6th December 2022
MASON Rider Roundup 2022 | Michele Miani
Michele Miani joined the MASON-supported rider family in 2022, and what a year it's been for him and his RAW!
"I do not consider myself a cyclist, I use the bike to escape! The more I am in the middle of nowhere, the happier I am. I like to travel and prefer riding off-road, it is more wild, just like me! I love that feeling of fear and then always being able to get away with it!"
Here Mic takes us through his adventures so far and what to expect in 2023.
What were your race, ride and bikepacking adventure highs and lows of 2022?
My life in general is a great run, all day long with work, family, and 3 children. It's not easy to devote myself fully to the preparation for races so for me they are holidays!
At the beginning of the year 2022, with the race in Rwanda, I was very surprised because I was not prepared for such a humid climate and such important heights!
What was the most unexpected event to happen to you/came across along the way?
A major unexpected event that occurred in 2022, was in August at the Silkroadmountainrace, I was knocked out by large intestinal problems, which I had to deal with for 7 days.
What was the most valuable thing that you learned?
You never stop learning! Let's say that this time I learned that the spray hand sanitiser gel can also be useful for the bottom of bib shorts and for your B side, 10 seconds of hell but still effective, especially if you have to stay out for a lot of days!
Do you have a big goal for 2023?
For 2023 I have several ideas in mind, as long as I can fit in all the dates. There would be a race in Greece always organised by Nelson, the same one who organised both the Silkroadmountainrace and the Atlasmountainrace, I am awaiting news but I like his races as they are very wild. Then there would be the 4 capitals, a gravel race in Spain, and many others, but I await more precise info to be able to organise myself!
Were there any rides/races that you planned to do but couldn’t?
In 2022, I should have gone to Acrossandes in Chile, I was already registered but I had to postpone this year I was already away from home too much and my wife would have filed for divorce!
Which MASON bikes do you have? Which one were you using on your favourite ride of 2022?
I have a beautiful Mason Bokeh that I use as a gravel and also road .... but my favorite is the Mason RAW with which this year I did the Silkroadmountainrace and a little while ago also the Atlasmountainrace! spectacular!
Do you have any MASON bikes on the wishlist?
I would like to have (I'm thinking about it) the beautiful Mason InSearchOf, the green colour makes me crazy and it would look good between the orange Bokeh and the yellow RAW! and then precisely I think it would be suitable for running in Nelson's Greece!
Thanks, Mic, we're already looking forward to hearing your next bike adventure story.
Photo credit: Ariel Wojciechowski
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Catch up on some of Mic's adventures from 2022: