Crankscapes

Girolcán 2024: Volcanic Heights, Family Ties, and the Joy of Suffering “So what’s the point of suffering by choice? Isn’t there enough pain in the world already? Why would anyone voluntarily  push their body beyond its limits?” That little existential whisper showed up somewhere above 4,000 meters above sea level—the highest I’ve ever cycled. My legs were burning, the air was thin, and still, I pedaled on. As tradition goes, every February I head back to Colombia for two weeks. One week working remotely (thank you, work perk gods), and one week exploring my country on two wheels. This time I skipped the organized events and decided to design my own adventure—a handcrafted route that would be both unfamiliar and satisfyingly masochistic. A Ride Is Born: The Girolcán Last summer, my sister’s partner Dani—a hardcore trail runner with a growing love for cycling—and I decided to cook up a plan. He drew up a 250 km route with nearly 7,000 meters of elevation that would take us to the fla...