Badlands 2021 - Race Preview

Day 1 Morning - The backcountry is calling

Day 1 evening - We knew it was going to be fast, but on-road kind of fast?

Day 2 morning - Dark hours are for speed at the front, while the badlands claims its first scratch massacre 

Day 2 evening - Mattia Will. Not. Be. Stopped. And top tips for heat and hygiene from the riders

Day 3 morning - Top spot is no longer on the market and the battle for silver and bronze is on

Day 3 evening - Top 10 spots filling-up, female 1st place has her eyes on the prize, and food.

Day 4 morning - top 12 all arrive under 3 days, and anticipation rises for female finishers in Capileira today

Day 4 evening - A finishing wave with podium rights for celebration tonight 

Day 5 evening - 3rd place female and many ,many more happy finishers

Mattia De Marchi

Ulrich Bartholmös

Janosch Wintermantel

Sofiane Sehili

Justinas Leveika

Sule Kangangi

Alistair Brownlee

Paul Voss

Jan Koller

Victor Jovet

Francisco Montoya

Jared Linden

Oriol Chias

Arnau Masferrer

Damien Barré

Alex Knight

Cem Tanyeri

Joachim Marquardt

David Candelich

Wenceslao Megías

Fernando Godino

Jesús Blázquez

Emmanuel Coltat

Marion Dziwnik

Wannes Nickees

Jaime Pintado

Geoffrey Beurskens

Matthew Sowter

Jordan Gueguen

Mabire Maxime

Olivia Dillon

Gert Schilder

Colin Ross

Joaquim Santos

Aitor Vinos

Ramón García

Michal Serafin

André Bernardino

Patrick Koller

Tobias Wildi

Matthew Falconer

Toni Guijarro

Álvaro Reca

Johan Erlandsson

Rubén Sierra

Raúl García

Alexandre Pichon

José Cabello

José Luis Tejedor

Miguel Silvestre

Adam Palin

Marco Hinzer

Gregory Jourdan

Bruno Ferraro

Benjamin Wormald

Igor Iraolagoitia

David S. Iglesias

Julien Gravaud

Elizabeth Hughes

Christopher Hall

Francesco Corona

Péter Oláh

Ricardo Torrao

David Sebastián López

Adrián Ramírez

Lars Bo Jeppesen

Jordi Pantín

Rubén Rodríguez

Emilio Rodríguez

Lauren Johnston

Christophe Lorenz

Daniel Jiménez

April Marshke

Rafal Palowski

Miłosz Rękawek

Josep Badia

Lloyd Berry

Silvia Pineda

Juan Carlos Carrillo

Pieter Bevernage

Adrienne Estrada

Sophie Gateau

Paolo Calabresi

José Manuel Dobado

Jaime Agudo

Andy Walker

Christian Meier

Antoine Breny

Norberto Reina

Chris Tonge

Fernando Olivera

Ritxi

David Ferrero

Mathis Wallrabenstein

Osvaldo Navia

Lars De Vries

Miquel Alzina

Henning Roalkvam

Christopher Dunn

Thomas Balink

Marta & David

Martijn & Mike

Ibai & Fernando

Perseu & Morten

Christian & Alex

Santy & Diego

Jon & Fernando

Hugo & Benjamin

René & Christian

Olivier & Jens

Rhodri & Pedr

Chalo & Manu

Fernando & Gerardo

Gerard & Paco

Nicholas & Nick

Sergiusz & Tomasz

Joël & Jean-marc

Belma & Paula

Asja & Federico

Andreas & Daniel

Julián & Eduardo

Davide & Matteo

Erwin & Johan

Marian & Max

Laura & Cristina

Miguel & Carlos

Carlos & Carlos

Dave & Paul

Oliver & George

Chakib & Raffi

Gabriele & Mattia

Chris & Jack

Gravel is the new Black - no question. Despite the problems many other event organisers have had this second year of covid-complications, Badlands 2021 (from Transiberica Ultra-cycling) rapidly sold out. Back for its second edition, with an adjusted route from [last year](https://dotwatcher.cc/race/badlands-2020 "https://dotwatcher.cc/race/badlands-2020") and a bigger starter group of 250 brave cyclists (over double last year’s 116 starters), will be grouped together in Granada on Sunday September 5th at 8am CET, ready to take on the badlands of Europe.

### What you need to know about the route

Badlands is a fixed route gravel race covering just under 750km in distance and a whisker shy of 15,000m climbing. This year’s riders will spend 65% of their time off road, and some of that including alpine and singletrack. The remaining route flows over paved roads, but with 253m of cobbles included - just because everyone loves some cobbles.

The route crosses some of the most remote, diverse and challenging places in Europe, and is split into 7 distinct areas. Let’s take a closer look at what the riders will be travelling through in a few days :

__Section 1 - Granada and Sierra Navada__
![badlands start](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/41ZqCH2djgVEZzDeIwaZyL/ca59800743ad803c5dc0935636473c97/Badlands-230_start.jpg)
Things get serious quickly with 1,800m of climbing in the first 40km. Leaving the centre of the city of Granada (famous for the 9th century Alhambra castle) the peloton hit the Dehesa del Generalife trail and start some technical off-road climbs. Served up quickly after, are the cols of La Argumosa (1.290m) with a 17% gradient on the way up, and Collado Alguacil (1.891m) delivering some sections at 16%. For the riders that aren’t blinded by sweat running in their eyes, they will have a chance to view Mulhacén (3.483m) from the top as their reward, which is the highest mountain on the Iberian peninsula.

__Section 2 - Hoya de Gaudix and Gorafe Desert__
![badlands section 2](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/6zGejSbbhDYAbOFyo6GjjR/9410508244cccf0251db29726f253392/Badlands-377_section_2.jpg)
At 145km in, the second part of the race whisks the riders onto the plateau of Hoya de Guadix that has been shaped over the last 500,000 years by water erosion creating gullies and badlands. While the riders are marvelling at the unique beauty of the area, they will take a 100km loop north through the very remote Garaf desert, and experience its extreme daytime heats and cool nights, before coming back to meet the route once again and head south-east.

__Section 3 - Sierra de los Filabres__
![badlands section 3](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/5JXpGOWkvi2e6Z4Bq59rtg/5d12d3c8e19d376f8ec03fc87ede8d25/_section3.jpg)
The start of section 3 signals to the riders the most remote part of the journey, spending almost all of the 120km off-road in the Sierra de los Filabres with no access to food or water.   Once they have left Gor, they will take the steady and long climb to the Calar Alto Observatory (km.349, 2.168m) that is the highest point in the race. They still have 40 km to descend down to Gérgal before reaching civilization again and can celebrate passing the halfway mark.

__Section 4 - Tabernas Desert and the Sierra de Alhamilla__
![badlands section 4](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/6S4roxCZcDXk87A4IstYfF/84def243414e61aa5b56abdef0bf10b3/Badlands-531section_4.jpg)
The prize for making it halfway is the opportunity to ride through Tabernas Desert, officially considered to be the only real desert on the European continent, with rainfall less than 250 mm/y and an average temperature over 17°C (average highest in September over 35°C). With desert comes sand, covering beautiful gullies and badlands that is not only a destination for ultra-cyclists but also has been a film set for A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, and Game of Thrones (to name a few). A very technical 8km hike-a-bike section is waiting for the riders after the Fuente Santa train station, and is not recommended for passage at night. To make their way out of the desert, the mountains of the Sierra de Alhamilla await with a climb up to the top of Collado Colativí (1.306m) before the riders descend to Níjar.

__Section 5 - Cabo de Gata Natural Park and Almería__
![badlands section 5](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2VmXjrn7x1aadgoaMQCxPI/e132f50d1ba19b8506a0df9d5ca065bf/Badlands-705_section5.jpg)

This area of Andalucia will transport the riders to a unique landscape of volcanic rock, fossil beaches and abandoned villages. Following the route south takes the group to their first meeting with the mediterranean coast at La Isleta del Moro village, and then orientates them  west along the coastal gravel road passing famous beach film locations, towards Almería. This major city will allow the riders to test how good their desert look is when meeting washed and groomed fellow humans once again and the ability to stock up before going back off-grid.

__Section 6 -  Sierra de Gádor and the Sea of Plastic__
![badlands section 6](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/V4U45k8G227RmlKhZu6F6/ac7db0f824db9341e1067ddc1d2944fb/Badlands-727_section_6.jpg)
After the shock of the big city, the riders will have covered 75% of the route and will start to head north again through the Sierra de Gádor mountain range separating them from the Sierra Nevada and the finish. The passage through the mountains is made via an initial climb of 800m to the town of Felix, and then a longer journey upwards to reach the highest point at La Lagunilla (1.498m). At the top the riders can observe the phenomena of the sea of plastic: the largest concentration of greenhouses in the world - covering almost 30.000 hectares - and considered one of the few man-made structures visible from space. 

__Section 7 - La Alpujarra__
![Badlands section 7](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/3rdrN5IGNpvJv5madQaSZx/dcae49f7a3e90b5e98b57a969a4db5d1/Badlands-811_section7.jpg)
Not one to go easy on the riders, the organisers have left the hardest section to the end. To make it to the finish line, each rider will need to climb an elevation gain of 2.000m in just 50km from the Pantano de Benínar until Trevélez, over a mixture of paved roads and rideable but steep paths. This area on the south slopes of the Sierra Nevada has an average elevation of 1.200m above sea level, meaning cold nights and alpine-esque terrain, adding a little extra spice to a very tough final section. 

The elevation profile shows what some of the altitude numbers leave unsaid. Note the number of purple dots along the top, signifying where riders will be off grid and underscoring the true remote nature of the adventure they are about to undertake: 

![badlands elevation profile](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/2k3PcUcvwbklVV4RMyR0Xh/823833686b43b2fe8e90c570ba86dfc0/Screenshot_2021-09-02_at_09.39.00.png)

To be in with a chance of clasping dusty hands around a finisher’s medal, wheels need to roll up to the finish line before September 10th at 8pm local time - only 6.5 days after leaving Granada.

### Ones to watch

With 183 solo riders and 34 pairs lining up on Sunday, not only is the roster full but it is brimming with talent, experience and appetite - it is going to be a dotwatcher’s paradise.

__Ulrich Bartholmös__ took the plunge into off-road ultra-cycling sooner than he was planning and is pulling on cap #1 on Sunday. Off the back of winning Transpyrenees, and then coming back after certain derailleur death, to win the Transiberica only two weeks ago, he has the chance to grab the Transiberica Ultracycling triple crown. 

__Sofiane Sehili__, who is taking on Badlands for the first time, is fresh off the plane from his Silk Road Mountain Race win and newly deepened wheel building skills. As the winner of the inaugural Atlas Mountain Race, he is used to rough and arid terrain and in addition to a narrow second place finish at the Transpyrenees this year, he will be looking to show his skills on the course. His sleep defying skills will favour him in a race that is for the fast - but is the race long and tough enough for him to dig deep into the Sofiane reserve and do what he does best? We are sure he has an answer to that...

Making his debut in the bikepacking world, and off road for his first event, is Team GB triathlete and double-olympic gold medalist, __Alistair Brownlee__. After an ankle surgery in early summer, he has had plenty of time to check the route and plan with his feet up, but will it have left enough time for training and not be a problem over the hundreds of kilometers of rough terrain? Last year saw the win and 2nd place taken by professional cyclists, will it be the year we convert the triathletes to the darkside?

Back after a break, ice-cream loving __Matthew Falconer__ will be clipping-in in Granada for his return to the scene and debut in the event. Experienced in the on-road world with 4 finishes on the Transcontinental (finishing 2nd in 2018), and completing the Italy Divide in 2019, he will be trying out his new Curve cycling gravel bike christened on the Yorkshire hills just a few weeks ago. However, the question on all our minds is whether the remote nature will impact his ice-cream count this year?

Speaking of Italy, __Bruno Ferraro__ was already getting in the headspace for Badlands while putting in an incredible ride to reach 4th place finish in Transiberica. Despite a collarbone injury earlier this year, it doesn’t seem to have impacted his performance or sense of humour, and even gave him some time to do some reading and [write about 2 influential women](https://gravgrav.cc/article/alfonsina-and-juliana-100-years-of-iconic-women-of-cycling "https://gravgrav.cc/article/alfonsina-and-juliana-100-years-of-iconic-women-of-cycling") who changed the face of cycling for all of us. 

__Justinas Leveika__ will also be blasting through Andalusian dust following a gruelling Tranibserica where he took 3rd place this year, despite some mechanical issues and a knee that was not being cooperative. After scratching last year, and gaining more experience with each race, he will be looking forward to performing in Granada in a few days time.

Bikepacking is not only the mistress for pro racers looking to spice up their season, but also a welcoming retirement village for ex-pro racers. Coming to enjoy some late summer sun is German ex-pro and current Directeur Sportif __Paul Voss__ - making his bikepacking and gravel debut. He will be lining up with an Italian fellow ex-pro __Mattia de Marchi__, who took the win this year at Italy divide and with his competitive spirit strong, will be looking to repeat his winning performance on Spanish gravel paths instead of the volcanic Italian ash.

Canadian Girona resident __Christian Meier__ (and ex-pro) has decided to hang-up his trail shoes for a few days after the UTMB session last week, and throw his leg back over a bike. Badlands is a race that suits him well being a fast rider with an adventurous and resourceful spirit  - à la pioneering the use of innertubes not for puncture repair but to carry his bike during Further 2020. Badlands 2020 was a scratch as was his show at Atlas Mountain Race, so getting to the finish line will be front of mind come Sunday. 

__Ihor Ustymenko__ who came in 36th in Transiberica this year, has decided to stick around in Spain a while longer and tackle Badlands before heading back to his native Ukraine. As an organiser of the TransUkraine event, and finisher of NorthCape 4000 in 2019, his experience is deep, but wasn't enough to get him around Badlands last year as part of a pair. He is coming back solo this time around and is hopeful his legs will be recovered enough to get him through the 750km.

Badlands will be welcoming a field of 12 solo women this year - all for their first time at the event. Although still less than 10% of the total solo start line, it is one of the better showings of the race calendar in 2021. 

Flying in from the UK is __Liz Hughes__, a professional cycling coach and member of Team Watto she is on top form after spending many a long day in the Yorkshire hills and Welsh mountains to get ready for Sunday’s start.  

__Marion Dziwnik__ recently finished in a very narrow second place in the Orbit 360 rankings.  After spending 2d 19h 17m riding 8 gravel routes around Germany, her roadie and fixed gear heritage has been joined by gravel skills. She is also a finisher of Transcontinental in 2018 as one half of the first ever female pair - she knows about long days in the saddle, but bivvying and remote locations were not part of the deal. Her steed to get her through this is a new prototype Votec VRX with more relaxed geometry and more mountain gearing than her Vortec VRC bike used for the Orbits - surely a plus for the bumpy, long and consecutive days out in the desert.

__Olivia Dillon__ is travelling south to the start with a 5th place in Unbound Gravel this year to her name. Another Girona resident, she has been preparing for the heat and terrain well, even getting her feed plan dialled by going back to her roots with boiled potatoes. Her plan is to complete the route in 4 days - let’s see what she can show us.

The Pairs field has its first all female duo to start: __Laura Gallardo__ and __Cristina Sánchez__ (two-thirds of the cycling group OverAndOut cycling) have made their way down to Anndalucia already from their Catalunya home. Laura is a cycling coach and Directrice Sportive for Team Smart Dry, who has been the brains behind the training plan. They are feeling strong, and aiming for a finish in 4-5 days.

__Chakib Hantabli__ and __Raffi Hantabli__ are a pair coming over from London and are rookies to the bikepacking world, from what our research shows. With a very minimalist online presence, we think they are two photographers, but don't know much else. They will be 2 unknowns to watch next week. 

__Miguel Ángel García__ and __Carlos Conesa__ are the only pair back for a second year. They had a great ride and finished as second placed pair in 70h and 59m last year. Although the route is different this year, they are setting out with a target to beat.

Many other riders who have tackled on-road and off-road events this year will also be taking on the incredible adventure of Badlands 2021, along with a few brave souls dipping their toes for the first time into bikepacking, making for a really open race.

Get your snacks ready -  your week is about to pass by in a daze of fast, dusty and very exciting dot watching!

*All images from Juanan Barros*


At 8am local time this morning, with the first light of day painting the sky a spectrum of reds, pinks and oranges, the gentle hum of nervous excitement in front of the congress centre was broken by the sound of over 200 pairs of knobbled tyres rolling out of Granada.  

Police escorted the riders 2km in a neutralised start out of the city, and then released the cyclists to start their 750km adventure on the gravel routes of Andalucia. Trackers are syncing and riders fighting their way up very technical, steep and loose climbs. The front of the pack is constantly shuffling: a mix of household names, last year’s veterans, and rookies are all vying to get space to reach the top of the first col, La Argumosa (1.290m).

Before leaving Granada, riders have been dealing with the pre-race anticipation in different ways: __Cem Tanyeri (Cap #95)__ is moonlighting as the unofficial video crew for badlands interviewing __Emmanuel Coltat (cap #164)__; many have been photo posing in front of the official badlands start; some 80s and salsa music has been supplied to help dance the nerves away; and of course, a lot of coffee.

Follow my Challenge tracking interface shows us one official DNS - __Jared Linden__ - and a few trackers still at the startline. We will wait for confirmation later in the day before counting any further DNS riders.

### Before things even started
Riders have been trickling in since mid week, and each taking their own preparations.

__Matthew Falconer (cap #71)__ decided to take the scenic route to the start from the Malaga airport to get acclimated to the heat and a fully loaded bike, which was much heavier than he remembered. Equally as important, he has managed to have 5 ice-creams before the start, but we won’t be counting those in the final tally of __#HowManyHelados__

__Liz Hughes (cap #44)__ found time to take in the Alhambra castle on Friday, but the nerves kicked in not long after. A restless night meant she was awake at 4am Saturday with a need to eat. A true ultra-cyclist, this was remedied with 4 slices of toast, 3 eggs and some pulped tomatoes. Sounds like her preparation is perfectly matched for the next few days.

The pre-race nerves were starting to show after registration amongst the cyclists. Many fraught questions were had about the trackers and their battery duration, as they apparently don’t fit a standard Micro USB cable for recharging. The organization reassured them it will last the length of the event - which should be about 3 days… An added incentive to finish a little earlier for some.

On the other end of the emotional scale, one half of a pairs rider __Paul Alinejad (cap #223)__ is already figuring out how to get back from the finish to Granada. He understands that confidence is key to all success.

Heat has been a topic of conversation, and fluid loss, before even starting. Social Media has been lit up with footage of Pharmacy signs showing temperatures of 37c (99f) even at 5pm. Maybe it's a good thing the riders will be so remote - they might not realise just how hot it is.

__Chris Hall (cap #105)__ has decided to saddle up for a return to bikepacking races with Badlands 2021, after focusing on other challenges in the last couple of years. Whilst taking some downtime to get ready for the start, he has been sharing some sage advice on social media, such as not to weigh your bike before the ride unless you want to think about only that on each and every climb.

For some riders, weight has been at the centre of their kit choice. A very motivated few saw redundancy in sleep systems that have been left behind as they try to complete the whole route without stopping for sleep. Last year’s winner Lachlan Morton kept riding for 1d 19h 20m to reach the finish - an inspiration and goal for which to aim for this year’s peloton. 

__Sally McHugh (cap #158)__ went a little too extreme in reducing weight sending her only pair of socks back home before the race started. Luckily, __Gert Schilder (cap #132)__ has a lovely pair of blue Bonti socks he will loan her, so she won’t miss out on quality sock tanline hours.

All riders have their piece of kit that they won’t start without, or leave behind en route. __Ulrich Batholmös (capt #001)__ collected a bidon from the vuelta and kept it until his winning finish at the Transiberica 2021, for example. __Alistair Brownlee (cap #121)__ has a slimmed down sleeping kit, along with full waterproofs. Being a good yorkshireman, he knows to never trust the weather.

__Bruno Ferraro (cap #102)__ has been showing no nerves, nor problem with the heat. He has been focusing his time on his pin collection however, and reached a new high having finally found the Sierra Nevada pin. In between pin shopping, he was the instigator behind the rider meet-up on friday to watch the sunset over Alhambra with a few beers. A chance for everyone to meet each other, and dare to get within a safe sniffing distance before they spread out along the route over the coming days.

![badlands pre party](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/4ZVwNZYshHJHt01oSNDNnQ/26ee22eabb6a5793f9e3b01693484c32/BADLANDS_FRIDAY-21_jacob_p.jpg)
*Image Jacob Kopecky*

Sunset drinks, ice-creams and tourist visits were not on the cards for pairs riders __Andreas Simonsson__ and __Daniel Putz  (caps #226 and #227)__ unfortunately. The riders arrived safely to Granada, but their bikes didn’t make it past Barcelona. Calls are being made and connections pulled to see if bikes can be found for the duo to start. Their trackers are amongst the ones still at the start line, and we are not sure if the bikes have arrived for them to start yet.

Although a breadth of gravel bikes have been attached to trackers in the last 24 hours, there are at least two hardtail mountain bikes hitting the trails as we speak. __José Luis Tejedor (cap #138)__  and __Toni Calderón (cap #153)__ are leading the maverick charge with a little extra cushioning and easier handling to take on the rough terrain. We will be watching as the crowd progresses towards the finish to see how their choices flow. 

For a handful of lucky riders it was like Christmas had come early with an extra present from Fulcrum Wheels in their starter pack. Seven bikes have been fitted with new wheels to roll through the deserts of Andalucia this week. 

Granda is forecast to have highs of 33c (91f) today as the group heads north east. By 8pm CET tonight, the pointy end could well be enjoying the badlands of the Gorafe desert, while the tail end of the pack will just be reaching Hoya de Guadix - in time to watch the sun set on their first day. 

Meet you back here tonight to see how the sunday ride out has been for our fearless gravel riders.

![badlands eat sleep cycle](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/5MJ1nx28voGCY8Bilb8DMK/1264b8cf6d1c021c27a05e212961128e/BADLANDS_FRIDAY-23_jacoby.jpg)
*Image Jacob Kopecky*

*Header image Jacob Kopecky*

If you get car sick, I recommend staying away from the replay function on the follow my challenge tracking. The bandlanders have brought their all to the race: throughout the pack the daylight hours have been a flurry of activity along the route as riders speed along at phenomenal velocity. 

The front of the pack has been a jostle for the hotly contended 1st place. As we type __Mattia de Marchi (cap #112)__ is currently in 1st place by a 10km margin. He reached the end of the first section at 3.05pm local time today and has made his way around the loop of the Gorafe desert and is flying towards the east. His average speed is currently 19.63 km/h.

Mattia was not alone as he reached the end of the first section, with the 2021 European Mountain BIke Ultra Champion __Seb Breuer (cap #104)__ alongside. Only 4 minutes later __Janosch Wintermantel (cap #110)__ and __Ulrich Bartholmös (cap #1)__ ticked off the first section, that was then visited only 120 seconds later by __Paul Voss (cap #109)__ and __Sule Kangangi (cap #113)__. 

Sule is the only rider from the African continent collecting a Badlands cap this year, and has brought with him ambitions of breaking last year’s record. Having placed 3rd GC in the Tour of Rwanda (2017) and coming a very close second in this year's Migration Gravel Race in his home country of Kenya, you would think that is enough to believe in him. Yet  his passion and grit run deeper, when even in his childhood he would steal his grandfather's bike just to cycle. We are lucky he didn’t listen to his mother when she told him to stop cycling, as he is promising a good show in Andalucia. 

![Sule Kangangi](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/6Fz4jg29kiRcYmiAX1iOWI/c8bfa0bd5543c06bff42a74631a57a8d/BADLANDS_SUNDAY-17.jpg)
*Image Jacob Kopecky* 

Reaching the end of the 1st section at 3.27pm CET was __Alistair Brownlee (cap #121)__, closely followed by __Christin Meier (cap #108)__ in 8th place, then __Marius Karteusch (cap #46)__ just 5 minutes later. 

Marius’ place in the top 10 stopped not long after. A few hours ago he had vomited 4 times due to some water he had collected at a fountain and was pushing his bike (now unable to cycle) back to the town to get some rest. Combined with the gruelling heat of the day, additional fluid loss could mean the end of the race for him. Fingers crossed the rest tonight will help him recharge and rejoin the route tomorrow.

Last to the top in 10th place was Lithuanain rider __Justinas Leveika (cap #148)__. Justinas, who now lives in Norway, was a little anxious about the heat, and has been experiencing bad cramps into the late afternoon, after also bonking en route and needing to stop and refuel in a bar. Luckily he found a big mattress on the street and was taking some time to relax as the sun set, ready to embrace the night hours and the coolness that comes with it.

In the women’s race, __Sally Mchugh (cap #158)__ was the first to make it through section 1 in a blisteringly fast 9h 21m, and is in 18th place overall. __Olivia Dillon (cap #20)__ was only 7 minutes behind her and is holding on to 22nd place in the GC. __Marion Dziwnik (cap #119)__ completed section one after 10h 20m of riding and is in 33rd overall.

__Liz Hughes (cap #44)__ has just reached the unofficial CP1 after 12 h 34mins, and has probably not been enjoying the heat. At kilometer 143 we find __Lauren Johnson (cap #59)__ who is enjoying the route but struggling with the heat, __Freya Rawlins (cap #30)__ who has been marvelling at the tree lined trails while fueling on sweaty sandwiches, and __Silvia Pineda (cap #115)__ who has been making good time.

__Sophie Gateau (cap #31)__ has covered 80 km and is about to reach the Hoya de Gudaix as night falls.

__April Marshke (cap #103)__ is experiencing a brake malfunction and has gone off track to wait in the town of Gudaix until Bicimana opens up at 9.30am tomorrow for a fix. Initially disappointed that this will impact her goal for finishing time, she knows a finish is a win. 

In the pairs race, last years 2nd place __Miguel and Carlos (Cap #264 and #265)__ are leading the group, and are approximately 30km in front of the next duo __Marta and David (cap #262 and #263)__ from Italy who have advanced up the rankings from their 4th place at CP1. 
The pairs race is equally as cosy as the solo field, and we can expect to see some changing of positions during the night as __David and Matteo (cap #202 and #203)__, __Ibai and Fernado (cap #260 and #261)__ and __Perseu and  Morten (cap #252 and #253)__ are all close behind.

### During the day
The heat has been challenging for all riders today. Varying reports have come back as to the top temperatures the riders passed through today: __Gert Schilder (cap#132)__ reported a high of 41c (106f),  __Damien Barré (cap #97)__ raised him to 42c (108f), __Juan Carlos Carillo (cap #162)__ wagered 44c (111f), but the highest bidder was Justinas at 47c (116f).

The heat did not deter 2 sightings of the Badlands rarest animal, the unicorn. __Peter Oláh (cap #10)__ who ia a finisher in this year’s Hope 1000, decided that his aero bar (singular) is sufficient when taking on gravel.

![peter olah badlands](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/Mcf2i824eY7eUw7ywDm7k/d2b0565f3ffb94ef94f285ecaad18d24/Peter.jpg)

For __Marion Dziwnik (cap #119)__, an ordering issue in the frame size for her Vortec VRX prototype meant she ended up with the Aluminium frame at a chunky 9kg. In compensation she did get a unicorn to help make it round the gravel loop.

![Marion D unicorn badlands](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/1B3hfS49anO5vMIDhK36f2/a49c010de1139951ac92625fb65b9c2d/marion.jpg)

Gorafe has seen a tsunami of sweat-stained cyclists throughout the afternoon and evening as riders reach the end of the first section and invade the main restaurant. For anyone that missed the opportunity to refuel in restaurants earlier, there was a small crowd of fans on the side of the road, dressed in sombreros and Mexican ponchos giving out food to the cyclists passing by, which distracted the riders from the gradient for a moment.

The badge for unluckiest rider today has to go to __David Sebastién Lopez (cap #161)__ who had 3 punctures by 2pm, then a 4th puncture an hour later, and ended up with a total of 7 punctures by 8pm. He is out of patches and tubes and only found out there was a bike shop in Gudaix after he was passed the town. Things seem to be going better now on the puncture front, and he has also met up with __Edwin Diaz (cap #143)__ a fellow south american, who has come from Ecuador to race Badlands.  

Some good news: __Jordan Linden (cap #60)__ was only having tracker issues this morning (that are now fixed) and so has his DNS status retracted from the list. He is having fun dealing with the heat, which he claims is worth it for the desert vibes.

Happily, the pair __Andreas Simonsson and Daniel Putz (caps #226 and 227)__ have found their bikes and Vueling is getting them to Granada for tonight. Look out for their dots moving into the night to catch-up with the pack.

### The Daily Scratch
Many trackers have been signalled as DNS reducing the number of bikes making their way across the desert, however we do say goodbye to our first badlander tonight, __Aleix Ballarin (cap #41)__ due to fatigue and pains, and some difficult motivation. He promises to be back next year, and we can't wait to see him again. The badlands 2021 __#scratchcount__ stands at 1 as of tonight.

The night time has brought with it cooler temperatures (low of 20c/68f forecast), and unsurprisingly many riders are looking to take advantage of the dark hours. With a new moon approaching, they will need to rely on battery power to light the way. As we grab our morning coffee tomorrow, we will already be 24 hours into the action, which could be a halfway point for those wanting to challenge the race record. See you back here in the morning to discover what happened on this moonless night.

*Header image Jacob Kopecky*

It has been a busy night at the front of the pack. __Matthia de Marchi (cap #112)__ has been consolidating his lead and finishing the second section at 2.44am CET and then the 3rd by 5.18 am. He is well over the halfway mark having rode 434km as of publishing, and maintaining the top average speed of 17.87 km/h. Stopping and sleeping were not on the cards with only an 8 minute and 15 minute resting in the early hours this morning, favouring speed during the night he was able to clear the third section 40 minutes faster than the 2 caps following him. 

![Mattia di Marchi badlands 2021](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/3zaIsGC2rDrLhIQ7ydx3vp/cd14f8b08f26bb3e9fae10e8834e73e7/BADLANDS_SUNDAY_filter-02.jpg)
*Image Jacob Kopecky*

Speaking of, in second and third place __Janisch Wintermantel (cap #110)__ and __Ulrich Bartholmös (cap #1)__ have been travelling together through the night. They ticked off the second section just before 5am local time. Ulrich fought hard during the night hunting down the lights of Janisch to close the 10 minute gap behind his rival, arriving one minute before him at the end of section 3. He is evidently transferring his ultra-cycling experience to gravel, and learning off-road skills very quickly.

After a break for a couple of hours around midnight, __Sule Kangangi (cap #113)__ was alone in the desert to make his way through section two, closing it out at 6.39am CET. He is now on his was through the Tabernas Desert (section 3) at sunrise.

While there has been a lot of fast explosive action delivered by Mattia up front, some household names are starting to play their cards. Fifth place __Christian Meier (cap #108)__ and sixth place __Sofiane Sehili (cap #100)__ reached the end of section two at 8.26am local time for sunrise. Christian did take a slight off-route stop to Pozo Alcón at 8pm last night, assuming to refuel, and managed to grab 2.5 hours sleep in the early morning. 

Sofiane has been accelerating as the race has progressed, after placing 11th at the end of the first section. Legendary for his ability to function well on little sleep, no surprises he enjoyed the starlit night in its completeness and is on his way to the end of the Tabernas Desert as we type. Photos show some knee taping, which we are not sure the cause of:

![sofiane badlands 2021](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/1qcs2yf0I6URgdnbrNZoZU/f47cba7e0f54fc6971f01dd1abd44c1a/BADLANDS_SUNDAY_filter-15.jpg)
*Image Jacob Kopecky*

__Justinas Leveika (cap #148)__ seems to have found some salts and minerals to get through the cramps and is just about to reach the end of section 2.

Not far behind him is a new entrant to the top 10 in eighth place, __Arnau Masferrer (cap #167)__. A girona resident and keen gravel cyclist, this appears to be his debut ultra-cycling event. 

__Jan Coller (cap #123)__ and __Francisco Montoya (cap #142)__ are also new entrants  and taking the last places in the the top 10 this morning.

__Sally McHugh (cap #158)__ held on to her first place female position - and jumped up a notch to 17th overall - during the night and is at the 277km mark about to reach the end of the second section. She bedded down in the desert for a couple of hours during the night, after a tough day with stomach digestion issues due to the heat.

__Marion Dziwnik (cap #119)__ has moved up during the night after a rest of 4hours at 1am, to 2nd place female (36th overall) 15km ahead of __Olivia Dillon (cap #20)__ who is 40th in the GC and has covered 253km.

__Liz Hughes (cap#44)__ is working with the heat and was grateful for the elevation and slightly cooler temperatures yesterday. After making sure she did a good paparazzi job of fellow british riders __Matthew Falconer (cap #71__ - who has strangely not logged any __#HowManyHelados__ yet) and __Chris Hall (cap #105)__,  she managed to eat half a jamón and queso bocadillo and admire her badlands tan made up of suncream and dust. A good night’s sleep in the desert and an early start have her at 215km into the race.

Food digestion has not been easy for many riders, however __Freya Rawlins (cap #30)__ managed to upgrade from the sweaty sandwiches of yesterday to a delightful *arroz con verdura* after sunset at the only restaurant in Gorafe.  Having covered 179km she is now rolling her way through the second section of Sierra de los Filbares.

__Alistair Brownlee (cap #121)__ has slipped down to 11th pace after a good start in the leading pack. The andalucian gravel terrain is unforgiving on tyres and tubes, and he has fallen victim to many punctures. __Jared Linden (cap #60__ and the faux-DNS) found him sitting under a small bush in the desert as he was weighing up his options. Alistair seems to have found a solution and is back moving again we can happily report. 

The pairs race is now wide open after many scratches during the night. Two mixed pairs are leading with 273km travelled, Asja & Federico __(caps #205 and #205)__ and __Marta & David (caps #262 and #263)__ and showing smiling faces from the dry desert lands, and make it seem like this is very much type 1 fun for the two leading duos. 

### Sleep is an option for some
With a hard, hot and dusty day, many riders decided that a few hours' kip unders the beautiful star-filled sky was on the cards. __Paula and Belma__, the other female pair __(caps #246 and #247)__ found luxury bivvy lodgings with painted walls last night for when sleep took over

![paula gonzalez bivvy](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/7vMfbtnqf47KoarEopGDDL/8e8b1977dd1626b53742ed57f6c6ee01/241312173_1026991071178711_4729928848768582372_n.jpg)

__Bruno Ferraro (cap #102)__ despite pushing hard through yesterday, found it harder and harder as the day progressed. Stomach pains, cramps, lightheadedness and ear issues made for one of his worst days in cycling. Too exhausted to ride the 9km to the hotel off route, 2 very nice drivers picked him up and drove him there to get some rest as of 9pm CET last night. His tracker still shows him stationary, we hope he is refuelling and can come back for another day. 

### The Daily scratch
The first day was beyond challenging, and the night has claimed a large number of riders to the scratch count. This morning we wake up with  12 less trackers beeping along the route: 

Solo Rders:
- __Marius Karteusch (cap #46)__ was not able to recover from the bad water
- __Chris Herbert (cap # 107)__ had a bad crash in the night and needed to walk back to a village to rest up in a hotel, but the damage to his shoulder and leg are too much to carry-on
- __Oliver Beresford (cap #168)__ was trying some new ergonomics and had attached his rear derailleur to his handlebar, which we think may be the source of the scratch.
- __David Gomez (cap # 127)__ is a DNF but we are not sure of the cause
- __Vincenç Vivo (cap #78)__ is marked as DNF but no cause known
- __Sebastian Breuer (cap #104)__ is out due to a potential bee sting

Pairs riders:
- __Davide and Matteo (caps #202 and #203)__ after having a very strong day are out of the race, cause unknown
- __Carlos and Carlos (caps #244 and #245)__ are also no longer pushing through the rough stuff
- __Miguel and Carlos (caps #264 and #265)__ after leading the pairs, and being among the top 10 overall for most of the day are also hanging up their cleats for Badlands 2021 

After only 24 hours of racing the __#scratchcount__ is a whopping 13. We wish all a speedy recovery and safe travel home.

Challenging terrain, baking temperatures, digestion and resupply issues have broken a lot of riders, and we are only 24 hours into the race. Another scorcher of a day is starting as riders are spread along the route. Tonight’s update after 36 hours could see leaders in Almería, ready to take on the final stretch. Hasta la noche !

*Header Image Jacob Kopecky*

__Mattia de Marchi (cap #112)__ is relentless in his forward motion. 36 hours into the race and he has only stopped for 1h 40m (5% race time), and maintained a consistent average speed (17.24 KM/H as of publishing). If he hadn't shared photographic evidence today of his refuelling at a shop, it would be hard to believe that he has stopped at all to stock-up. 

Today saw him power through three more sections during the day, including a hike along the beach, and work his way firmly into the penultimate section of Sierra de Gádor. With a little over 100km to go until the finish, the highest point in the race still needs to be climbed, as does 2,000m of altitude gain over 50km in the final section in the Sierra Nevada. WIth no sleep system attached to his bike it is clear he intends to take on the final climbs in the dark. The question remains if light from the sunrise will be reflecting off his finisher medal or the beam of a headlight?

__Janosch Wintermantel (cap #110)__ and __Ulrich Bartholmös (cap #1)__ have been sticking close throughout the day and holding on to second and third places respectively. 

![ulrich and janosch badlands](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/5eqakwncFs6AVZOGtqqtG9/82db75030051356bad07893147c7337b/BADLANDS_MONDAY-1.jpg)
*Image Jacob Kopecky*

On the leaderboard it shows a new addition to the top 10, __David Ferrero (cap #165)__, but he seems to have gone off route to get to Almeria, assuming a mechanical issue, and has not completed the 3rd or 4th sections of the route.

The true 4th placed rider is __Sule Kangangi (cap #113)__ who rode through the night yesterday for the first time, and is keeping tight hold of his position with ambitions still to reach the end as close to the top of the leaderboard as possible. 

5th place is __Sofiane Sehili (cap #100)__, snaking his way up the top 10, and taking first place in the stopping time charts: 1h 10m or a crushingly low 3% of race time. At 530km through the race, hope is still there that we will be treated to some songs before he reaches the finish line sometime tomorrow.

__Christian Meier (cap #108)__ has been trading places with Sofiane throughout the day, but Christian is a fan of appropriate rest and has one of the higher stopping times (4h 58m) of the top10.  

__Justinas Leveika (cap #148)__ is in 7th place, and is adding a holiday sheen to his impressive performance. Having just reached the coast, time has been spent enjoying a well earned ice-cream. Back moving again he is headed west towards Almería, secure in his 7th place, 35km ahead of __Alistair Brownlee (cap #121)__. Alistair is back in fighting form and his legs seem fresh (11h 28m stopped time), as he sped through the Tabernas Desert section in only 2h 37muntes - the third fastest time of all. He has a downhill to the coast and civilisation where he will be able to stock up on tubes again, and we will see how he approaches his second night out on the route.

