Over2000riders, interview with Corrado Capra

Over 2000 riders, promoter of the now very famous Hat Hardalpitour, Sanremo – Sestriere, launches this year the third "competitive tourist" event in Hat style, la Pavia – Sanremo, which together with the Sestriere Adventourfest and the Sanremo Sestriere – Hard Alpitour, contributes to creating a real Hat Series on national territory.

The first to use this formula in Italy and always attentive to the true values ​​of the spirit of sharing, participation and discovery, which the events represent, it contributed to creating in our country what is now called Adventouring. Today we can talk about it with Corrado Capra, its founder, seasoned motorcyclist, expert off-road pilot and great traveller.

Corrado Capra, let's start by introducing you to our readers who don't know you yet:
I started like almost everyone of my generation, always riding a motorbike, but always attracted to travelling, all the motorbikes I have had, like my journey as a motorcyclist, have always been aimed at discovering places and journeys to undertake, the adventure in short. I have always found myself involved in organizing trips, for myself and for friends, until about ten years ago, when I made a life choice and began to dedicate myself with ever greater commitment to this activity, from here the Over2000riders association was born, which aims to offer the experience of travel, of discovering new places, of adventure without professional competitive ambitions.

From here was born what is now a very well-known event, the Hat Sanremo Sestriere, Hardalpitour:
Yes, with Over2000Riders, we started creating small and medium trips in duration, always linked to our philosophy of discovering new routes and getting to know new destinations, and events, the event aspect has become increasingly important, and since 2009 we have started with the Hat Hardalpitour, which today is called Sanremo – Sestriere, six years ago we then created the Sestriere Adventurefest, and this year we added the Hat Pavia – Sanremo, they are events with the aim of bringing people together, and which always attract our philosophy.

You were practically the first in Italy to propose events with the HAT formula, how did the idea come about?

The idea of ​​the Hat was born from personal experiences, so I proposed to others with the same passion as me, the idea of ​​a trip to share with a group of friends, in fact these events take place in small groups of 2/4 people , and to also include unusual things in these events, such as driving at night for example, which if at least organized and managed can be a wonderful experience. The first edition had 15 participants, in 2017 we were almost 500, we had to set a limit.

Today you present the Hat Series:

Yes, a sort of circuit, which brings together the three events, with an increasing level of difficulty, so to speak, the Sestriere adventourfest has a short night, the motorcyclists are accompanied by the guides of the IGAST Italian Motorcycle Federation, and is also aimed at those who want approaching this world for the first time and discovering it, with a daisy-chain path. The Pavia – Sanremo is more demanding, it involves a night race, it is itinerant, a second level therefore in terms of commitment, and then arrives at the Sanremo Sestriere with two formulas, the classic and the extreme.
I would like to underline that they are not particularly technical routes, therefore they can also be tackled with large twin-cylinder bikes.

There is also the Discovery formula:

Yes, Discovery is a form of participation included for those who want to start taking part in these events, but are not fully convinced, a formula without nightlife, with shorter routes, made to discover oneself, to start challenging oneself and leave your first footprints in this type of adventure.

Events, but above all tourism, your events always have a careful eye on places to discover:

A very careful eye on tourism. In the wake of these new activities, in the role of coordinator of Adventouring Tourism of the Italian motorcycle federation, I committed myself to organizing and developing a circuit of events at a national level, and in 4 years we created a calendar for the Italian motorcycle federation, with 11 events organized by various motorclubs covering 18 Italian regions.

Let's talk about the routes, which play a key role in your events, how are they chosen?

In our events we include 50% unpaved roads and 50% asphalted roads, the primary objective is always to bring our participants to lesser-known locations, away from traditional tourism flows, trying to unite countries through a route that did not exist before, this way of getting there offers the opportunity to discover small realities left out of the classic tourism routes, and then encourages participants to return more calmly and discover them thoroughly. Then there is the administrative part, the work carried out with the Regions and Municipalities, we strive to always operate with respect for the places we pass through and create the right balance of exchange with the public and local bodies we encounter.

With the Hat Pavia – Sanremo we cross three regions and finally Lombardy is also given prominence in an event of this type:

Of course, with the Pavia – Sanremo, we start from a city of art, Pavia, to arrive, crossing the mountains, to a seaside city, Sanremo, crossing 3 Regions and 4 Provinces, crossing them from a different point of view, on routes alternatives which required a lot of work at an organizational level, both scouting and above all bureaucratic, administrative, but always keeping at the center the concept that the motorbike is the means, not the end, the means with which to share the experience in a group , the challenge with oneself and with one's friends, discovering new places, and putting oneself to the test, not so much for the difficulty of the routes, but for the spirit of adventure and the desire to share it in a group.

Who is the typical user of your events?

Let's say that our participants range from 35 to 70 years old, all motorcyclists with some experience, and with a great desire for adventure and to test themselves, but not only that, what I like is to see an ever-increasing number of motorcyclists who have not never done this type of trip, previously thinking that it was too difficult, well, it's not true, it's not difficult or particularly technical, it's an opportunity to perhaps discover if we are ready for a trip to Africa, if our group of friends is right for this type of experience, and the spirit that prevails, rather than the motorcyclist, is always the same, having fun by putting yourself to the test in sharing a journey that is however challenging in terms of stages and duration. Because overcoming difficulties and reaching the goal together is something that binds us a lot, those who have done it know it, those who do it for the first time discover it.

Thanks to Corrado Capra for the chat.

We remember that the Hat Pavia – Sanremo takes place from 18 to 20 May 2018, for registration and all information we refer you to the Over2000riders website.