MISSION No. 01: The Dolomites Adventure You Never Saw Coming

James Moore · 2026-09-22

When was the last time you did something for the first time? I'm not talking about trying a new coffee shop or taking a different route to work. I mean something that genuinely scared you a little. Something you've been putting off for years. That's the whole idea behind MISSION No. 01. From October 14–18, 2026, a small crew is heading into the Dolomites to swap bikes for horses, hotel rooms for nights under the stars, and eventually horsepower for horse power. Yes, you read that right. Twice. This isn't your typical mountain biking event. It's something else entirely — and honestly, that's what makes it worth paying attention to. ### What Exactly Is MISSION No. 01? MISSION No. 01 is a five-day expedition into some of the wildest, least-traveled parts of the Dolomites. It's the brainchild of ENDURO founder Robin Schmitt and the team at DOWNTOWN, and it's designed around one simple principle: turning "maybe one day" into "I actually did it." Here's what the experience includes: - Traveling on horseback through remote mountain terrain - Sleeping outdoors under the stars — no hotel, no glamping setup - Driving classic Porsches and Ferraris over legendary mountain passes - Testing products from DOWNTOWN's current lineup of gear tests - Sharing skills, stories, and perspectives with a small, hand-picked crew Five days. A handful of spots. And more "I've never done this before" moments than you can count on two hands. ### You Don't Need to Be an Expert at Anything This is the part that trips people up. You don't need to know how to ride a horse. You don't need to be an outdoor survival pro. You don't need to own a classic Porsche or Ferrari, either. The philosophy here is that luxury isn't about owning the best things. It's about having access to new worlds and actually experiencing them. Expanding your own skills along the way. > "You bring one world. The others bring theirs. We share the experience." Maybe you know how to ride. Maybe you can still get a fire going in the rain. Maybe you're a damn good cook. Or maybe you bring a skill or perspective the rest of the crew knows nothing about. That's the point. ### Why This Matters for the Mountain Biking Community If you're deep in the mountain biking events world, you know the scene can start to feel repetitive. Same race formats. Same venues. Same crowd. MISSION No. 01 is a deliberate break from all of that. It's not a race. It's not a festival. It's an expedition that happens to be organized by people who live and breathe bikes. Sometimes it'll be about bikes. Other times it'll be about cars, horses, coffee, craft, or food. The common thread is access — to places, skills, and people you wouldn't normally encounter. And here's the thing: this is only the beginning. MISSION No. 01 isn't called No. 01 for nothing. Future missions are already taking shape in Patagonia, California, and Marrakesh. ### How to Get Involved If you want in on MISSION No. 01, you'll need to apply. There are only a handful of spots in the crew, and the application is the only thing standing between "maybe one day" and "I did it." Can't make the October dates? No problem. You can sign up for a separate newsletter to hear about future missions before anyone else. New places, new skills, new worlds — sometimes on bikes, sometimes not. The bottom line: adventure doesn't start and end on a bike. Sometimes it starts with a horse, a mountain pass, and a decision to finally do the thing you've been talking about for years. Finish your coffee. No more excuses.