Rapha’s latest video, “Anton,” introduces accomplished multi-sport athlete Anton Krupicka on the heels of a 2,000-mile bikepacking, trail running, and climbing journey that wrapped a handful of routes from our archive into a “Southwest Super Tour” connecting a series of iconic desert peaks. Get to know him in the five-minute video here…

Photos by James Barkman and Zeke Bogusky

In March, ultra-runner and mountain athlete Anton Krupicka pedaled off on a 2,000-mile tour of New Mexico and Arizona, which he dubbed the “Southwest Super Tour.” His aim was to use the bike as a means of connecting five remote desert peaks, running and climbing each one. Rapha Films’ latest release, Anton, digs deeper into his motivations for taking on such pursuits.

Anton Krupicka

Springtime in the Southwest can be unpredictable at best, and relatively little went to plan on Anton’s ride. Whipping wind, driving hail, persistent rain, and washed-out tracks made the going far more physically and mentally challenging than expected, causing him to alter his plan on several occasions and ultimately cut his trip short. He used the endeavor as an opportunity for reflection, writing in a blog post for Rapha, “A lot of the time, our ambitions might seem pointless, our efforts futile. The outcome is rarely what we’ve hoped for. But the outcome was never the point in the first place. Getting out there, taking chances, trying hard, risking failure and disappointment while feeling out the edges of our own potential—these are the actions with value.”

  • Anton Krupicka
  • Anton Krupicka
  • Anton Krupicka

You can get to know Anton and his mindset heading into challenges like the Southwest Super Tour in the full video above. You can also keep up with his future adventures on Instagram. Plus, find a handful of related posts from the archive linked in the Further Reading grid below.

Further Reading

Make sure to dig into these related articles for more info...

FILED IN (CATEGORIES & TAGS)

Dispatch

Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed.