マヨルカのグラベルライド – シネウから山へ シネウでは孤立感を感じると言います。アドベンチャーサイクリストにとっては魅力的な場所であり、スタート地点として最適です。近くには競輪場があり、スピンをするのも良いでしょう。街を出た後はフラットロードを楽しみ、馬牧場を通って山へ辿り着きます。リョサ付近の線路反対側でクライムが始まります。途中バイクを担いで通る必要のあるシングルトラックがルートに含まれています。 スイッチバックのあるコンクリートロードがありますが、Castell d’Alaróを訪れるためにはバイクを再び肩に担ぐ必要があります。降下を楽しみに、果樹園を通ってシネウまでのフラットロードを走ります。 キット気温の高いラフなロード走行のためにデザインされたグラベルタンクジャージ、ビアトリス。ライドのバラエティ同様に幅の広い、新しいフォルムとグラベルサイクリングアパレルを融合させたアイテム。 ジャージを見る ライドに関してスムーズなグラベルから始まり、山の麓に近くにつれラフさが増します。バイクを肩に担いで通るトラックが含まれています。10段階評価のうち8のラフさです。 Stravaで見る ルート GPXをダウンロードする Please login or create an account to download file. レンタルバイクでライド身軽な旅でバイクをレンタルして。ニース と同様に弊社パートナーBikecampを通じてCervélo Aspéroバイクをレンタルし、島を探索することができます。ランドスケープを見ながら前進することに集中するタイプのツアーもあります。BIKECAMPを訪れる ストアパルマのPlaça del Rosariにあるマヨルカストアは、空港から車で15分、サ・クルーからバイクで40分です。カフェ・ドゥ・シクリステのフルコレクション、美味しいコーヒー、レース観賞ができる巨大スクリーン、ライドやレストランを紹介するフレンドリーなスタッフがお待ちしています。住所：Plaça del Rosarí 5, 07001, Palma マヨルカグラベル 乾いた石壁で覆われた細いロード、農場の道、古代ルート、岩の多いクライム。美しく幅広いマヨルカのGサイド。 砂から埃へ 海から沼地を抜け、マヨルカの内部にある田畑へ。現地の生活を垣間見るグラベルライド。 ライドを見る インカトレイル 古代の街へと続くヒルで終わる、島の中心を走るループ。 ライドを見る グラベルルックブック マヨルカのラフなサイドのスナップショットやサイドビューを盛り込んだルックブックをインスピレーションに。 ルックブックを見る グラベルとは？ グラベルサイクリングについて答えることは、グラベルサイクリングがなぜ存在するかについて考えることです。そしてなぜ挑戦する価値があるかについて。 ラフな答え より多くのグラベル、より多くのマヨルカ？ マヨルカのラフなロードの虜になった方には、リヴィエラグラベルにも挑戦し、アルプ＝マリティームの人に知られていないロード探索をお勧めします。 リヴィエラ グラベル 滑らかな地表に変える時期。最高のロードサイクリングルートと隠れた宝石を紹介する島ガイド。 マヨルカライドガイド 海と空、爽やかな空気と深い青の間。フライングフィッシュバッジは、人に知られていないトラック走行のためのアイテムにあしらわれています。コレクションを見る

マヨルカのグラベルライド - インカトレイル トラムンタナの影となるインカは、マヨルカの３番目に大きい街であり島の中央に位置しています。フラットなライドの後、伝統的な村リュビを通って、ヒルとゴールのサインが見える山の正面にたどり着きます。 木曜日にライドをすると、レザー特産のインカマーケットが終点となります。ビールを一杯飲むのも良いでしょう。 キット人に知られていないルートを走るためにデザインされたグラベルショーツ、ヴィルジニー。4wayストレッチ素材を使用し、背面とサイドにあしらわれたカーゴポケットでラフなロード走行中に収納力を発揮します。 もっと見る ライドに関してライドのオフロードセクションはスムーズなグラベル、泥地、岩の多い未完成のレーンとバラエティに富んでいます。10段階評価のうち6のラフさです。 Stravaで見る ルート GPXをダウンロードする Please login or create an account to download file. レンタルバイクでライド身軽な旅でバイクをレンタルして。ニース と同様に弊社パートナーBikecampを通じてCervélo Aspéroバイクをレンタルし、島を探索することができます。ランドスケープを見ながら前進することに集中するタイプのツアーもあります。BIKECAMPを訪れる ストアパルマのPlaça del Rosariにあるマヨルカストアは、空港から車で15分、サ・クルーからバイクで40分です。カフェ・ドゥ・シクリステのフルコレクション、美味しいコーヒー、レース観賞ができる巨大スクリーン、ライドやレストランを紹介するフレンドリーなスタッフがお待ちしています。住所 : Plaça del Rosarí 5, 07001, Palma マヨルカグラベル 乾いた石壁で覆われた細いロード、農場の道、古代ルート、岩の多いクライム。美しく幅広いマヨルカのGサイド。 砂から埃へ 海から沼地を抜け、マヨルカの内部にある田畑へ。現地の生活を垣間見るグラベルライド。 ライドを見る シネウから山へ 孤立感を感じるシネウからトラムンタナ山脈へ。 ライドを見る グラベルルックブック マヨルカのラフなサイドのスナップショットやサイドビューを盛り込んだルックブックをインスピレーションに。 ルックブックを見る グラベルとは？ グラベルサイクリングについて答えることは、グラベルサイクリングがなぜ存在するかについて考えることです。そしてなぜ挑戦する価値があるかについて。 ラフな答え より多くのグラベル、より多くのマヨルカ？ マヨルカのラフなロードの虜になった方には、リヴィエラグラベルにも挑戦し、アルプ＝マリティームの人に知られていないロード探索をお勧めします。 リヴィエラ グラベル 滑らかな地表に変える時期。最高のロードサイクリングルートと隠れた宝石を紹介する島ガイド。 マヨルカライドガイド 海と空、爽やかな空気と深い青の間。フライングフィッシュバッジは、人に知られていないトラック走行のためのアイテムにあしらわれています。コレクションを見る

ポッレンツァから向かう先 – サ・カロブラ サイクリングクライムがセレブリティであれば、サ・カロブラはハリウッドのトップリストとなるでしょう。友人からどれだけ話を聞き、オンラインで眺めたとしても、実際にライドし自分の目で見る体験には勝りません。 ポッレンツァから滑らかなフェメニアのスロープを登り、ウォームアップをします。トラムンタナ山脈の上り下りを繰り返し、マヨルカのサイクリングを全身で感じる事になるでしょう。左側には印象的なライムストーンの岩が見え、その後ろには天才的なエンジニアリングが感じられるサ・カロブラのクライムが待っています。 高架橋の下を通り、「KM0」のロードマーカーが笑いを誘い、2.5キロのColl del Reisを登ってから海へ向かい、また上りへと向かいます。クライムを始める前にポートでお腹を満たし休憩することをお勧めします。体力を温存し、勾配と数多くのヘアピンカーブをこなし、「noose（縄）」と呼ばれる有名なロードを走ります。 キットセシリアベースレイヤー。おそらく天候は暑く、サ・カロブラでの努力は簡単なものではありません。セシリアベースレイヤーで吸汗速乾性を促し、ジャージの前を開けていても閉めていても体温を調節することをお勧めします。 ベースレイヤーを見る ライドに関してマヨルカの最も有名なクライム歴史を発見し、Pariettiによる天才的なエンジニアリングを感じて。 もっと読む ルート GPXをダウンロードする Please login or create an account to download file. レンタルバイクでライド身軽な旅でバイクをレンタルして。ニース と同様に弊社パートナーBikecampを通じて最新Cervéloバイクをレンタルし、島を探索することができます。ランドスケープを見ながら前進することに集中するタイプのツアーもあります。BIKECAMPを訪れる ストアパルマのPlaça del Rosariにあるマヨルカストアは、空港から車で15分、サ・クルーからバイクで40分です。カフェ・ドゥ・シクリステのフルコレクション、美味しいコーヒー、レース観賞ができる巨大スクリーン、ライドやレストランを紹介するフレンドリーなスタッフがお待ちしています。住所： Plaça del Rosarí 5, 07001, Palma その他ライド 太陽、クライム、完璧なロード、地中海、サイクリストのニーズに応える現地コミュニティ。 北海岸 このライドには有名なセクションがありませんが、程よく知られた秘密のスポットが含まれ、最も素晴らしい海岸ロードの一つだと言えるでしょう。 ライドを見る ソイェル＆バルデモーサ 街を抜け出し、山を実感し、景色を堪能して。パルマから始まりパルマで終わる素晴らしいループの中心となるソイェルの厳しいチャレンジ。 ライドを見る 灯台へ マヨルカの抵抗を基としたロードエンジニアリング。他に類を見ないライド。日没に合わせてライドを計画し、記憶に残るマヨルカサイクリングを。 ライドを見る フェメニア＆サ・バタラ ポッレンツァからのライドに続き、丘陵のルートに関わらず自分のリズムを見つけることができるでしょう。サ・バタラのサイクリスト向けカフェで休憩して。 ライドを見る サ・クルー＆ガリレア パルマから静かなロードに素早く辿り着く短いシャープなループ。パルマストアのスタッフセレクション。 ライドを見る サ・カロブラを讃えて サ・カロブラは記憶に留まります。「la cobra」を讃えたバッジ付きTシャツとキャップでクライムとの繋がりを保って。 Tシャツ メンズ & ウィメンズ /// キャップを見る マヨルカの最も有名なクライムは、ヨーロッパでも屈指の素晴らしいターマックロードです。世界の山々バッジシリーズ第1弾でもあります。ライドをした方は、詳細を入力してバッジを獲得してください。バッジを獲得する

マヨルカのグラベルライド - 砂から埃、泥へ 国立公園からのライドは良い始まりです。アルクディアの南にあるParque Natural d’Albuferaでは、北ヨーロッパからのサイクリスト達が渡り鳥のように集まってきます。公園を抜けると農場地レーンに入り、舗装されていたとしても石の壁や未舗装の草道が中央にあります。 このライドにはMuroの街が含まれます。フランス人やイタリア人のサイクリストはそれが「壁」を意味することに気がつくでしょう。スペイン語でも同じ意味です。このフラットなライドではマヨルカの伝統的な砂壁だけがあります。今でも風車を利用した伝統的な生活様式を見ることができ、島で最も美味しいシラーズワインの生産地とも言われています。 キットグラベルやラフなロードをライドするためにデザインされた、バーバラサイクリングジャージ。七分袖とルーズフィットスタイルで、気温の高い走行中の温度調節を促します。 ジャージを見る ライドに関して比較的スムーズなグラベルは、いくつかの岩の多い場所がありますが、雨天時には泥地になります。１０段階評価のうち５のラフさです。 Stravaで見る ルート GPXをダウンロードする Please login or create an account to download file. レンタルバイクでライド身軽な旅でバイクをレンタルして。ニース と同様に弊社パートナーBikecampを通じてCervélo Aspéroバイクをレンタルし、島を探索することができます。ランドスケープを見ながら前進することに集中するタイプのツアーもあります。BIKECAMPを訪れる ストアパルマのPlaça del Rosariにあるマヨルカストアは、空港から車で15分、サ・クルーからバイクで40分です。カフェ・ドゥ・シクリステのフルコレクション、美味しいコーヒー、レース観賞ができる巨大スクリーン、ライドやレストランを紹介するフレンドリーなスタッフがお待ちしています。住所： Plaça del Rosarí 5, 07001, Palma マヨルカグラベル 乾いた石壁で覆われた細いロード、農場の道、古代ルート、岩の多いクライム。美しく幅広いマヨルカのGサイド。 インカトレイル 古代の街へと続くヒルで終わる、島の中心を走るループ。 ライドを見る シネウから山へ 孤立感を感じるシネウからトラムンタナ山脈へ。 ライドを見る グラベルルックブック マヨルカのラフなサイドのスナップショットやサイドビューを盛り込んだルックブックをインスピレーションに。 ルックブックを見る グラベルとは？ グラベルサイクリングについて答えることは、グラベルサイクリングがなぜ存在するかについて考えることです。そしてなぜ挑戦する価値があるかについて。 ラフな答え より多くのグラベル、より多くのマヨルカ？ マヨルカのラフなロードの虜になった方には、リヴィエラグラベルにも挑戦し、アルプ＝マリティームの人に知られていないロード探索をお勧めします。 リヴィエラ グラベル 滑らかな地表に変える時期。最高のロードサイクリングルートと隠れた宝石を紹介する島ガイド。 マヨルカライドガイド 海と空、爽やかな空気と深い青の間。フライングフィッシュバッジは、人に知られていないトラック走行のためのアイテムにあしらわれています。コレクションを見る

Col de Braus By All Roads One mountain, multiple choices. Riding the Col de Braus in December. Sometimes when faced with a black and white choice between two options, the best solution is to ignore the binary restraints of the question and take both.Spring or Autumn? Both. Single ring or double-crankset? Both. Day ride or night ride? Both.Col de Braus by gravel or road? Both.This is perhaps the mindset of the evergreen cyclist. There are 365 days in the year so things would quickly become monotonous if the same roads were ridden on the same bike day in day out. Variation and all that...As deep autumn becomes early winter, the weather changes its opinion every hour (at least in the back-country) and the days get shorter, having a certain adaptability plays to your advantage. Keeping your options open means you can keep riding and keep fit and keep on keeping on.Gravel is good when conditions are wet and / or windy. Routes forestières offer their canopies for shelter. And of course, in autumn those canopies are looking their multi-coloured best. The mountains are seemingly even more peaceful, with the crunch of knobbly tyres rolling over the stones below being the only audible noise.This is when the summer exploration and route finding pays off - you already know the loop from Sospel, up the Chemin de Paraïs to the Col de Braus and can focus on the job at hand rather than worrying about getting lost or being late for that daube de sanglier that's waiting on the stove.The loose switchbacks offer a fresh perspective, a sense of mini-adventure and at this time of year it's as if the only other life here is whatever wildlife is seeking heat and shelter in the undergrowth. The chemins also require not insignificant effort - just ask anyone who has climbed a col on the rough stuff. It has been argued that one hour on gravel equals three on the road.That is not to say the road is the easy option, of course. It's a question of how much coal you put on the fire. In late November that may depend on personal objectives. Are you thinking of L’Étape du Tour 2020? Intervals on the 10km climb of Braus from L’Escarène will form a good base.What is for sure is that, at this time of year, there is solitude to be found on the surfaced roads. The groups of touring motos, classic car rallies, and camping cars are gone, leaving the year-round cyclist almost completely alone. The 1,002m summit of the Col de Braus is the unofficial ceiling of cold season riding on the Côte d'Azur, but you can go higher if mother nature is on your side on the day you choose to take the smoother option.If legs and skies allow, the local secret is to take a left before the summit of Col de Braus. It's a 'link road' to the western side of the Col de Turini that ticks off another two cols - Ablé and Orme - for those who are counting the notches on their seatposts...The question when you get to the other side is whether a full Turini is possible. At 1,607m things can get icy up top at this time of year.Whatever your choice, what is sure is that the current season tends to be a time when most cyclists mix up their routine and their cycling disciplines, especially those who cannot or will not stay indoors on a home trainer.Despite its sunny reputation, autumn and winter riding in the Alpes-Maritimes is some of the most rewarding me-time you can get, on smooth roads or loose tracks. There is a reason it's referred to as a playground.Pick your option for some winter Riviera riding from the surfaced cols of Nos Montagnes à la Carte or the double tracks of Riviera Gravel.Or, of course, both.