__Jan Koller (cap #123)__ is in possession of 9th place, and __Arnau Masferrer (cap #167)__ has stuck around to spend more time in the top 10 taking the last place. 

The women’s field has a new lead (as Sally has scratched), taken by german rider __Marion Dziwnik (cap #119)__. Marion cleared section 3 at 7.27pm CET tonight in an impressive 2h 53m - eighth fastest time of all riders. The four hour sleep last night allowed her to push through today with virtually no stops despite the heat. 

Chasing behind in second place is __Olivia Dillon (cap #20)__ currently stopped in Gergal with other riders just before the end of the 3rd section. With the longest stretch of remote terrain behind her, she can now start to aim for the coastal views.

French female rider __Adrienne Estrada (cap #32)__ had a bit of a rough start, with her 1st puncture at 0.5km, then the second at 1.7km, and her third at 3km. Third times a charm, and things seem to have got sorted afer that allowing her to move through the desert. Hoping to find some quiches to fuel her journey, she has had to make do with empanadas, but is not too sad about it.

### Daily scratch
It is customary to finish the recap with the daily scratch, however it is possible that today has seen the highest attrition rate in the space of 24 hours of any race, and so it is major news. After publishing this morning, 13 additional riders have scratched from the race:

Solo Riders
- __David Sanchez (cap #29)__
- __David Withers (cap #57)__
- __Stephan Gallerrague (cap #64)__
- __Roberto Rikalde (cap #72)__
- __Irmantas Melko (cap #99)__
- __Raphael Albrecht (cap #120)__
- __Edwin Díaz (cap #143__)
- __Reinhard Spiegelhauer (cap #145)__
- __Rafael Ruiz (cap #157)__
- __Sally Mchugh (cap #158)__
- __Cornelias Akkermans (cap #166)__

Pairs
- __Dave Tomlinson and Paul Alinejad (caps #222 and #223)__

Most have been as a result of severe heat stroke. Of the 224 riders who started 36 hours ago, and with the __#scratchcount__ now at 26, an increible 11% of riders have quit. The terrain and the climate of this race are not to be underestimated.

### Finding food is for the adventurous
Food hoarding has been showing up as packed rations the riders left the start with have been devoured in the first 1.5 days of the race. __José Luis Tejedor (cap #138)__ shared his food raid featuring classics such as the *arroz con leche*, and kinder bueno, and a vital bag of ice:

![jose luis tejedor](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/4h3Q6u9b1BOEmoHPq2dl7x/32ed533064790f5ca69a0c339cca1a90/241281465_5955542717850387_1955104240564802194_n.jpg)

Paying for your food is not adventurous enough for a race of this caliber, so __Rafal Polowski (cap #36)__ has been happily acquiring peches from the orchards en route. 

![Rafal Polowski peaches](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/24avU61Naao31ufPd6k8X7/cb69e9b478c727615adbc07bd6e85d49/241313659_236276071841483_914995318235041162_n.jpg)

### Heat, hygiene and a hiney
The apocalyptic temperatures that have descended on the mad max scenery of the Badlands has led riders to find any method possible to stay cool. __Edwin Díaz (cap #143)__ found the only shade in the desert crouched under a tourist information panel, others have taken refuge in caves, and the quiet village of Gor has been invaded by semi-naked cyclists from the desert using the town water fountain as a cooling bath, although the two locals don’t seem too phased in this photo from __Liz Hughes (cap #44)__:

![gor water station](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/4AsjgBHWBE1HvfNbeVQ89J/6393a2982e60b94237ce1f59c98be15c/Gor.jpg)

As we have seen, heat has taken a lot of riders out of the race. With heat comes sweat, and with sweat, bacterial microbes. Hygiene when on the bike is even more important if you want to be able to sit down and pedal for the rest of the route. Despite being in desert landscapes, __David Lopez (cap #161)__ found a quaint spot for a dip in some flowing water and keep his hygiene on point:

![david lopez swim](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/TTmiYkEuxOHTpFgcJa8Sv/a560c6aab469654c0024697f2e567588/David_peach.jpg)

With this image, we leave you to decide if you will choose to brew up some coffee and watch the front dots travel through the night on their approach to the Sierra Nevada, or grab an early night and wake up with the riders to see what Monday night delivered. Either way, excitement is guaranteed!

*Header image Jacob Kopecky*

Completing 746km and climbing nearly 15,370m, __Mattia de Marchi (cap #112)__ closed the deal in his lead of Badlands 2021 and claimed 1st place finisher at 5.54am CET, after __1d 21h 54m__ of virtually non-stop riding. 

Partial clouds, and chilly 16c (60f) accompanied him on the last section of the route to the finish line in the second highest village on the Iberian peninsula. Despite the cooler temperatures, accumulated fatigue and rough steep climbs, he breezed through the final 75m and 2,000m climbing in 6h 30m.

Mattia broke away from the pack riding solo at the front once the riders hit the Hoya de Guadix and Gorafe desert, very early in the race. He consistently logged some of the fastest completion times in each section right up until last night, where he took the short (and very steep) 55km section 6 in only 3h 55m. 

The breakdown of stopping time has remained at 5%, totalling only 1h 51m throughout his journey, underscoring his commitment to efficiency, and what allowed him to finish with a 16.25 k/h average speed. 

__Congratulations to Mattia on an incredible race!__

Ride your own race is the first piece of advice experienced ultra-cyclists will tell you. The next is that your mental strength is what will get you there. Two riders who have had to dig deep in their mental strength to respect their own race are __Janosch Wintermantel (cap #110)__ and __Ulrich Bartholmös (cap #1)__, riding side by side for over 24 hours and playing tug-a-war with the higher ranked spot. 

Neither have stopped for more than one hour since leaving Granada, and last night was even more sparse with stopping time. A tough climb after leaving Almería at 9pm, to reach the top of La Lagunilla (1.498m), seemed to favour Janosch as he pulled away from Ulrich. Janosch stopped for a rest on the climb up to Embalse de Beninar and this gave Ulrich time to meet him again and continue exchanging dust clouds with each other.

As they enter the final 35km, Janosch appears to have found a reserve to nudge ahead a little, but Ulrich Bartholmös is not a quitter and will not give up 2nd place easily. If you haven’t already - you might want to cancel those early morning meetings and get the coffee on.

__Sule Kangangi (cap #113)__ has cemented his prowess on gravel races, retaining his 4th place through the night and stopping for only a little under 1 hour since midnight. We can expect him to be grinning in Capileira with a shiny medal before lunch is served.

__Sofiane Sehili (cap #100)__ has just over 100km to go, and doing it on no sleep, *à la Sofiane, quoi?*. With 30 km between him and Sule it will be tough to wrestle the 4th place away from Sule but we never rule anything out with Sofiane.

What he will be aware of is the Lithuanina rider __Justinas Leveika (cap #148)__ who is only 5km behind him, and despite claiming to be using this as a pseudo vacation, as well as suffering with the heat early on, he is showing his racing abilities are not to be quaffed at. 5th place is no doubt a very attractive carrot to aim for as he starts his 3rd day on the gravel.

__Alistair Brownlee (cap #121)__ had a strong push through the cooler night hours and is in 7th place. Currently stopped for 2 hours in Felix before taking on the next big climb to take him to the end of section 5, we will see how fatigue and another hot day motivate him to adventure over the remaining 140km to the end.

The women's race is on fire with __Marion Dziwnik (cap #119)__ leading the charge, and progressing up the GC currently in 21st position. Now at 509km into the route, she spent the dark hours gobbling up positions on the leaderboard as she passed through the end of section 4 to reach the coast for sunrise. 

__Olivia Dillon (cap #20)__ is in 2nd place and 411km into the route after a significant rest from 9pm last night until 5am this morning. Well rested she is ready to tackle the end of Tabernas Desert and head towards the Cabo de Gata National park.  

In 3rd place is __Liz Hughes (cap #44)__ at 360km, being closely tailed by __Lauren Johnston (cap #59)__ at 344km in 4th. __Freya Rawlins (cap #30)__ has stopped for the night in a hotel after a day of vomiting thanks to the elevated temperatures being served up. Not officially a DNF yet, we hope the rest has allowed her time to eat and will be back on course later today.

The pairs race is not leaving anything in the desert, with the leading pair __Asja & Federico (caps #204 and #205)__ at the 512km mark, in good company with the pack of solo riders who are in the top 20 rankings. Only 20km behind in 2nd place, is the other mixed pair __Marta & David (caps #262 and #263)__ keeping things interesting at the coast. 

As Riders wake up to start their 3rd day in the backcountry of Andalucia, embracing the new normal morning routine of a gravel race, we will be watching closely to see what other top 10 spots are nabbed before tonight and how many more DNF victims the race claims. Will the arrival at the coast also mean we can start to count __#HowManyHelados__ can be consumed by a travelling pack of hot ultra-cyclists. It will be a Tuesday like no other! 

Capileira and its typical white buildings have been a very welcome sight for salt-stained adventure cyclists today as seven more riders are rehydrating in its cobbled streets.

Publishing this morning left us hanging as to what would happen with the 2nd and 3rd places. __Janosch Wintermantel (cap #110)__ was pulling in front and had an eight minute lead on his travel partner __Ulrich Bartholmos (cap #1)__ as they passed through the town of Juviles. 

With more climbing ahead of them both, Ulrich did not surrender and the riders were back side by side 30 minutes later as the sun started to rise. Tackling the climb out of Trevélez, Ulrich saw his moment to dig deep and pull away. Launching an attack, he passed Janosch and accelerated to the finishing line. 9:23 am CET Ulrich rolled to the finish line and collected his first gravel ultra-cycling finisher medal after __2d 1h 23m__ of travel through the Badlands wild country. 

With only a brief pause at the finish line, Janosch rolled around the corner 13 minutes later to join the first two finishers and the podium was complete. In __2d 1h 36m__ a Swiss guy, who was worried about the temperatures and whose last name translates as Winter Coat (go figure!), did pretty well in the extreme heat, and covered a gruelling course that was made for a born-climber like him. 

