LES MALEÏDES
INTRO

MARIA CAPDEVILA X LIQEN STUDIO

Les Maleïdes

Beyond the ridable

Apertura en tres tiempos: invitación, plano inmersivo y contexto. La entrada tipográfica, el plano y el scroll incorporan movimiento visible.

THE MALADETAS, MOUNTAINS ONCE CALLED "THE DAMNED MOUNTAINS" (LES MALEÏDES)
BY POPULAR TRADITION. THEY WERE CONSIDERED A HELL OF
ROCK, COLD, AND SNOW.

THE VERY OPPOSITE OF PARADISE.

PEOPLE BELIEVED THEY WERE INHOSPITABLE PLACES DUE TO THEIR RUGGED, BLEAK,
AND DANGEROUS APPEARANCE, WHERE NOTHING GREW BECAUSE OF
AN ANCIENT DIVINE CURSE.

A Pyrenean journey with Maria Capdevila.

A film and story by

THE TRAVERSE

September 2027

The core of this project is to ride an approximately 700 km circular traverse with over 25,000 m of elevation gain through the heart of the Pyrenees, connecting the Maladeta and Pica d’Estats massifs and crossing three countries: Spain, France and Andorra.

Far from a conventional gravel route, much of this journey will take place on remote mountain terrain, where riding will alternate with long hiking sections, carrying the bike on my back whenever the terrain becomes too steep or fragile to ride.

The route will cross areas of exceptional biological value, including the Posets-Maladeta Natural Park, the surroundings of Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, and Alt Pirineu Natural Park, making its way through the trails and valleys surrounding some of the Pyrenees’ most emblematic peaks, such as Aneto (3,404 m), the highest peak in the Pyrenees, Tuca de Vallibierna (3,062 m), Pica d’Estats (3,143 m), and Comapedrosa (2,942 m).

Goal: Minimal Impact

There is no existing published GPX file to follow, just an itinerary traced on a map by locals. Studying the terrain and finding the route through the old trails is part of the challenge: navigating through the mountains, reading the weather, anticipating the conditions and constantly adapting to progress through the terrain and making decisions along the way.

Scouting & planningWatts, Speed… (crossed out). Skills (checked).
Not sure… there’s no track
Distance:
650–700 km
Elevation gain:
25,000 m
Highest point:
2,721 m
Est. duration:
8–10 days
An open notebook with a hand-drawn route through the Pyrenees

THE INSPIRATION

A route you read before you ride

A hand holding the La Maleïda booklet by Fera Pirineus

Fera Pirineus® is an initiative founded by local cyclists in the Pyrenees that has created a network of routes, including a drawn map on pdf (no gpx file) of La Maleïda, accessible only by consulting a physical booklet available at a very limited number of locations across the territory. Fera Pirineus® is committed to a model of tourism that respects and cares for the ecosystems and communities that host it.

The routes are designed as cycling projects that everyone can make their own while respecting local regulations, the environment and the communities that call these mountains home.

Shared values

Muntanyes Maleïdes by Pep Coll is a novel rooted in the Pyrenees, in the remote valleys and mountains of the Maladeta massif. It tells stories blending legends, local traditions and historical events. The book portrays the deep relationship between mountain communities and their land, as well as the hardships, beliefs and conflicts that have shaped life in the Pyrenees.

Legacy

THE RIDER

Curiosity as a compass

My name is Maria Capdevila, and today I am an ultra-distance cyclist and a pharmacist. But somehow, I see myself as someone who has lived many lives. Before this, I was a professional endurance horse rider, a rock climber, a skier, a veterinarian, a mountaineer… All these passions coexist within me. Sometimes, they have pulled me in opposite directions, as I tried to figure out who I am. Now, they converge.

I have spent many years skiing, climbing, hiking, running and cycling through the Pyrenees. A territory that has seen me grow.

Yet, these mountains are never entirely yours to command. Access to them depends on the harshness of the weather and the conditions of the moment. Sometimes, the mountain simply doesn’t let you in, and that is part of what makes it so special.

Rather than simply crossing the Pyrenees by bike, the aim is to experience them from within. To be present when the perfect window opens and to pursue something extreme on nature’s terms. To move slowly when necessary, to carry the bike when the mountain requires it, and to document a journey through a territory where nature, history, mythology and human movement have been intertwined for centuries.

