Some bicycles are born for Sunday rides, and some are born for adventures far out of the ordinary.
When Peter Leonard contacted me for the second time, the goal was clear: a bicycle able to take on one of the toughest bikepacking events in Europe, the Trans Balkan Race.
It wasn't just about building a frame. It was about designing a travel companion for thousands of kilometres across mountains, back roads, gravel tracks and remote corners of the Balkans, where reliability, comfort and control matter as much as fitness.
A bike designed for an extreme challenge
The Trans Balkan Race is not a traditional race. Riders cross several countries on a route that tests endurance, navigation and the ability to manage your energy.
In events like this the frame is not just one part of the bike: it is the heart of a system that has to work for days on end, often far from any technical help.
That is why I started the project from the rider. Body proportions, riding style, weight distribution and how the bike will be used: I looked at all of these to define a geometry truly suited to Peter.
The result was DINARICA, a made-to-measure steel frame designed specifically for bikepacking and long distances.
The last checks before the start
This photo captures one of the last moments before I handed over the bicycle.
In my workshop in Gesualdo, Peter watches closely while I make the final adjustments. They are details that might look minor at first, but they become hugely important when you ride thousands of kilometres in a row.
Saddle height, position, load distribution and the overall set-up are all checked carefully so that the bike is ready for weeks of hard use.
When geometry matters more than components
In cycling people often talk about materials, groupsets and wheels. But in ultra-distance riding, geometry plays an even bigger role.
After many hours in the saddle, a few millimetres can make the difference between a position you can sustain and a constant source of fatigue.
That is why I design the bicycle around the rider and not the other way round. Every frame I build starts from the real biomechanics of the person who will ride it.
The goal is not simply to build a bicycle, but to create something that can carry the rider for thousands of kilometres in every kind of condition.
From Irpinia to the Balkans
There is something special in thinking that a bicycle built by hand in Gesualdo is crossing mountains, valleys and borders in the heart of the Balkans.
Every Forgione frame is born in a small workshop in Irpinia, but some of them are destined for roads that cross the whole of Europe.
The DINARICA I built for Peter is one of them: a bicycle developed to face one of the most demanding cycling adventures on the continent.
Following Peter along the route
As I was writing these lines, Peter was out on the Trans Balkan Race route.
You can follow the riders on the official race tracking, watching in real time the route through some of the most fascinating and demanding landscapes in Europe.
Every dot moving on the map tells a story of effort, determination and passion for travelling by bike. And it also tells the story of a bicycle born in Gesualdo and built to take on the world.
Good luck Peter, and happy riding!