Born To Ride – Les Citadelles Born To Ride is Chilkoot’s gold standard annual ‘big one’. Like a mini-TCR that traverses a smaller part of western Europe, the name tag speaks about its participants almost as much as their riding does. PCR Gravier members Simon and Arthur decided it was time to commit and test their ability to keep on keeping on. Last October Arthur and I we decided to join the famous Chilkoot Born To Ride Adventure. Entries sold like hot cakes and we didn't really take the time to consider if it was a good idea or collective suicide. We only knew that it was a solid but not insurmountable challenge, that the road would be beautiful, the views breathtaking and the sun would shine. Oh wait! 'Knock Knock Knock -Who’s there? -Me llamo Miguel, the storm! -Oh sh*t...” 1- THE NIGHT Everything starts at night time in the citadel of Montmedy. It's almost 10pm. Men, women and bikes are sharpened like never before and after several hours waiting in a cold wind, the start of this BTR is like a deliverance. We will finally be able put an end to this (too) long period of preparation and jusg ride - 1200 kilometres further south towards Ramatuelle, in 120 hours maximum. You do the math. The benefit of a group start is that there are a lot of wheels to help hide from the wind and also a lot of friends to chat with. So they told us. Kilometre 1 of 1327 'Flap Flap Flap Flap... - Simon, flat tire!” The adventure has begun. Our duo registration makes sense at this very moment. The different groups pass us and here we are, the two red lanterns of this BTR. Good thing we didn't plan to sleep tonight!We chase the entire field of other riders and find it intense and a little dreamlike as we ride through the night. Sunrise and the first bakery open in Chateauneuf. It looks like a war hospital full of broken riders who are already talking about quitting, sick of cycling after a 160km nightshift. At that point Arthur and I make a promise to each other : to keep the fun going whatever it takes. Like beavers, we will create a small dam against bad vibes and we will follow the fun flow until Ramatuelle! We stretch our legs and smile. A new day can begin.2- THE GREAT OUTDOORS According to Météo France, the event’s first twelve hours of daylight may be our only sunny day, so we're going to make the most of it. We ride long straight lines to make progress, despite the head wind and find ourselves in a pizza party with a group that includes the famous long distance fixie rider, Thierry Saint Léger. Post-pizza, the party splits into groups, maybe rated by speed of digestion. In the afternoon we are caught up by Elisabeth and some good riders for a prestigious ride to CP1 in Besançon via a fountain which helps wake up our legs. The riding is good. Kilometre 300 of 1327 “This croque-monsieur combo won't be refused!” Another party, this time a bar, this croque-monsieurs. Even if we love it, Arthur and I think this is not the time to chill. It’s 6pm and we depart towards Pontarlier through the best of what the Haut Doubs has to offer : liquid sunshine with some gravel tracks as a bonus. The concentration of fun begins to dilute as the fatigue builds, but as the gps announces 360km, we find ourselves quite happy with what is our longest stretch in the saddle ever. We made the most of the good weather and reward ourselves with a hotel room.3- THE RAIN Fresh as unwashed bibshorts after only 5 hours of sleep, we started the next stage with a daybreak bakery robbery. It’s a storm of croissants and pains au chocolat After leaving Pontarlier, we arrive in Switzerland via an amazing descent to discover that this country – at least at this time - is wet. So we equip ourselves: hood under the helmet, overshoes, leg warmers. It’s ‘no swag’ mode for the rain.... In fact, these outfits will be our party suits for the next 3 days. Wet is wet, you might as well just pedal. We make it to castle of Gruyère, aka the second checkpoint of this BTR. There are cars and tourist everywhere and it rains to death, so we mark our arrival as best we can with soaked selfies. Time to escape for peace and some warmth during the ascent of the Grand Saint Bernard pass……FALSE! Our friend Julien, who has just arrived at CP2, announces that the pass is closed and we’ll have to go around. Race organisers send an official message to confirm the situation.Kilometre 460 out of 1327 'Riding here without taking the col is like having a Playstation but without the games, it's useless...” An 8-metre-long kebab not far from the castle will clear our minds. We take the opportunity to dry a little and make an express map on Komoot towards Albertville along Lake Geneva. It’s the only logical option to bypass the big mountain passes but our adventure has just been extended by 150 km. It raises doubts about following ‘official advice’. We stay behind the bars until 3am. The last 20km of a 300km day are the longest, but with a lot of patience we finally reach Albertville. Happy but relatively toasted, we have to sleep a minimum to avoid exploding the next day. The alarm will ring at 7 o'clock, then we will go break into another bakery, before the mountain. We're also going to recruit a new riding partner.4- THE MEETING One of the well-known beauties of long-distance cycling are the random encounters with unknown riders. We’d exchanged some messages then some face to face chat with Julien between the start and CPs 1 and 2. It was clear we shared the same outlook on this crazy adventure so when we learned he’d been abandoned by his fellow traveller it was obvious what to do. We stopped, ordered our 32nd BTR coffee and all of a sudden two became three. Strength in numbers is good to get through the Maurienne Valley – it’s the gateway to a luxury playground for cyclists but the valley itself is so boring it would be boring to describe it….but at least we got to know Julien and set the goal for the day the CP3 aka La Sacra Di San Michele. This objective was confused by a new message from the race organization, with the same theme as before – bad weather means we should avoid CP3, group together as a peloton and keep to the valleys for warmer conditions. Arthur: 'Wait, didn't we come to do the BTR?” Julien: 'What does it say in front of us? Is the weather that bad?' Simon: 'Wait chief, I'm taking out my joker call to a friend!' I speak with Matthieu who is ahead on the road, “do as you wish... but if you come, be prepared because it's real sh*t up on Mont Cenis!”5- MIGUEL (the storm not Indurain…) 'F*ck it, let's go!” Our decision to go against the race organiser’s advice is almost immediately validated as crazy. A 5-star rain shower leads to a rock fall just outside Fourneaux. After that I started counting the seconds between the lightning flashes in the sky and the heavy rumble of thunder. Kilometre 800 out of 1327 The storm: 'Lightning, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6... Grumble!” Me: 'It's all right, guys, it’s far away, we’re at least 6 kilometers ahead!” The storm: 'Lightning, 1,... GRUUUUUMBLE! : Me: 'Ok then! Maybe we're a bit closer after all!” . We decide to take a shelter for 10 minutes, to eat an energy bar and give this storm the time to get a few lengths ahead. It seems our plan has worked as we hit the ascent of Mont-Cenis. Nothing really insurmountable after all! The climb is hard, yes, but with a lot of music and peanuts, I tell you that you can climb anything. As we approach the summit, we felt like we have won a small battle against Mother Nature.Wrong. The storm was waiting for us quietly on the other side of the mountain. Wind from hell, fog reducing visibility to 2 metres, below freezing temperatures and as a bonus, a very solid hail. What followed were the worst 30km of our cycling lives. We shiver and tense as we have to brake continuously for almost the entire descent down the road that resembles a river. Finally we start to regain 1°C here and then another one there as the elevation drops. We're warming up physically but mentally that was a tough one. One thing is sure, in the first town, we're going to take a hotel. Susa, Italy. First street on the right, there is a 3-star hotel. Perfect. We hug each other, happy to be alive, as François Paoletti and Sylvain Renouf arrive behind us. Almost identical experiences led to almost identical planning between the five of us. In the end, it leads to a perfect evening: a life-saving shower and a big beer-pizza combo whilst recounting to each other all our misadventures of the day. We've rarely felt so alive! The next morning, everything is softer. We will ride dry and at a good pace (thanks to the 'Paolletti express') to the most beautiful of abbeys: La Sacra Si San Michele to check CP3. We take a souvenir photo and a 5-star Italian breakfast next to the Abbey! But let’s not lie to each other; after 860 km by bike, most food is delicious.6- THE MUD The last checkpoint is located at Château Queyras, in the Guil valley which is located on the other side of the Col d’Izoard. The day before, during the storm, we receive another official message from the race organizer to say the Valley is blocked by five mudslides and therefore CP4 is closed, with its four volunteers stranded until authorities clear the road. However, from our view the sky is clear and we’re told that the locals are working hard to shift the mud. It would be a shame to pass so close to the last checkpoint without checking it. Time to call Matthieu again…. 'It's ok! Get over here and stamp this last f*cking checkpoint! There won't be many to check this one...' It was the motivation we needed to go where others wouldn’t. We finish the climb to Montgenèvre with the famous tunnel, bomb down to Briançon before turning left to Guillestre towards our mud bath. Despite being painted brown from head to toe we make it to CP4. Heavy rain combined with mudslides = a complete mudbath. We are three shades of brown but we still managed to laugh about it as the joke per kilometre ratio was maintained. Because there was only one other option : crying. Kilometre 1000 out of 1327 Arriving at CP4, we saw a competitor arriving in the opposite direction. He looks all clean, so we ask him where he's coming from. He turns around and points behind him to the col Agnel and says: 'I went through the col da-da-gnélo I don't know what’s the name! I got cold up there!” We laugh and admire him in equal measure – long distance audaciousness is all relative. We check in at Chateau Queyras, then finish the armagnac flask to warm up the bodies before a muddy descent to the Serre-Ponçon lake for a last short recovery position around midnight. One day to go.7- FINISHING Four hours of sleep. It's raining outside. We’re trying to finish within the 120hr race time. We’re daunted and excited at the prospect of the final day. Matthieu, François and Sylvain were waiting for us in Sisteron so we can ride to the finish together in style, but we will be too late for that. All the efforts of the past days and kilometres begin to take their toll. I am running on empty just two kilometers after breakfast: no more juice, nothing left and creeping doubts. Fortunately Julien ushers me with finesse to the café: Kilometre 1132 out of 1327 'Ahaha, you look like sh*t dude! Come on, let’s kill some croissants and coffees!” 30 minutes later, with the bags full of food we left, and rode into a full summer afternoon. Short sleeves, blue sky. Everything is great. Except maybe for Arthur. His knee hurts like hell but with 100km to go, there's no way he’ll quit. He grits his teeth all the way to Vidauban for BTR coffee #126 before the final push, on the most beautiful roads of the Haut-Var, towards the sunset. As all roads lead to the Ramatuelle for the last stamp to finish this BTR 2019 with a full Brevet card – we are three of only 35 riders to tick off every CP. Now for beers and a beach bivouac with our fellow riders in the pleasurable climate of the south coast. Kilometre 1327 out of 1327 'The ultimate finish. Cheers!” Distance : 1327 km Elevation : 13276 D+ Elapsed Time : 4 days, 22 hours, 7 minutes

グラベルサイクリングとは？ グラベルコレクションが広がるにつれ、聞くべき質問ではありますが、簡単には答えられません。敢えて言うならば、グラベルサイクリングの定義は非常に広いのです。グラベルとは全てのライダーが求めるものであり、ライダーの希望によって決めることもできます。グラベルライドは世界を領域とするフライングフィッシュのようなものです。グラベルサイクリングは、オフロードでありオンロードです。世界中の離れた場所へと現実逃避できる、冒険心溢れるオフロードであり、身近な場所から始められるオンロードでもあります。オフロードへと移動し、セクターを繋げ、短い走行時間内もしくは数日かけたツアーで距離を達成するものです。グラベルは全てのロードが含まれます。トリノ〜ニース・ラリーをご参照ください。グラベルサイクリングはダブルトラックであり、シングルトラックです。言い換えれば、バイク、タイヤ、運転技術が許す限りが含まれるということです。肉体的努力に加え、新しいロード表面に対応し続ける必要があります。グラインデューロをご参照ください。ライドでありながらライドでないグラベルサイクリング。「ハイク・ア・バイク」と呼ばれる、バイクを肩に担いで歩く道のりもあります。グラベルの原理は、より遠くへ向かうことです。まさに、聖杯を求めて進むようなものです。グラベルサイクリングはレースでありレースではありません。ライダーの背景、目的、必要性によっては、フリーフォレストトラックや山々に潜む古いロードを1日で巡る激しいレースもあります。基本的に個人の選択次第です。ダーティー・カンザ またはトリノ〜ニース・ラリーをご参照ください。グラベルサイクリングは古いバイクと新しいバイクが混在します。シクロクロス、耐久性のあるMTB、ニューエイジの最低5,000ユーロはする、カーボン製ライトウェイト完結型マシーンなど。予算によって幅は無限に広がります。グラベルは、新しいバイクを買う最高の理由と言えるでしょう。Rémiによるカスタムメイドのヴィクトワール・サイクルをご参照ください。グラベルサイクリングでは、タイヤの太さは無限にあります。ロードタイヤ基準は太さを増しましたが、グラベルタイヤは今でも基準を模索中です。おそらく決定されることはないでしょう。かつて、「太いタイヤが嬉しくて仕方ない」と言ったライダーがいました。ロードタイヤより太く、それがライドの質に直接影響することは間違いありません。ベネディクト・キャンベルをご参照ください。グラベルサイクリングは、まず楽しく、どうやっても楽しいことは間違いないでしょう。線路横のシングルトラックを速いスピード走り、橋の前の急な降下に驚くような走行です。もしくは、バイクを肩に担いで山頂に登った後はローマ時代の岩場を急降下し、歯が音を立て腕が震えるようなライド。アドレナリンに満ちた体験ができるでしょう。詳しくは、アーバン・ディクショナリーをご参照ください。グラベルサイクリングはどこにでもありそうでどこにもありません。それは仕事へ向かうアイスランドの普通の道であり、スコットランドの森の道であり、アルプ＝マリティームのミリタリーロードであり、かつて密輸業者が利用した国境をまたぐピレネー山脈の道です。探せばどこにでもあり、その瞬間に夢中になってもいいし、想像の世界を広げても良いのです。探す相手は自分です。自由、冒険、多様性、自分で選んだスタイルのグラベル。グラベルライドは捉えどころがなく、精神の在り方であると言えるでしょう。 グラベルライドのスタイルに関わらず、グラベルコレクションは全てのライダーに相応しいでしょう。

Sainte Victoire Super Camper Manivelle.cc & @sims_teuteul arrive home after a season of traversing Europe, fixing cameras on Tour de France bikes and general cycling flânerie and do what comes naturally : find another form of adventureSummer was rich. Crossing Europe twice on the Born to Ride and the Transcontinental Race, after all the necessary training, the kilometers have marched as fast as the forests, the mountains, the borders and all the those in-the-saddle moments that flash by to become core memories after the fact.A welcoming bar, a bakery, a village square, a ridge in the middle of the mountains. All these pleasures present themselves during a long distance race, but the constant need to keep on keeping on means you can’t hang around.With the end of the season, and the return a la maison, it was time to revert to a shorter form of adventure. Eyes off the clock, watch the sun go down and be still for long enough to see it rise again in the same spot.Midday, Blancarde station, Marseille. Three of us converge. Lucie, Simon and Matthieu.The route is already defined: 50% back roads, 50% forest roads. The ultimate destination is the beginning of the ridgeline of the Montagne Sainte Victoire – the massive rocky outcrop that dominates the view north as you approach Aix-en-Provence. The hope is to find a camp spot with a 360° panorama from the Luberon ridge to the Garlaban ridge.A climb, a break. Round a few more corners, a cereal bar. Three rocks, a debriefing. A village, a bar. This is our rhythm, accompanied by giant views, sun, a reservoir, then two donkeys who will follow us to the bivouac area and become our over-night neighbours.Once camp is set it’s time to be still and listen to what surrounds us. A full moon rises and the story-telling begins, each of us sharing anecdotes from the summer's adventures between two mouthfuls of beer. Or freshly picked herbal tea.The donkeys are still there and I wonder if it is to watch us or if they plot revenge after understanding that we were eating Corsican sausage that Lucie had just brought back from the island.The next day? Just like the day before, start with a smooth return on small back roads before cutting through the mountains on the gravel chemins. It's cafés and coasting with the wind the whole way home.We take a quick beer before the return to daily life but not before making a pact with each other to plan the next escape, a short micro-adventure designed solely to better enjoy what surrounds us. Photography: Manivelle.cc

