With all her travel essentials packed into a bag tightly strapped to her bicycle, Julia Essers found herself alone in Cartagena, Colombia in January 2025. From here his mission was no ordinary feat—it was the beginning of a long and arduous journey from the tip of South America to the southern tip of Argentina.
And he will cycle it all alone.
To date, Esser says he has logged nearly 5,000 miles on his bicycle, including more than 600 miles of climbing. He’s about halfway through his bikepacking trip, which has been delayed by a fatal dog attack, dengue fever and a painful case of bursitis in his right shoulder. None of these setbacks, however, stopped him from pursuing his dreams.
outside We sat down with the 34-year-old German bikepacker during a pitstop in Peru to learn more about his inspiration, motivation and how he found the resilience to persevere in the most challenging of times.
Outside: What is the most difficult or dangerous part of your journey?
Julia comes: Columbia. I was bitten by three dogs in the coffee area, and it was really bad – both on my leg and my arm. Looking at my calf, I wasn’t sure how it would affect my legs and ride.
It took more than four weeks before I started walking again. I couldn’t get back on the bike for about two and a half months. It was a really, really hard time – getting through it while being away from home and friends.
I thought about giving up, actually, the day after the dog bite. So, I reached out to my insurance and asked them to arrange my flight back home, but they actually messed up. When I got past the point where the wound might get infected, I was like, OK, I have to go through with it.
What kind of terrain do you like?
In general, I prefer gravel roads to asphalt roads because they have less traffic, are safer and generally more scenic. In Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, I took mainly gravel roads.
in a day Columbia 31 miles and maybe a mile of climbing. But in the Peru Great Divide, I could only go 15 to 20 miles because the roads were steep, in poor condition, and the route was up to two or three miles in elevation.
What’s the strangest place you’ve slept?
The strangest place I’ve ever slept is probably the fire brigade. It’s pretty normal among cyclists, but sleeping next to a fire truck is still pretty weird. I’ve also spent the night at gas stations and hot springs, but the place that still seems silly to me is the fire brigade.
Which leg of the trip are you most looking forward to?
I’m really looking forward to riding all the salt flats in Bolivia. This is something that is quite unique on this trip. And climb down to Patagonia.
What inspired your trip?
For quite a long time, I was under the impression that biking was boring and an expensive sport. During covid, I ran a lot, got injured and needed a new sport. A friend told me that he was very excited about his new bike, as he had to wait a long time due to COVID. At the time, I laughed at the four-figure price of a bike.
Well, two months later, I bought an entry gravel bike. When I bought the bike in the summer of 2021 I didn’t ride that much, but when I realized that my first hike in Nepal was still not possible due to covid.
I decided to go on a bikepacking trip. I bought Ortlieb panniers and a train ticket to Austria. After biking from Innsbruck, I fell in love with bikepacking! Tours to Austria, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Georgia followed.
What advice do you have for other female solo bikepackers?
I would just go for it. do Don’t wait for anyone. Don’t wait for anything.
When you dream of going on this type of adventure, or any other type of outdoor adventure, do it. Trust your gut feeling. Of course there will be some difficult and sad and rough moments—even dangerous ones. But there will be beautiful ones too. Rewarding ones.
It’s more remote here, which makes resupply more challenging. But you definitely have beautiful scenery and meet people living in such remote places. Also, this trip is really unique and special.
These experiences surpass everything. So definitely go for it.