Day 05 // Looking After Yourself

Words by Stuart Downie

Photos by Alex Duffill and Tomás Montes

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The theme of the race in its latter stages is starting to settle: self care. That might seem odd when taking part in an event that many would consider to be self destructive, but isn’t that the point? To briefly borrow from a (much) better journalist:

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“Buy the ticket, take the ride… and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well… maybe chalk it off to forced conscious expansion: Tune in, freak out, get beaten.”

– Hunter Thompson

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Just as there are different rides to which you can buy tickets, there are of course different ways to take care of yourself. Maybe you do it in advance – whether that’s intricate route planning, making a spreadsheet that undermines your workplace claims of ‘not being a spreadsheet person’, maybe you’re a fan of a fartlek and building up the VO2 max, or maybe you’re just able to tolerate lots and lots of sweets. Speaking of which, Leyla Serbouti (072) has made it to CP5 with time to spare. After the carrot revelation, we find her favourite snacks are:

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1) Dragibus (blue ones)

2) Dragibus (black ones)

3) Gummy bears

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Presumably Leyla also eats the other colours of Dragibus, a chewy sweet available in most shops, although there are a few in there which are suspiciously soapy and/or perfumey. Not for everyone. Your favourite snacks? Let us know, comments are free.

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Speaking of food, on Tuesdays there is a pizza van in Arreau, just before the foot of the Col d’Aspin.  It is sensationally good. It is also parked outside a bike shop belonging to Maxime Agut (080). If you are passing through on a Tuesday evening, as Maxime did, then it is ideal timing, otherwise you’ll just have to take our word for it, or come back. Before we hear cries of foul play, Le Petite Tomate is in Arreau every Tuesday. It’s possible Max planned his race around getting a pizza, though if the tracker is anything to go by he didn’t stop long enough to get one.

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Five days into TPR. The head of the races is into the Pyrenees proper. Freehubs whizz at all hours through the narrow cobble streets and squares of the sleepy stone villages nestled among these formidable cols. You feel small but also strangely safe, enclosed as you are. This year, of course, the Raid Parcour features gravel sections that extend the adventure, forcing a little expansion.

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Above Melles, at the back of the Col de Mente – a usual fixture on previous editions – we ascend a crumbling, abandoned road. Here we see Maxime Agut overtake Tim de Witte (111), the former’s lightweight setup surely helping him shimmy into first place. This is a race, but it is not like other races. You can’t imagine the leaders of many other races taking the time to exchange pleasantries as they exchange positions.

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Later in the evening, in Bagneres de Luchon, Tim de Witte tells us that he doesn’t think about his position, at least not until the very end of the race. That’s one way to care for yourself in the race – make the race your own. It’s not about the competition, caring for yourself means riding your own race, not letting external pressure get to you, and not when you’re under pressure in other ways. Tim is lucid it seems, in spite of a lack of sleep, but his throat is giving him some bother.

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“This is probably the coolest race I’ve ever done,”  says Alvin Escajeda (003), which is always nice to hear. While it’s a beautifully hard bike race, it’s not hard for the sake of it. This is an offering: forced conscious expansion is on the table.

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Alvin knows there’s still a long way to go. “I need to take care of myself so I don’t hate it,” he says, which is an important distinction to make. How you feel about something is a matter of perspective, and having the tenacity to recognise that and manage your approach can and will make the difference. Alvin had previously said he hoped to crack the top ten, but he’s doubting that now. But there’s still 700km to ride, and if he takes care of himself we think he’s every chance of getting everything that he came for.

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Earlier in the race, Samantha Saskia Dugon (103) posted on social media about never having felt like she’d found a place to belong until she discovered cycling and the community around it. It’s clear from the front to the back of this race that there’s an essential togetherness that happens among the abject aloneness you can experience. 

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One such example is a tale of restitution. Kai Sikorski (113) has lost his jacket. Fortunately, Juan Miri (067) already found it, and it’s been handed safely to Control Team 1. Taking care of yourself extends to taking care of each other.

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Tom Probert (117) only got an hour and a half of sleep in the push to make the cut off at CP4 which has thrown him off, and now he’s missed the CP5 time cut. He’s going to keep going, but he’s changing his approach – no more riding all night or subsisting on quick naps. Proper sleep. If you look at the leading riders, this approach is obviously becoming more prevalent. Race leader Maxim Agut has been taking 4-5h of rest a night, and it’s clearly working for him. That’s not to say there’s a one size fits all approach to racing, but it seems now that the days of little to no sleep are behind us in favour of sleeping more to keep you going.

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In short, the story is this: look out for yourself, and each other, and we’ll see you on the road.

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SCRATCH REPORT

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Karim Zwart (070) Rider scratched 20:16 CEST 7/10 via WhatsApp due to fatigue.

Ellena Brandner (036) Rider scratched 13:19 CEST 7/10 via email due to a torn sidewall meaning CP5 cut off will be missed.

Bernhard Hartenstein (017) Rider scratched 12:28 CEST 7/10 via WhatsApp due to missing CP cut off time.

Sophia Ganzeboom (106) Rider scratched 12:20 CEST 7/10 via WhatsApp due to a crash resulting in injury.

Adam Page (001) Rider scratched 11:48 CEST 7/10 via WhatsApp due to equipment issues.

Charlie Bratt (022) Rider scratched 11:09 CEST 7/10 via WhatsApp due to knee pain.

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