Northcape 4000 Earlier this year Sophie Gateau joined the DUE SOUTH adventure from Nice to Mallorca as the ‘stagiaire’ of a long distance trio. Two months later, as if to prove her qualification as a fully accomplished Audax rider, she decided to take on one of the longest events in Europe – the Northcape 4000. It all started with a story of mutts. A fear of the stray dogs of the Balkans, those same ones who bite the calves of cyclists who dare pass in front of their muzzle, made my decision to register for the Northcape 4000 and not the TCR. A self-sufficient adventure of 4500 kilometers connecting Torino in Italy to North Cape in Norway following a fixed route. By choosing this event, my ferocious beasts will be reindeers not wild canines.July 27, 08.00, Torino. We are 141 cyclists ready to rumble, a motley mix of long distance experts and newbies like me and my friend Myriam. An untimely puncture 100 meters after the start and we will hardly see anyone again. The leaders of the race will ride nearly 400 kilometers per day. We on the other hand will stick to a more modest 200. Our humble goal is merely to reach the end.The first 2000 kilometers are quietly conquered, spread out between Italy and Denmark with two mandatory checkpoints : Strasbourg in France and Bastogne in Belgium. The highlight of these festivities : an epic arrival at the top of the Great St. Bernard Pass by having to walk the last 20 meters because the wind is too strong to stay on the bike; the subsequent descent into the clouds; the crossing of the Jura mountains by a pass so busy that it deserves to be forgotten ; and the rugged and beautiful course of the classic Ardennes Liège-Bastogne-Liège, also known as 'The Green Hell'. Adding a Classic as a short interlude in the whole parcours helps give a sense of perspective of this challenge. It’s longer than most.Landscapes change quickly. The hills disappear, leaving the flat fields open to the advances of the West wind. Dutch brick houses, their flower gardens, their lawns mowed with precision, then to the endless German and Danish agricultural plains where wild animals frolic. In Denmark, villages stuck between fields of Christmas trees and low lands of cereal crops, are fewer and fewer and smaller and smaller, with a constant: there is often nowhere to get food, but always a hairdresser. It’s all about priorities.The routine of the ride is now firmly installed. To ride, to find a coffee, to ride, to find something to eat, to ride, to look for a place to sleep. Simple. The big winner for a night’s sleep is the sandbox under the pirate ship in a children's playground: a four star ranking in the guide to the best roadside bivouac locations. This routine is set to repeat. 10 days in a row. August 7, 18:30, Oslo. Crossing the Skagerrak Strait allows us to rest for 9 hours. Myriam decided to stop there, whilstI continue solo. More than half of the participants have already scratched. Buck up old chum! I hit the road right away becauseI know that if I spend the night in the city, the departure will be harder. Here is my adventure! I do not know what to expect except the certainty that the weather will deteriorate and the distances between the villages will drastically lengthen. To ride alone does not frighten me, rather the opposite. The time, distance and fatigue will be now be managed in my own way.The unknown. Scandinavia is a new playground whose rules I do not yet know. Having not taken a tent, but only a bivvy bag, places to camp become difficult to find. With the cold and humidity that has settled, this is another strategy to set. An attempt to sleep on the side of a Swedish lake infested with mosquitos proves quite catastrophic. On the positive side, it provided the nicest and improbable meeting with Marine, a Parisian hiker on vacation who took pity on my forlorn soaked state and fed me a warm meal. And she promised to follow my journey to the end by dot-watching on the tracking site. Motivation levels were reset to 1000!After a quick traverse across Norway(such is the length of this event), I enter Sweden, which is a different story entirely. The crossing of the country is nearly 900 kilometres long. Wild nature, fir and birch forests, colourful wooden houses and pink, mauve, white and yellow flowers that grow randomly along the road ... I got the impression I was riding through the set of a film by Ingmar Bergman. I meet my first reindeer. They don’t bite.Villages are a scarce commodity. No more on-the-road improvisation. I must now plan from one day to another where to find food and sleep because the food supplies are sometimes spaced more than 100 km from each other (options vary from gas stations, coffee shops, a hot dog stand and liquorice candy supplier, a fishing tackle merchant). The region is full of campsites, most often cute little wooden cabins with all the modern comforts, that is to say, a heater which is immediately transformed into a dryer for rain soaked kit, and a kettle. They will be my godsend. It takes little to be happy.Back in Norway, the beauty of the landscape, the respect of the drivers towards the cyclists and the many messages of encouragement that my buddies send me re-motivate me. Too much euphoria, and my first mistake of the day. I aim for a long day and a sleepless night to catch the first ferry 300 kilometres away, in the early morning. But it's been 17 days on the road. At 23:00, exhausted, I stopped and settle in a bus shelter. To avoid getting out all the bivouac equipment, I give it a try with only my bivvy bag and a survival blanket despite the cold night. Spoiler alert: it does not work at all. I leave at 3 o'clock in the morning, it is already daylight. I have hardly slept, but I tell myself that the boat will give me the opportunity.Second mistake, I failed to study the map properly. Yes, there are only a hundred kilometres left, but with a mountain in the middle. An icy rain comes in a deluge during the ascent, there is no shelter. In the middle of this misery, a magic moment, an elk emerges from the fog in front of me. Even so, I start falling asleep on my bike. Although I wear all the clothes I have, I'm frozen and my feet and hands are soaked. Desperate times call for desperate measures, I take a nap of 10 minutes in the rain that turned into Norwegian drizzle and then wrap my survival blanket under my waterproof jacket for the remaining kilometres. A silver, gold and yellow armour that will get me to Bodø harbour. I arrive at my destination around 13:00, book a hotel and go directly to bed. The boat can wait half a day.The next morning I land on the Lofoten Islands, just before the start of the Artic Race of Norway, the UCI Continental race for pros. Roads are blocked, except for bikes, and roadside supporters are wondering what I'm doing there, two hours before the peloton. The landscapes are breathtaking, the vegetation is luxuriant, the fishing villages are traditional, the sun is back and all seems promising for the last 1000 kilometres that lay ahead. I pass through the Troms area, even more majestic than the Lofoten, with its spectacular fjords surrounded by snow-capped peaks. Reindeers are more and more numerous, gray wagtails swirl in front of my wheel, the roads are empty, the pleasure of riding a bike is concentrated in these few moments.The end of the adventure approaches, I enter the austere region of Finnmark and its arid tundra of stones, moss and small crooked trees. The only people I meet are the employees of the few gas stations and some cyclo-tourists: our roads all converge on the North Cape, a symbolic magnet. The last of the countless tunnels crossed is in front of me, this one is out of the ordinary : 7 kilometres dug under the sea, in the obscurity, with a descent followed by a 9% climb out to reach the island of Magerøya. I feel as if I am entering the darkness. The temperature dropped by 15 degrees Celsius in 5 minutes and the water flowing on the interior walls is frozen. Let's get out of there as soon as possible. After a short night in Honningsvåg, the northernmost city in the world, I leave at dawn to enjoy the last 30 kilometres alone. The journey is crazy, the harsh landscape is hilly, the wind is icy and clouds rise along the cliffs. Emotion grips me as I see the North Cape building in the distance. It's August 21st, the sun is rising, and I just reached the end of Europe. Torino - North Cape : 4631 km / 40754 D+ / D24 H22 M42

