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Badlands 2022 Chronicle
The scarce registration available, a little known cycling discipline practiced in the Peninsula, the hardness of the route and its exotic and remote its landscapes make it very special. Today we bring you the Chronicle of Badlands 2022, written and starred in the first person by Jesús Sánchez Bas.
After many months of limitations, this year I raised it with a calendar well full of competitions in which I only looked for new experiences in sports that have made me most enjoy the last years; Gravel and Trailrun.
The tour leaves Granada city, travels small and hidden populations until reaching the north coast of Almería, the most populous area of the tour, to return in an abrupt way inwards looking for the Almeria Alpujarras and then the Granada to end on the southern face of the Veleta, in the picturesque population of Capileira.
I met BadlandS thanks to the YouTube videos that since 2012 accompany me in the roller and elliptical sessions I do at home. Challenges of amateurs and professionals, competitions, successful advice and not on healthy diets and habits, recipes…. Then some serious friends were telling me until I could not contain the desire to register along with Javi Cantos, friend and experienced cyclist in many disciplines (cycle-Cross, MBT, route and, of course, grave). In just 2 years, this 2022 has been the third edition, it has become the Ultra Distance Test in Gravel de Reference in Europe. The scarce registration available, a little known cycling discipline practiced in the Peninsula, the hardness of the route and its exotic and remote its landscapes make it very special.
Javi and I, despite enrolling in the only modality, we knew we could go together for a long time, since our technical and performance level is quite similar, although in these long tests a small difference on paper becomes an abyss. Despite our inexperience in these tests we talk about the approximate time of we could use in finishing the test and, "unintentionally", we do not set the goal of arriving in 3 days, 72h hours.
The largest headache was to specify that we would need to wear in terms of clothing, material to spend the night, powerbank and wiring, sun protection, anti-chrification cream, ... in addition, we made a 4-day route that turned around the Valencian Community that Javi specified in order to see if we were going well for training, thus assessing whether pre-selected luggage was adequate or not for a non stop. But this almost requires an exclusive article since it has crumb and depends on the objectives of each one, the level of demand and what is intended to experience.
We arrived in Granada on Saturday, day before the test. The hotel was a few 100 meters from the delivery of dorsals and the exit of the test, in the Palacio de Congresos de Granada. We had very good, with good friends and some beers and sleep something later than desired.
It is curious as one prepares both mentally and physically to pedal for many hours in a row and the hours have passed without realizing it. The body warms up, we are eating and drinking, enjoying the landscapes. The temperature is pleasant and this allows us to carry a good rhythm, perhaps even higher than expected.
The kilometers are happening. We pass from the lush forests of the Sierra de Huetor to Mepartrales and dry lands of the Gorafe desert area. In fact, it is from this town (Quilometer 130) where the landscapes that give name to the test begin. Gorafe's desert is a series of “valleys” steep by the rain for centuries, so we have a succession of descents and climbs with large and steep slopes, which make it very hard and tedious to advance, and where you have to measure efforts with great care. Fortunately, time this year is accompanying us and temperatures do not pass from 35-37ºC at noon. Nothing to do with the more than 45ºC of the 2021 edition.
It begins to get dark and a beautiful sunset with reddish tones makes those minutes a magical moment, despite accumulated fatigue. The desire and the accumulated rest prior to the test have made that we have not made barely stops and we have been pulling Bars and Energy gels of 226ers throughout the day.
At night we spend again through Gorafe at km 240. In principle the idea was to stop here to make a long break, but we decided to lengthen to Gor, at km266; since we find strength to continue.
We arrived almost at midnight, The town bar was open for the test, perfect hot food plate; Breast, fried eggs and potatoes, what else can be asked! With the source right in front and a playground where we could rest a few hours before facing the second day.
After passing the small and unique towns of Enix and Félix, we enter the Sierra de Gádor through its northern face with a 20 km rise, fortunately on clues in perfect condition. A very long descent leads us in the town of instinction. We decided to stop at the first bar that we find open, but in these villages they do not understand schedules or hurry we spend much longer than desired at this stop.
It is in the afternoon and we approach the Alpujarra, but before we expect what for many will be the toughest ascension of the entire tour. Fortunately we have already spent the most heat hours, the sun does not punish us, but if the tremendous unevenness does. Fortunately the surface is concrete and, despite everything, we have good traction throughout the ascent. They are more than 2 hours of climb where the speed is barely 8 km/h. We have to get all our weapons, advance without thinking about anything and get strength from weakness. Fortunately and as it happens throughout the test, the landscapes and views are spectacular and they leave you speechless and embezious helping fatigue and fatigue noticing a little less. We finish the climb in full darkness and near the town of Murtas. A technical drop awaits us, with a lot of slope and a very loose terrain.
