And that's a wrap

Day 5 - the women's podium is complete

First women finishers plus more

More winners and the Pyrenees

We have some winners!

Day 2 - into the Pyrenees

Morning all

And they're off

Rider Preview

Race Preview

The last day of The Capitals saw the final two finishers roll into Barcelona, __Andrea Satini__ in a time of 122 hours 26 minutes and the lantern rouge, __Mark Charpentier__ in 126 hours 46 minutes. Chapeau to both of them for finishing.

Brothers __Lourens Walters__ and __Laubscher Walters__ unfortunately had a terminal mechanical and had to get the train back to Barcelona and __David Campbell__ unfortunately didn't make the time limit but he's continuing the course through the Pyrenees.

So all that's left is the finishers' dinner which is most deserved after the efforts to get round what was a pretty punishing course.

I'll leave you with a few pictures from the last few days which sum up The Capitals.

Adios!

![Catalina](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2NaYWel3v39Lt6g2MRsyHa/b5e5192440af3668b8d4d1885573c4cf/Screenshot_20230728-112622.png)

![Quico](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4wz8guympK2sdJbo7YdADr/5ea075e4768db722336fd261c892f965/Foto_23-7-23_13_47_38.jpg)
![Rider and card](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2X6g6vcL21LoMdRVrfXoNI/3950f8037305ba3167b47aad1fc6cdae/Screenshot_20230728-201959.png)
![Rider](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/54P6mx2fwK7lHlTGe38MDN/9eb662bc7db7b78fa6e19346b41a27ec/PEDALMA_TheCapitals_2023_PBP2031m_PhotoPauBuera.jpg)

![Finishers](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6mcieyl4Scq313BLhqtsYY/18a9abc41b4712681a524ea2044c01cb/Screenshot_20230728-131839.png)

First up today are the 2nd and 3rd solo women finishers, __Catalina Lobo__ came in 2nd with a time of 110 hours 43 minutes despite crashing yesterday and nearly trashing her rear mech. __Anna Lindell__ completes the podium and has just finished in a time of 111 hours 39 minutes. Here's Anna arriving at CP4 in Girona earlier today.

![Anna](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/WxfiYyhWDvgo5S6GbDKPr/f23557000fc86ada554eecf1e66a642c/Screenshot_20230727-145910.png)

__Carlos Bartomeus__, the oldest competitor in the race also finished today a in a time of 109 hours 21 minutes. And, __Ivan Moreno__ also deserves a mention, finishing in 93 hours 22 minutes, despite previously snapping his knee ligaments playing bike polo. Here's Carlos at CP4 in Girona and Ivan at the finish with a well deserved beer.

![Carlos B](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4VY3jcHq351JzUzRFMTVXc/a244ca40dcb6dbe5c5241835fc6e850a/Screenshot_20230727-104252.png)

![Ivan](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/CjQRCyRKW45ywe9aOu5So/1d70428b884538f17f353f5f9ad57800/IMG_20230727_064900_847.jpg)

Also finishing today was the Columbian pair __Juan Rodriguez__ and __Abel Calderon__ in a time of 108 hours 11 minutes.

![Carlos and Abel](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5NWl6h6gn3GCIvwzOcEjIL/8c80e9da3428c863b3ca3b07aceeaa5c/Screenshot_20230727-104358.png)

There are five riders left out in the field, __Andrea Satini__ and __Marc Charpentier__ have got around 130km to go so are on the home straight. Pair __Lourens Walters__ and __Laubscher Walters__ have got one more big climb in the Pyrenees to go and are 270km from the finish. __David Campbell__ is battling on but will struggle to get back inside the time limit as he's still got most of the Pyrenees to go and is 425km away from Barcelona. I love his determination though.

In an intriguing battle to see who the first woman to finish, __Robyn Davies__, riding as a pair with __Pau Codina__, finished first in a time of 77 hours 25 minutes. And, as they were the only mixed pair, they won that category too.

![Robyn & Pau](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1QwzdujVMsuQurViOpSyJz/0131f857955bbb3dfdc9bb3e470c235c/Screenshot_20230726-153243.png)

Close behind, and the fastest solo woman was __Monica Aguilera__ who finished in 83 hours 23 minutes, another fantastic performance.