As the world was getting going this morning, 4th place was not a discussion point, yet we didn’t factor in that it was __Sofiane Sehili (cap #100)__ who was the hunter. At midday, Sofiane, along with __Justinas Leveika (cap #148)__ joined __Sule Kangangi (cap #113)__ who had been slowing through the morning. The pack of three moved on together, edging closer to the finishing village. A few back and forths were done between the trio until they reached the climb out of Trevèlez, and __Sofiane__ showed why he is the winner of many ultra-races. Leaving Justinas and Sule behind, he grabbed 4th place and sailed down to Capileira to finish at 4pm CET after __2d 8h 0m__.

![Sofiane Sehili badlands finish](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/4W12b9ZmJRAYlYIOSkZkQD/7af667154d2233b6340634d5d0cb01f4/SOFIANE-11.jpg)
*Photo by Jacob Kopecky*

The race for fifth place had now got more exciting. __Justinas__ and Sule raced close to each other for the remaining kilometers with Justinas gaining a small lead gifting him the 5th place finisher to add to his trophy case after __2d 8h 25m__.

__Sule__, a fighter until the end, did not give up and joined the other finishers in Capileira to claim 6th place 5 minutes later at 4.30pm to celebrate completing the race after __2d 8h 30m__ of very hard riding.

![sule kangangi](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/r7C4UffHc0orwQl0NhjkI/bdca90118a60c4c99db3287f7001c40b/241314855_561046301877199_5992994161251066948_n.jpg)
*Photo by Jacob Kopecky*

The next to rest a weary electrolyte-emptied body, was __Alistair Brownlee (cap #121)__. After falling victim to a year’s worth of punctures early on, he learned quickly and held a top position until finish, stopping his tracker at 5.20pm CET to a welcoming 7th place. A double gold medal olympian triathlete, he bravely chose to try something new and learned so much. Type 2 fun it may have been, but the speed to enjoy it seems to have been quick, professing it was ‘absolutely brilliant’ not long after finishing.

Suffering from heat stroke at the beginning, and voicing that Badlands is one of the hardest things he has ever done, Paul Voss (cap #109) could finally turn off his tracker in Capileira in time for dinner arriving at 8.42pm after __2d 12h 42m__.

![justinas leveika and Alistair Brownlee badlands finish](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/1s4v5EffiqpZ8uMgrUKv54/f7e53cbacdbcabf18d1e1791ec5875f6/FINISH-LINE-TUESDAY-44.jpg)
*Photo by Jacob Kopecky*

__Many congratulations to today’s incredible finishers! Let the feasting commence!__

![Marion Dziwnik Badlands](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/SQk7R2jWsVIeEmfpE9uQJ/aece1b1ae0aa754d025dff2faaf1c609/241392275_283934793153370_9058351492550589251_n.jpg)
*Photo by Juanan Barros*

The leader of the female field is hotly approaching the whitewashed village that promises rest and a shower. __Marion Dziwnik (cap #119)__ is at the front and also staking claim to the 21st position in the GC. Currently working her way up and through the Sierra de Gádor in the company of a few other solo riders, her average moving speed is in the top 20 of all riders. Unsurprisingly, she is feeling the fatigue of the physical effort and the mental strain, but has been free of mechanicals. Despite this, with less than 140km to go, we will probably be celebrating the first female finisher before our morning coffee tomorrow.

At the 575km mark (approximately 50km behind Marion), __Olivia Dillon (cap #20)__ has spent most of the day connected to her bike pushing the pedals. Limited stopping time means she is now well into the last third of the route, climbing her way out of Almería on her own in 33rd position in the GC.

Third placed female is __Liz Hughes (cap #44)__. She is now fully acclimated to the heat, managing the days well, stopping strategically during the hottest hours, and finding time to eat heat fused haribo with a spoon. Currently in Nijar she will soon be setting off into the night time temperatures with a beeline for the coast. She sits in 67th place in the GC.

Not far behind in 4th place is __Lauren Johnston (cap #59)__, who is close enough to Nijar she will maybe make it in time to grab some food with Liz.

5th place female is __Silvia Pineda (cap #115)__ at the 415km mark, over half way and with the highest point of the race behind her she is now making her way across the Tabernas desert and the longest remote stretch of the course. Silvia is also one of the Maverick Mountain Bike crew, and despite finding it hard, she is making good progress.

__Adrienne Estrada (cap #32)__, __Sophie Gateau (cap #31)__ and __April Marshke (cap #103)__ are  the remaining female solo riders still in the course. Showing grit and resilience, they are currently travelling together to take on the Tabernas Desert and the Sierra de Alhamilla and it’s very technical 8km hike-a-bike passage as a group at night.

__Marta & David (caps #262 # 263)__, after a luxury accomodation last night courtesy of the Nijar city hall with complementary 24hour direct lighting, have managed to cover over 300km today and have less than 40km left to bring their knobbly tyres to a stop and claim the 1st place pairs finisher title, a badlands medal, and hopefully a comfy bed for the night.

![marta and david sleep badlands 2021](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/1kkz0HOIoRFGIanazi2zHa/d68574d44088bc7ef3ccfc4c778c4462/Marta_sleep.jpg)

More heartwarming news from the Pairs pack is that __Andreas and Daniel (caps #226 #227)__ who received their bikes late are making good time. Having covered over 283km of the route, they are still in with a strong possibility to finish and claim their medals before 8pm Saturday.

### The desert has created some weird goings-on in the pack 

There is a new leader in top temperature records: __Emilio Rodríguez (cap #81)__ hit 51.4c (124f) in Gergal today. We hope no one will beat him. Carlos Mazón said average highs are normally only 35c in September. We may need to fact-check his data sources.

Hot temperatures mean only one thing - Helados. __Jesús Blázquez (cap #155)__ went for the classic lime calippo. Convenient packaging that allows for easy storage in jersey pockets and to eat on route. Solid choice. 

__Jaime Pintado’s (cap #116)__ choice of a white magnum has a touch of luxury to it, and conveniently goes with the colour palette of the desert dust all the riders are now wearing. A fashionable and elegant choice. He deserves the treat after his left crank fell off. He fixed it. It fell off again. He fixed it again. And a couple more times, then it decided to stay put. 

![241289381 382270956858427 1444561107907718834 n](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/5An0TY98eYEw0h3ZlCttTZ/45fde07b4c8d9dee955245945597c43f/241289381_382270956858427_1444561107907718834_n.jpg)

__Rafal Palowski (cap #36)__ has excellent foraging skills. Today’s choice of nutrient-rich, free food was a spectacular looking bunch of grapes. After some fresh peaches yesterday, what will be on the menu tomorrow Rafal?

![rafal polowski grapes badlands](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/4gES07Zze1CLbxKPE5vJTL/47139f843d8a91e5eb9102ad8929abca/241371013_1629883307403182_7973441811907061632_n.jpg)

__Matthew Falconer (cap #71)__ reached civilization today and celebrated with all the caffeine - 2 cold cokes and a milky strong coffee. And some water to help wash it down with. 

### Daily scratch
Day 3 has hit another high number for scratches no one would have predicted. We say goodbye to 24 more riders tonight. The heat has been beyond challenging, with many riders not being able to eat, some vomiting, and generally not doing well. 

The badlands’ route has many remote stretches with limited access to water, food, shade and people, which is simply dangerous if you haven't been able to fuel properly for 3 days. We have to salute all the scratched riders for their courageous, but hard, decision to leave the race and not put themselves at risk. At the end of the day, it is just a race. 

Final good-nights go out to the following riders:

Solo riders:
- __Ormonde Wilson (cap #15)__
- __Sergio Antolin (cap #717)__
- __Sebastien Fortin (cap #24)__
- __Freya Rawlins (cap #30)__
- __Peter Halliwell (cap #33)__
- __Lorenzo Guidici (cap #68)__
- __Osvaldo Navia (cap #74)__
- __Miguel Rey (cap #87)__
- __Marco Philipp (cap #92)__
- __Miguel Alzina (cap #93)__
- __Christian Meier (cap #108)__
- __Chris Tonge (cap #117)__
- __Alexander Palencia (cap #127)__
- __David Ferrero (cap #165)__
- __Flip Patijn (cap #169__)

Pairs:
- __Laura and Cristina (caps #200 and #201)__
- __Asja and Frederico (caps #204 and #205)__
- __Marian and Max (caps #208 and #209)__
- __Erwin and Johan (caps #212 and #213)__

After 48 hours of racing, the __#scratchcount is 50__ - or 22% of the riders who started. Wow.

A couple of top 10 spots are still open for the taking, and the female ranking is about to start logging some finishers. The remaining 174 riders have adjusted to the rhythm of the desert and are learning to work with what it gives them. Wednesday is the halfway point in the official race timing, and we will see who is on track to claim a medal before the sun sets on Saturday. 

The Sierra Nevada hills were alive during the night with dusty riders marking their way with LED beams along the trails. __Jan Koller (cap #123)__  was the 9th rider to make it to Capileira and last one to arrive on Tuesday at 10.20pm, after __2d 14h 20m__ of riding in the desert. But not without unintentionally taking in some extra kilometers of the beautiful night time mountains, losing his way a little due to dehydration and fatigue. Hopefully the other riders will make sure he can find some food now he has stopped pedalling.

The last slot in the top 10 goes to French rider __Victor Jovet (cap #91)__ who made it to the end at 2.11am. Yesterday was a tough day for him, taking on the desert in the midday heat, with the search for water constantly playing on his mind. After consuming 4.5l in the 40c exposed off-road stretch, he made it to a Gas station to replenish, but had to keep going if he wanted the 10th place spot. A resourceful rider, we hope he can find a different sleep system now the race is over after __2d 18h 11m__:

![victor jovet sleep](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/4MLe8gOnS0D1bxgD6zCs5t/4adda206256315cba1fe92a057526726/241263485_3093371040875958_5804169989715456370_n__1_.jpg)

__Francisco Montoya (cap #142)__ is the reason why Victor couldn't rest for long. A competitive push through the night kept him in close proximity to Victor right until the end. He rolled into Capileira just 8 minutes after Victor to finally stop and rest his used body. With an 11th placed finish and a total time of __2d 18h 19m__, he can now enjoy some recovery time.

