Biography of Juan Menendez Granados
JUAN WITHOUT FEAR: The adventure story of Juan Menéndez Granados
One of the characteristics that best defines the extreme athlete, explorer and adventurer Juan Menéndez Granados is nonconformity. Resist believing that something is "impossible" just because fear or doubt makes you feel that way, or because someone else says that something cannot be achieved, because for him everything can be achieved, even though "at the moment it is not possible." has done".
It is not for nothing that he is nicknamed Juan “without fear” Menéndez, and it is that rather than seeing him as a brake, instead he uses it as fuel to pedal and pedal to his goal, among so many that he has proposed throughout the years, in which he has passionately dedicated himself to adventure cycling.
“Being an explorer and adventurer for me means wanting to push your limits, wanting to explore the unknown, wanting to know the most extreme places, the most remote cultures, the most interesting people. 'Exploration' in adventure doesn't matter so much what you do but how you do it.”, says John.
He has traveled all over the world under the premise that courage is stronger than any natural fear that we can feel as humans, and that only this will lead the true brave adventurers to overcome new challenges. And not just the most obvious, the least scary… no, venturing into something that motivates you to overcome them to be the best version of ourselves that we can become.
“It is not that I am not afraid, it is that I am not afraid to face my fears, and I believe that fear is something innate in our lives, we are potentially afraid of everything, but we have to face our fears and overcome them”, affirms the adventurer.
To achieve great things you have to have great dreams, and one by one Juan Menéndez Granados has been reaching them pedaling all over the world, in the most unimaginable places... unimaginable for anyone except Juan. Atacama desert? The South Pole? ... and why not, if each expedition has developed in this great adventurer new sensations and new discoveries of himself and of life itself. All of this has been unlocking difficulty levels in it, and has triggered new goals, and a new desire to pedal its way through more and greater challenges.
This is how the idea of pedaling to the South Pole arose, something that had only remained in words in the world of cycling, but that he wanted to make a reality, alone and without assistance.
“Trying to reach the South Pole by bicycle was something that had been thought about for a long time, but no one had tried it in a very serious way yet. I didn't need much motivation because every why every pore every cell in my body wanted to reach the South Pole.
It was thus that he undertook more than forty days of cycling expedition in absolute solitude at thermal temperatures of minus 75 degrees and headwinds of more than 90km / h.
“And people think that to do these expeditions you have to be crazy and it's not like that... you have to have a very well-furnished head, especially in the worst moments, when you're alone, not you have no one to tell you 'come easy, get into your bag and rest, I'll take care of melting the snow and tomorrow we'll go out there, don't worry'”.
The challenge knocked on his door and his esteem, and he felt prepared not to be afraid of the fears that could hold back anyone in his position, infinitely sure that it was something he wanted to do, something he was going to achieve... and so on. was.
With a great career behind him, the athlete sets himself the unique challenge of being the first person to pedal a bicycle to the South Pole (Antarctica).
After 4 intense years of arduous training, Juan Menéndez Granados began his adventure and managed to reach his goal between December 2013 and January 2014, in an expedition of a total of 46 days of pedaling that involved traveling 1 .200 kilometers across the surface of Antarctica. His great feat was reflected in the documentary film "Pedaladas Contra el Destino", by director Pablo Martín.
And it is that, to each and every one of his expeditions, this athlete has brought this persistent and motivating attitude. He has developed his talent, his skill and his thirst for adventure, overcoming real dangers and real moments of fear, overcoming them one by one.
Juan is admired today for his tangible achievements, such as crossing the Australian continent diagonally and crossing Lake Baikal, the Amazon jungles, Greenland, African plains, the Siberian steppes and the Andes mountain ranges... but above all Because he is admired for his personal achievements, for reaching a peak with himself, controlling his fears and all the mental exhaustion that all this entails, carrying above all extraordinary courage and enviable motivation.
The Asturian athlete is without a doubt a great specialist in solo and high-difficulty cycling expeditions. At a very young age he was fascinated by geographical knowledge and exploration and at 16 he started in the world of cycling, starting with routes on the Camino de Santiago. Since then, he has fulfilled the dream of exploring and cycling challenging places in each and every one of the continents of our planet.
He was also awarded the "Trip of the Year Award: Baikal, only on ice" by the Spanish Geographical Society in 2011.
Today, in addition to continuing his career as an extreme athlete, he relies on his expertise and experiences to function in the world of motivational management as lecturers and speakers, carrying his message through talks and presentations for the management of fears in the face of adversity. In addition, he is dedicated to sharing his exploits and achievements with his fans and followers, to inspire them to overcome their fears, be self-confident, be humble, have an entrepreneurial spirit, and live their lives to the limit.
One of his maxims is: “You don't have to be a superhero to do extraordinary things”.
JUAN GRANADOS EXPEDITIONS
- In 2003: Trans-Pyrenees (Europe) from the Mediterranean to the Cantabrian Sea 1.300 kilometers.
- In 2004: Scotland (Europe). 1.100 kilometers and the High Atlas Ascent (Africa). 1.400 kilometers.
- In 2005: Transamazonica (South America). 6.485 kilometers
- In 2006: Urals (Europe-Asia). 4060 kilometers
- In 2008: Scandinavia (Europe) 2.312 kilometers
- Between November 2008 and February 2009: Diagonal Australia (Oceania). 5.001 kilometers.
- In 2009: Canadian Arctic (North America). 1.800 kilometers
- In 2010: Lake Baikal (Asia). 730 kilometers.
- In 2011: Tanzania- Kilimanjaro (Africa). 1.000 kilometers (on foot). And The Pamir Massif (Asia). 775 kilometers.
- In 2012: Greenland (Europe)
- In 2013: Greenland (Europe). 600 kilometers And The Baltic Sea- Lake Inari (Europe). 210 kilometers.
- Between the months of December 2013 and January 2014: Amundsen's Spirit Expedition (South Pole). 1.200 kilometers (46 days solo).
- In 2016: Atacama Desert (South America). 1.839 kilometers.
- In 2017: Mongolia (Asia). 2685 kilometers.
- In 2018: Patagonia (South America). 2700 kilometers. And Various deserts of the United States (North America). 3.747 kilometers.
- In 2019: Australia (Oceania). 4805 kilometers.
Juan Menéndez Granados has proven to be an inspiration in sports and personal growth. Since he was humble enough to accept that he was afraid, until he overcame it... because that is what being "Juan Without Fear" is all about: Being a brave person because he is aware of who he is and what he wants to achieve, without thinking that there is something "impossible" when there is a great dream that we want to achieve.
