Need to know

The Rider Preview

The night before the start

"Is everybody here? Tell me if you're not"

A Working Day

Into the Night on Day One

Day 2 - The Bottleneck at the Curfew

The Lunchtime Rush

Day 3, Party Tonight

Final Sector – Perfectly Feasible

Richard Calmet

Andrew Laycock

James Craven

Steven White

Peter James

Max Riese

Sam	Thomas

Romain Dessort

Pablo Wünsch Blanco

Richard Rothwell

Julia Nikolopoulos

Michel Kaden

Michal Serafin

Philippa Battye

Lee Craigie

Simon Rosmolen

Marin de Saint-Exupéry

Mark Whittaker

Nick Dokman

Mark Schmid

Neil Phillips

Etienne Coltat

Tony Gregoire

Josh Ibbett

Joergen Trepp

Iona Tulloch

Emmanuel Coltat

Rory Oliver

David Sherrington

India Landy

Pete Crawforth

Bas Rotgans

Ben Richmond

Quinda Verheul

Ingeborg Oie

Lizé François

Raoul de Jongh

André Joffroy

Eleonora Balbi

This year’s edition of the original Further has been named as Further Perseverance. Pyrenees in its first year and Truth last year, each iteration of Further has always been an exciting race to dotwatch. Race Creator, Camille McMillan is known for his outrageous parcours and is quoted as having said he creates a route where no rider will ever feel like they’re on the correct bike, and, indeed, for much of the route no bike would be preferable.

Camille’s signature style is low-key and high-reward. Taking riders where they otherwise wouldn’t go without the fanfare of many races. The start location is indicative of Camille's panache; the Refuge du Ruhle sits above 2,000m and is pictured in the header image for this post, although it's almost impossible to spot.

# 42.8559° N, 1.7170° E

The CP on the map is Mount Fourcat, something of a monument for Further as the race has returned to its summit or nearby every year since 2019. With a hike up the South West face and a descent off its western side, riders will be cursing their choice to race Further on only the first day. It was the scene of many a scratch in the inaugural 2019 race, including returning rider Josh Ibbett who will be hoping for avengeance.

# Don’t be late!

There are ten sectors in this year’s race and the night curfews return. Forcing some decisive strategy in previous years, these curfews have always made for an extremely tactical and occasionally stressful race. Included to enforce some rest and for rider safety on the most treacherous sectors, these curfews are fickle and unforgiving; they can play into the hands of those a mere few kilometres up the road and be the end of a race campaign for those behind.

The first curfew comes at Sector 6B after approximately 140km of riding and 5,300m of climbing, riders will have until 20:45 before there is no movement allowed along this sector, giving them a little over 12 hours to make it in time, let alone progress along it. It’ll be tight. It’s likely we’ll see the midpack riders leave the most direct route to resupply in Massat and make it back to the start of Sector 6B for 06:30 when movement along the sector is allowed again.

The second night curfew is along Sector 7, a beautiful hiking path, according to those who’ve traversed it. At ~157km into the route, we doubt any riders will make it here before 20:45 and will see anyone who did make it through Sector 6B before the night curfew waiting until 06:30 for the seventh sector to open its figurative gates again.

Once riders make it over the seventh sector, they will know it’s still a very long way to both the eighth and the final sectors. Temptation to scratch will be high at this point, as will be the kilometres in the legs and metres climbed.

The final sector is the final night curfew and just over the border in Spain it’s the longest of this year’s sectors at 38km with 2,123m of elevation, according to RwGPS. The sector starts with 7km of tarmac climbing, 11km of flat gentle gravel followed by 10km hike a bike with lengthy periods over 20%. This is the kind of path that maps use dotted lines for, you know? All finished off with a gravel road descent back to civilisation. The maps tell us that’s a net elevation gain of 777m, and experience tells us that’s damn hard.

From the final parcours, it’s a ~140km free route back to the start of the start/finish sector which will guide riders up the path they descended all those kilometres ago to return to the start/finish at the Refuge du Ruhle.

The rugged Pyrenean summit vistas take payment for the reward, so let’s hope riders have brought their wallets of perseverance.

