Postcard From Bogotá
Mechanism 2022 is our celebration of the rich cycling culture in Bogotá, Colombia. Of swaying in and out of frantic morning traffic before sunrise to hit your perfect climb. Training with an escort on a scooter behind you. Doing hill-reps after work. The lactate burning and your breath getting heavier. Riding as a necessity. Explore Bogotá.
Camila Cortes
"I ride 6 days a week at 4 AM. And I rest on Mondays. I ride with a motorcycle because it’s dangerous to ride alone so early in the morning. When I ride, that’s my moment. A moment I have with myself. I don’t answer my phone. It’s a moment of disconnection."
Gabriel Corredor
"It was a friday and the Vuelta a Colombia passed in front of my house. My dad took me to the side of the street to see the cyclist. These guys, on their bikes, so fast, all burned by the sun and you could see the veins in their legs. They looked so cool. That image stayed in my head. It was 38 years ago."
"Bogotá is a cosmopolitan city. You have good food, cool places to go, everything. And if you are a cyclist you have altitude. The city is at 2600 meters above sea level, but when you go to the mountains, you are at 3000 meters above sea level."
Riding in Bogotá
In the weekends, the roads around Bogotá is filled with cyclists. World Tour-racers, local amateurs, kids of all ages. Cycling is the sport of Colombia. Bogotá sits at 2640 meters above sea level on a plateau in the Andes Mountains and provides plenty of challenges to both locals and visitors. These are Gabriel and Camilas favourite loops and climbs around Bogotá.