Three more riders were keen to collect their finishers medal before 8am CET today which signals 3 days the riders have been out on the backcountry. 12th rider in was __Jared Linden (cap #60)__ after __2d 19h 41m__ hot and dusty hours moving along the route. At 3.41 am at the finish line, it was time to get some sleep, which he had deprived himself of since 6.37am Tuesday morning. 

Lucky number 13 was catalonian rider __Oriol Chias (cap #53)__, who had put in another non-stop effort since Tuesday early hours to reach the end at 4.31am after __2d 20h 31m__.

And the last rider to join the finisher pack eating their way through the Andalusian village is 14th placed __Arnau Masferrer (cap #167)__, who timed his arrival at 7.06am ready for breakfast. After __2d 23h 6m__, he has scraped in under the 3 day mark, and can now start to fill the deficit of the 32,034 kcal he used during the race. 

__Congratulations to the night riders celebrating their finish this morning!__

### The female field
__Marion Dziwnik (cap #119)__ is still in 1st place in the female field, but slipped down a few places in the GC overnight. Marion took a break in the early hours of about 90mins, and then moved some more, before needing to stop again at 5am for a further 2.5 hours. Intense heat, a consistent powered effort, and the mental concentration on rough off road surfaces  aren’t easy on the body and mind. The last 50km and 1000m climbing still stand between her and the first place finish, which we hope to see today.

__Olivia Dillon (cap #20)__ has held onto her 2nd place female position overnight (50km behind Marion), sneaking up a couple of places in the GC to 31st. We find her making her way through the Sierra de Gádor at kilometer 640 after a 6 hour rest during the night.

![Olivia Dillon badlands](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/4HULNLM05oW8HbATcLQpMG/55e96ef165fab4065928247c8be9d57a/241238938_1307300963033189_4058858589131213194_n.jpg)
*Photo of Olivia by Juanan Barros*

A moderate rest was on the cards for 3rd place female rider __Liz Hughes (cap #44)__ who took only 3.5 hours downtime during the night and was up and at it again at 5am, like the experienced ultra-cyclist she is.

__Silvia Pineda (cap #115)__ is moving consistently, taking ample time to recharge during the night with a stop of 6.5 hours last night, and some time during the day to take some beautiful videos of fellow riders enjoying the flowing singletrack of the desert, and the town of Gor that has become a traveling bikepackers public washroom and accommodation. At 444km along the route, today sees her take on the remote stretch of the Tabernas desert and head to the civilisation of Nijar.

Bringing up the back of the female field, __Adrienne Estrada (cap #32)__ and __Sophie Gateau (cap #31)__ hit rush hour in the desert yesterday, and have listened to their bodies to take a good night's rest of 10.5 hours. Having ridden 404km of the route they are over half way before the mid time point. The good rest will help them reach the highest point in the race today, and start to move towards the south.

![adrienne estrada](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/18WYMl84wKES5YSjijZ5aZ/5e7d9871ef1e152db214335da48c744e/emboutillages.jpg)

Meanwhile in the pair's race __Marta and David (caps #262 and #263)__ are into the final 40 kilometers, with the last climbs slowly passing under their wheels. Could this morning be the time we celebrate the first pair's finishers, and with it the first female to reach Capileira?

### And a segment from the desert Lost and Found

The ultra-cycling community is a generous group, or potential scavengers looking for anything they can find in the desert - it's not clear which.

Current items that have been collected along route that are trying to make it back to their owner in Capileira:

- Rider #248’s cap
- Bontrager back light
- A bag found in the Tabernas desert
- White sunglasses 
- Gloves

Items that have been lost:
- __David Lopez (cap #161)__ lost his headlight in the Gorafe desert
- __Damien Barré (cap# 97__ and currently in 15th palce) left his gloves at the water point in Cadiar

We are happy to report that __Bruno Ferraro (cap #102)__ is feeling better, having been able to now eat some food and rest. He is fighting back along the route, with the added incentive to make it back in time for his flight on friday. He has also been practicing his Spanish to show his appreciation of the climb when reaching the highest point at Calar Alto. It’s not even remotely PG-13 so we will not add it in here.

__Matthew Falconer (cap #71)__ has finally given his fans what they have been asking for, and we have our first Birdman helado. At the coast no less. After a night in a hotel to get clean and rested, he is making his way through the 6th section of the route at the 600km mark.

![Matthew Falconer ice cream](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/1pzcM347sdyYLMEaVu75fF/27bab7f722c01dcfde0a81c8da383f75/241199082_226449286096361_2874613661599022591_n.jpg)

Humpday for the week and the race may allow relief to flow over our first female solo finisher, first pair (including possibly the first female over the finish line), as well as many other riders battling up the final climbs. Check back tonight to celebrate the day's events, and fingers crossed for a much lower scratch number than the last two days.

*Header image by Juanan Barros*

What a day - 25 new sweaty gravel riders descended on Capileira today after publishing this morning.

Turning first to the pairs category:
At 2.56pm CET __Marta and David (caps #262 and #263)__ made it to the Andalusian village after pushing through a journey of highs and lows for __3d 6h 56m__ after leaving Granada. Along with their badlands finisher medal, they also claimed the title of 1st Pair Finishers. They didn't stick around for long though and caught the bus back to Granada in the early evening. 

![marta and david badlands 2021](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/1ulHR0Nd3cFcdWrRAuC9ce/91ccde29ca7c02e3c583c7f64b095087/MARTA-DAVID3.jpg)
*Photo Jacob Kopecky*

The next two podium steps for the pairs riders were not long empty as __Martijn and Mike (caps #206 and #207)__  arrived at 5.32pm to claim 2nd palace finish and celebrate a completion time under __4days at  3d 9h 32m.__

3rd place finish goes to __Ibai and Fernando (caps #260 and #261)__  who are now enjoying civilization after spending __3d 11h 53m__ in the desert.

![Marion first female badlands 2021](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/72Qzq4iUT36p83b9jUElBJ/a016b4a10ad11a13ab90f3bdbfa33688/MARION-7.jpg)
*Photo Jacob Kopecky*

Another first happened during the afternoon as __Dr. Marion Dziwnik (cap #119)__ made her way up the final 1,000m of climbing in the heat of the day with her unicorned Vortec bike, and secured the 1st place solo female title at 3.11pm CET, along with 24th in the GC. Marion had a strong race, making fast time through the middle section, but slowed slightly in the final third as fatigue set in. She logged an average speed of 9.42 km/h, and stopping time of 15h and 14m of the __3d  7h 11m__ she was on the route. 

The next podium spot for female solo riders was also grabbed with dusty hands today by __Olivia Dillon (cap #20)__, who also maintained her position in 31st in the GC, __3 d 11 h 41 m__ after leaving the ancient city of Alhambra. 

17 more solo riders won a hard battle today as they reached the finish line flags and welcomed the confirmation of a job well done holding hard metal in their hands.

From 8.41am to 8.38pm tonight, the following riders sent the final signal from their trackers in Capiliera:

- 15th - __Damien Barré (cap # 97)__  3 d 0 h 41 m
- 16th - __Alex Knight (cap #48)__ 3 d 1 h 58 m
- 17th - __Cem Tanyeri (cap #95)__ 3 d 2 h 31 m
- 18th - __Joachim Marquardt (cap #89)__ 3 d 3 h 44 m
- 19th - __David Candelich (cap #67)__ 3 d 3 h 52 m
- 20th - __Wenceslao Megías__ __(cap #150)__  3 d 5 h 28 m
- 21st - __Fernando Godino__ __(cap #151)__ 3 d 5 h 32 m
- 22nd - __Jesús Blázquez__ __(cap #155)__ 3 d 5 h 35 m
- 23rd - __Emmanuel Coltat__ __(cap #164)__ 3 d 5 h 39 m
- 25th - __Wannes Nickees__ __(cap #7)__ 3 d 8 h 28 m
- 26th - __Jaime Pintado__ __(cap #116)__ 3 d 9 h 55 m
- 27th - __Geoffrey Beurskens__ __(cap #90)__  3d 10 h 15 m
- 28th - __Matthew Sowter__ __(cap #51)__ 3 d 11 h 20 m
- 29th - __Jordan Gueguen__ __(cap #35)__ 3 d 11 h 29 m
- 30th - __Mabire Maxime__ __(cap #38)__  3 d 11 h 30 m
- 32nd - __Gert Schilder__ __(cap #132)__ 3 d 12 h 37 m
- 33rd - __Colin Ross__ __(cap #16)__ 3 d 12 h 38 m

__Congratulations to all the finishers today on completely an unforgiving course!__

While some riders have been organising returns to Granada, many are still enjoying the beauty of the race. __Belma and Paula (caps #246 and #247)__ currently around 515km in, and  who are the only remaining female pair in the race, have been enjoying time for a quick photo with Silvia Pineda (cap #115 and who is now at the 537km mark) along with the sheer joy of fresh water.

![Belma and Paula](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/6lpezv6xlvGmhfvhLZ0BOG/90bbaeddc40e6ddbba5ab5c40eed9499/Badlands21_Carlos_Mazon_DSC09016.jpg)
*photo Carlos Mazon*

__David Lopez (cap #161)__ has done something very bad in a previous life to be cursed with so many punctures. He has now gone through 12 tubes in his journey along 571km of route. With a rate of 1 tube per 47km, he may need 4 more to make it to the end…

After showing gratitude to Kev (his bicycle) yesterday with the debut helado photo, __Matthew Falconer (cap #71)__ shared a double purchase today of a Calipo and some nostalgic love for the Twister. With only 25km to go, there may be helado celebrations in Capileria soon.