![Camille with map](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5aRYe1LAMUscHUnRSSxRF5/bd02e586b580977bfed6ebd41f0d25a9/Camille_with_map.png)

*Here's Camille devising the parcours. A moment of calm before unleashing the storm on the riders.*

# Timings

Further has always been about people and it’s a rarity to see an organised pre-race dinner; perhaps a product of the start location being at a remote mountain refuge, or perhaps a reason to use a refuge for people to congregate. The night before the race there will be a traditional French 3 course meal at a lofty 2,190m altitude for all riders, Camille and our little media team. We predict bread, wine, nerves and some route comparisons being thrown around.

__Thursday 25th:__ 7pm Dinner
__Friday 26th:__ 8am Pre Race talk with Camille
__Sunday 28th:__ Evening Gathering at the Refuge du Ruhle
__Monday 29th:__ 11.59pm final cut off

The race cutoff will be just before midnight on Monday evening, but many will be racing to make the social on Sunday night. As will I!

It’s Beccy Waters here, and I’ll be following along with the race from one of the media cars. I will do my utmost to keep you all up to date with all the goings on and share some of my terrible photos, however, this is all internet dependent so say a prayer to the Orange gods, do your 4G dances and induce the WiFi demons. Follow along on the DotWatcher Instagram as well as I’ll be posting some photos and videos along the way.

Rider preview

The Further post-it notes have transformed into beautiful dots and here’s what we know about a handful of those to watch.

Neil Phillips - Heading into Further East last year we told you not to call it a comeback, but… his win at the inaugural event last year backed up his success on the road with a first and second in the early days of TCR in the pairs and solo categories, respectively. With a season of cyclocross under his bibs, we dub him as a strong race favourite.

Josh Ibbett - A scratch in 2019 means he comes here with a score to settle, and many kilometres in his legs since his scratch at the Tour Divide due to illness in June means he’s fit and hungry.

Lee Craigie - a rider who needs no introduction. She’s a gazelle on the rough stuff, like droplets of water over sandpaper. Lee’s women’s record on the Highland Trail 550 from 2018 has gone untouched, and frankly, no woman has ever come close. With some off-road running ultramarathons under her belt, she’s strong on her feet with the technical riding skills to match.

Marin de Saint-Exupéry - fresh off his fourth place finish at TCR, Marin’s likely still carrying much fatigue (physical and mental) but his win at this race last year holds him in great stead, and he’ll know exactly what he’s getting himself in for.

Philippa Battye - one of the mere nine finishers from the inaugural Further Pyrenees in 2019, Philippa’s experience here in the Pyrenees three years ago, backed up with her fifth place finish overall at GBDURO21 and fifth at this year’s inaugural Dorset Divide, amongst a variety of other races show she’s no one trick pony. She’s proven to go well at races within the 35-50 hour window.

Other riders we’ll be keeping our dotwatching eyes on are Max Riese, another TCRNo8 veteran, Bas Rotgans and James Craven.

India Landy gets an honourable mention for her efforts at Further 2020. Having scratched the race to make it to the finishers’ party, she headed back out onto the course to finish, albeit out of the time cut. Chapeau, India! We look forward to seeing her at the finisher’s gathering this year.


The age-old mantra of “getting to the start line is the hardest part” has never been truer than at Further.

Many riders faced the full 20km tarmac climb from the train station in Les Cabannes before the 5km trail to the refuge, while others were fortunate enough to be able to drive or hitch a lift to the car park where the tarmac met the trail. The trail head signposted the Refuge du Ruhle as 1hr 30mins away, but that’s no estimate for a hike-a-bike. Those who arrived earlier in the day have been treated to some more rest following their efforts, whilst some arrived just as dinner was served.

![IMG 20220825 175238](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2nrQLkY6ZSVqEuoqVClFES/a961a3b257b2fe6437a60d60c8431e6c/IMG_20220825_175238.jpg)

*Here's Mark Whittaker battling the track to the refuge.*

The refuge has an almost spaceship like exterior but feels like a traditional refuge inside. It’s a sanctuary dotted on a rugged mountain side and offers momentary respite from the storm outside. But we all know what awaits the riders tomorrow. In a twist of fate, the previously forecast storms that were due to last the entirety of the race are no longer forecast and the weather is supposed to calm down after tomorrow. 