We arrive to Cádiar, we are just 50 km to reach the finish line, but we have gone from midnight and we barely have food. In addition, the batteries of the SRAM changes were exhausted during the afternoon, we do not have extra batteries and the PowerBank are exhausted. In addition, thinking that we could arrive in a day from San José, we decided to get rid of the necessary luggage to make aliveac, as well as the coat clothes and send it back home, so that spending outdoors was not an option, so we decided to look for a pension where to sleep a few hours.
Really and although it seems strange, it is the only moment of tension between Javi and me. We were not clear what decision to make. If we stopped to sleep or continue without knowing what awaited us. The 3 days of the route, tiredness and lack of sleep had made a dent in us. Thus it costs a lot to make decisions and we each have a different point of view. Finally we decided to stop to rest, we think it's the best to finish the test enjoying.
Arrived at the finish line, we confirm that the stop last night and get to the finish line with the light of a new day has been a success to fully enjoy the experience. Finally we have arrived with 74 exact hours. But the time spent is the least. It has been an incredible experience, impossible to explain with words. We have reached the limit of our forces, we have enjoyed and suffered in equal parts, although some parts have suffered more than others.
The satisfaction of completing a challenge of such magnitude makes even weeks later, continue enjoying and recalling the experience, almost as an obsession.
Definitely, This first edition would not have been possible without the help of Javier Cantos who prepared the tracks, graphs of the planned stages in detail,... infinite thanks for enduring so many hours and making it possible for me to enjoy this event. Thank you also for carrying the "always on" radio, telling me past anecdotes and for sharing so much knowledge of the world of cycling with me.
Let's see what 2023 holds ;-)
#FeedYourDreams
Sources:Sport Life / Grave World / Cycling thoroughly
780 kilometers of Non Stop travel with the aim of doing it in 72 hours
Iron Grambe 226, The Traka 360, Transgrancanaria Classic and Ultra Trail Vall D´Aran 100k were important, but everything was oriented to Badlands, 780km with almost 16,000m positive in self -sufficiency. Nothing similar to anything that would have done before, and that supposed a personal challenge.
The tour leaves Granada city, travels small and hidden populations until reaching the north coast of Almería, the most populous area of the tour, to return in an abrupt way inwards looking for the Almeria Alpujarras and then the Granada to end on the southern face of the Veleta, in the picturesque population of Capileira.
I met BadlandS thanks to the YouTube videos that since 2012 accompany me in the roller and elliptical sessions I do at home. Challenges of amateurs and professionals, competitions, successful advice and not on healthy diets and habits, recipes…. Then some serious friends were telling me until I could not contain the desire to register along with Javi Cantos, friend and experienced cyclist in many disciplines (cycle-Cross, MBT, route and, of course, grave). In just 2 years, this 2022 has been the third edition, it has become the Ultra Distance Test in Gravel de Reference in Europe. The scarce registration available, a little known cycling discipline practiced in the Peninsula, the hardness of the route and its exotic and remote its landscapes make it very special.
Points that seemed especially careful in Badlands
The organization of the test, David and Azahara, take great care of every detail in order to take care of the essence of the test. Points that seemed especially careful were:- A unique tour every year that travels and releases the most remote and isolated areas of Eastern Andalusia.
- The concept of self -sufficiency as demanding as understandable with which you try to introduce the participant of all that totally native, eliminating.
- Do not let or generate any type of waste.
- The involvement with the territory with recovery and enhancement projects of uninhabited places With a lot of historical, landscape value ....
Javi and I, despite enrolling in the only modality, we knew we could go together for a long time, since our technical and performance level is quite similar, although in these long tests a small difference on paper becomes an abyss. Despite our inexperience in these tests we talk about the approximate time of we could use in finishing the test and, "unintentionally", we do not set the goal of arriving in 3 days, 72h hours.
The largest headache was to specify that we would need to wear in terms of clothing, material to spend the night, powerbank and wiring, sun protection, anti-chrification cream, ... in addition, we made a 4-day route that turned around the Valencian Community that Javi specified in order to see if we were going well for training, thus assessing whether pre-selected luggage was adequate or not for a non stop. But this almost requires an exclusive article since it has crumb and depends on the objectives of each one, the level of demand and what is intended to experience.