THIS IS FURTHER It’s 6pm on Mont Fourcat, some 2,001m above sea level. (That 1m counts just as much, if not more than the 2,000 before it.) Camille McMillan is clad in white linen, as if to stand out like a beacon against the hues of green, brown and grey that make up the surrounding Pyrenean landscape. Founder and race director, Camille, is literally standing out on the edge of the mountain, looking for the first riders to approach the only checkpoint of the race, where they must meet and greet him in order to advance to the next obligatory sector. They are some three hours behind the anticipated schedule.The first rider, illustrator Tim O’Rourke, is spotted as the bike on his back catches the sun that has been burning bright all day. He moves for another ten seconds then sits down exhausted. He’s been hiking that bike for an hour already and although he’s within sight and only a mere kilometre and a half away from the summit, it will take him another hour to actually get there. This…. is Further.Seven months ago Camille started the process of building a new race. The parcours, its shape, its diversity of surfaces and routes, the twelve obligatory sectors to be completed, all became an obsession. Seven hours ago, the carefully selected group of riders competing in the race’s first edition ran across a field in the plains below the mountains in a Le Mans style start : tipping the hat to the petrolhead endurance events that take place further north. Those riders did not know the parcours like Camille, but that was part of the appeal. A race to take you to places, physically and mentally, that you had never been before, beyond what is available in the ultra-endurance calendar but in a localized loop rather than the more popular point to point format. Comparisons to the infamous Berkley marathons were made in jest, fear or maybe knowledge. No-one was quite sure.Back on Mont Fourcat, having spotted three dots below (both with eyes and the race GPS trackers) Camille took his place beside the IGN stone and traditional cairn that marked the highest point. For such a slow-moving part of the race it was providing incredible tension, culminating with two riders appearing over the horizon from different directions. Lissen Hockings, competing in her first bike-packing race, came from the west, whilst Tim had continued his battle up a section of the north face which Camille had declared impossible just one hour previously. Already, riders were pushing Further….. And arriving together created a mise-en-scène in a race where both sexes were competing against each other on equal footing. Because, well, this is Further.Emma Pooley, former Olympian and multi-discipline World Champion, and Angus Young were third and fourth to arrive at the checkpoint. Emma, also in her first mixed surface bike event, was comparatively fresh whilst Angus was sick and suffering badly. He and Josh Ibbett had been simultaneously vomiting due to heat stroke earlier in the afternoon. Josh had scratched whilst Angus forged on, dropping his saddle bag off his bike in order to make it to the top. This forced him to retrace his steps down the north side of Mont Fourcat and take a different route around to the next sector which started after traversing the Pont du Diable – the Devil’s Bridge.With riders stretched out all over the course, before and after the checkpoint, Camille stayed alone on the summit until dusk. It was forbidden to ride above the tree line after night fall on this particular part of the parcours. On the descent from the summit, he passed Ingeborg Dybdal Øie as she made her way into the rocky mountain refuge beside the shepherd’s hut. Having realized she wasn’t going much further on day one, she’d left her bike a few hundred metres down the mountain slopes to search a place to sleep. Camille nervously asked her if she hated him. The response was luke warm. She has a high-powered job in Cambridge, but no matter how eloquently she might recount this experience in the board room or next to the coffee machine, not many would understand. She’d made it further than the second half of the field and could make the Checkpoint at sunrise the next day to keep the chase on.Whilst Ingeborg and the others were sleeping in their various shelters and bivvy bags, the race for the win was forming. Emma and Angus were the two riders who pushed through the night through the next part of the parcours. Sector 4 was a gravel climb through forests leading to the next sector, a classic road climb up the Col du Port. It is testament to the brutality of the race that a 17km climb that has featured ten times in the Tour de France is almost regarded as a liaison between the real tests of the race. And the next pinnacle (pun intended) of the Further parcours lay just due south of the Col du Port – the Port du Rat and into Andorra. It was ‘only’ the sixth sector out of twelve but it turned into the critical point of the race for most riders.There are only two paved roads in and out of Andorra. Needless to say, the race went the other way. The Port du Rat is 2,540m high, and according to the race director the top section of the sector, “maybe more brutal than Fourcat”…. The French and Andorran governments had agreed to bore a tunnel through the mountain here, but the mountains obviously kicked back because there is no tunnel. There is just a rocky trail through the scree slope and over the top (after you’ve ridden the 20km climb of tarmac and gravel up the valley). Taking the race where other vehicles can’t go, this was the second punch-in-the-face reminder that this is not just a bike race. It’s hike-a-bike ultra-endurance. And once you reach the other side the only way out is more of the same or a very long ride around the mountains back home. Many riders realized this and the prospect was too daunting. They scratched and made the long ride back to base at Zero Neuf where individual racers melted back into the community of supporters and friends. Camping out beside the farmhouse, telling tales, watching the remaining dots and speculating about who would win.Meanwhile, Emma chased Angus up the valley and passed him near the top, with both of them making it into Andorra by early afternoon. This was important strategically as it enabled them to traverse the principality and get into Spain before nightfall, when border crossing was banned by the rules of the race. And for good reason. On the Spanish side the dirt track that was sector 7 lead to the village of Tor, famous for having 13 houses and 3 murders in recent years due to tobacco smuggling. But Emma and Angus were pushing on and crossed the border well before the police and customs officers would be investigating anyone moving on the mountain. Which meant the next move was to be the first to make it over the Port d’Aula back into France.That would be no easy task. Sector 8 was a luxury, in relative terms, being a surfaced road. However, it took the riders as deep as it is possible to go into the Pyrenees. The sector ended at the bottom of an almost vertical kilometer of mountain leading up to the Port d’Aula. It wasn’t an obligatory sector however the next one, Sector 9, started at the top. So the only other option was to take the 160km of paved roads around the mountain and climb up to come down. Which doesn’t really seem like a viable option given what has already passed before. In the early evening, Emma messaged Camille via WhatsApp to ask if there was an option to sleep at the top. This is self-supported racing. Camille refused to answer feeling that any advice he gave would influence her decision and effect the outcome of the race.Two riders, two days deep into one of the toughest races of their lives, playing cat and mouse up a wall of mountain in the middle of the night. Angus didn’t stop. To watch the replay of his tracker is to see a 5 hour slog up the steep slopes towards the summit. Emma made a different choice. She bedded down around 10:30pm then woke at 3am and zipped up like a mountain goat, passing Angus to reach the top by sunrise. It’s an extreme way to get a great Instagram photo. She was in her element, her next message to Camille declaring the Port d’Aula to be one of the most beautiful places she’s ever been on a bike. Camille got out of bed at 3am to drive down and greet the leaders on their return to civilization in Pont de la Taule. Emma was seemingly on a high of endorphins and in the zone. Angus, who followed a few hours after was running on empty. The sickness of the first day and all-night hike had taken their toll.To say Emma's ride to the finish was easy would be a sweeping understatement. But she made it look that way. There was more tarmac on the run for home but there was also sector 11's ascension of the 'Wall of Peguère', then a mix of gravel and tarmac through the forests to the Prat d'Albi and a final gravel section that went, ahem, Further that it maybe needed to. 'Damn you Camille', were Emma's exact words. In her wake were six other riders. Racers, yes, but more in a personal battle against the mountains, the map, the mental questions of why they should push on any more. Angus had gone so deep it was a crawl to second place. Behind him Mathieu Davy had silently gone about conquering the course, Philppa Battaye rode the whole thing with a smile, whilst the the only pairing to finish - Daniel Peat / Maurice van Roosmalenmet - were still encountering actual smugglers on the Port du Rat, proving that this race was traversing the most remote places of the Pyrenees, on foot. The podium presentation, prize giving, and television interviews didn’t take very long. Probably because they didn’t exist. Instead there were the hugs and the smiles and the almost-tangible respect from the riders who scratched, the beers from friends. There was the BBQ and the late night party, illuminated by the mayflies putting on a performance beside the light. Mayflies have a short life, but the seemingly live it intensely. Which seems to be a fitting comparison for those that went Further. For those who weren't 'dot-watching' during the event, you can click on the 'Replay' button on the map below and see how the each of the protagonists went Further and how Emma and Angus exchanged the lead many times.

ありがとう 2018年9月、4名の友人同士が何を期待すれば良いのかも分からないまま、バイクでの日本横断を決意しました。この冒険が生み出したのは「ありがとう」。大阪から東京まで、悪名高い日本最標高にある道路乗鞍岳を越えて行く様子を記録したショートフィルムです。バイクパッキングに比較的慣れている私たちによっては、知らない土地での困難な状況に直面することには対応できます。日本は想像を遥かに超えた驚きがありました。この旅を表現する言葉を選ぶとすれば、暑さ、湿気と雨、友好的、急勾配、便利、美味、穏やかさ、でしょうか。台風が来た時を除けば、ですが。ランドスケープを調査した際に、大阪から東京までの知られていないロード、特に２大都市間の大きな迂回であった乗鞍岳をバイクで超えていくことに関するデータがあまり得られなかったため、映像に記録することにしました。数人の友人同士が現地の言語や動植物、ランドスケープの知識もなくバイクで国を横断し、経過を楽しむ様子を記録し、人々に伝えるのに最適な方法だと思いました。理想としては、慣れた土地を離れ世界の美しい場所を発見するインスピレーションとなればと思っています。撮影にはSony RX100 MK3、Mavic Air Drone、Goproを使用しました。持ち運び可能なカメラのゴールデントライアングルと言えるこの3点を使うことにより、素晴らしい結果を生み出すことができます。ソニーのカメラは防水100%テクニカルバッグに収納し、ドローンはドライバッグと Rando バッグラージサイズを使用。GoproはJosephもしくはJonのハンドルバーに常時取り付けました。全ての機器は200マイルにわたる4週末をかけてテストを行い、機器選択が正しいか、変更する必要がるかどうかを確かめました。全員カフェ・ドゥ・シクリステのマティルドビブショーツを着用し、Nathanはビブと合うフルーレットを選びました。サイクリングキャップ も素晴らしく、Nathanと私は着用頻度が低めですが、JonとJoeはサーディンキャップが大のお気に入りでした。私は速乾性に優れ、蒸し暑いクライム走行と川にも対応可能なマリーナ メリノウールジャージを選び、Joeはモニークを、Jonはビブと合うマティルド ビブショーツを着用、 Nathanはビブと合うフルーレットを選びました。サイクリングキャップ も素晴らしく、Nathanと私は着用頻度が低めですが、JonとJoeはサーディンキャップが大のお気に入りでした。 バッグに関しては、 Restrap の防水性と軽量性に優れたCarry Everythingコレクションを選択し、厳しい走行でも快適さを保ちました。NathanはRandoバッグラージサイズとand Pelago フロントラックを生産前に試用することを希望しました。これ以上話すとフィルムを観る必要がなくなってしまうので言いませんが、１つ言えるのは、美しい国にいつか再び戻り新しい場所を発見しに行くことは間違いないでしょう。我々が製作したものを楽しんでくれることを願い、見知らぬ土地で冒険したいという気持ちが高まることを期待しています。文： Alex Dyson写真: Alex Dyson、 Jon Hicken このストーリーをシェアしてくれたRestrap に深い感謝の意を表します。

MORVAN – パラダイスの一角 ホームタウンGravierよりもパリからさらに遠い2 番目のオプションであるMorvanをPCR GravierのJulien SommierとSteel Cycle Coffee Shopが紹介してくれました。Morvanは、時が止まったかのようなパラダイスの一角です フランス西方にあるMorvan地域自然公園は、マウンテンバイクで知られています。1990年代に、400キロ以上にわたる森と湖を抜けるダブルとシングルトラックで構成されたGrande Traversée du Morvan（GTM）が建設されました。コースは非常に優れており、フランスサイクリング連盟によって認可されました。マウンテンバイクを念頭に置いて作られたコースですが、より大きなタイヤと多少の整備をすれば、グラベル バイクにも理想的なルートだと言えるでしょう。フランスでクランポンと呼ばれる滑り止めを着け、GPSにマップを設定して、楽しんでください！パリの南からディジョン3時間の旅になるため、車でスタート地点に行きキャンプをし、翌朝早く出発しました。早寝、早切りとでも言うのでしょうか。バイクを担いで歩く場所はなく、比較的スムーズなコースですが、テクニカルな箇所が多くあります。水分補強が非常に大切なコースでもあり、水を補充できる場所はありますが、村はほとんどないルートです。それが長所とも言えると思います。 Settons湖にはペダルボート、カヌー、バイクレンタルがあり、レジャーセンターのような楽しさがあります。バイク洗浄場もあります。自然の状態に近い湖もあります。ルートを外れて山頂からの絶景を楽しむことができるMont Beuvrayを登ってみてください。グレートクロッシングを終え、天候が良ければキャンプに戻り夕日が沈む間泳ぐことができると最高です。