There’s no better place to bring a community of racers together than a refuge above 2,000m. Further attracts those who are intrigued by the unknown and blindly put their faith in Camille as a route architect. There are no palpable nerves here, I hear no discussion of routes, it’s mostly storytelling and laughter. The window’s steam up from the room full of people and warm food, like an apres-ski bar on steroids. The meal is a three-course affair of soup, stew, and lemon meringues. Camille reminds everyone to pay for their food and beds tonight and narrowly escapes the riders’ demands for a speech or a song; they’ll have to wait to tomorrow for the former and possibly to the finisher’s party for the latter. It’s 12eur for a bottle of wine.

![IMG 20220825 194622](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5b12eeLjlSMtdpq7DN3bw2/3489ae978d3860d6054265c4ca299d1a/IMG_20220825_194622.jpg)

The lightning strikes in the surrounding valleys and the sun has long since set. The refuge’s dining room’s lights are turned off and the staff bring out camping lights as they turn off the electricity every night, much to the dismay of the riders and their half-empty (or half-full) power banks. It’s the end of the prologue for the riders, and they'll write their first page tomorrow.

With all riders and media spread across the ten 6-dorm rooms, very few were gifted a good night’s sleep. Reasons why include the +2,000m altitude, the storm raging outside, close proximity to competitors, or simply nerves. Fortunately for everyone, the storm passed during the night and we awoke to a clear sky and a beautiful red sunrise cloaking the western facing mountains afront the refuge. A moment of calm after the storm.

# “Is everybody here? Tell me if you’re not here”

Camille’s rider briefing was suitably succinct, a brief overview of the sectors followed by a reminder that cyclists always give way to walkers and horse riders on the trails. There’s mention of a possibly closed forest road on one sector, a questionable GPX track on another, some shelter ahead of Sector 6B and its curfew. Sector 6B has a curfew as it’s a boulder field and poses too many dangers to riders if they attempt it at night, especially if the ground is wet. It’s also harder to navigate as many of the painted markers have worn away and directions on the ground will mostly be doable only using the piles of smaller rocks on larger rocks. Little rocks on big rocks near the rocks in the boulder field, you can’t miss them.

There’s relief at the good weather and that the storms have appeared to hold off, but for how long it’s hard to know as the forecast has changed much over the past week. Later in the race riders will be spread apart so much with big mountains between them that they could experience very different weather conditions.

David Sherrington made it to the refuge this morning, while all the other riders arrived for dinner last night. A spicy little warm up for what’s to come...

“Anyone wearing a plaid shirt will be disqualified” - Camille McMillan.

A day’s work to an office worker, or two thirds of the way to the first night curfew for Further riders, the first eight hours of Further have sailed by.

The big news of the day is early race leader Neil Phillips missed the CP at Mount Fourcat and had to retrace his steps to make it. Some would say that’s easily done as the CP is merely a trig point, but he missed the whole mountain. This error cost him approximately two hours and he moves from second place on the road to sixth, with a fair dent in his reserves. Neil was one of the few riders who was vocal about his ambitions to make it over Sector 7 before the night curfew at 20:45 this evening, this error may have put today’s goal too far out of reach.

His routing mistake leaves Richard Calmet as the clear leader who has the best chance of making it over Sector 7 before the curfew. Remember: a rider cannot start OR move on any of Sector 6B, 7 and the Final Sector once the curfew is in place from 20:45 to 06:30. If Richard makes it through Sector 7 and no other rider does, then in Camille’s words it’s his race to win. The forced stationary period of 9 hours and 45 minutes would provide the leaders with enough of a gap over their competitors that we see one rider or a select few breakaway from the others over Sector 6B and 7 tonight. Or perhaps none of them will and we will see a bottleneck of riders at the gateway to the Sector awaiting sunrise tomorrow morning, well rested and ready to go.

![IMG 20220826 124651](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4ApQGRCDCXuuedRhKojDlD/8056321451d16e889f74913464df7b12/IMG_20220826_124651.jpg)

Lee Craigie came off Mount Fourcat in tenth position and reported having been out of water for a while, as did Rich Rothwell. It’s unsurprising as it’s been a hot sunny day here and there’s a significant lack of water on the mountain for riders to rely upon. It’s testament to the challenges of this route to witness what would otherwise be considered a rookie error by two of the UK’s most experienced racers.

