Three Argentines biked 11K miles through 17 countries to follow legend Messi at the World Cup
Three Argentines biked 11,000 miles through 17 countries — encountering terrorism in Colombia and altitude sickness in Bolivia — in an epic trip to watch their beloved national team defend its World Cup title.Vicente Conculini, 29, told The Post that his friend Miguel Silio, 56, suggested that they cycled to the US to follow the Argentina team which captured soccer’s top prize four years ago in Qatar.“Well, Miguel has already been to two previous World Cups by bicycle — he rode from Madrid to Russia and from Madrid to Qatar — and now he’s successfully completing a third one,” Conculini said on Friday.“So, the idea comes from that crazy guy.”Conculini, Silio and Yomandu Martínez, 49, packed up their summer and winter clothing and hit the road in their hometown of Gualeguaychú, near the Uruguay border, on Aug.
16.Eight and a half months later, on May 1, they crossed into Laredo, Texas.Then came a pit stop in San Antonio, where Argentine basketball hero and Spurs legend Manu Ginobili hosted them at an NBA Western Conference semifinals game.
They finally arrived June 3 in Kansas City, Mo., where the defending world soccer champions are training.“I think the whole journey has been beautiful — with its challenges, the wonderful people we met, and the scenery — but arriving feels like completing a major nine-and-a-half- month chapter, spanning 17 countries and 17,000 kilometers,” said Conculini, who quit his hotel job in The Netherlands to make the trip.“I believe the moment of arrival is the best part of the trip — not because it’s ending, but because we actually accomplished it.”Conculini basked in the joy of cruising with his friends through many cities and countries, especially Colombia, Costa Rica and Mexico, and documenting the trip on their Instagram account, @enbiciandoalmundo.However, the trio encountered adversity in Bolivia, due to the high-altitude conditions, and in western Paraguay, where they spent 24 hours without dri...