ホームタウンGRAVIER ホームタウン：出生地、幼少期を過ごした場所、または現在の定住地。 フランス国境で語り継がれるひねりのあるストーリーの数々に関わらず、PCR Gravierは地平線に山の影１つ無いアスファルトの上、間違いなくパリで生まれました。 ロードバイクの中心地であり、ツールドフランス（Tour de France）の発祥地である場所に住みながら、太いタイヤと冒険を避けることは不可能でしょう。 We click West ! 西へ！現地での探検。 夏が到来し、ホームタウン周辺を走行するのは8月に行う予定のスロベニアへの旅へと向けて調整するのに最適だと言えます。問題は、「バイク走行の幸福度」は走行中に遭遇する車の数と工業地域によるということです。結果、西へ向かうことにしました。 パリの西部はヴェルサイユと近接していることもあり、工業地域が少なく、美しい家々が立ち並ぶのではないかと考えています。 実際には風に理由があります。パリでは主に西から東へと風が吹きます。その結果、西方は産業煙による汚染が最も少なく、街から逃げ出し楽しむ目的地としては最適です。「パリを出るのは賛成、でも方法は選んで！」 rue Crozatierで朝9時にパリを横断するために待ち合わせ、 リヴォリ通りを介し「フランスらしい」 エトワール凱旋門を通ります。現地の人々がエイリアンを眺めるかのように我々の太いタイヤを眺めた「ハムスタークラブ」と呼ばれるロンシャン競馬場を通り、美しいPasserelle de l'Avreを介してセーヌ川を渡り、ヴェルサイユへと向かいます。ここで遂に文明とお別れです。グラベルトラックと小さな森のロードとの間には、Chevreuse Valley へと続く数キロのl’Aqueduc de Bucがあります。スロベニアに持っていくバイクを使用中ですが、フレームに取り付ける10キロの荷物無しだといかに速く感じるかに驚愕しています。Bièvresでは、パリへ戻る前の最後の自然豊かな場所であるSaclayの平野とVerrièreの森へと出発する前にカフェイン入りのラビトがお勧めです。エッフェル塔がナビゲーターの代わりとなります。100キロのバイク訓練の後は、太陽が降り注ぐセリーヌ川岸での冷たいビールが最高です。スロベニア旅の準備はまだまだですが、1キロ以内に撮った写真の数は記録的です。心配はありません、全ては夏が解決してくれるでしょう。

The Transcontinental Race No7 The Transcontinental Race is a magical mountain. A mountain littered with traps which require riders to combine their physical prowess with a sense of cunning; of strategy, and calculated actions to avoid the pitfalls laid down by the organisers all along the route. This year, the traps were numerous.No5, No6 and now No7. This time around it was longer than ever before; my final distance covered would reach 4158 km. The metres climbed figure was eyewatering, especially along the pieces of compulsory route. Longer, harder and more perilous than ever. Something notable from this year’s route was the amount of “Hike a bike” sections. It provoked much debate during and after the race and whilst there are arguments for and against it, the one thing that is undeniable is that it adds yet another mental hurdle to overcome – riders pushing their bikes up interminable walls; it’s a stark reminder of nature’s power.You can’t pre-order weather. I can’t remember a single day without a headwind, without storms, without rain or intense heat. Sometimes, we’d have all the elements at once. Just one more thing the riders had to overcome.Everything changes In the previous editions we’ve always started in Belgium and headed into the unknown. The multitude of routes available and the night “départ” meant each rider quickly found themselves alone facing their destiny. This year was very different.Starting from the unknown, heading towards Brest, in France. A giant “diagonale” joining the Black Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. The daytime start was new, as were the long sections of compulsory routing which reduced every rider's options considerably. This meant that up until about CP3 in Austria we formed a sort of giant peloton, spread across the Balkans then into Tyrol where it became very common to bump into other competitors. Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Italy and back into Austria. The summits and the borders passed by like episodes in a good TV series. This left only Switzerland before we made our final border crossing into France, where, according to the frequent radio bulletins, a big storm awaited us…Riding these events, my default setting from the first few kilometres is one of solitude and introspection – I ride fully aware that a couple of weeks of soul searching lay ahead. This year, the fact that we had to follow a more set route, meant that there were more opportunities to meet fellow riders and forge new friendships, as well sharing in some unforgettable experiences. Whether it was stopping on a Bulgarian summit; bivouacking in Serbia; an Italian pizzeria; a French service station; a terrifying storm in the middle of a Slovenian forest; or the climb up the Col du Galibier in the middle of the night; each experience was made all the more poignant knowing that I was sharing it with my fellow riders.Everything went well, except… All four check points complete within the time limits, I embarked upon the final section. A long diagonal stretch from the Alps all the way to Brest. If I’d managed to defeat the weather in the Balkans and in the high mountains, it was a very strong headwind, sprinkled with rain, that would wear me down over the next four days. I’d only planned for three. When coming up against the wind there are two options. Either you have the required athletic ability to overcome it, or you grit your teeth and grind it out. I grit my teeth, and lost time.Riding into the wind for days on end felt like coming up against a ghost who’s trying to rugby tackle me, hour after hour, day after day. It wore me down. Physically, mentally, emotionally…Seeing my goal slip away by only a few hours, defeated by some invisible opponent. It hurt a lot, and it somehow felt like I’d been there before. But ultimately, it didn’t beat me: 16 days, 14 hours and 10 minutes. Brest. Friends, a shower of beers, hugs, cries of joy. A joyous finish. I wanted to finish twenty-four hours earlier, but who cares? The Transcontinental is a magical mountain, full of happiness and misfortune in equal measure. But like nature, the TCR always has the last word. I owe it to myself to do my best, but beyond that it’s important to accept the outcome and take from it all the memories and moments it has given me.I’ve always liked this word, “trilogie”. It has an air of fantasy. An epic journey. With all its twists and turns, and heroic protagonists, there is a side to the TCR which is more Star Wars than bike race. But there it is – the trilogy is complete.From the heartbreak of 2017 in the High Tatras, Slovakia, to the tears on Mangart Sedlo, Slovenia, in 2018, all the way onto this year’s wind on the flat plains of central France, each edition will remain etched into my memory forever. Without doubt TCR has given me some of the most thrilling memories in my cycling life.

雲の上 – 富士山のBサイド 富士山のクライム走行をする企画が持ち上がり、数え切れないほど経験したことがあるにも関わらず、日本一高い山に登ることへの興奮が高まってきました。舗装された道路としては、乗鞍岳が日本で最高地点ですが、富士山が最もアイコニックなクライムと言えるでしょう。富士ヒルクライムレースには、毎年世界中からライダーが集まります。富士ヒルクライムレースのメインルートは、山の麓から5合地点まで続く富士スバルラインです。富士山北東にある南アルプスが一望でき、ツーリストにも人気がある場所です。富士スバルラインは富士山の神秘的な壮大さを感じるのには最適な場所とは言い難く、東京を拠点とするサイクリスト達にアドバイスを求めました。彼らは、走行にドラマを加えるグラベルロードを含む、あまり知られていないいくつかのルートを教えてくれました。 東京から富士山はそれほど遠くありません。都内の出発地点にもよりますが、富士駅は100キロほど離れた場所にあります。多くの東京ライダー達は、一日かけて道のりを走行します。トラックを借りて、山の近くのコンビニをスタート地点とすることにしました。日本ではあらゆる場所にあるコンビニで待ち合わせをすることは珍しくありません。郊外や田舎にもコンビニはあり、食べ物の質はほとんどの外国人の想像を遥かに上回ります。 富士山の北西から5合まで登り、富士スバルラインを下降するルートを計画しました。街や人混みから離れ、森を抜けるコースは、山の中で迷ったような気分を楽しむことができました。富士山の北西から5合まで登り、富士スバルラインを下降するルートを計画しました。街や人混みから離れ、森を抜けるコースは、山の中で迷ったような気分を楽しむことができました。グラベルにさしかかると、ハイライトである富士山頂を垣間見ることができます。5合付近になり稜線を辿ると、雲が濃くなり数メートル先までしか見ることができません。下降するにつれ雲が晴れ、急降下を楽しむことができました。脚注： 写真＆テキスト：Sogon Yoon

富士山：世界の山々 #12 富士山は、他の山々とは違った独特の雰囲気を持っています。標高3776メートルという高さのみならず、地理的な位置や歴史、文化も関係しています。日本の国土約73%が山で覆われています。富士山のある中部地方には、1998年の冬季オリンピックの開催地として知られている素晴らしい長野の高地もあります。長野の東南、東京から約130キロ西へ行くと、平地と湖に囲まれた富士山が見えます。遠くから眺める富士山は雄大であり、雪に覆われた山頂が雲のうえに顔を出す様子は威厳があります。日本人は古代より富士山を崇め、山にまつわる伝統や信仰が今でも伝えられています。観光客の増加により、富士山の神秘的で神聖な側面は消えかけていますが、まだ人にそれほど知られていないエリアや道を通ると、山の神聖さが感じられます。東京のサイクリスト達にとっては、富士山へのアクセスは比較的簡単です。東京から富士山までの普通電車賃は安価であり、特急を選べば最寄りの駅まで1時間半で行くことができます。日本の電車では、バイクは完全にバッグに収納しなくてはなりません。安く簡単に入手することができるRinkoバッグ（バイク収納用ナイロンバッグ）が便利です。富士山を通常走行で登った場合、スタート地点にもよりますが、五合目で2,500〜3,000メートルの獲得標高が見込まれます。富士ヒルクライムレース(www.fujihc.jp) の公式ルートである富士スバルラインを通って五合目まで行くことができます。スバルラインの平均勾配は5%ですが、距離が長く、途中にある4つの休憩所を利用して調整することをお勧めします。スバルラインの他にも、五合目へ向かうルートがあります。中にはフェンスを越えてグラベルを走行するものもあり、通常地図には記載されていません。これらの隠れたルートを知る現地の知り合いがいる場合は、是非試してみてください。富士山の醍醐味はこのようなルートにあると言えるでしょう。世界の山々シリーズで、世界中のアイコニックなクライムについてお読みください。 CLAIM THE BADGE

