Transpyrenees – Additional Thoughts

I wanted to share some first-hand detailed insight into TPRNo2 from the perspective of someone relatively new to the ultra-distance racing world. This post will discuss problems I had to solve pre-race; logistics, route planning, kit & bike choice & route planning. I’ll also share my thoughts on my race in general & a few more lessons I’ve learnt.

Logistics

Let’s start with the easy one; getting there. St Jean De Luz is far from remote & is well connected by rail. From northwest UK, I flew from Manchester to Bordeaux. I tend to use Easyjet as they make bookings with a bike achievable with 1 simple click, rather than hours on the phone/email. I haven’t had any issues with my bike on this airline. From Bordeaux it was a simple 2.5hour train ride direct to St Jean De Luz. Accommodation in St Jean De Luz is plentiful with hotels Airbnbs etc.

As a side note, Lost Dot are really trying to encourage ‘Green Leaderboards’ and ‘no fly’ ethos. I didn’t want to fly to TPRNo2; I don’t like giving my bike away in a cardboard box & praying it remains unscathed. But the other options of train/ferry/train via Calais or Santander would require over 48hours travelling each way; not ideal before a race and certainly not ideal for those who don’t have unlimited time away from work/responsibilities.

Pre-race

Each ultra-distance brings with it a set of questions that the rider must solve prior to the event. For me, most of my answers tend to be on the cautious side given I don’t have ‘much’ ultra-distance racing experience. I’m still learning how my mind/body reacts when it’s pushed beyond limits, therefore finishing safely is still my priority above racing.

Although they can be categorised, each one has an influence on the other. If the strategy is to ride all night, then sleeping kit can be minimal. If you’re not going to stop, what pace can you comfortably sustain without rest? Is it better to ride harder for shorter? How do you recharge electronics? How cold & wet could it be in the mountains in autumn, what layers do I need to combat this? If you’re planning ‘off road shortcuts’, what changes do you need to make to your bike configuration? Do they potential upsides of a shortcut outweigh the potential downsides, i.e. mechanical, or injury. Are you comfortable riding the expected terrain in all weathers & in the dark?

Route Planning

One of those, ‘where do you start’ sort of questions. There are many ways to skin a cat. Picking the absolute shortest route might looks best on paper, but might have some awful roads & steep inclines – and long stretches without resupply. Not every rider has the same preferences or strengths, therefore its a really individual process. All Points North is a race which with free routing – it requires riders to work out which order to do the checkpoints, as well as the routing itself. Whereas in, TPR the order is already given & you simply have to work out the route itself. All Points North is on roads I know very well – TPR is not. I hope it will be in the future, but right now, Yorkshire is home & not the Pyrenees!

The majority of the return leg was fixed parcour, following the Raid Pyrenees route. The outbound route was primarily checkpoints, leaving riders several routing options. The main choices were from CP 1 to parcour 2; go north via France then a big climb into Spain, or do the big climb first & take the fast main road in northern Spain. I’m not sure there was much in it; I chose Spain as I found resupply that way to be better located. Also, it was raining heavily in France that day!

The second big decision from parcour 2 to CP 3 at Os de Civis was whether to take the shorter, offroad route from Sort, or take the longer road route via Andorra. Bear in mind there had already been one 30km off road climb that morning. In truth my plan was to take both off road sections, hence I chose 33c semi slick tyres to accommodate the 80km off road (5% of the total route). My theory was the road route was 2 climbs & a border crossing, but it was a road where surface & average speed would be known. The off road would be shorter & just one bigger climb; I’m a mountain biker after all, I prefer to ride off road. My off-road research relied on feedback from the riders who had just done ‘Further’ & intense scanning of satellite imagery via google!

My initial strategy meant I would have been at the first off road at first light & the second shortly after midday; meaning both offroad would be in day light – for me this is a big thing to consider when riding off road on skinny tyres, on a laden bike. Bright lights help massively, but you are limited to seeing only whats immediately in front of you – there is limited peripheral or forward vision, meaning you cant gauge things nearly as well. Given my poor routing choice on day 1, I was behind schedule on day 2; I missed my 4pm cut off & ended up choosing the longer, road route section instead of the second off-road climb. 

This decision prior to the race would determine my bike, drivetrain & tyre choice. In the end, I got it wrong.

Bike Set Up

Bike; I took my Ribble Endurance SL frame. I had bought a 1x GRX drivetrain for my Shand which was away getting resprayed & would be built up specifically for TPR. Long story short, it never came back in time to get it built & me get comfortable with it. The Ribble is quite aggressive, but endurance geometry oriented.