This is a project about exploration, endurance and belonging.

Black-and-white photograph of Maria Capdevila working on her bicycle in a workshop

REACH

An audience beyond cycling

Black-and-white photograph of a group of cyclists gathered with their bikes
Accounts reached
32,154
Content views
202,995
Of views from non-followers
43.2%
Of audience outside Spain
57%

@mariacapdeviladc · 29 July–27 October 2026

Maria’s Instagram content reached roughly ten times her following of 3,129 over 90 days. Her feed posts drew 93,000 views and 3,607 interactions.

Maria’s connection with gravel and bikepacking riders gives the film a starting audience. Brands can use the delivered media kit in newsletters and through their retail networks to invite riders to screenings and direct them to the film online. Local institutions can use cultural listings and tourism channels to invite residents and visitors to Pyrenean and Barcelona area screenings, talks, or other forms of connecting with the community.

Screenings with cycling clubs and independent bike shops, submissions to outdoor film festivals and outreach to cycling press would build towards a public release in YouTube and other streaming platforms still to be defined.

The film will be subtitled in the regional languages spoken along the route to connect with local audiences, in English and potentially other languages for international festivals and viewers.

A filmA visual library for your brand or institution

01

Creative direction & planning

Develop the film’s visual approach, plan the shoot around Maria’s itinerary and align the content with the participating brands or institutions.

02

Field production

Capture film and photography on the route, balancing the needs of the production with the terrain, conditions and Maria’s journey.

03

Editing & delivery

Bring the film together through editing, sound and colour, and curate the images and short pieces for Maria and each brand or institution.

Stay with
the moment

Attentive.Immersive.Cinematic.

A 20–30 minute film shaped by observation, natural sound and Maria’s experience on the ground. Long views and small gestures. The texture of moving through a place, the instinct of choosing a path, the quiet of picking up berries. An immersive film with room for the unexpected.When so much of life asks us to perform and optimise, this film offers a moment to slow down and reconnect: with the essentials, what is simple, human and wild.The mountain is a living presence throughout: weather shifts, old paths carry traces of those who came before, and familiar gestures take on a different meaning. Through Maria’s encounters with the terrain, the film makes room for the stories a place holds.

Secuencia de escalas. El visor al tocar una imagen permite revisar su intención. En el diseño final se identificarán las visualizaciones generadas.

A journey that keeps unfolding

An editorial world for your channels:
Film, photography and short-form pieces give you a coherent visual world to build your own releases around.

An open magazine held on a lap, with a printed photograph of Maria Capdevila at a forest campsite
Mockup of an outdoor screening with Maria cycling past stone barns on the projection screenFotografía de Maria con su bicicleta en una valla publicitaria en un cruce urbanoEjemplo de story de Instagram con Maria para una marca colaboradoraRetrato de Maria junto a una casa de piedra del PirineoMaria pedaleando entre casas de piedra en un pueblo del PirineoV08 · SOURCE MOMENTfilm sequence16:9

El selector cambia el formato de una misma escena. Explica utilidad comercial; no representa un paquete de entregables cerrado.

Delivered assets

The film

A film following Maria’s journey through the Pyrenees.

The complete film

Minutes
20–30
16:9 · Landscape
4K

Subtitles can be provided in multiple languages to suit each partner’s needs.

Film licence and usage terms to be agreed.

Visual library

A media kit with a visual library from the journey, a selection of raw footage, and dedicated product placement for your brand or institution.

Generic visual library

Images
15
Videos
5

Product placement for your brand or institution

Images
5–10
Videos
5

Digital-use licence included.

Launch kit

Ready-to-share assets to promote the film and give its release a consistent visual identity.

For the film’s release

Teaser
15 s
Trailer
30 s

Both in vertical and horizontal formats.

Film cover image

Adapted to the agreed formats.

Digital-use licence included.

The package can be tailored to each brand’s or institution’s needs. Additional deliverables, larger quantities, extended or exclusive licences, and use in print or other physical media can be scoped and quoted separately.

Let’s talk

If this way of seeing the outdoors feels close to your own, get in touch to start creating together.

Download this presentation

Contactos directos de LIQEN STUDIO y Maria. La llamada a conversar queda aquí, sin un botón adicional ni una petición de ayuda financiera.

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