To Hell and Back: Racing the Andalucia Bike Race 2016
6 Days, 450 km, 12,000 m climbing. Allesandro and Veronika travel to hell and back again and plunge headfirst into the brutal stages of the Andalucia Bike Race 2016.
My heart punches in my chest. It thumps faster and faster, not helped by the Spanish commentator’s excited yapping ringing in my ears. As I squint, I can just about make out the front of the grid through the sea of riders.
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I’d been plucked from the grey of the German winter and somehow found myself sat on Canyon’s Exceed XC whippet on the start line of the Andalucia Bike Race, a gruelling six days of intense pain with 450km of varying terrain and a dizzying 12,000 metres of climbing for me and my partner Veronika to endure. In a haze of noise and adrenaline, I see the front of the pack head out, and a few moments later there is movement around me. Struggling for momentum, at first, the pace quickly rockets as we funnel out of the start grid and onto the open road.
Pain, intense suffering, and self-doubt. Relief, joy, and unbridled satisfaction. My emotions seemed to vary as much as the Andalucian terrain does from the old Roman bridge of Córdoba to the countless rows of olive groves. I wasn’t looking for anything from the race – I just wanted to survive and glide across the finish line on Friday afternoon. I did, but there were a few adventures along the way ….
I, like many others swept up by the enduro racing scene, am more used to ‘relaxed’ untimed transfers and flat-out descents over the course of a day or two. Perhaps it’s fair to say I had a jaded opinion of the XC racing scene. Lycra, shaved legs, 100mm of travel, and racers with questionable enjoyment issues.
I did feel like ‘that guy.’ You know – the one with all the expensive gear, but no idea! We’d been invited by Canyon to try out their Exceed hardtail and had a team of mechanics and personnel at our disposal: the true pro experience! The bike was awesome and longed to be pushed harder and harder, but unfortunately, my talent reached its potential before the bike. Paired with the RockShox RS1 fork, the Exceed becomes a rocket ship and responds swiftly and accurately to every input you make.
The race was super intense, with almost no let-up over the six days. The climbs were sharp, steep, and unrelenting. Never would I have thought I would look forward to a section of flat road in my life…. The descents were surprisingly technical and demanded concentration at all times. This was perhaps what surprised me most: despite the mammoth distances across all types of terrain, the organisers had managed to keep the majority of the racing on some incredible trails and singletrack.
The real low point came on day three, and mentally it hit us as hard as it did my body when I hit the ground. I pushed a little too much in an innocuous-looking turn, and the bike washed out on the loose gravel. I was fine, but in the process of sliding across the road, the bike lost its rear derailleur. Game over. Despondent, we waited for someone from the team to come rescue us. We would rejoin into day four with renewed motivation.
Over the final three stages, we finished well with consistent results, coming in 15th, 16th, and 14th. But just two kilometres into the final stage, we were hit with that sinking feeling once again with the hissing of air leaving Veronika’s rear tyre. We were left stone dead last as the entire field rolled past us…. With an F1-esque tyre change and fires in our bellies, we proceeded to unleash hell on the last stage, passing riders left, right, and centre. The skies had grown progressively darker over the day, and sure enough, the heavens opened with a biblical deluge of rain, engulfing us just to add a final touch of spice to the proceedings!
The overwhelming relief and satisfaction when we rolled under that finish line arch were hard to comprehend. With a high five and glance over to Veronika, wry smile escapes our drained and dishevelled faces. Soaked, exhausted, and with limbs like jelly, I scooped at the sugary goodies laid out at the finish line.
I was certainly made to swallow my own pride when I saw the finish times of the top racers. Let’s just say there were a few hours’ difference between us! As heroic as I felt crossing the line, the steely determination and unrivalled commitment the top guys and girls showed was nothing short of inspiring, eye-opening, and extremely humbling. I sauntered into the race and was given a rather rude awakening: The Andalucia Bike Race chewed me up and spat me right back out again!
The Bike
Words: Allesandro Sepp / Ross Bell Photos: Ross Bell