We arrived in Granada on Saturday, day before the test. The hotel was a few 100 meters from the delivery of dorsals and the exit of the test, in the Palacio de Congresos de Granada. We had very good, with good friends and some beers and sleep something later than desired.
First day: The departure - Granada
The departure was next to the Granada Congresses Palace. We met friends and met. We were not nervous, rather excited about the desire to start the adventure. A few minutes after 8am, the exit escorted by the police is given. As soon as I started, a long and hard ascent began that quickly took us out of Granada by climbing the dawn. We pass through the plain of the partridge and later the Sierra de Huetor. In the first 25 kms, more than 1000 meters of ascent already accumulate, which quickly fell practically alone, thus complying with the demands of these tests in which it is not allowed to go to the wheel of other cyclists.
It is curious as one prepares both mentally and physically to pedal for many hours in a row and the hours have passed without realizing it. The body warms up, we are eating and drinking, enjoying the landscapes. The temperature is pleasant and this allows us to carry a good rhythm, perhaps even higher than expected.
The kilometers are happening. We pass from the lush forests of the Sierra de Huetor to Mepartrales and dry lands of the Gorafe desert area. In fact, it is from this town (Quilometer 130) where the landscapes that give name to the test begin. Gorafe's desert is a series of “valleys” steep by the rain for centuries, so we have a succession of descents and climbs with large and steep slopes, which make it very hard and tedious to advance, and where you have to measure efforts with great care. Fortunately, time this year is accompanying us and temperatures do not pass from 35-37ºC at noon. Nothing to do with the more than 45ºC of the 2021 edition.
It begins to get dark and a beautiful sunset with reddish tones makes those minutes a magical moment, despite accumulated fatigue. The desire and the accumulated rest prior to the test have made that we have not made barely stops and we have been pulling Bars and Energy gels of 226ers throughout the day.
At night we spend again through Gorafe at km 240. In principle the idea was to stop here to make a long break, but we decided to lengthen to Gor, at km266; since we find strength to continue.
We arrived almost at midnight, The town bar was open for the test, perfect hot food plate; Breast, fried eggs and potatoes, what else can be asked! With the source right in front and a playground where we could rest a few hours before facing the second day.
Second Day: Sierra de Baza
At 3:30 on Monday we are going on again. We eat the sandwich and a cold coffee that we had asked before closing the bar to have everything prepared when we lift ourselves. Our second day began entering the Sierra de Baza, to move to the Sierra de los Filabres reaching the highest point of the test: the astronomical observatory of heating high to 2100 meters of altitude. We arrived with the first rays of the sun which gave us a spectacular stamp. An eternal descent takes us to the town of Gérgal, a door to the desert of taverns. With renewed forces after eating something in a town bar, we face the hard desert Ramblas, a favorite stage of multitude of "spaghetti western" films. Here the high temperatures and soft terrain that prevents progress fluently and forces us to use more forces than desired. But it is essential to be patient, not get nervous and move forward without stressing, as the organizers already warned us in briefing. After the town of Tabernas after more than 20 km of Ramblas, was the Colativí peak in the Sierra de Alhamilla. About 17 km of ascension that began with 4 km from Rambla with little adhesion and quite pending, to pass a few kilometers later to a track in perfect condition. The port is long. The forces are diminished, you have to be patient and advance little by little until you reach the summit, from which the entire Almeria coast to the south and the Sierra de Filabres to the north is seen. Descent to Níjar, where we regain strength using more time than desired. Tiredness means that we do not think clearly and that the simple fact of making a quick purchase in a super is a challenge. We get in the direction of San José, a town where we intend to make a sleeping stop for a few hours. Fortunately, this is the fastest area of the test, with some other ambush, but quite favorable. The night prevents us from enjoying the landscapes of the coast, as well as the abandoned mines of Rodalquilar. Finally we arrived after midnight to San José, after another hard day of almost 270 kms. Luckily, being a very tourist town, the bars are open and we can dine pizzas and salads that are devoured avidly. We stop in a small pension to be able to shower and rest in a bed, even if it is a few hours, which we greatly appreciate to recover the already exhausted reserves.
