Our Fearless Ambassadors

Our brand ambassadors are good friends that we have met along the epic journey.
They are all essential for testing and the development of our gear. 
Not only that, we are all transparent, honest, and like-minded people with a common passion for bikepacking 
whether that be (un)supported ultra-endurance racing or adventure riding with your family or significant other.

Olivier Latouille

France

People who know me well, say I am rough and tough. The same would also say I’m some kind of inspiration for others.

Why do I go bikebacking ? I need to catch the unexpected. I need to be away from the masses. I need to be in immersion with the land, the country I’m riding. Bikepacking is about enjoying the slow ride and perceiving the smell of nature.

I like getting out of my usual comfort zone. I like being some kind of inspiration for followers.

Most of all, I enjoy bikepacking on long distance through routes. The routes where you try to cath up with the horizon. The routes where you never turn backward. The routes with no scheduled stages, the routes of the unexpected.

Today, I cannot imagine an other way of travelling around the world. Dream, imagine and just do it !

Clotaire Mandel

New Zealand / Australia

I think the best way to describe myself is “ready for everything but good at nothing”.
I am travelling since a wee while, and I am on a bike mission around the world for 3.5 years now.

Currently in New Zealand, I’ll happily make the move to Australia soon to cross the country before heading back to some more exotic horizons.
Wether we want it or not, we carry a mission by travelling the world, especially on a bike. The planet we live on is becoming real, through our senses and the close relationship we have with sceneries and human beings. It’s our role to share what we can perceive and explore.

I have no idea where I’m going and what the future will bring, but I want to roam as much as I can. Warm beers, struggles, dirty hands, jandals and slow life is my motto.

Raphael and Simone

Austria

We are connected not only by love, but also the love to the sport. Simone is European champion in ski demo. I myself stand the whole winter on the skis, difficult steep descents or at photo shoots I try to make a good figure on the skis….and now bikepacking???

For us it was the first bikepacking experience that pushed us to the limits. Traveling by bike is unique and can’t be compared to anything else. The journey itself is the goal and not the place where you arrive last. You experience so many things, get to places, meet people. You would never have experienced all this if you had traveled by car or plane.

Whether you’re on a mountain bike, gravel bike or touring bike, grab your bike and go. It is always worth a trip. We would do it again anytime and are already looking forward to future adventures on two wheels…. Ride on!

John 'Climber' Moore

The United Kingdom

UK based but always dreaming of adventures.
This is the part where you want to read that I left the rat race many years ago to travel the world on two wheels, wave my green credentials as an eco warrior, but unfortunately I live in the real world and just dream about travelling like that.
Currently exploring Northern England and Wales, then there’s so much to explore up in Scotland first before travelling over seas.
A very active member of the UK Bear Bones bike packing on line community and I’m really looking forward to this coming May (2022) and introducing Merit Gear to their first UK bike packing event.
Fat Biker, Gravel bike rider and 29er+ bike packer all of which are fully kitted out with Merit Gear bike packing gear, whether it’s a trip to some of the UK’s amazing beaches, mountains or quiet country back lanes my Merit Gear is always on hand to keep me from ever wanting to ride a bike with a backpack on ever again

Journeys from our Ambassadors