Phil Battye’s grin and orange bike can be spotted a mile off. She claims she’s having a wonderful time and has passed a trail of broken men on the hike up to Mount Fourcat. I suspect the former is a product of the latter. She's still hoping to make it to Massat for pizza, although concedes it's possibly a little out of reach.

![IMG 20220826 152821](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3bAAr7jqLPe8JIbWAqWDmU/8ca3b7bee72bc002252cfef56c559449/IMG_20220826_152821.jpg)

*David Sherrington resupplying in Les Cabannes.*

David Sherrington’s morning efforts to make it to the refuge for the start may have taken a toll on his legs and morale. He started the ascent in the dark and assures us that the sunrise was beautiful but the demands of multitasking taking photos and swearing at the route were too much to do at once.

Les Cabannes is the last village before the ascent to the refuge and it’s also the end of Sector 1 after almost 50km of riding, much of which was hiking up and down, which is a big hit to morale when you’ve travelled such little distance as the crow flies and worked so hard for it. But it’s never supposed to be easy. I caught David at a moment he’d spent some time scouting for hotel options and he’d decided on taking some short naps tonight before booking into a hotel for a long rest tomorrow night before or after the night curfews on Sectors 6b and 7, progress depending.

Marin de Saint-Exupéry sat further down the rankings than you would expect to find him. He stopped for a meal in Les Cabannes and it’s clearly worked wonders as he’s flown up the rankings over Sector 2 from having been spotted between Quinda and India early on the Sector 2 ascent to descending off Mount Fourcat behind Phil. A pace that’ll be hard to beat, and possibly hard to maintain having moved from back of the pack to 16th position. However, moving up the pack has become Marin's signature style of late and he pulled this move at TCR last month from 32nd at Control Point 1 to 4th overall at the finish in Bulgaria. However, he still won't be fully recovered and claims to have come for more of a holiday. He also admits he takes to competition like a moth to a flame, and it's hotting up.

![IMG 20220826 145612](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3SsSIB6yEFX4QTg4Jkvcpu/de75454655ddf0beb06fbae8b983753a/IMG_20220826_145612.jpg)

As the sun sets on the first day’s racing, it’s been a delight to follow the racers on their day’s riding.

The first thing on tonight’s agenda is to discuss the curfews. Not a single has made it over the first night curfew on Sector 6B, Richard Calmet made it a mere kilometre onto the sector before bedding down having found some shelter. While he hasn’t been able to buy himself a potential 9H 45M lead over his counterparts, he has bought himself that much time in rest, an advantage that will pay dividends later in the race. Making it through the Final Sector tomorrow before the curfew hits again at 20:45 will be a very high ask. A 2,350m high ask to be exact.

Five of the front runners have opted for a night in Massat, the last town before Sector 6B, which is a little over two hours from the start of the night curfew. We will likely see many dots start moving around 4am tomorrow morning, ready to start the sector as the sun rises on the second day's racing. There are a handful of riders who have opted to make it to the start of Sector 6B ready to hit the parcours at 06:30 including Sam Thomas, Romain Dessort and we know Phil Battye is intending to do the same. Whether their decision to ride later and wake later will pay off can only be determined later in the race, and it's likely to come down to who prefers an early start and or a late finish. With no rider having made it through 6B, it's still all to play for tomorrow.

The Final Sector has been revered amongst racers, and rightly so. I headed out on a reconnaissance ride and can confirm it’s something of a beast. The 6km hike was torment in the heat, the hiking track is so steep you crane your neck at every hairpin to look ahead but my word the descent was worth every single step. Especially with the prospect of an incoming storm. Life-affirming stuff.

A common theme of today has been racers running out of water on Mount Fourcat, the toll of a long hike a bike that many tackled in the midday heat was evident on the faces and jerseys of those we saw in Tarascon sur Ariège, another place that’s very close to the start as the crow flies but was 85km riding on the route. Dreary eyed with sun scream smeared across their faces and swear marks on their jerseys akin to contour lines, the last riders looked like they’d had a hard day out. The six riders we saw in Tarascon all ordered the ultracyclist’s usual: coke, water and a pizza. And some dotwatching, naturally.