![Monica](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3adTqjF1YkuWBGVgtnMh0u/275a43c8245ea0929df83f10c71f7dfd/Screenshot_20230726-2134162.png)

One of the great things about ultra cycling is the new friendships that are formed, and here's __Quico__ and 3 new friends, __Daniel Fernandez__, __David Riba__ and __Edu Gasquez__, on the finish line. Quico improved his time significantly verses last year and said he had a super fun time too.
![Quico & Friends](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6w0lfV3D6MsE8KYAkUEz0m/1afadb764f128c52cac82f9970e7b8d6/Screenshot_20230726-080224.png)
Elsewhere in the women's race, Catalina Lobo and Anna Lindell rode at a similar pace today, along with Emilio Rodriguez, and made it to Camprodon for their overnight stop. They've got 226km to go and with the Pyrenees behind them have half a chance of finishing tomorrow.
![Anna](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5VbAJVM8sKzzVfYnIOmVGw/23d0d87b3befbf58faa6ddedb8a2929b/_R5_0982.JPG)
![Emilio](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/263LrU99nh1s78yKKJgYND/b217be3aadcef90123750fff63eea668/_R3_2994.JPG)
It's also worth giving a shout out to riders finishing in 10th, 20th and 30th places, so congratulations to Ugo Mahin, Timothy Kirkus and Aleix Ballerin.


Loads more action as day 3 draws to a close. __Gerard Trias__ and __Ivan Mondejar__ came in after 58 hours 44 minutes as the first pair, and as the 4th and 5th overall finishers. After finishing, Gerard said 'we had a loooot of fun, the heat nearly made us quit but took some time out at the peak of the afternoon heat and managed to get through it'. As to the best bit, he said it was sharing the 58 hours with his team mate Ivan :)

__Edu Gasquez__ & __David Riba__ remain in second place in the pairs, they've still got 130km to go and only a relatively slim 30km gap to the mostly Norwegian quartet of __Paal Sneve__ & __Tor Henning__ and __Johan Erlandsson__ & __Timothy Kirkus__.  

Also, we've now got a quote from __Jesse Yates__ who finished in 3rd place 'Ready for a shower, just going to Flecha's house, my ass is bad, hoping it's not that bad though'. Here's Jesse and 2nd place finisher Ignacio...
![Jesse & Ignacio at the finish](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4LuaGjt2qhixhLmdSjyUEV/2486f644c6e68912df76a421ee70bf0d/Foto_25-7-23_11_35_05__1_.jpg)
Also, Antonio Dias has finished in 61 hours 35 minutes in 4th place in the men's solo category.

In the women's race, __Monica Aguilera__ is now through most of the Pyrenees and approaching Girona. __Catalina Lobo__ and __Anna Lindell__ have been riding together and Catalina salvaged a catastrophic tubeless fail with a trusty inner tube. They are currently two of six riders overnighting in Baga.

![Catalina at CP2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/07wp3Da3ycGC6qsjBgq9l/bad30a1a4d155b43179e2c6b5d237b62/Screenshot_20230725-142535.png)

I'll leave you with a few pictures of the Pyrenees, a definite highlight of the race for the riders. It's never easy but you get repaid with wonderful views.

![Coll de Pal 2,106m](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/65Jyue9a5pqqUrQ78VHC06/62a06988458370057723e4e2d112c619/Screenshot_20230725-1112572.png)

![Pyrenean view](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4tAmMBnMT0SuKBblvJIDhC/55faffdc6538b88a3a822c0102ed9910/Foto_24-7-23_12_38_48.jpg)

![Cycling through clouds](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/vM0U55Bgul44M7KKBBMO1/7f1ee8aea248acf5b3fadd159afc70b6/_R5_0862.JPG)

![Sunset](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/18XzKheG30z6hbh3udkcl0/79565cf217711b875203b20db530318d/Screenshot_20230725-190038.png)

In an amazing time of 49 hours and 15 minutes, __Gert-Jan Staelens__ is the men's winner of the 2023 edition of The Capitals. He rode through the night for a second time to cement the victory and was super stoked at the finish line, where his partner was there to meet him.
![Gert & GF](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2Emahm8LfAfu36jsAXome1/f79489d115f9c9d965191ec9b6e629ca/Foto_25-7-23_7_22_23.jpg)
Speaking to him after the finish, he said 'it was far more technical than expected and super glad I took the MTB with 50mm tyres.' The only thing he could have changed on his set up was the front chainring which proved to be too big which led to more hike-a-bike than expected but it did help him on the flats and descents. He's going to take a well earned rest now before planning his next year's schedule.

