BADLANDS 2021

Badlands es una prueba de ciclismo de ultradistancia en modalidad de gravel
In collaboration with  Ibai Fradejas (Gsport Ambassador) & Fernando Márquez (Gsport CEO)

Badlands are a landscape type with arid characteristics and shale-rich lithology, extensively eroded by water and wind, due to the lack of vegetation. It is a type of terrain where canyons, gullies, hoods and other incredible geological formations abound. Often difficult to navigate on foot, we have explored it by bike.

Badlands (Transiberica) is the unsupported gravel challenge on the edge of Europe. An adventure to live at least once in a lifetime if you are a Gravel lover in bikepacking mode surveying mountains, deserts and sea, being 100% self-sufficient.
The route has an approximate length of 725 km + 15.000 m+ and crosses some of the most remote and challenging places in Europe: Hoya de Guadix, Gorafe Desert, Tabernas Desert, Cabo de Gata Natural Park and Sierra Nevada National Park.

 
 
85% of the route is off-road. The accumulated difference in altitude and the extreme temperatures are two factors to consider. After the start in Granada, the route enters the Sierra Nevada and then descends to the Gorafe Desert, climbs back up to over 2,000m to Calar Alto, descends again to the coast of Almeria and ends the adventure in Capileira. All this, going from the extreme heat of the desert to temperatures below 0ºC in the Sierra Nevada.
In ultra-distance races, every detail counts. The clothes you wear, what you choose to carry in your travel bags, the spares, how you plan your nutrition and rest hours... every element plays a very important role. However, despite all the preparation beforehand, you never know what the adventure will bring. This is one of our favourite parts, the adrenaline rush that gets you hooked on this type of event and leads to unique experiences.
The day before we travelled with the whole team to Granada to collect the bibs. The desire and nerves were palpable in the atmosphere, we took the opportunity to talk to the organisers, get the latest tips for the media team and get our bikes ready.

DAY 1

 
Gsport Historias Ciclismo - Eventos y Competiciones Deportivas - Badlands 2021
 
The first day of this exciting adventure dawned clear, we tried to get up in time to have the last proper breakfast until our return. Fruit, eggs, bread, cereals, yoghurt... we are of the opinion that it is better to start this type of challenge with a full stomach. We headed towards the start finish line to meet up with old acquaintances we hadn't seen for a long time. We were surprised and encouraged to see faces from all over the world, it's always interesting to meet new people and exchange impressions. A few minutes later, it was time to start the countdown!
The pace at the start was high, as is almost always the case in this type of event, however strange it may seem. So the group soon dispersed. Once we reached km 150, the Gorafe Desert began, with a 100km loop. We knew that this was one of the most complicated sections. On the map it looked difficult, an area with little water and no villages. The original idea was to complete the whole loop and rest at km 250. But the extreme heat, the lack of water and the pace led us to succumb. We stopped earlier than planned to rest, taking a slight detour off the route to a village to do so.
The night was not particularly cold but we remember how the wind prevented us from sleeping at night. With only 4 hours of sleep left, we started a new stage.

DAY 2

Gsport Eventos - Badlands Ciclismo Ultraresistencia 2021
 
We woke up next to a football pitch, had some scones for breakfast along with some chocolate milkshakes that we managed to buy the previous morning at the bar where we had dinner, and we started... we had lost 40km of stage 1 compared to our initial plan. We decided to reconsider reaching the town of Tabernas, being aware that we would have to cross the Tabernas desert at night, an area that Ibai already knew from a previous trip back in 2017.
The second stage was especially hard, the fatigue and the hours on the bike were beginning to take their toll. It seemed that the goal was close... it started to get dark and we only had 20km to go to Tabernas. A few kilometres that took forever. The uncyclable sections added to the deep darkness in which we found ourselves made our motivation dissipate. Finally we arrived at Tabernas at 2:00 am really exhausted.

DAY 3    Gsport Historias Ciclismo - Eventos y Competiciones Deportivas - Badlands 2021- Dia 3

On the third day of the stage we woke up knowing that we would finally reach the longed-for sea (and its squid). Our legs were starting to get used to pedalling, and it was no longer so hard to get going. However, the extreme heat made us stop more than we could have imagined. From fountain to fountain and from bar to bar, almost like a game of goose.

We finally reached the coast, but what seemed like a good objective turned into torture. The last endless kilometres over the dunes slowed us down a lot... until we reached Almeria at night. At 10:00 pm, we refuelled at the first petrol station we came across and set off again, heading for Felix at kilometre 608, where the first two pairs were.
On arrival we stopped for lunch and a rest. After learning that the 1st and 2nd pair decided to continue, we were tempted not to stop for the night. After thinking twice, we knew that our body and mind would need a few hours of sleep to face the last stage of this adventure.

DAY 4 

Gsport Historias Ciclismo - Eventos y Competiciones Deportivas - Badlands 2021 - Dia 4
Fourth day, we woke up in a car park after 4 hours of "sleep". We checked the position on our mobile phone, third for each pair. While we were packing we were overtaken by another couple, putting us in fourth position. The approach of the day: stop as little as possible, just for water, and try to recover positions. Strategy that worked for us, in this stage not losing time was the key to finish Badlans 2021 third in pairs.
Until kilometre 703 in the village of Cádiar (45 kilometres from the finish) we didn't see the end close. Running through the Alpujarra of Granada was a nice finish, not stopping to taste its famous hams, a tough challenge. What we needed most was to finish.
In this edition only 40% of the participants managed to finish. A really hard race, because of its unevenness and the high temperatures. We don't know if we'll see each other again... but you have to experience Badlands at least once in your life.
We have already done it.

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