Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Meet the 55 Riders of the 2022 Women’s Montanas Vacias Rally
There’s a group of more than 50 women out pedaling along the quiet roads and doubletracks of the 700-kilometer Montañas Vacías route across Spanish Lapland right now. Photographer Rugile Kaladyte was at the start to shoot portraits of all 55 riders and their rigs before they set off. Find the full gallery here…
PUBLISHED May 2, 2022
Introduction by Lael Wilcox
Last Friday, 55 women from around the world met in a plaza in Teruel, Spain, to begin riding the Montañas Vacías route together. Designed by Teruel local Ernesto Pastor, the Montañas Vacías is a 680-kilometer dirt loop with 13,000 meters of climbing in “Spanish Lapland,” known for its remarkably low population, wide-open spaces, medieval villages, and national parks.
Similar to the Komoot Women’s Torino Nice Rally last September, this ride is not a race. It’s an open invitation for women to meet and take on this challenge together with the goal of making it to the finishers’ party a week later. Riders will go at their own pace, finding food, water, and places to camp along the way. It’s a rolling community of women—a direct response to the generally low representation of women in other bikepacking events.
The 2022 Women’s Montañas Vacías Rally is a collaboration between Komoot, Gaby Thompson, and Lael Wilcox with a target of 50 participants, a limited number to keep the ride intimate. When launched in January, registration filled up in 30 seconds with a 20-person waitlist. Instead of increasing the number of participants, the goal is to host more rallies to create more opportunities. Like the route, these rallies are free and open to the public.
Ernesto Pastor has been an incredible resource for the Montañas Vacías and making this event happen. He is passionate about inviting people to ride in his province and breathe life into “one of the most depopulated regions in Europe.” He came to meet the participants at the pre-ride dinner in Teruel on Thursday, see us off on Friday morning, and give hand-painted a bookmark to each rider. Rugile Kaladyte, Belen Castillo, and Sami Sauri are documenting the event. Check out #komootWMV on Instagram to see what the riders are up to.
Johanna Jahnke
Hamburg, Germany / 39 / @johanna_jahnke
Rachael Walker
Surrey, UK / 30 / @riderrachy
Charlotte Inman
Kendal, England / 36 / @charlotte_inman_
Nic Carass
Boscombe, England / 32 / @nicjocarass
Anna Larentis
Amsterdam / 39 / @annalarentis
Gaby Thompson
Morzine, France / 33 / @gofastergaby
Hannah Siler
Tucson, Arizona, USA / 27 / @hannahsiler
Bella Leach
London, UK / 42 / @bellajlleach
Kate Arford
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA / 33
Cami Scott
Flagstaff, Arizona, USA / 34 / @abide2cycling
Adélaïde De Valence
Paris / 33
Allison Bohn
Flagstaff, Arizona, USA / 32 / @abohnaz89
Toma Dage
Vilnius, Lithuania / 34 / @tomadage
Marie Stoubæk
Copenhagen, Denmark / 39 / @mariestoubaek
Calixta von Feilitzsch (Cali)
Innsbruck, Austria / 31
Tamara Kroll
Castelsarrasin, France / 50.5 / @tamtamka
Loes Holtmaat
Utrecht, Netherlands / 32
Devin Cowens
Atlanta, Georgia, USA / 35 / @dev_rox
Camilla Lundberg
Umea, Sweden / 45 / @camillanr1
Alexandra Jones
Duluth, Minnesota, USA / 36
Anne Roggeman
Auris, France / 36 / @anne_roggeman
Sian McLoughlin
Wales / 50 / @sianskicycle
Isabel Riffel
Frankfurt, Germany / 29 / @isabel.alina
Ellen Rinell
San Luis Obispo, California, USA / 33 / @blazing_borders
Rebecca Berbel
Bordeaux, France / 38
Ines Poppe
Angers, France / 29
Maja Naumczyk
Glasgow, Scotland / 25 / @tepid_bean
Ella Barlow
Barcelona, Spain / 37
Marie Christou-Kent
Barcelona, Spain / 32
Carolyn Greensmith
London / 55 / @carolyngreensmith
Helen Bridgman
London / 42 / @helebridg
Holly Seear
Windsor, England / 46 / @holly_seear
Annalisa Sarasini
Mantova, Italy / 50
Christine O’Connell
London / 49 / @clondon7
Diana Grodnick
Stuttgart, Germany / 40 / @ladydi_ontheroad
Wendy Ellis
Mulhouse, France / 41 / @wellis
Jeanne Lepoix
Villiers Saint Frederic, France / 33 / @jeannelepoix
Weronika Szalas
Katowice, Poland / 27 / @weronika.szalas
Angela Pulliero
Venice, Italy / 33 / @angelaround
Claire Sharpe
Bristol, England / 36 / @clairesharpe
Cat Magill
Edinburgh, Scotland / 41 / @catrmag
Caitlin Cockerton
Morzine, France / 36 / @caitlin_cockerton
Rose Osborne
Bristol, England / 32 / @roseosborne1
Robyn Osborne
Bristol, England / 40 / @b_o_b_s
Gabby Howell
Swanseea, Wales / 21
Petra Wiltshire
Frome, UK / 52 / @petrajwiltshire
Su Lei
Chongqing, China / 31 / @soyyosusu
Abby Popplestone
Bristol, England / 33 / @adventure_logistics_queen
Kath Pyke
Loughborough, England / 56 / @kpykeus
Steph Dietzel
Seattle, Washington, USA / 32 / @stephdietzel
Johanna Wellems
London / 33
Rugile Kaladyte
Tucson, Arizona, USA / 29 / @rugilekaladyte
Belén Castelló
Valencia, Spain / 31 / @belletoscan
Lael Wilcox
Tucson, Arizona, USA / 35 / @laelwilcox
Josie Fouts
San Diego, California, USA / 30 / @ms.stubbornness
Note: Josie Fouts’ bike did not arrive with her flight. She spent the first day in the media van and had the bike sent to Hostal Isabel in Bronchales, 82 kilometers into the route. When opening her bike bag, she found two teeth sheared off from the chainring and several others were bent. The chain kept falling off. With the help of Google Translate and Pepe the hotel owner, she straightened the teeth with a pair of metal pliers and started her ride on day 2.
Ernesto & Maria Pastor
@montanasvacias
Not pictured: Sophie Jail from France and Mayalen Noriega and Sami Sauri, both from Girona, Spain. They will be joining us in a few days along the route.
Picture high elevation plateaux, remote refugios, abundant wildlife, and kilometre upon kilometre of quiet forest roads… Welcome to Spanish Lapland, as it’s been dubbed, an area in SE Spain with a population density similar to its Finnish namesake. The 700km Montañas Vacías route offers a wonderful introduction to this little travelled area, linking the Montes Universales, Sierra de Javalambre, and Sierra de Gúdar via a dense network of doubletracks and quiet paved roads. Find the full route guide here and see the map in Komoot below.
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