By MTB from Menton on the Côte d’Azur to Thonon-les-Bains on Lake Geneva – 1050 kilometres and 32,800 metres in altitude over the mountains along old military roads, the Via del Sale, in the face of the king of the mountains, Mont Blanc, over several famous passes – that’s Alps Divide. I will take on the challenge as a solo rider and set off with my Trek Prokaliber and my mini tent.
The race on Followmychallenge and Dotwatcher
And me – at it. The only question is how long … Because what lies ahead of us is by no means a walk in the park. Or maybe sometimes 😊, because there are quite a few hike-a-bike sections coming up. The race bears the signature of Katie-Jane l’Herpiniere and Lee Townend. Katie herself has finished many tough bikepacking ultra races, such as the Atlas Mountain Race, Silk Road Mountain Race and Hellenic Mountain Race, and has many adventurous expeditions behind her. She demands a lot from herself and this probably also coloured the route of the premiere of the Alps Divide. ‘We certainly won’t be given anything for free.
There are no other ‘gifts’ at these bikepacking ultras. There is no prize money, no category wins, just the experience of nature on a predetermined route, a lot of rules that you have to adhere to and if you make it to the finisher party, then you can read your name on the finisher list. The event is an unsupported bikepacking adventure. One of the most important requirements is therefore that you have to be totally autonomous and not accept any help that not everyone has access to.“Geschenkt“ gibt es auch sonst nichts bei diesen Bikepacking Ultras. Es gibt kein Preisgeld, keine Kategorien-Siege, allein das Naturerlebnis auf vorgegebener Strecke, eine Menge Regeln, die man einhalten muss und hat man es bis zur Finisher-Party geschafft, dann darf man seinen Namen auf der Finisher-Liste lesen. Das Event ist ein unsupported bikepacking adventure. Eine der wichtigsten Vorgaben ist deshalb, dass man in totaler Autonomie unterwegs sein muss und keine Hilfen annehmen darf, zu denen nicht alle Zugang haben.
But why do ‘women’ do it? I love exercising in the great outdoors, but does it have to be so hard? Challenging yourself is exciting and then relaxing at home is even better. Working towards a goal in varied training, the ‘icing on the cake’ so to speak, is satisfying.
And being able to live the event myself, sharing experiences with other like-minded people, cycling through the fabulous countryside and facing spontaneous challenges – that’s life for me. And when asked why I don’t cycle these routes alone and comfortably, with overnight stays in hotels? I find it reassuring to always know that there are other people on the route, others who are going through the same thing, and so far there have always been a few people behind me.
I strongly suspect that there will be a lot to tell afterwards. True to the motto of the Panceltic Ultra in July ~ we who travel have stories to tell~ I very much hope that I will be allowed to report on 8 planned days … but you never know …
You can follow us participants here – from 7th September, 16:00 : Followmychallenge
Here are a few pictures – until I have my own … (Screenshots Komoot)
