“There’s no height to resist anymore,” Elsi Rider said of the Upbikers, the solution for bikers of all heights. Elsi defines herself as a biker and traveler, adventure, communicator and, above all, she wants “to become a little old lady with stories to tell”. Born in León, but considered Galician, she is much more than that. She was the first Spanish woman to ride on two wheels in Iran -and the second woman to do so- and has traveled by motorcycle through India, the Caucasus, the Aral Sea, Central Asia and, recently, the Arabian Peninsula, starting from Asturias. Its more than 200,000 kilometers on the road make it an authority on the subject.
Maria Elsi Ribeiro, better known as Elsi Rider, is a pathfinder, record-breaker and border-crosser. But the nickname, he says, is because “all the possible names were already taken”. “I always had the illusion of making great trips on a motorcycle,” he said in an interview for Radio al Cuadrado. “One fine day, after leaving the hospital, I decided to take advantage of the second chance that life had given me and do things I had pending,” he added.
That episode was no small thing: a medical malpractice almost ended his life and left a big mark, not physically, but mentally. “I had a very serious septicemia from which only 1 percent of the population is saved. Physically I recovered, but psychologically it was very hard […] I think I cried every day until one day I said to myself: ‘María, if life has given you a second chance, you should take advantage of it, stop crying and start doing those things you wanted to do,'” she said on interview for the web portal FusiónAsturias.com.
New mission on wheels
Her first stop on this new venture was India, but it became stop number one of many on a journey that emptied her of sorrow mile by mile and filled her with courage in every inch of asphalt she left behind. “In the end, there is a parallel between motorcycle travel and day-to-day life. In everyday life we all fall and we have to learn to get up and overcome obstacles,” said the León-born rider.
Her latest daredevil adventure, the IV Great Solo Asia Motorcycle Tour, took her from Asturias, Spain, to the Arabian Peninsula. He passed through the Turkish-Syrian border, witnessing unusual and dystopian conditions. “Southern Turkey is literally armored by tanks every few kilometers,” he said of this trip.
Hence his lapse through Iran, where he first had to wait three days at the border until he got a permit and transportation to take his motorcycle, since high-displacement two-wheelers are forbidden to travel on the roads. Before returning, he was able to reach the great Arabian desert, which he described as “immense, extremely beautiful, very hard”.
He aimed back home and obtained a safe-conduct to be able to ride through Iran with the complicated task of traveling 2,130 kilometers in only two days. He succeeded, but it was a titanic journey considering the distance and the conditions of the Iranian roads.
About this experience, she argued: “Another experience to tell about when I’m old, another thing I won’t regret not having done”.
The solution for bikers
On October 27th, Elsi Rider shared the unboxing of the Upbikers on its social networks. “I find it interesting to share because there are many of us who have these limitations due to altitude,” she wrote in her Instagram post.
Upbikers is the solution for bikers under 1.75 meters tall who want to try any type of modern motorcycle. Thanks to this product developed in Spain, it is possible to gain 4 centimeters just where you need it most: in the area where the foot is in contact with the ground.
By using this accessory, any standing maneuver can be performed safely regardless of the user’s height. It is a versatile item that can be used with any type of footwear and has no size.
What bikers need
Were you convinced by Elsi Rider’s recommendation? Buy Upbikers! Visit our store, check out the reviews and cheer up. We ship worldwide!