![birdman double helado](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/7s3yLzVAYXARga0FY3NVGX/c481f5e7e12c369f433f4d13f636e75e/241372976_531523031286479_1769538586824685316_n.jpg)

The lost and found directory had a few new additions throughout the day:

Found:
- Black Shokz headphones

Lost:
- Belma lost her wallet between Camping Los Escullos and San Jose - with her I.D. in!
- David lost a green glasses case somewhere, and is in a bind because he has taken off his contacts in Taverns
- Olivia Dillon lost her battery pack on the climb out of Almería
- Andy Walker is looking for good recommendations for chamois-saddle combos - we are too scared to ask how much surface area of the contact points may have been lost…

__Bruno Ferraro (cap #102)__ has set himself a new goal to reach Capiliera by 7.50am tomorrow morning to catch the bus back in time for his flight from Granada. It's going to be a tight one, but that's no reason to not take a dip in the sea when the opportunity arises:

![bruno ferraro badlands coast](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/4pvs6M8zMuJHwaajCXHEH/bd011ec901f94d3cd6dc30403471f4f8/241452142_131436429211581_5611020373344718307_n.jpg)

__Liz Hughes (cap #44)__ also took some time to enjoy the salt water of the med, in an attempt to keep up with hygiene, while also spending much of the day cycling with __Chris Hall (cap #105)__ and __Gregory Jordan (cap #79)__.

Elsewhere in the female field, __Lauren Johnston (cap #59)__ hit a low and had a bit of a crisis of faith. An excellent sportswoman and experienced cyclist, she knows what she is capable of, and so booked herself into a hotel for a night to get some good rest and recharge. We are sure we will see a determined Lauren in the morning tearing up the trails.

### The Daily Scratch
With a sigh of relief, for the first time the daily number of scratches is inferior to those that have completed the course. Tonight the following 9 riders will be leaving the race:

- __Ciaran Fitzgerald (cap #2)__
- __Matthias Wallrabenstein (cap # 8)__
- __Albert Gallardo (cap #61)__
- __Josep Besora (cap #85)__
- __Antoine Breny (cap# 125)__
- __Toni Calderón (cap #153)__
- __Pair Julian and Eduardo (caps #240 and #241)__

We wish them a speedy recovery and safe return home. The Badlands 2021 __#scratchcount is now at 59__ (26% of the starting riders).

Waves of riders are leaving the Mediterranean Sea behind and making their way closer to the target village in the Sierra Nevada. No doubt the trails will be traced with headlamps once more tonight and we can celebrate with more Badlanders an incredible achievement tomorrow evening.

*Header image by Carlos Mazon*

Celebrations are to be had for a record number of riders welcoming the end of a gravel race in the last 24 hours. An end they may not have believed was possible 5 days ago.

Female podium 3rd place spot was waiting for its rider to enter the finisher's zone, and at 5.50pm CET tonight, __Liz Hughes (cap #44)__ reached the Badlands flags and claimed her place in __4 d 9 h 50 m__!

Her last day was not without its challenges. With plans to get a hotel in Berja after dinner that were not realised due to total hotel closure, her next best option was an olive grove for 5 hours of sleep last night. The following morning's climbs aggravated an already sticky drivetrain that eventually stuck. But a stuck jockey is no match for Liz, and with some precision snipping, it was working better than ever. 

![liz hughes mechanical](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/1kwd4Pzybh7IKQTy7vYlEI/4b2449627500fb42750839906ac9880c/241730479_296133212317886_3978752395804315458_n.jpg)

On a high after her triumphant mechanical skills and precededing the final climbs, an overorder of 3 mains for lunch  was on the cards with __Chris Hall (cap #105__, who has pushed through pain so bad it has him hobbling while walking). Then the top jockey wheel was obviously jealous of the treatment its partner received and was starting to play up. It kept rotating sufficiently for the last 15km and Liz pedaled her way to her final destination of Capileira.

__Congratulations to Liz for her great ride and 3rd place finish!__

Grab a beverage and congratulate the following 26 solo riders and 5 pairs (in addition to Liz) who finally stopped forward motion since 8pm last night:

- __Joaquim Santos (cap #55)__  3 d 14 h 24 m
- __Aitor Vinos (cap #66)__  3 d 14 h 29 m
- __Ramón García  (cap #70)__  3 d 14 h 39 m
- __Michal Serafin (cap #94)__  3 d 14 h 54 m
- __André Bernardino (cap #25)__  3d 15 h 22 m
- __Patrick Koller (cap #49)__  3 d 15 h 42 m
- __Tobias Wildi (cap #50)__  3 d 15 h 42 m
- __Matthew Falconer (cap #71)__  3 d 16 h 57 m
- __Toni Guijarro (cap #80)__  3 d 17 h 21 m
- __Álvaro Reca (cap #84)__  3 d 17 h 50 m
- __Johan Erlandsson (cap #37)__  3 d 18 h 16 m
- __Rubén Sierra (cap #130)__  3 d 19 h 40 m
- __Raúl García (cap #135)__  3 d 19 h 40 m
- __Alexandre Pichon (cap #88)__  3 d 22 h 33 m
- __José Cabello (cap #163)__  3 d 22 h 37 m
- __José Luis Tejedor (cap #138)__  3 d 22 h 46 m
- __Miguel Silvestre (cap #118)__  4 d 1 h 4 m
- __Adam Palin (cap #63)__  4 d 2 h 51 m
- __Marco Hinzer (cap #52)__  4 d 4 h 40 m
- __Gregory Jourdan (cap #79)__  4 d 5 h 27 m
- __Bruno Ferraro (cap #102)__  4 d 6 h 12 m
- __Benjamin Wormald (cap #42)__  4 d 6 h 52 m
- __Igor Iraolagoitia (cap #62)__  4 d 7 h 45 m
- __David S. Iglesias (cap #18)__  4 d 7 h 47 m
- __Julien Gravaud (cap #122)__  4 d 9 h 6 m
- __Christopher Hall (cap #105)__  4 d 10 h 26 m

Pairs finishers:

- __Perseu & Morten (caps #252 and # 253)__  3 d 14 h 34 m
- __Christian & Alex (caps #242 and # 243)__  3 d 18 h 16 m
- __Santy & Diego (caps #254 adn #253)__   3d 19 h 40 m
- __Jon & Fernando (caps #236 and #237)__  3 d 22 h 34 m
- __Hugo & Benjamin (caps #224 and #225)__  4 d 12 h 10 m

11 more pairs are still moving through the desert, including the only all female pair still in the race, and the late starters Andreas and Daniel who have reached 530km. With such strong determination, a finisher badge could still be possible for them.

25 solo male riders are working their way ever closer to an end, with 9 less than 50km to the finish, some of whom we will certainly see using their remaining light power to get to a comfy bed in Capileira tonight. 

From the 25 riders still out there, it is a bit of a social media desert for updates. We see that __Christophe Lorenz (cap #26)__ who was a finisher of the Hope 1000 this year in very different climatic conditions is in 71st place and __David Lopez (cap #161)__ had only enough charging power for one device by this morning. Unsurprisingly  the GPS was the winner. With no social media updates today, we only know that he had reached a total of 14 punctures by morning. We are rooting for him to get to the finish as early as possible so he can update us on how many more he worked through to be able to claim his medal. 

The few that are not immune to social media’s allure have been sharing their joy of reaching the sea. And with it the cyclist's favourites of wind and sand. __Ruben Rodriguez (cap # 98)__ showed his ability to keep his bike upright against the head wind they are travelling into, and __Ricardo Torrao (cap #111)__ was enjoying his romantic kilometer stroll along the deep sandy beach with his bike.

Of the remaining female field, 5 solo riders are travelling towards the finish line. One of whom we are happy to see is __Lauren Johnston (cap #59)__. She has been flying in today after a good night's sleep, and with less than 50km from her finisher medal the end is almost in her grasp, along with 4th place female.

__April Mashke (cap #103)__ has been focused on pedalling and is now only 70km away from the end. __Silvia Pineda__ is currently in 75th place in the GC with 100km to go, and has made a small female carvan travelling towards the finish with the female pair __Belma and Paula (caps #246 and #247)__

### Clothes optional 
Early on in the race, it was the villagers of the town of Gor who were exposed to wave after wave of half-naked cyclists in their public fountain. Capileira tourist high street has now been invaded by many shoeless, tired and hungry cyclists clothed in only a towel.

The lack of clean non-cycling apparel in their bikepacking bags has lead to some avant-garde  fashion purchases to get the riders back to Granada:

![post ride shopping badlands 2021](//images.contentful.com/6hyijb95boju/5z4GguulaYOT4pP8tqsnT7/1e5952a8feeb1647d792adc42a5ea2ba/FINISH-LINE-WEDNESDAY-04.jpg)
*photo by Jacob Kopecky*

And in today’s update of lost and found, there is just one addition: __Persau Mandillo__ lost a pair of black rapha bib shorts - on Monday. It is possible there is now a sheep somewhere in the Tabernas desert looking for a gravel bike sponsor...

### The Daily Scratch
We have the good fortune to report only 1 new addition to the scratch list, which actually occurred 2 days ago, but is not shown on follow my challenge. Lars de Vries quit the race with much regret due to his inability to eat and hydrate enough because of the heat. We wish him a good recovery and fast return to his next bikepacking adventure.

The __#scratchcount is now a round 60__ (or 26% of starting riders).

Friday morning is not just for casual sweatpants in your home office, but also the penultimate day of the race. We look forward to celebrating with the next pack of  riders as they dismount from their dust-encased steeds tomorrow and reflect on what they have just achieved in the past week.

*Header photo by Carlos Mazon*

Back for its second edition, Badlands is sure to provide a superb dotwatching spectacle as some of Europe's best racers take to the 748km route traversing Spain's finest gravel roads. It'll be hot. It'll be high. And it'll be rough.

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