Day 04 // Have Your Cake and Eat It

Words by Stuart Downie

Photos by Alex Duffill and Tomás Montes

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Control Team 1 wakes up in France. The hotel offers facilities to boil your own eggs in an appliance that looks at a distance like a toaster but is actually a tiny little bain marie, with little wire baskets for the eggs that let you pretend you work on the fryer in a tiny chip shop. May as well start the day weird.

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The sun comes up and we catch Franck Gabarrou (042) finishing Parcours 5 before stopping in Cerbère for breakfast. He’s had five punctures overnight – truly a mare. There’s a theme emerging here, as last time we saw Franck at TPRNo4 was in a Pans & Co on his way to the finish in Girona. Last year, Franck finished tenth. He said after: next year, I will come back stronger. He is certainly stronger. But let’s be frank: so is this race. By mid morning, the top 10 are through CP5.

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A little earlier, Joanna Ruminska-Pietrzyk (063) is the first woman through CP4, just before 10am. She’s surprised to learn she’s leading the field. “Where are the others?” she asks. Less than half an hour later, Hélène Fromenty (052) turns up with an answer. She’s been listening to Foals, and Rihanna at night, although she seems a little embarrassed about the latter. Don’t be, Riri has some great tracks, and some fitting accompaniments to the replay feature of Follow My Challenge.

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Looking at the map to find a place to go next, Control Team 1 are hearted to see that Lucas Strittmatter (076) takes the gravel shortcut after CP5. From the control point there are two choices. You can either go back through France on a flatter and presumably faster (at least speed-wise) route, or you can take an off-road shortcut through Spain. A small mental advantage could be gained from the offroad route in that you’re dropped off before the start of the Raid Parcours, where the French route means you have to ride the beginning of the Raid in reverse before turning around. It’s a small but not insignificant detail that riders must contend with as they begin the turn around proper. 

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We pass Jamie Lowden (060) at the start of the Raid. He knows this area well, and we know he’s fast here – as we mentioned before he has set one of the fastest times across the Raid, making up 11 positions here at TPRNo3 when he finished 8th.

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The first few kilometres on the Raid Parcours feel a little like going back in time, mature chestnut trees wreathed in ivy, brash holly, deep green dogwood and ferns create a kind of magical lushness that has you expecting mythical swords stuck into inscribed stones. A little further in and you see the changing seasons – red-brown bracken and more 

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By the evening, Control Team 1 is at the summit of col de Pailheres, waiting for race leader Tim de Witte (111). Tim turns up just as the sun is setting and stops to put on an insulated jacket for the cold descent. His body and bike are giving up on him. Usually you’d hope it’d be one or the other, but Tim’s having a hard time with both. Perhaps the best indicator of this is the boxy protuberence strapped to the back of his bike: a whole box of jaffa cakes. They are absolutely untouched, which cannot be fathomed at the best of times let alone this far into an ultra race. It’s time to get them scoffed, Tim. We’re sure that’ll cheer you up in the face of your setbacks.

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A little later, Maxime Agut (080) arrives and puts on not one but two jackets. His setup is superlight by comparison – just a couple of top tube bags, reminiscent of Robin Gemperle’s rig last year. He’s also been plagued by punctures, and shows us his hands to prove it.

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Riders race to meet the 16:00CEST cut-off time at CP4. After a mix up, Michael Drummond (081) misses the cut off by a mere 15 minutes. Michael has swapped his spot on the media team – he’s worked The Accursed Race as well as TCR and TPR – for a cap this year. Those of you following along on social media will have heard his story of the Lizard King, and although he’s missed the cut-off he’s going to continue to the coast to fulfill a promise.

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He’s not the only rider heading to the med. Sixty-one riders make it through the CP4 cut-off with the coast in mind. They get to continue to choose their own adventure in a race to finish within GC. Parcours 5 is a just reward for their hard work so far, offering even more gravel (this is a gravel edition after all) and great views, provided you ride it while the sun is up. Franck (mentioned earlier) did it in the dark and struggled with punctures, but the light was beautiful as we caught him descending towards the end. Courage!

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We’re heartened to see Alvin Escajeda (003) keeping up his commitment to the recovery oat sodas. Alvin comes to us after a TCR finish last year and is putting in a very strong ride, sitting comfortably in the top 20, a friend from over the Atlantic who’ll be one to watch as the race wears on. 

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By evening the top 5 riders are giving us not one but two potential ding-dong battles. Tim de Witte summits col de Pailheres just as the sun sets, where he tells us his bike and body are giving out on each other. Less than an hour later Maxime Agut appears with filthy hands after fixing multiple punctures throughout the day before. The moon is rising over his shoulder as he pulls on not one but two jackets – his set up is reminiscent of last year’s winner Robin Gemperle, an exercise in sheer minimalism. When we point it out, he says maybe he’s got too little. It’ll be a cold night.

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