__Ignacio Pellejero__ finished in an excellent second place in 52 hours 23 minutes and __Jesse Yates__ closed out the podium in 53 hours 27 minutes, plenty of time ahead of 4th. Jesse had a break when the first place was open after Girona as when he got to CP4 everything was closed so in his own words, 'Didn't get food in Girona so was f****d after'.
![Ignacio 2nd](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5HqqaDqZ8ka7PU6vTBWYhl/116269a8856af51111d96b89e826f966/Foto_25-7-23_10_38_05.jpg)
In the men's pairs category, Gerard and Ivan look to be good for first place only having 80km to go with David and Edu 180km behind.

![Gerard in Molina](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/13V4MUf61T7CB6fulNJY4E/8ddd3997350f95882a84394b790f92e4/Screenshot_20230725-073858.png)

In the women's race, Monica Aguilera continues to lead and she's got 288km to go and Anna Lindell and Catalina Lobo are riding together alongside Emilio Rodriguez and are currently in Coll de Nargo. They've done the first of the the big Pyrenean climbs but there's plenty more to come.

![Catalina](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1yKLU4n4QPVVbeZKgj4r5a/b4295b409b13551242c6b69af6958889/Screenshot_20230725-105321.png)

And finally, in the mixed pairs Robyn and Pau continue their adventure and are only a few kms behind Monica.
![Clouds](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/sNn2y8es3fsY2oz3jTCdh/1d6efa76f8709587e741f14e892f9482/Screenshot_20230724-195343.png)

Today, we'll start with the women's race and __Monica Aguilera__ is continuing her fantastic progress and completing 460km in the first two days. There's a fairly tight battle going on for 2nd place with __Catalina Lobo__ and __Anna Lindell__ swapping places throughout the day, as I write this Anna has stopped for the night in Ponts in 2nd place only 20km ahead of Catalina who's overnighting in Agramuat and planning an early start tomorrow. 

![Monica](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6PlTcQRMTpFnhNnXklKSda/ed505caf71219bd16c531e4d3bddbacf/Screenshot_20230724-150830.png)

There has been some pretty tough terrain now that the race is in the Pyrenees with a few hike-a-bike sections. Also, the heat levels have been rising with some riders reporting temperatures of over 40C by mid afternoon.

![Anna hike at night](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/19Qvcx12MAC51gWF9aOeYs/d645f4581dfa70e33f3ae2991084e3a2/Screenshot_20230724-151043.png)
In the mixed pairs, __Robyn Davies__ and __Pau Codina__ are also putting in a solid performance and holding on to their mid pack placing.
![Robyn and Pau](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6TmjzOAlO9FQvmtUQe0aEo/05f99f885b24987e8f2f16e46fbe4d5e/Screenshot_20230724-150709.png)
At the front of the pack, it continues to be a case of __Gert-Jan Staelens__, who has completed 650km, leading __Ignacio Pellejero__ by 30km and Ignacio leading __Jesse Yates__ by only 10km. They have been pretty much been travelling at the same pace for most of the day as the gaps have remained fairly constant.

With the leading three only having between 180km and 220km to go, the win could go to the person who stops for the least time tonight. Although, looking at Ignacio's and Jesse's Instagram stories, they are looking pretty tired. 

An in the pairs category, __Gerrard Trias__ and __Ivan Morndejar__ have a healthy 70km lead over __David Riba__ and __Edu Gasquez__. Also, Gerrard and Ivan are in 4th and 5th place overall on the road only 40km behind Jesse.