Third Day: Almería
The third day begins shortly before 6am with a spectacular storm in the sea. We arrived in Almeria with the first lights after a few kilometers from a fine sand that runs through the coast to Almería. A good double breakfast and face what will be the toughest part of Badlands, for slope and accumulated fatigue. Almost in the same population we started a port of more than 15 km with a very broken land, although cyclable, more suitable for MTB than for Gravel. We advance with all the development involved little by little. To finish off this ascension, the port concludes with 4 km of large stones and high slopes that make us barely advance (the name of the Pedrolos is not by chance). We already have 600 kilometers and more than 10,000 meters of ascent and any unevenness becomes much harder than normal. At this point, postural pains, with hands and feet numb at times and even the occasional irritation caused by the Badana, despite being well smeared with antifriction cream every day. Even so, you have to continue advancing anyway.
After passing the small and unique towns of Enix and Félix, we enter the Sierra de Gádor through its northern face with a 20 km rise, fortunately on clues in perfect condition. A very long descent leads us in the town of instinction. We decided to stop at the first bar that we find open, but in these villages they do not understand schedules or hurry we spend much longer than desired at this stop.
It is in the afternoon and we approach the Alpujarra, but before we expect what for many will be the toughest ascension of the entire tour. Fortunately we have already spent the most heat hours, the sun does not punish us, but if the tremendous unevenness does. Fortunately the surface is concrete and, despite everything, we have good traction throughout the ascent. They are more than 2 hours of climb where the speed is barely 8 km/h. We have to get all our weapons, advance without thinking about anything and get strength from weakness. Fortunately and as it happens throughout the test, the landscapes and views are spectacular and they leave you speechless and embezious helping fatigue and fatigue noticing a little less. We finish the climb in full darkness and near the town of Murtas. A technical drop awaits us, with a lot of slope and a very loose terrain.
We arrive to Cádiar, we are just 50 km to reach the finish line, but we have gone from midnight and we barely have food. In addition, the batteries of the SRAM changes were exhausted during the afternoon, we do not have extra batteries and the PowerBank are exhausted. In addition, thinking that we could arrive in a day from San José, we decided to get rid of the necessary luggage to make aliveac, as well as the coat clothes and send it back home, so that spending outdoors was not an option, so we decided to look for a pension where to sleep a few hours.
Really and although it seems strange, it is the only moment of tension between Javi and me. We were not clear what decision to make. If we stopped to sleep or continue without knowing what awaited us. The 3 days of the route, tiredness and lack of sleep had made a dent in us. Thus it costs a lot to make decisions and we each have a different point of view. Finally we decided to stop to rest, we think it's the best to finish the test enjoying.
Fourth Day: La Meta - La Alpujarra - 74 hours
At 8am on Wednesday the 72 hours we had as target, We were aware that we were not going to arrive, but we started the last day animated shortly before they gave the 6am. There is nothing open, so we take a High Energy Gel Coffee dissolved in water and a bar Vegan Oat, a combination that seems to me "winner" and I think I will repeat for breakfast in future tests. We begin to give pedals with few energies, sore, but happy to know that we face the last kilometers of this road barbarity. What began as a small “where the armchair” had become a fabulous burst of the size of a credit card to the left and right. Giving rich pedals costs horrors, sitting or telling you. Fortunately, the final stretch runs along roads and tracks in perfect condition, so we arrive in Trevélez shortly before 8 in the morning. Everything is closed and we have to ask to find a small bar, the only one open at that time. We have a double breakfast with long coffee loaded and toasted with Serrano ham, the typical breakfast of the town. The sun begins to warm up, which, along with breakfast, fills us with energy. We finish with the last climbs of the route, we enjoy flat on a simple track with spectacular views of the Alpujarra to finish with 5 km down that lead us to the expected Capileira where the goal is located.
Arrived at the finish line, we confirm that the stop last night and get to the finish line with the light of a new day has been a success to fully enjoy the experience. Finally we have arrived with 74 exact hours. But the time spent is the least. It has been an incredible experience, impossible to explain with words. We have reached the limit of our forces, we have enjoyed and suffered in equal parts, although some parts have suffered more than others.
The satisfaction of completing a challenge of such magnitude makes even weeks later, continue enjoying and recalling the experience, almost as an obsession.
Definitely, This first edition would not have been possible without the help of Javier Cantos who prepared the tracks, graphs of the planned stages in detail,... infinite thanks for enduring so many hours and making it possible for me to enjoy this event. Thank you also for carrying the "always on" radio, telling me past anecdotes and for sharing so much knowledge of the world of cycling with me.
Let's see what 2023 holds ;-)
#FeedYourDreams
Sources:Sport Life / Grave World / Cycling thoroughly
