly and was so fun. I have memories of big rocks and riverbanks, sand and snow and slippery grass, which were all peanuts for the big fat SANDMAN Bikes. But these five days left me with a hunger for more. I want more of this terrain and more of the SANDMAN Bikes. One week ago I was dreaming of an adventure, and now I’m left wondering if this great adventure I just had was only a dream?
The only thing I can still think about now is: "When can I ride these great bikes again?"
The only thing I can still think about now is: "When can I ride these great bikes again?"