In an ultra, there are always great stories from across the whole field and The Capitals is no exception. So today, I'll put the spotlight on __Carlos Bartomeus__, the oldest competitor at 66 years of age! I've been speaking to his son, Jan, today who is rightly super proud of his dad who he describes as an enthusiastic/crazy cycist from Terrassa in Catalunya. He's done a bunch of road, e.g. Pari-Brest-Paris, and MTB riding over the years but is now obsessed by Gravel. Carlos is currently at the 320km mark and is making great progress.
![Carlos 66](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4MIvSCmuhldn3LeHAL6TN3/2d0cb97411d99e6241357e71628f6f95/IMG_20230724_133609_951.jpg)

As we approach the second night, tiredness will really kick in and it's a real balance between not taking enough rest and stopping for too long so I'm looking forward to seeing where the riders will be first thing tomorrow.

It's always interesting seeing what happens in the first night. Will riders look to push on all through the night, grab a powernap, a few hours sleep on a bench or a proper bed?

For this race, it looks like everyone at least got a small amount of sleep. For the leading men, Gert, Ignacio and Jesse all got some sleep. Jesse took the opportunity of a bank's inside area while Gert found a bench in a small village.
![Jesse Asleep](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4vyS4CGLWgHHIJIiGXgTtb/64e09e87fc49387d130e3e2071694986/Foto_24-7-23_4_10_40.jpg)
![Gert Asleep](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6Mlxu9zdxf9zgOB98aB3I3/87d7c5c2871d9867a363cf2a1888efc5/Foto_24-7-23_1_34_03.jpg)
Other riders found whatever spot they could, with Quico and some new found friends bedding down in a childrens' playground with a nice sandpit for shoe storage.

![Screenshot 20230724-080831](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/fXY0N1BBxbGwFW7KZyHl5/9d673061eadbfa9d091e7c45bac80d9b/Screenshot_20230724-080831.png)

Position wise, there were too many changes overnight, with Gert and Ignacio still in the lead, meeting up briefly at CP3 in Baga at just before 8am with Jess 20km or so behind. However, it hasn't been easy with Gert saying he was cramping up and completely done in around 3am when he stopped for some rest. 
![Foto 24-7-23 8 49 04](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5z8jwnViaUx7CiiYujhby0/d882930c877e55521dbc17651ae044f4/Foto_24-7-23_8_49_04.jpg)
In the women's section, Monica has extended her lead overnight, is now solidly in the top 20 overall and is now 130km ahead of Anna who's just ahead of Catalina who's back in the game after a decent night's sleep in a Tarragona hotel.
![Foto 23-7-23 9 29 56](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3NTsQtKU6keYMxvZg2YCPL/2461b3536f74adfd379d90a269474622/Foto_23-7-23_9_29_56.jpg)
It's a close run thing in the male pairs with David and Edu briefly overtaking Gerrard and Ivan after taking a shorter sleep. But Gerrard and Ivan have now taken back the lead as they head into the Pyrenees proper.

And, in the mixed pairs, Robyn and Tor are making good progress and overall and safely in the mid pack.

As of midday, just under half the field are in or just approaching the big climbs of the Pyrenees, the weather in the mountains is still looking good and they will be repaid their efforts on the climbs with some sublime views at the top. Gert's current view is:

![Gerts photo](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3A99W6xbBXlGvEwyuDvga/38f40777a0529dc2b5e29da6b5899277/Screenshot_20230724-110136.png)

It's not been all plain sailing though, with a few hike-a-bike sections plus plenty of sheep, sometimes causing a bit of a delay:

![Screenshot 20230724-0809042](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3cx3cILyH9rRKx1wklwL2A/73fdcfb53a537f1182466e1d6af58d9e/Screenshot_20230724-0809042.png)

Unfortunately, there have been 4 scratches including Alfonso Bae who has been in the top 5. No news yet on why, but I'll hopefully have the details later. The heat was definitey to blame for some of the other scratches, not least for Russell Jelly who, coming from the UK just isn't used to cycling in over 30C. Hats off to everyone that made the start line though, attempting an ultra is a great achievement in itself. 

I'll do another update this evening, so tune in to see how our intrepid riders are doing.