![IMG 20220826 211359](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6ecQOe4nmBico742BimqQx/f07a8c1d4935f9fcc5bc76d8567ff605/IMG_20220826_211359.jpg)

*Quinda checks the map and for her boyfriend's dot ahead in the race.*

All riders are heading west, into the fairer weather where the skies were clearest as the sun sets. The Refuge Du Ruhle appeared to be surrounded by a storm cloud. The meeting of the Mediterranean and Atlantic weather systems in these high mountains can make for some quick changing and temperamental weather, and the riders are at their mercy this weekend. The forecast has some thunderstorms tomorrow followed by a hot dry Sunday. Keeping safe during the stormy nights are one of the reasons Camille introduced the night curfews to ensure nobody was tempted to spend the depths of the night on an exposed mountain face.

One rider who struggled much with today’s heat was Bas Rotgans; on the ascent to Fourcat he retreated back to Les Cabannes to find somewhere to stay and to have another attempt tomorrow. He appears to have taken refuge in the same hotel as Ben Richmond, but we know nothing more about why Ben has stopped but we do know he's the rider on the steel Gary Fischer cyclocross bike with cantilever brakes, and can't help but wonder if the terrain has beaten Ben up today.

We talked to Ingeborg Oie today and she shared that she has travelled down with her partner and two children who will be on a family holiday whilst she’s racing. Ingeborg and her partner Ian To, whose name many will recognise from this year’s Transcontinental Race amongst other things, competed in last year’s inaugural Further East in East Anglia on a tandem but unfortunately didn’t finish. Ingeborg also scratched the inaugural Further in the Pyrenees and comes back with a score to settle. However, she did concede that at moments on today’s hike she would have preferred a cycling holiday with her family which is easy to imagine.

# Scratch Report

Pete Crawforth is a scratch due to having found today’s riding difficult and knowing what’s to come.

Raoul de Jongh is marked on the map as having travelled 0km, he did make it to the refuge but without his bike as he ditched it on the ascent having taken a wrong turn and deciding the race wasn’t for him. Whether he’s a DNF or a DNS is up for debate, but he came to refuge anyway to cheer on his fellow racers and enjoy the atmosphere.


Twenty four hours in and the race is still wide open. Only one rider, Richard Calmet, made it onto the first night curfew sector at 6B but a mere few hundred metres in.

Twenty four hours in and the race is still wide open. Only one rider, Richard Calmet, made it onto the first night curfew sector at 6B but a mere few hundred metres in.

The effect of the night curfew is best shown with the screen grab of last night’s antics on Sectors 6A, B and C.

![22-08-27-09-38-24 01](//videos.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3zdubksnN2Am07NNcNRhO4/16f8bb8a82f50c4f1df4214259e7575a/22-08-27-09-38-24_01.mp4)

This curfew has effectively turned this race into a stage race, and Camille’s positioning of the sectors is exemplary. They've not benefitted a single rider, yet. The next curfew likely to affect the riders is on the Final Sector but these curfews really only benefit a rider who is able to make it through the sector and leaves their competitors stationary on the sector during the curfew hours. It’s not possible for any of the leaders to make it over the Final Sector today before 20:45. Our estimated time for traversing this 38km stretch with 2,123m of elevation up to 2,350m is 8-9 hours for the fastest hikers. This is the stretch where those who have prioritised lightweight setups with easy hike a bike capability will prevail.

__It would be easy to underestimate this sector and suffer at its merciless gradients.__

A less significant way the curfews can benefit a rider is if their competitor is caught off guard on the sector, unable to find a suitable place to sleep and suffers a poor night’s sleep. The ascent of the Final Sector is devoid of shelter, the first 2-3km of the climb is densely wooded so naturally covered but the remaining 3km is as exposed as a mountain side can be. The reward for such a hard ascent is a selection of cabanes at the top of the descent before the morning’s cruise into Bagergue.

We spent a bit of time last night and this morning with some of the riders holding up the rear of the race.

Tarascon’s pizza offering was thoroughly enjoyed last night and the leftovers devoured out on the trail this morning. India Landy tells us of some stomach trouble earlier in the day possibly due to some questionable water. The heat drenched faces of these mountains are a terrible place to lose fuel, fluids, and salts. She’s a little behind today but being unable to keep food in for a period always has repercussions for a few days, it’s unlikely she’ll be back to fighting fitness for another day or so.