Drivetrain; GRX 812 derailleur & 42t cassette, 170mm GRX crankset with 38tooth wolftooth chainring. I prefer to spin with high cadence over longer distance. Conveniently, mechanical GRX is 11speed, so I could use the 105 shifters/brakes already on the frame. The right hand 105 shifter worked fine with the GRX derailleur; the left hand one still had an outer gear cable attached but no cable in it.

Cockpit; 38cm bars with aerobars. I don’t have carbon this, that & everything else. Rather than put £10k in one bike, I’d rather it be in different bikes that are fitted with stuff that just works. I had my rain jacket strapped underneath the aero bars. Wheels; Hope 20FIVEs with 33c Vittoria Terreno Zero, tubeless. I ran the front on a Son dynamo to power my Klite system. Klite is a 1300lumen dynamo powered front light. Sure it adds a considerable amount of drag (assume 10w loss in output), but when half the ride would be downhill at speed, I figured 1300l is necessary. When going slowly uphill, the two outer beams flood the area immediately infront of the bike, then above 25kph the long throw beam allows you see way ahead down the road. The USB charging system kept my GPS charging when going downhill; I like to call this free electricity as it requires no effort from my legs! 

Strategy

Whilst I consider myself strong at riding a long way & uphill, I have to accept I’m still new to racing ultra-distance & international competition. I’m still learning how my body reacts to the demands of racing for 5days nonstop – as such, I’m mindful of pushing myself into unknown territory in unfamiliar regions.

‘Everyone has a plan till they get punched in the face’ is a phrase synonymous with boxing – but I think is highly appropriate for ultra-distance racing! Everyone starts with a plan, but the reality is that the only thing you should plan for is change. You have to be adaptable & quick thinking – and you have to able to do this when cold, wet, tired. Plan for the worst & hope for the best.

It was a race which started out hard for me, having not done any long distance conditioning rides since Switzerland back in June. So to be honest, I was ready for scratching after 200km on day one when everything started hurting!  Unbeknownst

Lessons Learned

After the initial euphoria of finishing & relief of seeing new friends rolling home too it was time for pizza, beer & multiple deserts whilst sharing stories. That night I slept well & it was over the solitude of my morning coffee that I came to one conclusion; an overwhelming feeling of I could’ve done better.

• Lighter kit, carried stuff I dint use or need
• 28c slicks rather than 33c treaded – for the sake of 30km off road
• Better route planning on day 1
• Lost a lot of time with sleeping & faffing; I tend to ride faster & sleep more, rather than slower for longer. My resupply strategy involved stopping far too often. All little things that add up to a large total stopped time.
• Better prep prior to. My focus was on the move to the US, rather than getting myself in the best physical condition I could – but I guess feeling like you didn’t train enough is always an easy one to criticise yourself with.

Really happy with how I ended, having felt like I got stronger throughout the race – I was awarded a prize as one of the fastest on the return leg. Had I had better distance conditioning & route planning on day 1, I could’ve been at least 10 hours quicker overall for the same physical effort. Maybe this is harsh on myself, but I feel looking back on areas to improve is how I get better. My ride times are something I’m impressed with, but to sustain that, I have to stop more than the stronger riders. So a good overall performance in a strong international field. Lots of things learned, leaving me wanting more form myself.

Highlights

Clear, starry night skies are incredible to bivvy under.

Stunning road in escargot, northern Spain valley. I forgot I was racing sometimes, more focussed on enjoying where I was.

Climbs in the French Alps – Tourmalet, Aubisque etc are famous, but it was the lesser known ones that I most enjoyed.

Pushing harder than ever. I love that race conditions force you into ‘find a way’ mode of thinking. Its the simplicity of one goal; get bike from A to B. Sure, it hurts, but I find a deep sense of fulfilment from this one single purpose.

Eating Salami, yoghurt, fruit & snickers all day then one big meal in the evening. Not sure why its a highlight.

11th finisher at the 2nd edition of Trans Pyrenees race. For someone who didn’t grow up racing bikes, to now be racing internationally is pretty cool.

The Pyrenees in its autumn blanket was visually stunning. The people I met left me with yet more fond memories & the feeling of growing stronger throughout the race is one of the best feelings in ultra-distance!

It’s two 11th placed finishes in some strong international fields this year. Seeing new parts of the world, pushing myself as hard as possible & competing against the best is what I love most about this discipline.

Being so close makes me want more from myself – particularly this time round when I know it was factors within my control that held me back. Life constrains didnt allow me the time I’d have liked to prepare in the months preceding this race.

This is such a unique discipline – people from so many different backgrounds travelling to meet up, kick each others arses for 5 days, then shake hands & share stories over a beer afterwards.