As expected, there was a fast start and the leading riders made it to CP1 in Tarragona before midday with __Jesse Yates__ leading in __Ignacio Pellejero__ and __Gert-Jan Staelens__.

__Monica Aguilera__ was the first solo woman to CP1, __Gerrard Trias__ & __Ivan Mondejar__ the first pair and __Robyn Davies__ & __Pau Codina__ the first mixed pair.
![Woman 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5ZYVd2wVO9rIDIpI7wCaTb/4fd3b15256bb1070e6b3b6e96545d8c9/Woman_2.JPG)
The temperature was rising in the afternoon and a few riders were starting to feel the heat, with Jesse going all French Foreign Legion on the style front.
![Jesse FFL](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/27DtjiyaRnghsKFnGgBV7r/86965eecf2cb5df1b643606cc38662af/Jesse_FFL.jpg)
The leading three men were still at the front at CP2 in Lleida but __Ignacio was the first in__ at around 5:15pm. Jesse decided to stop for some proper food and is now playing catch up with Ignacio and Gert-Jan about 15km ahead as it approaches 11pm and the first of the Pyrenean climbs.
![Ignacio Natxo](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/64za472b5MYDGfojeRPThh/edfb844d4a86e5c145a795b0db013da5/Ignacio_Natxo.JPG)
When asked if he's planning on riding through the night, Jesse said 'I'll let my  legs do the talking but at the moment, they are mute'.

In the women's section, at 11pm Monica is now 60km in front of __Anna Lindell__ whilst __Catalina Lobo__ has decided to stop in a hotel in Tarragona to recover from some sickness, possible caused by the heat.
![Catalina in field](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2ObWjbcZ4he5lFGxiNpC8U/b89c2477f76421b319dafeff17be3529/Catalina_in_field.jpg)
Talking of the weather, the forecast for tomorrow is 36C in Lleida so hopefully the riders will have got a bit used to the heat today. But, on the positive side, the risk of thunderstorms on Tuesday has reduced.
![Legs heat](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3nfypaSRITI5BOElJvmQYB/16a1f1974486a821c796d4c1a384f179/Legs_heat.JPG)
It'll be interesting to see how many riders ride all through the night and whilst I wont pull an all night dotwatching stint, I'll be up early to report on everyone's progress.


With 60 riders in the start list, there will be plenty of competition for the top spots, and also some interesting stories from the mid pack and party pacers.

In the women's field, the runner and cyclist __Monica Aguilera__ is likely to be towards the front. The distance and any hot weather shouldn't be a problem for her as she's a previous winner of probably the world's toughest running race, the Marathon des Sables in 2010.

![Monica](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5yZklMM3webYlQPDlsbkl3/1f29eb35180bf7fa9916ce6eb51f93ed/Monica_L.png)

__Catalina Lobo__ is another one to watch, part of the Biehler Syndicate, she said to me before the race that she's hoping to learn a lot during the ride and the Pedalma has touched her Alma (soul).

![Catalina](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/kn2r99QGZA1PgjbT46q7b/b4a9a71de57c795cb92050401de6e2dd/Catalina_L.png)

__Anna Lindell__ had a rather stressful time the day before the race losing her phone, but she's now replaced it which is very good news as doing an ultra without a phone would take the challege to a whole new level.

![Anna](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/306wJDhgL5XR9FVZmbpM8l/71ca7924af178890d2901d9168f5eca2/Anna_L.png)

In the men's field, __Jesse Yates__ looks to be in with a shout of a podium place. He's not done anything in this sort of heat or altitude in a while, but his road racing background will serve him well, especially on the fast rolling sections. In typical Jesse style, he told me 'sleep is the cousin of death', so I reckon he's going for maximum ride time.

![Jesse](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2Ok0DSbLYiIGa9CKNaukoA/f490ec1c9d0a8f18610a5b726738d036/Jesse_Y.png)

__Quico__ from the Ciclofactoria collective returns to the Capitals after completing last year's race. He's looking forward to doing more riding than hiking with the route change and will bring his usual panache to the event.

