Episode 194: Poli Berber

Mapping Mexico’s Wildest Bikepacking Routes

Poli Berber first started riding a bike because commuting to university was too expensive any other way. She was scared of riding through traffic, and didn’t enjoy the experience. Then she took on an 11,000km tour from Paris to Yerevan, with her then partner, and whilst she was apprehensive at first, soon enough her comfort zone expanded. Somewhere in the middle of Europe riding bikes began feeling like second nature and she was loving the freedom that came with bike travel.

When she returned back to Mexico it was Covid, the pandemic shut things down. She moved to Mexico City to be closer to family and then just as if she was a tourist, she started riding to explore her own home. One thing led to another, those exploration rides soon enough turned into her mapping out off-road bikepacking routes for others to enjoy.

Then she decided to go from bikepacker to Ultra Racer. She signed up to race the Tour de Frankie with her partner in the teams category. It was tough but equally rewarding. Since then she has lined up to race the event anotehr two times, this time solo. She’s also raced the Japanese Odyssey and the Alma Andes in Peru. The latter saw her have to deal with being stuck dealining with a mechanical well above 5000m of elevation. Not an experience she’d like to repeat.

There are many reasons why Poli still turns up to race ultras. Sometimes in the event itself she questions what that may be. But inspiring other women to turn up to the start line, and see what is possible for them if they just give things a go, push out their own boundaries and move beyond fear. That is where the magic happens and she hopes to inspire others to get a feel for it themselves.

Keep an eye out on Poli’s future adventures via her instagram @Berber.Poli and watch this space for a brand new off-road ultra that she is currently mapping out in Mexico!