REROUTES: IN SEARCH OF THE QHAPAQ ÑAN
ADAM ANDRES PAWLIKIEWICZ MESA & LEONARDO BRASIL
2024
17 min
Bolivia, Plurinational State of, Peru, United States
English
In late 2023, two Latino friends, Leonardo Brasil and Adam Pawlikiewicz Mesa, embarked on a bicycle odessey in search of the oldest trail system in South America, the Qhapaq Ñan. What followed was a series of mishaps, reroutes due to food shortages, days where water was inaccessible, alpaca killings, a visit to the highest mining settlement in the world, and much more.
Director Biography – Adam Andres Pawlikiewicz Mesa, Leonardo Brasil
Adam’s mission is to change broken, misinformed narratives about underrepresented communities in the outdoor industry and beyond. This manifests through visual storytelling where he works as a photographer and director alongside other talent, athletes, and journalists.
Professionally, he’s shot for The New York Times, Insider, UltraRunning Magazine, and the Bikepacking Journal. Commercially, he’s photographed and directed film projects for Airbnb, Salsa Cycles, Rab Equipment, and Adidas. As an endurance athlete, he’s been featured in National Geographic Travel and Patagonia.
Leonardo is a visual storyteller and adventure cyclist originally from Brazil, who strives to bring Latin representation into the bikepacking and ultra cycling world. No matter if he’s working on a photo story or if he’s the one racing an ultra event, you will always see a Brazilian flag on the right side of his bicycle.
As an athlete, he has raced multiple ultra distance bikepacking events, but he’s the happiest when he straps 20lbs of gear to his bike and goes out exploring his chosen home, coffee shop by coffee shop. His list of trusted clients includes Sony, Salsa Cycles, Revelate Designs, Bikepacking.com, The Radavist, Patagonia and Rab Equipment.
Social Media:
ADAM ANDRES PAWLIKIEWICZ MESA & LEONARDO BRASIL
