9,281 feet of active volcano. Cape Verde. And a Crafty.
Riding volcanoes is pretty unreal. Seeing our man Richard Gasperotti, aka "Gaspi", riding and hike-a-biking all the way up to the crater and then screaming back down to sea level, carving lines no one before had ever imagined, is a whole other level of unreal.
Pioneers in logistics, in exploration, and in doing what no one else has dreamt of doing. All in the quest to conquer a volcano on two wheels (and have the descent of a lifetime as payback).
Sometimes, despite people calling us crazy, we do things hoping that the moment will endure. Only time will tell how Gaspi’s ascent of the active volcano Pico do Fogo will be remembered, but one thing we can tell you now: it almost never happened at all.
Deep breaths of hot air fill his lungs like molten asphalt. The equatorial sun scorches his skin while the wind plays tricks on his mind, making it feel cooler than it actually is. He hasn’t realized yet that the sun has melted away his sunscreen or that his lips are beginning to chap.
If he’d asked the locals why they shelter beneath wide-brimmed hats they would have warned him, but it’s too late for any of that now; his mind and body are focused on the summit. Breath by painful breath he inches closer. The summit of Pico do Fogo is within reach. There’s no going back now.
After everything it took just to get his bike to Cape Verde, backing out was never going to be an option anyway. It took time, effort, and no small amount of money to make it happen. “In the end, Rangel Logistic Solutions stepped up, and I can’t thank them enough.” Gaspi says. “What they went though was every bit as daunting as riding up and down the volcano itself.” The operation succeeded with the help of Mustafa Kerim Eren, a social media contact of Gaspi’s who he’d reached out to before setting off. “I believe there are good people everywhere. You just need to keep your eyes open if you hope to find them.” he adds.
a professional mountaineer from pakistan’s Karakoram range, met his wife Marisa 18 years ago and settled with her on Fogo. Alongside a career that has seen him climb alongside legends like Adam Ondra, he now runs the Casa Marisa guesthouse. He climbs or boulders daily, constantly opening up new routes on the cliff behind his home; a wall so demanding it rivals Yosemite’s El Capitan.
“Musti was kind enough to pick up our bike from the airport.” Gaspi recalls. It turned into a four-act bureaucratic epic, ending with customs officials levying an eye-watering 85% import duty on the bike, despite electric cars and motorbikes being exempt for environmental reasons.
“Our pioneering e-mtb import, apparently the first ever recorded on the islands, might actually trigger a change in the law,” Gaspi reckons “and, if this journey helps lift the tax for everyone in the future, that would be an incredible bonus.”
he could finally set foot on the beach: the starting point for nearly 10,000 feet of climbing; all the way from sea level to the highest point on the island.
"Mornings are cold and windy. The Atlantic is freezing. Then the sun rises, and for a few minutes it’s pleasant, before it begins to burn like fire. There’s one question that keeps going through my mind, over and over again: Will I have enough battery to get to the top? No one knows. No one’s ever tried."
The route winds through rocky hills and sparse grasslands, with jagged volcanic rock jutting out like broken teeth. Curious locals pause to watch. Children run behind, fascinated by the sight of a rider heading towards a mountain they view with fear and reverence. “They follow me for a while, then peel away,” Gaspi says, smiling.
can take anywhere from ninety minutes to four hours, depending on strength and resolve. The volcanic cone is steep, and like all great volcanoes, it only steepens as you climb.
“You start by riding through brush, then it’s just lava. Lava crunches under your wheels; sometimes the rear tire sinks. Then it’s nothing but gravel and ash.” Gaspi explains.
but the higher he goes, the more he has to get off and push. Eventually there’s nothing left to do but to hoist the bike onto his shoulders and struggle ahead on foot as best as he can.
He’s mesmerized by his feet stepping on soil and stones painted red and yellow by iron-rich oxides, like an astronaut taking his first steps on an alien planet. He’s kept going by the water in his hydration pack, each sip a lifeline in a black, lifeless desert.
“Who could resist, right?” he grins. “After a short breather, I had to climb back out and over the rim, ready for the final descent.”
What started as boulders turned into powder, and suddenly he’s surfing, carving lines down fields of volcanic dust at up to 50 MPH. Head pounding, body braced, dancing with gravity as though falling through an endless black void. “The best descent of my life!” Gaspi says.
The brake rotors are toast, overheated beyond use. “Front and rear, completely cooked.”
“Plenty of people thought I was crazy. But after navigating the logistics and now seeing how this trip is influencing local legislation, placing e-bikes alongside EVs, electric scooters, solar panels and batteries, all of which are tax-free, maybe it did serve a useful purpose. Maybe it wasn’t just a fool’s errand, after all!” Gaspi smiles.
9,281 feet of active volcano. Cape Verde.
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