This Sunday, the 6th, sees the inaugural Badlands Gravel Race around the spectacular desert scenery of the Sierra Nevada in Andalucia. 700 km around the area used in many spaghetti westerns and, apparently, Game of Thrones. Looks like it will be a showdown between James Hayden, 2x Transcontinental winner, Lachlan Morton last year's GBDuro winner and Education First pro, and Christian Meier, 2xTdF finisher and initial leader of the Atlas Mountain Race until saddle sores intervened. Pity Sofiane Seheli isn't playing, probably a bit tired from smashing the French Divide record last week. I'd like to say I'll be keeping a watch on proceedings but I'll be happy with a mid pack finish, especially as the final section involves a climb from sea level to the top of Pico Valeta at 3,300m, the highest road in mainland Europe. Dotwatcher will be monitoring events, kick off is 8am Sunday morning, 7am UK time. I'm cap #62 which is about as close as I'll get to James Hayden, cap #66
https://www.transiberica.cc/badlands/

Have a good ride Duncan, I think you'll be 'that older fella' who suprises a few people..

Not actually taking a gravel bike though I hope? Sounds dry and loose and rocky.

Have a good ride Duncan im sure you'll do well
Id be interested in having a crack at the route sometime.

Thanks for the good wishes guys. James, no way I'm taking the gravel bike, my rigid Van Nicholas Zion Rohloff seems the ideal tool, not least for the water carrying capacity. The food resupply and font location info from the organisers has been scant at best so I'm taking 3 litres on the bike.
There are long dry river bed sections which could be torture on 40mm tyres so given I'm not going to trouble the scorers at the sharp end, I'm taking it steady, sleeping at night, and aiming for a 5 day finish.
The weather forecast gives daytime temps of early 30's which matches my training conditions and suits my creaky joints just fine. Looking forward to starlit nights out in the desert.
The 2,000m climb in the first 40km might be a struggle watching everyone disappear up the trail. Maybe see some of them later, you may remember the joke about the young bull and the old bull discussing the cows in the next field

you may remember the joke about the young bull and the old bull discussing the cows in the next field

I don't, you might be showing your age there
Based on where you got to on day 1 of the TNR I think you'll do OK...

A young bull and an old bull are stood in a field watching the farmer unloading a herd of cows into the next field. Young says to old, "let's run over there and shag some of those cows" Old says to young, " let's walk over and shag 'em all"

Even on a 5 day schedule, it's 3,000+m of climb per day and 150km, 85% off road.
James Hayden tweeted pics of the Canyon gravel bike he's using the other day. Skinny tyres, everything packed in a massive frame bag with tri bars up front, I think he's got a different version of google earth to me. Christian Meier's riding a custom steel monster-crosser made by Belle Cycles in Barcelona, assuming Lachlan Morton's on a Cannondale. We were asked to submit bike pics for Bikepacking.com the other day so they may publish these at some stage

Can't recall if I'd ever seen or heard of that route before, but it looks really nice from the pics.

Best of luck, but mostly... Have a ball

I wanted to do that this year. Obviously not on the cards for all sorts of reasons.

I'd love to year how it goes though, so keep us updated!

I typical Spanish last minute style, the organisers have sent a more detailed note on some of the trickier parts of the route. This section wouldn't look out of place on the Silk Road or Atlas.

Glad I went for the mountain bike now.

I had to record this sight at the sign on earlier. Bike on the right is Lachlan Morton's Cannondale Topstone, not sure of the one on the left but the square taper triple chainset, rim brakes, panniers, and cutting edge frame and forks are particular highlights. Rather sums up Bikepacking

Dots here... looks like duncans not far from front pack...

https://dotwatcher.cc/race/badlands-2020

Looks like James chose his hardtail mtb aswell after witnessing the big rocks...

Looks like a tough course. I can't hack it in the heat Reminds me a bit of the HLC and some (good) bad times.

the square taper triple chainset, rim brakes, panniers, and cutting edge frame and forks are particular highlights. Rather sums up Bikepacking

We (me in my fitter days, Paul Errington, and Ricky Spring my mate who's not done much BP racing but has done S24s at national and worlds level, so hardly a slow bunch) got dropped by a 45 year old Israeli teacher on a bike just like that inc the panniers, one morning towards the end of the Holy Land Challenge. Was chatting to him later and he was telling us about their national service training

Looks like James Hayden has dropped out (says DNF against his name on dotwatcher map) and Christian (the TDF guy) is in position 22... Seems like the Pyrenees/Further race from last week must have taken it's toll where they finished 1st and 3rd I think...

There seems to be a large number of people on really quite skinny tyres going from the bikepacking.com article

James Hayden has a broken seatpost and is knackered, Christian Meier got heat stroke yesterday. The course is brutal, glad I chose a mountain bike and 2.1 tyres, miles of dry canyon beds which you have to keep up a momentum to avoid digging in and going otb. 10km rocky downhill at the end of today was hard work. Big climb 1st thing tomorrow then down to the coast. Still top half despite a few delays so pretty happy.

pistonbroke wrote: ↑Mon Sep 07, 2020 11:20 pm James Hayden has a broken seatpost and is knackered, Christian Meier got heat stroke yesterday. The course is brutal, glad I chose a mountain bike and 2.1 tyres, miles of dry canyon beds which you have to keep up a momentum to avoid digging in and going otb. 10km rocky downhill at the end of today was hard work. Big climb 1st thing tomorrow then down to the coast. Still top half despite a few delays so pretty happy.

Well done Duncan... Keep going mate (and drinking obviously but you know that)

Just won by Lachlan Morton, 700km in 43 1/2 hours with a total of 19 minutes stopping!!

Made up a couple of places today, seems I'm ahead of Liam Yates, son of ex team Sky and US Postal legend Sean. He's an ex neo pro and about 1/3 my age 177km and another 3,000m of climb on what looked a flatter day today. Tomorrow's very up and down then the 3,200m ascent of Pico Valeta, knees need some TLC. What's made it so difficult is the unrelenting rubble needing concentration to pick a line so as not to get bogged down. Don't know how those on skinny tyres are doing it.

Been enjoying following it, looking at some of the images, really does look barren and some great gravel roads that follow the ridges and stay high.

Lachlan Morton has posted his ride on Strava.
It has his moving time as 41:24:10, and total time as 44:28:53. Slightly more than 19 minutes stopped. Very impressive feat.

https://www.strava.com/activities/4032004385

The 19 minutes stopped was from the bikepacking.com FB page, but as you say still very impressive..

Aye, I've seen chat that the 19 minutes figure came from the trackers, which folk* seem to regard as not very accurate for this kind of measurement.

*James Hayden, for one

It's all to play for in the mid pack, all the main contenders are hunkered down at 1,500m in the village of Trevelez with another 1,800m straight up Pico Valeta in the morning. I'm lying 21st with about 60 still running. Depends if I want to start at about 5am and do 2 hours of rough uphill in the dark, after all it's not a race (yeh right)
My stats for today are a meager 127km but 3,200m of mainly off-road climbing some sections around 20%

Cracking riding Duncan, have enjoyed watching your dot. It's all very well for these guys who can knock it off in under 48h, but its the days of sustained effort where the true heroes are

Safe finish.

Great ride from Duncan to be sure!!

Looks like a strong finish this afternoon