Island Of Thornes
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Tom Malecha wanted to break free from this world, leave the automation behind and have an adventure, so along with a few friends, he headed to Corsica and its wild untamed trails.
Corsica. The mountain range in the sea. One of the few remaining wilderness in Central Europe. Three friends set out to cross the island on their mountain bikes. What they were looking for was a timeout from the comfort of inner-city life. What they find is an adventure, with all the blood, sweat and pain that goes with it. A story about aspiration, friendship and the joy of mountain biking.
Riders:
- Christof Noller
- Johannes Riebl
- Tom Malecha
Music:
- Phil Symonds “Fate”
- Louis “Remember, remember”
- This Patch of Sky “Newly Risen”
- Abbasi Brothers “Approaching”
About the Trip:
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and it belongs to France. It is very mountainous with 21 peaks higher than 2000m. The inland is, taken into account that this is Central Europe, quite deserted and pristine. For this trip, we followed the long distance hiking trail Marea Mare North from Moriani Plage on the East Coast to Porto on the West coast. We did this in four days, which was quite an effort. Except from the city of Corte, it is kind of difficult to find accommodation and food supplies along the way, at least, if you tackle the route in May, which is what we did. This is why we decided to go self supported, carrying tents, stove and food with us.
Quotes from Filmmaker Tom Malecha:
- “We’ve done quite a few trips in the Alps, which I would label as challenging. This time, we wanted to step it up. I guess, in the end, we bit off more than we could swallow.”
- “The trails are really rough and in the up hills, we ended up pushing and carrying the bikes more than riding. The big backpacks with sleeping bags, tents and food didn’t make it easier.”
- “My favourite experience on this trip was our camp high up on a mountain above Calaccucia. It was an amazing place and the downhill was definitely one of the better ones.”
- “We had planned to do a lot more exploring, but after going over the handlebars on day four, I wasn’t able to ride any more.