![Quico](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5ljjPbjWXBVpxjgjIRViSQ/0e9dbce4d21555d81ec5d9e991e6a24f/Quico.jpg)

In the pairs, __Gerrard Trias__ and __Ivan Mondejar__ are ones to watch with Gerrard being trained by last year's women's winner __Laura Gallardo__. Gerrard said 'they want to complete the race in less than 3 days but let's see what happens in the Pyrenees!'.

![Gerrard Trias](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/37It72q2dAZh3pC3xAdEdt/e4e646338d2d6de67b1ecd21a74f257c/Gerrard_Trias.png)

Finally, in the mixed pairs, __Robyn Davies__ and __Pau Codina__ will win if they finish as they are the only mixed pair :)

Hi and welcome to coverage of the 2023 edition of The Capitals by Pedalma, a 823km event with 12,223m of elevation that connects the four Catalan capitals of Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida and Girona.

__The Route__
![Pyranees 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3kV18HD4wE9IxBOEYRzQlk/3ea9e9fcbcc1d0e570697663b6f68d62/Pyranees_2.jpg)
This year, the route heads in a clockwise direction from Barcelona. Starting at Barcelona's Arc de Triomf and passing the 1992 Olympic Stadium, the first 155km section to Checkpoint 1 in Tarragona doesn't have any significant climbs but has some fairly rough gravel/rocky sections.

The next 110km section to Checkpoint 2 in Lleida has one significant climb to La Mussara, the picturesque town of Padres and plenty of smooth gravel to get the average speed up.
![Quico 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/21YR4B9pdYBl32xVHEXAM9/1bc076bd6ede0e66fca92103ae32d935/Quico_1.jpg)
From Lleida to Checkpoint 3 in Baga sees a variety of conditions along its 200km length starting with more fast flat gravel but then heading into the Pyrenees and three significant climbs.
![Cow](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1cuttAYSu8PnPoJAFgJ69R/5e759e35b70e33c9fce6d87ddff9d027/Capitals_Cow.JPG)
After Baga, the climbs really start with two climbs up to 2,000m accompanied by wonderful views before the best part of 100km of downhill to the cycling hub of Girona and Checkpoint 4.

From Girona, it's an undulating 130km on smooth gravel back to Barcelona and the finish at the Arc de Triomf.

__Previous Edition__
![Capitals Podium](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/29hCLBty3UiTunMSTqXtkh/b8b9afae89657ab09dc1923dbbe2a17d/Capitals_Podium_.jpg)
The 2022 and first edition had a trio of winners - Toni Calderón, Pierfrancesco Santin and Arnau Masferrer, finishing in 67 hours and Laura Gallardo was the first women finisher. 
![Laura](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/cKeubfyoBlNFWf0ulyanc/c8acfcbe8df3042b06f8c73acc6c6f31/Laura.jpg)
However, the course was 40km longer and had 4,000m of additional climbing compared to this year's course including a whole bunch of hike-a-bike sections in the Pyrenees. Also, it was run in the middle of a heatwave with temperatures hitting 43C on the first day.

The heat caused a third of the field to scratch on the first two days and this plus the additional climbing in last years race should mean faster times this year. I can certainly attest to how difficult last years event was, crawling in just ahead of the cut off time!
![Me](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6MtBrU97D6P43uiZ85TMnB/012f0356ce76e78e41f339c7528b25ae/me__.jpg)
__The Weather__

Luckily, temperatures are a good 10C lower than last year and should be around the early 30C mark for the first couple of days. But thunderstorms are forecast for the Pyrenees on Tuesday so hopefully the riders will be able to dodge the storms or find some shelter.

That's it for this post, next up will be a look at a few of the riders 

Martin Aylward

The Capitals by PedAlma 2023 Tracking + Commentary: An epic race connecting the four Catalan Capitals, each as a checkpoint: Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida and Girona, and riders will reach the Pyrenees by passing through Bagà.

The Capitals by PedAlma 2023 Tracking

An epic race connecting the four Catalan Capitals, each as a checkpoint: Barcelona, Tarragona, Lleida and Girona, and riders will reach the Pyrenees by passing through Bagà.

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The Capitals by PedAlma 2023

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