As Quinda descends the remaining hundred metres of Sector 4 along the fence and not the switchbacks, the familiar sound of a cleat being hit on a pedal rings above the noise of the tour bus that’s just pulled up and her squeaky brakes. The claggy ground has enveloped itself around her cleat from the walk on the descent. Iona appears less than a minute later having taken the switchbacks. She is in good spirits even though she talks about needing food, I daren’t tell her she’ll have some trouble for a while. Her breakfast consisted of something sweet and oaty. You can take the Scot out of Scotland, but you’ll never take the oats out of the Scot. We later learn she does have an old baguette in her bag, she was just avoiding eating it as it now resembles a house brick. Bon appétit.

In order to escape the heat and find some 4G, I’ll be based in Aulus-Les-Bains for the rest of the afternoon hoping to catch all the riders who resupply here. The Utile minimarket is open from 08:00-20:00 without a lunch break so many of the incoming riders will find all they need here.

Sam Thomas and Josh Ibbett completed their supermarket sweep and resurfaced with sandwiches, biscuits, cokes and ice creams. The route out of Aulus-Les-Bains is proving to be divisive; the northern route via Saint Girons takes in fewer cols but adds distance, the eternal dilemma. Camille tells us the southern route is vile and clearly slower as Richard and Neil’s route via Bethmale has cost them their lead and they look to be approaching Les Bordes-sur-Lez with much less of a gap to James Craven and Andrew Laycock.

![IMG 20220827 112800](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4PcJfJfe6tNkEsIZuoA8aB/5673a1a575339654e410a5dcde9a4887/IMG_20220827_112800.jpg)

Richard Calmet was the only rider to have made it to Sector 6B last night and bivvied whilst many rested at the cycling hostel in Massat. These riders include Peter James, James Craven, Neil Phillips, Steven White, Andrew Laycock and Josh Ibbett. Whether the comfort of a hostel has paid off is still yet to be decided.


The effect of the curfews is easy to see as the pointy end of this race could be mistaken for a stage race. After the convergence of riders between the hotels in Massat and the start of Sector 6B, riders have spent much of today riding closer to their competitors than we would see on a typical second day’s racing. Without the need for sleep deprivation, this race suits those who can ride fast and benefit from 9+ hours of rest, much like a stage race. Those more conditioned ultra-racers have found themselves without the need for their skills in night riding, timing overnight resupplies and choosing a bivvy spot. Most of the racers I’ve seen in Aulus Les Bains after the descent off Sector 7 are talking of taking a hotel in Les tonight and tackling the Final Sector when its gates open tomorrow at 06:30.

This oscillation of riders is making for a very social but fast race; riders bump into each other at resupplies, and some were sharing hostel rooms last night, but once the clock starts in the morning they’re well rested enough to hit the riding hard. Further back in the race, riders who were not affected by the curfew are not facing the same level of socialising. 

Many riders have found the route to be harder than expected so far and are behind their intended schedule. It’s always challenging to estimate daily distances when your main sources of information are a map and the elevation profile.

James Craven’s northern route from Aulus-Les-Bains via St Girons paid dividends and he’s now nestled between Neil Phillips and Richard Calmet, two riders who had a significant lead earlier this morning. We’ve learnt today that Richard Calmet is an Andorran dwelling Spaniard who is an Enduro racer by trade, which we can only assume means he spends much of time at altitude walking up hills and shredding descents. Perfect for Further.

Riders are starting to yearn for savoury foods, although the coke shelf and ice cream freezer in the Utile in Aulus-Les-Bains has seen much traffic this afternoon. Gazpacho has also been a firm favourite amongst the continental Europeans and Phil Battye. Phil’s gazpacho ingeniously trebled up as a drink, a tomato paste for her cheese sandwich and a liquid to moisten her couscous.

![IMG 20220827 143524](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/62aBNBRWGzjGaugJAiAVYe/6eba62fb7ec85a8178d6f627a50b7c9f/IMG_20220827_143524.jpg)

__What's around the next mountain?__

Looking ahead to tomorrow once the riders come off the Final Sector it’s a free route to the finish back at the refuge. Riders have reverse engineered their routes knowing there are only two possible ascents to the refuge: the one they took on Thursday evening or a second approach from Andorra, notorious for being the route of cigarette smugglers. The difficulty of the route so far has some riders questioning their routes from the end of Final Sector to the finish. Most have routed the most direct path through Andorra. But some are now talking about rerouting mid-race to take the path of least resistance from the end of the Sector west towards Les again and take a northern loop through Saint Gaudens, Saint Girons and Foix. On a map this would look like an absurd route to take, but with the contour lines it’s easy to see why a rider would take this route.

