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PISTOLEROS GRAVEL: BETWEEN THE DESERT AND THE SKY
with Antonio Ortiz

There are places that change the way you understand what it means to ride.
Places where distance, altitude and silence put everything into perspective.
The Uyuni desert in Bolivia is one of them.

Up there, at more than 3,500 meters above sea level, you breathe a mix of immensity, purity and harshness that is unlike anything else

It’s in this setting that Pistoleros Gravel was born,
a multi-day adventure that blends the spirit of gravel riding with the epic atmosphere of the Wild West.

Three days are enough to understand that this is not just a race.
It’s an experience that empties you out and fills you up at the same time.

The Ambush

The first stage, “The Ambush”, with its 50 kilometers, tests you right from the first meter.
There are no major climbs, but the rough terrain never lets you settle—paths fading into ochre landscapes and
a light that shifts as you ride. It’s the first encounter with an environment that overwhelms you and
makes every pedal stroke meaningful.

The Great Escape

The second day, “The Great Escape”, is another story entirely.
More than 115 kilometers demanding focus, strength and patience.
It’s a long day—one of those where the wind seems to blow from every direction and
the landscape mirrors your effort. It’s a stage that forces you to confront yourself.

The Great Escape is something else. You ride across endless plains, pass through tiny villages, and stare at a horizon where you can’t tell where the sky ends and the earth begins

The Last Refuge

And then comes “The Last Refuge” , 73 kilometers that sum up everything you’ve lived.
A route through farmlands, rocky gorges, zones reminiscent of Arizona and stretches of pure solitude.
Until finally, the salt flat appears. A white, boundless sea—impossible to describe fairly.
The finish line sits there in the middle of nowhere, yet you feel like you’ve arrived everywhere.

Ruta de los Pistoleros – Gravel Race

Throughout the whole adventure, my travel companion was the BH GravelX R.
A bike that was not only up to the challenge but became a key part of the experience.
Light, precise and stable, it adapted to everything: fast tracks, broken terrain, sand, salt…

In a place like Uyuni, there’s no room for error—and having a bike like this beneath you gives you
the confidence to let go, to enjoy the landscape without thinking about what could go wrong.

It’s a bike that invites you to explore, to keep pedaling even when your body asks you to stop

GRAVELX R

Rest also had its refuge: the Hotel Luna Salada.
Built literally with blocks of salt, it stands on a hill with unbelievable views.
On one side, the salt flat stretches to infinity; on the other, the desert unfolds in layers of color that
shift with the light.

It’s a quiet, welcoming place that becomes part of the experience—not just for what it offers, but for where it is.

Antonio Ortiz

It’s a quiet, welcoming place that becomes part of the experience—not just for what it offers, but for where it is.

Antonio Ortiz
Learn more about the bike that accompanied Antonio on this adventure

Pistoleros Gravel is not just another event.
It’s an invitation to experience cycling differently—to ride without references, without noise,
without distractions.

Here, every kilometer teaches you something:
to listen to your breath, to accept the altitude, to measure your effort and, above all, to enjoy simplicity.
The dry air, the sound of the tires over gravel or salt, the endless horizon.

Because in the end, that’s what gravel is about: finding new paths, not knowing exactly where you’re headed, but enjoying the journey

And if that journey takes you through the Uyuni desert, then you already know you’re riding in one of those places that stay with you forever.

There’s something almost spiritual about riding in a place like this.
Maybe it’s the solitude, or the feeling of insignificance in front of such a vast landscape.
Maybe it’s the challenge of facing emptiness, or the magic of watching the sun set over the salt flat as everything turns pink and orange.

Whatever it is, it’s one of those experiences that follow you home. And suddenly, an image, a smell or a song brings you back there—to the silence, to the dust, to that feeling of absolute freedom.

GRAVELX R