POINT IT TO THE BREAK – Two-Wheeled Wave Hunting A wise man once observed that other people's obsessions are fascinating. Surfing and its disciples are a prime example. To the non-surfer the behaviour of those chasing waves is intriguing. It seems that the hunt for the best break and the details of said hunt is as much as an obsession as the catch itself.That said, one obsession is not exclusive to all others. How many cyclists are also surfers? Two sports, two lifestyles and one love of the outdoors means these worlds overlap for certain people. 'Outside is free' might be a slightly over-used viral hashtag but the essence remains and it’s often this very reason that sparks new adventures.Surfing and cycling offers a fine combination to channel the outdoor spirit and Sami, Ollie, Amy and Rémi all decided it should be the basis of a long weekend. Ride the back-country, set up a seaside camp, surf until sunset and then do it all again at the break of dawn. Location? Asturias, Northern Spain.The Asturias coastline is well known as an area with multiple great breaks and stunning scenery, making it the perfect option for the surfing cyclist. Compared to the Côte d'Azur, the vibrant greens of the Costa Verde are a refreshing change yet like the Riviera it has mountain backdrops beside the sea, albeit in a more open, wider format.The Picos d'Europa are not far away and Ollie has just come from a week-long gravel adventure riding slopes that go up above 2,000m. That's why he's first nomination to tow the trailer. Sami is the other volunteer, quite possibly due to a desire to protect the new board she made with her own hands in a surf shop owned by friends in Barcelona.Why tow a trailer full of surf boards? With bicycles, the hunt for the best waves is simply enhanced. Surfers meticulously study coastal maps and detailed shipping forecasts to try and find blue gold. The more remote the location, the better. It is, of course, practically identical for the adventure cyclist – planning routes, checking for rain storms and headwinds and finding the next new destination are part of the process. On this trip the magic mix is to find the best roads and tracks that lead to the best bay with the best waves. Subject, of course, to what Mother Nature might serve up along the way.In Asturias, it is not plain sailing to the beach. Following Komoot's route to Playa Balotta takes us onto backroads and double tracks and the ups and downs are sharp. The 20kgs of trailer, two surfboards and a dry bag full of wetsuits and fins seem manageable until the road becomes corrugated cement and serves up a 20% gradient. It raises questions on the logic of the bike-surf set-up which firstly go unspoken and secondly are erased when the summit is reached to reveal a view of mountain peaks curving towards dramatic coastline.They say that adding luggage to a bike changes a cyclist’s state of mind; it slows things down, makes you enjoy the surroundings, extends the possibilities and heightens the sense adventure. A trailer full of surf boards at the top of a climb like that only adds more purpose.Descending from the foothills of those mountains, the waterways become more abundant. Small towns are formed around steel bridges crossing river tributaries filled with fishing boats and pleasure craft. The closer the coast becomes the smaller the roads get. They turn to gravel and rise upwards with the cliffs that front on to the sea.Arriving at Playa Ballota for a balcony view down to the bay is stunning. The surfers of the group do their thing; it’s a long silent stare at the sea below, that to a non-surfer, would appear to simply be a moment of quiet contemplation. But there is a lot being observed – is it a left, a right, an A-frame, a close out? Where is the lip, the peak, the pocket, the impact zone and the shoulder? What’s the breaking speed? Unfortunately though, the waves are simply not there.So it’s another 10km down the road to find a spot for the night. Down a track, across a field and planted at the edge of a cliff which overlooks a bay with it’s own mini-island, camp is established in a five-star location. We can cope with no waves. Just as when a cyclist stops in the mountains for whatever reason, being here is enough.Round the stove, Amy turns the tables. She is 85% surfer, 15% cyclist and has many, many questions. Is bike-touring now the trendy thing, why are clipped in pedals called clipless, what’s the easiest way to go to the toilet when wearing bib shorts, which gear and cadence is right for the hills and, of course, the leg-shaving question…The break of dawn and clamber from the tents to do one thing; watch the sea. And again, no waves. And again, the soft light of sunrise and beauty of the surroundings placates most of the surfing stress.But there is a sense the growing anxiety amongst the group. The hunt will continue and there is increased questioning about wind direction and swell predictions. The outcome of some research points the crew back towards the original starting point of San Vincente de la Barquera, more specifically to Playa de Gerra on its eastern side.It’s not that long in distance but map reading reveals a lot of it can be done on gravel that tracks the land side of the coastal ridge. It’s a no-brainer decision and one that rewards with a rolling parcours across the country side. Ollie leads the way popping jumps and skidding tyres on what is relatively easy riding compared to his previous week’s mountainous tour. Arriving in San Vincente de la Barquera Amy and Sami decide on coffee. Then immediately change their minds to martinis because it’s only 10km to the beach. No-one argues with them.The wind makes that final stretch a bit more difficult than anticipated on the bike but aids with the surfing conditions. Finally it’s time to unpack wetsuits and hit the water. The locals arrive and the bike-surf set up immediately provokes conversation and jokes. Noticeably, they are on long boards, whereas the bike trailers are full of much shorter equipment. What the outsider sees is the immediate connection between the surfers, the flow of conversation based on the essiential questions about the whys, the hows and the wherefores that led to this meeting. A bit like cyclists really.Playa de Gerra faces north west and whilst the swell is not big the break is consistent. As the most conditioned surfing cyclists of the group, Sami and Ollie paddle and battle the waves on boards that are slightly too short for the conditions. The locals glide frustratingly by on their long boards but Sami persists and bonds with the new board.Whilst the surf might not be the best anyone has ever experienced that somehow emphasises the point of this trip. The group stays in the water for two hours, long enough to see the sun set from the comfort of their boards. Literally immersed in nature it’s worth the cold and dark change into dry clothes before another session exploring each others obsessions around the stove. As a surfer would say, there were some seriously good vibes on this trip. Photography : Chris McClean

ローリングからローラーへ 自然の中で過ごす週末ほど素晴らしいものはありません。バイク、サーフ、キャンプには、未来へと繋がるようなアウトドアの醍醐味が詰まっています。

オダックスの起源 Audax (adjectif latin): audacieux, qui a de l'audace. Voir aussi: hardi, intrépide, aventureux, déterminé, courageux. Randonneuring、耐久サイクリング、長距離、ウルトラサイクリング、ブルベなど、様々な種類があります。私達はオダックスを優先しています。定義には僅かな違いがありますが、共通項は長距離です。いつから長い距離が好きになったのかわかりませんが、今ではDNAの一部のようになっています。 例えば 地点から地点への走行、もしくはチュリニ峠を一日中走り回るにしても、多くのルールは設けません。身体の限界に達するまで走行するのです。コミュニティの歴史は100年以上にわたり、走行カタログが存在します。友情を大切にしたライダーや独走を好むライダー、競争を好むライダーなど、真に美しい情景を垣間見ることができます。オダックスは1897年にイタリアボーダーをまたいで始まりました。バイクレースの人気が高まり、人々はクラシックなものとは違うスタイルを求めるようになりました。可能性の限界を試し、障害を乗り越え、ライダー同士の争いを減らすフォーマットです。ペーサーもなくサポートもない、ライダーがロードとただ向き合うサイクリングのピュアな形。 Vito Pardoという名の男性が先頭に立ち、ルールが決められました。ローマからナポリへグループ走行を18時間以内に行うものです。エントリー費は5リラ、完走するとバッジが授与されました。距離は230キロ、現在の長さと比べると短く感じますが、当時のロード状態と使用可能な装備を考慮すると、レースが「zinzins」（狂気）と呼ばれた理由が想像できます。18時間後、9人のライダーがナポリに到着しました。新聞が彼らの達成を、「Audace」（大胆）と称しました。オダックスはここから生まれたのです。ナポリ側も負けてはいられないと挑戦し、数週間後には20人のライダーがローマに到着しました。両サイドのグループが集まり、オダックスの距離は200キロ、日没前にグループで完走する事が決められました。オダックスイタリアはこうして生まれ、イタリア中にオダックスグループが形成されました。国境を越え、フランスにもオダックスのニュースは流れました。前世界記録保持者であり、ツールドフランスの初代オーガナイザーであるHenri Desgrangeがフランスにグループがいないことを嘆き、レースから引退したライダー達の新たなチャレンジとしてぴったりだと思いつきました。1903年の夏、オダックスイタリアのグループがパリまで走行することを決めました。Desgrangeは完走可能なライダーを厳選したグループを形成することを提案し、イタリアグループの先を走るよう計画してl’Auto新聞に追わせました。 1904年には、Desgrangeはオダックスフランス協会を設立する声明を発表し、同年春にはAudax Club Parisien (ACP)の設立と最初の走行を成し遂げました。パリからガイヨンのルートで、37名の参加者のうち29名が完走しました。各自メダルを受け取り、オダックス走者として称されました。以来オダックスは、フランスのサイクリングカレンダーに記されるイベントとなり、ツールドフランスやパリ〜ルーべと同じように新聞に掲載されます。オダックスの人気が高まるにつれ距離も長くなり、1908年には400キロ以上となりました。しかし、全ては上手くいくばかりではありませんでした。1921年にACPはライバル新聞l’Echo des Sportsのイベントサポートを行いました。その後Desgrangeは、ACPのオダックス公認権利を廃止しました。それまではオダックスはグループでの一定スピード走行でしたが、Desgrangeが作り出したこのルールを使用できなくなったACPは独自のルールを生み出しました。Brevet des Randonneurs Francaisの誕生です。ライダーは自分の好きなペースで自由に走行できる決まりを作り、時間制限さえ守ればいいものとしました。 パリ・ブレスト・パリのようなイベントには２種類の形式が存在するようになりました。１つはランドヌール、もう１つは毎時20キロのオダックスルールのもの。以来、オダックスには主に２種類あり、ランドヌールと、伝統的なグループ走行の Euraudaxとして知られる形式です。オダックスは世界中で知られるものとなりました。各国にオダックス協会があり、それぞれ個性を持っていますが、ローマからナポリへと走った当初の哲学は保っていると言えるでしょう。フランスを斜めに横断、もしくはロンドン・エディンバラ・ロンドン、パリ・ブレスト・パリ、TransOz、TransAm、TCRであっても、全ての走行でライダーは「audace」（大胆）であることが求められます。正当な精神を持ち、信頼性のあるブルベカードにスタンプを押すことが求められます。オダックス走行にはある種の精神状態が必要です。レースに勝つことが重要ではなく、新しいことを発見することが大切なのです。可能性を知り、限界を感じて自己発見をすること。新たなロードを見つけ出し、新しい仲間に出会うこと。現実逃避の目的もあるでしょう。参加し目的を分かち合う、競争だけではない魅了がオダックスにはあります。