It’s worth mentioning this fast tarmac route may not be so fast for those on full suspension bikes, whereas the gravel bikes would tackle this paved section much faster and profit from it more. Those on bigger bikes have enjoyed the roughest section of the route so far and, excluding the Final Sector, will likely find themselves losing time to those on smaller bikes, but this all depends on the fatigue of the rider on the bike.

__Scratch Report__

Joergen Trepp is out, as is Quinda Verhuel. Bas Rotgans is a scratch following a second attempt of Mount Fourcat today after having a hard time yesterday.


Curfews are the New Sleep Deprivation

In the French Pyrenees near the start it’s hard to imagine the storms the leaders were facing up on the final sector last night. The major result of the night curfew is a scratch from Neil Phillips, having gone too light on his setup he wasn’t equipped for a 10 hour stop at 2,000m just above the treeline on the sector and at 01:00 descended back down to Les for safety, but moving on the sector at night puts him out of the race.

![Neil Scratch post](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2vQKfU887IwOFDvltTxC0Z/0464d36a05f72c91e5cf2bc99ca4465b/Neil_Scratch_post.jpg)

Les was clearly the place to be last night and yet again we’ve seen a bottleneck of riders all sleeping in Les to start the ascent of a sector in the morning. Day 3 of the stage race. These riders may profit from having some company or carrots to chase ahead of them on the trail.

No rider made it off the Final Sector within the curfew, which makes for a very exciting finale. It’s a clear run in to the finish now with no curfews in their way.

The Evening Gathering is at 8pm tonight but there will only be a very small handful of finishers who make it, Richard is likely to arrive late in the evening, and we suspect James Craven will reap the reward of his flat route back via France. If neither of these make it, then it'll just be Camille and the scratchers drowning their sorrows on the 12eur bottles of wine.

# To Andorra, or not to Andorra? That is the question.

Once off the Final Sector riders have a handful of options for their return to the refuge, including:

1. Through Andorra and approach the refuge from the west via a hike that’s commonly used by smugglers for cheap cigarettes.
2. Port d’Aula is the border crossing between France and Spain with a hefty hike to the border and a sweet gravel descent back down into France. From there, it’s all tarmac with a few rollers back to the car park north of the refuge for one final hike a bike
3. The newfound option is to avoid all unnecessary climbing and  off road to head west from the end of the sector, back to Les, north into France and round the foothills via St Gaudens and St Girons.

Neil’s route from Les back to the refuge nicely shows us the route of those who will re-route midrace in favour of the flatter fully paved route back to the hike up to the refuge.

We’ve heard reports of a few tumbles on the first sector down from the refuge and we learnt of one victim: Pablo Wünsch Blanco’s Boa on his shoes, but it’s nothing a cable tie can’t fix.

![IMG 20220824 191208](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4KAkdN88HROqsY07DxZxeX/3584185a1dad6fe095dbc599869a4a8d/IMG_20220824_191208.jpg)

# Scratch Report

Josh Ibbett pulled the pin this morning due to brake failure and struggling to find the GPX.

Iona Tulloch is out due to potentially contracting heatstroke yesterday on Sector 6 and she also has forward travel to Bordeaux on Wednesday. It’s also worth mentioning that Further is her first race and she only started cycling one year ago.

India Landy is a scratch as well, speculative reasons include a bad stomach on day 1, trouble with her valve cores and a squashed banana. Post-writing we’ve learnt it’s due to a re-route for a resupply, followed by a mechanical that is unfixable due to all bike shops being closed in Tarascon.

Etienne and Emmanuel Coltat are both out as they know they won’t make the time cut at midnight tomorrow, as is Tony Gregoire.


Beccy Waters

Further Perseverance 2022 Tracking: Pyrenees bikepacking race with hike-a-bike and night curfews.

Further Perseverance 2022 Tracking

Camille McMillan's original Further race kicks off with a typically unorthodox start from the Refuge de Ruhle, a pyreneen refuge at an altitude of 2,185m to which riders will need to make their way to the day before. There's never a dull moment at a race organised by Camille McMillan.

Further Perseverance 2022

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Further Perseverance 2022

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