Long Ride South: A Year Through South America

"If a man confidently follows his dreams and strives to live the life he imagined, he will have unexpected success in ordinary moments." (H. D. Thoreau, Walden or Life in the Woods, Chap. 18). Thiago Fantinatti dreamed of exploring the vast South American continent on two wheels, independently and without haste. He wanted to travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from the Pampas to the Atacama, from the Andes to the Amazon... One year later, having pedaled over 15,000 km, he had achieved his dream! In "Long Ride South", the intrepid traveler not only recounts his great adventure but also allows himself to be carried away by memories and notes. It's not easy to observe oneself, let alone put into words what one has glimpsed. But here, with honesty and simplicity, the author narrates moments, people, and places, as well as reflecting on his own condition as a living being, willing to learn, climb, explore, and influence the quality of his own and others' lives he met along the way. Sometimes, it seems necessary to step back, take risks, and go after the unknown to change. That's how it is with dreams: to achieve them, one must take the leap. This is what Thiago did when he set off on his bike, and what he did when he wrote this book, which, besides being a formidable account of his feat, also serves as a guide and inspiration for other dreamers. "I increasingly felt that I was actually realizing my dream and increasingly thought about the sequence of events that made all of this become a reality." (Chap. 1).