Day 4 // In the Darkness of that Early Hour

Words by Stuart Downie

Photos by Liz Seabrook and Tomás Montes

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One of TPR’s defining features – or more specifically, challenges – is the short days. The sun rises just before eight, and it sets twelve hours later, more or less. Getting out of bed in full dark conjures two things: winter in the north, or setting your alarm too early. It’s neither here, but facts rarely get in the way of a strong feeling. Living quite a bit further north through the rest of the year, it’s easy to forget just how quickly and completely night falls – it feels as if you’d be better swimming than cycling.

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We’re on the western slopes of the Tourmalet for sunrise. You’d think the experience would be played out, as renowned as it is. If you could name one peak, it would be this. At 2,115m, it’s the highest paved pass of the Pyrenees and, by extension, the Raid Parcours. I have my favourites, or at least my preferences, but even if it is ‘the big one’, Tourmalet never gets old. Despite its popularity, it feels wild here, especially at this time of day, this time of year, when it’s quiet – just the sound of bells clanging faintly in the distance.

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West to east, the climb is a little more open. We’re waiting for Anatole Naimi (076) to arrive. I’m getting deja vu. We saw Anatole here on TPRNo4, same time same place, chasing eventual winner Robin Gemperle back to Girona. We chatted to Anatole briefly; he’s still never seen the Col de Marie-Blanque – that’s the way it goes when you’re racing day and night. You’re on a schedule, and it’s not sympathetic to sightseeing. After the descent, he stops for breakfast in Sainte-Marie-de-Campan – he wanted to go to a shop for some yoghurt, but the only thing that was open was a little restaurant attached to a hotel. He got his yoghurt and a chocolat chaud, but the bill will be the most substantial part.

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As it goes, Anatole is now in third place: Max Agut (001) has withdrawn after a crash. Fortunately, after a trip to hospital, a broken wheel appears to be the worst of it, we wish him a speedy recovery. As a result, the race for the podium has opened up.

Along the road, second-placed Bruno Wicht (066) has reached Bagneres-de-Luchon at the foot of Col de Peyresourde. As we descend, we spot his bike propped up outside a bakery. He tells us this is the first thing he’s eaten since yesterday lunchtime. He’s having a chicken baguette, a flan, and a chocolate eclair. Race Co-ordinator David Ayre calls this the golden ratio – 2:1 sweet to savoury. A man of fine tastes, who continues his culinary research among the midpack.

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Speaking of culinary delights, yesterday Jesko von Werthern (125) revealed a cunning solution and a new-to-me combination: sour cream and onion Pringles make a good spoon for lemon yoghurt. Don’t knock it til you try it?

Le Chat is Out of the Bag

The race is more spread out now. A few hours up the road, Nicolas Chatelet (008) is climbing Col de Pailheres. We station ourselves here to catch him on the climb, and hope for a quick chat with the new race leader. As we wait, we watch the helicopters flying water in to tackle a wildfire just to the south. There’s another fire at nearby Saurat, visible from the lower slopes of the Pailheres. Locals tell us that it’s been burning for over a month.

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The Pailheres is just as peaceful as the Tourmalet was earlier. Wild horses come over to say hello, one even gives our car a little nibble. But the tranquillity doesn’t survive the arrival of a driving holiday, parking a dozen modern performance cars in the layby opposite the refuge. It would have been entirely unremarkable if only they killed the engines. You can rent a car. Class is harder to come by.

Fortunately, Mr Chatelet has panache aplenty – a Pyrenean palate cleanser. The Parisien lives nearby and has had to ward off enthusiastic friends, telling them he has to make the ride alone. His racing past is evident when he hits the descent, absolutely railing the corners. Perhaps the roadman is reformed,  preferring the solitude that ultra offers to the chaos of the reduced bunch sprint. It’s clear now that the race will finish on Tuesday – possibly early in the morning. Right on track by our own Ahab’s (Race Director Andrew Phillips) calculations. Where I’m from, that’s a skeely skipper.

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Coast to Coast

We’ve been seeing autumnal colours edging into the greens over the past few days, blending in with the sunburnt undergrowth at a glance. Passing through wildfire zones, the scorched boughs of trees felled to manage the spread are a little harder to mistake. Commentary around the blistering speed of the race feels flippant, even if it’s justified.

In the FLINTA field, Anna Richter (004) is progressing at pace, squarely in the top ten – the sugar water doing its job. Jana Kesenheimer (002) is still making steady progress and chasing the top ten. Then there’s Katharina Wirth (027) riding in third place, within the top twenty – an incredible result for the bursary rider who fell in love with ultra at TCR. Summer romance doesn’t have to end.

Bursary rider Julien Bourbiaux (063) is also in fine fettle. After the disappointment of being removed from the general classification at TPRNo2, he’s keen to make fewer mistakes. Mistakes are inevitable, especially as you get tired, but he’s glad to be mending his ways and still riding to his goal. Most importantly, he’s really enjoying himself, happy to be among the Pyrenees and finding his way. I recall Jocelyn Roth (nnn), who was disappointed to have to withdraw, saying that he remembers discovering past versions of himself along the way. It will be interesting to hear from Julien at the finish if he also met his former self out there.

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Always with an air of the outlandish, Mike Drummond (049) arrived at CP3 headier than usual, bothered by a sore backside. After checking in, he took a shower and then paraded around in his towel – sometimes there’s no avoiding airing your privates business. Like many others, he’d had a time with the 49.7km of Parcours D, taking him 6 hours end-to-end.

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Mike’s not the only one catching our eye. Pascal Frehner (016) really wanted to keep going – his mind was telling him yes, but his body was telling him no. Tough as it is, knowing when to stop is a special skill all of its own. Alain Rumpf (106) has collected three Lost Dot races now – TCR, the Accursed Race, and now TPR. He’s been taking notes, getting to know their unique personalities. We’re looking forward to his full report. This is his first time riding in the Pyrenees. What better way to get to know the place than a 1900km ultra with 40,000m of climbing?

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We felt the first spots of rain in the Pyrenees, only briefly, and the forecast is looking unfavourable. But there’s still some way to go…

Scratch Report

Twelve more riders join the roster. Every day is a good day; some are just better than others.

Mathew Lay (129), Carsten Stibenz (097), Felix Claridge (102), Toby Attwood (144), Daniel O'Connor (037), Max Agut (001), Pascal Frehner (016), Clayton Fellman (064), Jonas Steinbach (056), Steve Denny (142), Vaughan Allison (040), Webster Wickham (127)

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