Italy Divide: Napoli – Lago di Garda, April 2019 It was a cold December Sunday afternoon in the UK. Post-training, I was surfing for a new adventure to banish the gloom of the boring winter day and suddenly there it was. I’d heard of Italy Divide. I knew that Transcontinental racer and 2nd place finisher in 2018, Matt Falconer had ridden it last year, and loved it. I was looking at the 2019 edition, laid out in front of me: 1200km, 15,000m elevation, 85% off road. Starting in Napoli, heading north through the Appenines, the mountainous backbone of Italy, to finish at Lago di Garda having climbed the edge of the Dolomites. I had no idea what I had let myself in for. For the first time ever, I would have to pick my bike up, put it on my back, and walk up steep goat tracks.Day One: Where did I put those leg warmers?Have you ever been to Napoli? If you haven’t, go! Incredible food and kind people. Located 230km south of Rome, the bay is one of the most beautiful in the world.Upon exiting the city I had to chase on to the front group and avoid some un-welcome drafting. The pace began to take its toll so I strategically stopped to load up on food and water as I was planning to ride most of the night. As the event entered the first off-road sections and the groups finally split.As dusk was setting in, tearing down a rocky descent I punctured. Having not learnt my lesson and slowed down, a mere 200m later I punctured again. On the plus side, it’s an opportunity to stop and layer up. Searching in my packs, no sign of the leg warmers. There I was, two-time Transcontinental Race winner and I’d forgotten to pack leg warmers. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d feel like a schoolboy on this event.As dusk turned to dark, I reached the first really tough sections. 30% ramps forced me off my bike and to hike all 18kg of it up the hill on my back. Italy Divide had properly introduced itself. I was set for a baptism of fire, for which I’ve found an apt definition: “A first experience of something, usually something difficult or unpleasant.”Day Two: One road actually leads to Rome The day began at night, as I hadn’t stopped. Very early on a Friday morning, I found myself bouncing down the 2,300 year old Via Appia into Rome. This is where the Roman general Crassus crucified 6,000 slaves along this road having crushed Spartacus and his rebellion. The cobbles were worse than Flanders. I was heading into Lazio and then for Tuscany and the start of the famous ‘Strada Bianche’ white gravel roads. Here is a confession: I thought that the whole of Italy Divide would be more or less a mixture of idyllic white gravel roads and bike paths. How naive! While passing through Viterbo, I diverted to buy some leg warmers. As I was pulling into the carpark, I rode though a deep puddle and right into a hidden low kerb. Face over handlebars and smack into a bollard. Thankfully I suffered only a bruised ego and a broken time trial shifter. Day turned to night and I was on the lookout for a hotel to stop for three hours sleep. After a few hours searching, turning down each vague possibility in hope of something better, at 04:00 I settled on an abandoned house. Here’s the silver lining: to my very pleasant surprise, when I entered the house there was a sofa, and nothing else. A gift. A quiet day of good progress : the calm before the storm.Day Three: Vicious Italian sheepdogs and a drunken Jimi Hendrix tribute. I woke up shivering and cold. I had slept for just one hour after 36 hours cycling 583 km. I decided the best way to get warm was to get back on the bike.The stretch of road ahead of me, through Tuscany, was a worry. This was where Josh Ibbett had been bitten by a dog last year.In the dark of the night, I heard barking. My bright light caught a hundred pairs of sheep’s eyes. Their enraged dog guardians were standing on small hills in the field. When they saw the light, the dogs went into an absolute frenzy. I retreated a little. They calmed down slightly. I started pushing the bike. They ran towards me. I got on the bike and now, they were running alongside me, though on the other side of a barbed wire fence. I would be okay, wouldn’t I?All of a sudden, one of the dogs leapt over the fence just in front of me. I went into full sprint mode. Another dog jumped the fence and joined the first one and then a third. It seemed to go on and on but eventually, they started to drop back as I left their territory. I have been chased plenty of times by dogs but this was easily the worst. Absolutely terrified, I was on edge for the rest of that night.As dawn broke, the incredible beauty of the area became apparent. A wonderful sunrise with an extraordinary inversion cloud layer. I was now riding into Sienna, the route was really grippy, these were those white roads in the Strade Bianchi. I got into Siena at about 08:00 and found a cafe to start to sort myself out. I had some digestive problems during the night and the results weren’t pretty. So, I found myself in a supermarket toilet having to clean myself and my kit. Very glamorous!I hit Florence in the early evening tourist rush. What a city. Then, the route became really difficult. It was dark and I had all my lights on. Due to the low speeds, my dynamo was not charging my battery pack for my lights and the world around me was becoming darker. The climb I was about to tackle would take me up to 1,000 m. Decision time : stopping was the sensible and best option.I rolled into the town. Every hotel was full. Turned out there was a big motorbike race the day after at the nearby Mugello circuit. Plan B: I found a pizzeria. Ordered two pizzas and two desserts. Then Gino, drinking at the bar, got friendly. Hey! Come and stay at my place!An hour and a half later I wake up. It’s not because of my alarm. It’s because Gino has come home and is now playing Hendrix on a guitar and didn’t want to stop. All my batteries are fully charged, I leave him to it and head out into the night.Day Four: Mountains and Mirages I resumed the race at 0130 on Sunday morning from Piero a Sieve, nearly 60 hours since my departure from Naples Thursday afternoon. I’d covered 760 km, climbed 10000 m and burnt 25,000 calories. My immediate challenge was a very tough climb into the Apennines and soon into it, I went past one of my rivals. Five minutes later, he came alongside me. It was Sofiane Sehili, a well-known off-road specialist from France. We rode together for a while before the climb really started. It was another ascent that required some hike-a-bike. As we got to the top, I had pulled out a bit of a lead on him.I started off down a rough descent on my own. In the first town I found a cafe with self-service croissants and doughnuts. Sofiane joined me soon after and we rode off together for a bit. He went ahead. He’d been telling me about problems with his Garmin. I then saw this problem in real life for him as he went the wrong way.Late in the afternoon, I arrived at the race checkpoint at Governolo. My idea of getting a good feed was quickly shattered. The race organiser told me that 30 km back I had missed a section of the road. I turned around and rode back. I was back within 90 minutes and I had lost my race lead. I sat down to a huge plate of pasta. I knew it was going to be a long ride into the night and perhaps I wouldn’t even stop again. There was 300 km to go, in my mind I was racing for the finish.Unsupported racing requires rest and food. I couldn’t possibly tackle the final climbs without food but I had none. I spot a vending machine. It’s not a mirage. Incredibly it’s full of calorie rich yoghurt drinks – 600kcal in 500mls! I bought 12 and drank six immediately.After a visit from two visibly confused Carabinieri, I sat alone thinking about what I had ahead of me. Two climbs: almost 3,000m elevation. Then downhill to the finish. My last sleep had been 90 minutes on Gino’s sofa 24 hours earlier. In fact, I had under three hours sleep in the last 90 hours.What would actually happen on the final day is an experience I will never forget.Day Five: Mud, rain, snow – the race to the finish I’ve been chasing Sofiane since my routing mistake. It’s 2am, I’m full of yoghurt and very short of sleep. The first big climb began almost straightaway. I started falling asleep, my mind started playing tricks on me. I know this feeling and knew it wouldn’t last.At night, off road, it is pretty hard to see where to go and I found myself going along the bottom of an embankment. My wheels were rim deep in mud. I knew if I stopped, I would be stuck. Soon my bike had become completely clogged in the mud. I found a stick and scraped away enough to get going again.The track led me to a desolate and closed petrol station. Then I saw a cyclist already there. Of course, it is Sofiane, slumped half asleep, sitting on a step, looking absolutely shattered. As I arrive, he wakes up.I find a tin bath, a watering can and a brush and start scrubbing away. It works, sort of. I jump back on my bike and head off into the night. Sofiane jumps on too and catches up with me quickly.I’m not really sure if Sofiane is ahead or behind me. I get to 1,000m and the rain begins. I have been pushing my bike up a horrible single-track and then start heading across a field. I’m now at 1,200m, it’s six in the morning and my heart sinks as the rain turns to snow.Visibility drops down to 10m. I’ve only got cycling gear on and I know that I must climb to 2000m. I make a big decision. I must stop and find somewhere warm to shelter.I look up local hotels. I call both of them. No answer. I leave the race route and head for the closest one. It’s absolutely dead. I try one final call. There is an answer. Although he doesn’t understand English, in 10 minutes he arrives at the hotel. I take a shower, no rush, I sleep for three hours. For me, at this point, the race was gone. I was going to wait out the storm and then complete the course, safety first.I woke up to my alarm and opened the curtains. Clear blue sky! Soon I’m on my way. It’s just 90 km to the finish and I will not be stopping. I knew that Sofiane had made terrible progress and was only 15 km ahead of me. However, given the terrain, that’s maybe two and a half hours. I get back on the race route and I get climbing on the difficult single tracks. After not too long the snow is knee deep. I get off the bike and start pushing.This went on for a long time. As I struggled along, I can see where Sofiane had ridden. I could even see where he had fallen off. The same happened to me. I must’ve fallen off 15 times. Most of the time, I just jumped up and got back on the bike.Eventually I found myself riding downhill on tarmac. By now I was just 30 minutes behind him. This was an incredible amount to make up over such a short distance, but he must have been very tired. I stopped and pumped up my tyres for the tarmac.Race organiser Giacomo had come out in his car and he told me ‘Take it easy, this descent is like the Stelvio’. I tore off and it was amazing. Switchback after switchback. I was really excited because I knew that I couldn’t be far behind. Also, the final climb was all on tarmac.I started that climb at a ferocious pace. It was 18 km to the top and I thought that I could catch Sofiane. After 16 km at the highest effort I could sustain after all that had gone on before, there he was. I buried myself to get behind him. Then, I just attacked him, with absolutely everything. He finds the pace and comes back to me. I attack again. He comes back to me a second time. I attack once more and open up a 10m gap. I can see the top; the road is covered in snow.I stopped and so did he. I said, ‘How do you feel about riding in together?’ He says ‘Yeah’ and that was it. The race was over. I knew what he’d been through and I had endless respect and admiration for my fellow racer.We headed off together, walking through the snow. We arrived at Torbole, on the North end of Lago di Garda in the dark, together. A fitting end to an incredible race with an immense bike rider.Writing this, it’s a week since I finished, and life is slowly returning to normal. I have been sleeping a lot! My legs are working again. The nerves in my left hand are settling down and the use of it is returning.Being able to finish at all is testament to the equipment I ride, my bike and clothing. Dom Thomas at Fairlight has designed one hell of a bike.I was racing in Cafe du Cycliste kit for the first time, it stood up to some terrible conditions. All day rain, snow, heat, we had it all. I was comfortable at all times.Full ride on: STRAVA