Project Horizon tells unique stories of inspiring people who find themselves in unpredictable situations. People who don't set their own limits. Who manage to free themselves from everyday obligations and norms and pursue their passion. These people take us on their very individual journeys and show us that adventure awaits us anywhere if we are ready for it.
Perrine Fages is part of our Project Horizon team. The Frenchwoman is a passionate ultra-endurance athlete and loves sporting adventures - she travels the world on foot, by bike or by swimming. She is always looking for new challenges. 
"Adventure gives me a sense of vitality, intensity, energy and most importantly the deep connection with nature."
If you look back over the last few years, you quickly notice the enthusiasm of the 40-year-olds. She only started cycling in 2015. 5 months later she completed her first Ironman. A dozen more Ironmans followed, and in 2018 she qualified for the World Championships in Hawaii. Since then she has been looking for challenges in the ultra distances of endurance sports, especially in triathlon and cycling. In 2018 she won the Bikingman series, traversing some of the world's most stunning landscapes in the ultra cycle races without outside assistance.
"When I did my first self-supported ultra-cycling race I realized that I could ride my bike anywhere in the world, by my own... and it opened the door to the infinite."
Around the same time, Perrine discovered her love for trail running. Since then she has already completed two OMAN by UTMB®, the TDS, the Diagonale des Fous and the SwissPeaks 360. Away from her ultra-adventures, Perrine is a lawyer and lives and works in Qatar. In the following guest post she reports on her spontaneous bikepacking adventure in Norway this year. 
Last summer, I was stuck in Europe. I live in the Middle East but because of COVID, I wasn't able to go back to Qatar after my expedition in Siberia at Baikal Lake earlier in march. So I spent the summer with my parents in the south of France and decided to make the most of it.
After several cycling and running adventures in France, I accepted to join a relay team to swim across the English Channel. Perfect training for my solo swim (non-wetsuit) next year. I started to train in the Mediterranean Sea but I realized that it would be great to do some training sessions in cold water before heading to the UK. My adventure partner Steven Le Hyaric and I decided to go to Norway. To the Lofoten Island, to be precise. It has always been a dream of mine to go there because it is the perfect destination for trail running and swimming.
We found flights to Tromso and just a few hours before heading to the airport we decided to take our bikes because there was no car rental available (at a decent price). So, instead of a swimming trip, we decided to do a bike packing trip, covering around 1200 km in less than a week. Since I really wanted to swim and trail run, we chose a way (including one ferry) to shorten the distance but fully experience Norwegian nature.
We unpacked and prepared the bikes right at the airport at 8 pm and decided to go as fast as possible to the Lofoten. We then wanted to take our time to go back to Tromso by taking a different route. The first night was amazing - our first bike ride under the midnight sun. Nearly impossible to describe. The sun was bright - golden sunshine - then all in pink and suddenly it was sunny again. It was a tough ride. We expected the route to be flat but it was hilly and the hot weather made it even more exhausting. But it was worth it, we saw many deers and other animals. The nights were so quiet, it was magical.
The next evening we finally arrived at Svolvaer, a city of Lofoten Island. The coastal and mountain scenery became more and more beautiful. One of the most spectacular places to explore. I managed to do a couple of dips in the cold water (around 10 degrees Celsius). Unfortunately, I didn't manage to swim properly (too cold, even if it looked extremely warm for Norwegian people) but it was a good way to acclimatize. 
We did a couple of hikes and arrived in Reinebringen. Speechless, amazing, stunning, I don't have words to describe the midnight sun at the top of Reinebringen and another one at the beautiful island of Senja (seal trail). Another highlight of the trip was to sleep at Kvalvika beach. It is a short technical hike to get there. We were so used to taking our bikes with us, that we didn't really think about how exhausting it will be to carry them along the way. It took us two hours and demanded the utmost of us. But it was worth it. 
To summarize I would say that our bikepacking trip through Lofoten Island was a lifetime experience. Every corner you find is an incredible scenery. Quiet roads, small fjords, mountains, lakes, impressive nature, postcard views, nice camping places, fishing villages, and the midnight sun experience. It is every cyclist's dream because you can just ride all night long without even noticing it. In the past, we always rode as fast as possible but this time, we just wanted to explore Lofoten Island.
After all, 2020 is the year of the most unexpected things and we learned to enjoy the unplanned. We felt like the luckiest people in the world, especially in those difficult times.
