Robert Mueller

Neil Phillips

Alexander Kopp

Julien Roissard

Max Prieur

Jana Kesenheimer

Moritz Nennemann

Benjamin Chadourne

Markus Zimmermann

Juhani Saario

Callum James

Lukas Franciszkiewicz

George Bareham

Jocelyn Roth

Adam Whitehead

Ricardo Parreirinha

Julien Gravaud

Liam Clarke

Christopher Murkin

Martijn van Loon

Samuel Becuwe

William Dunk

Andrew Brunton

Simone Eder

Benjamin Snodin

Juan Miri

Flip Patijn

Stéphane Große-Lüger

Tony Truepenny-Phillipson

Pascal Röhm

Byron Buck

Tristan Janmart

Karol Zukowski

Corentin Richard

Julien Bourbiaux

Stephen Kennedy

Samuel Weidtmann

Marco vom Hau

Pierre Gouyou Beauchamps

Kenzo Naito

laurent Tual

Guilhem Grimaud

Christopher Herbert

Michael Thomas

Tom Banks

Tim Castle

Patrick Besson

Hendra Wijaya

Josh Roberts

Hanif Meeran

James McCall

Oliver Hugh-Jones

François Deladerrière

William Alex Creak

Lucy Hurn

Hector Kidds

Vincent Pouyet

Ben Chuilon

Raymond Cox

James Bradbury

Ian Garbutt

Russel Kesley

Michail O.K. Celand

Bjorn Devogelaere

Angela Walker

Sergey Shulubin

Norbert Münch

Van Bryant

Jo Green

Eleanor McDonough

James Milne

Frédéric Rudant

Heike Sturm

Koen De Weerdt

Anna Petters

Nils Heeren

James Lowden

Aaron Snyder

Thomas Williams

Nicola Ray

Antoine Furstein

Graham Steward

Dmitrii Kozlov

Leo Bridger

Nicholas Tatt

Eben Jones

Michael Snyder

Damien Cebulski

Mikhail Kamentsev

Michael Scale

Horia Fratean

Richard Lewandowski

Marcin Misztal

Paul Nelson

Hugo Brito

Kim Madsen

Christopher Duperrut

Samuel Thompson

Tim Cappan

Thomas Jacquelinet

Stuart Duggal

Hugh Pelly

Christian van Rens

Laurent Jolie

Alexis Dumeaux

Innes Ogilvie

Isobel Filor

Bernd Sartingen

Roberto Baldassi

Corrado Ciriani

Paul Williams

Stephen Dalton

Control Car 2

Control Car 1

Photo from [Vincent Pouyet](https://www.instagram.com/vincinity1010/)

Race fans, this is your TPRNo2 wrap-up post. As predicted last time, Benjamin Chadourne, Markus Zimmermann and Juhani Saario rounded out the top 10 respectively. Lukas Franciszkiewicz lost 6 places and ended up slipping out of the top 10 to finish in 12th, while the big winner was Jocelyn Roth who annihalated the field on the return trip across the mountains, moving up 16 (sixteen) places to finish in 14th place. That's not actually the biggest swing though, which so far goes to Cap 42 - Tony Truepenny-Phillipson, who ate 19 riders between the lighthouse and the finish line, thus picking up the Pac-Man Award.

![Screenshot 2022-10-06 at 18.38.40](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6utxhVghx17RbvHNlNewGi/5c7f0859907ef87262e8429800528b1c/Screenshot_2022-10-06_at_18.38.40.png)

### Pairs Winners!

Pair no.150, Isobel Filor and Innes Ogilvie finished this morning in a time of 6 Days, 4 Hours, 57 Minutes to claim the Pairs title. They'd been way out in the lead from the start, and had targeted the win, planning every aspect of the race down to the finest detail.

![Screenshot 2022-10-06 at 18.39.19](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/79YPcezs6O9lxWkLfJPRih/01370dc9bde7cc2ada16555a58b06f8b/Screenshot_2022-10-06_at_18.39.19.png)

### Womens' Race

Simone Eder, Cap no.126 finished in 25th place in a time of 5 Days, 17 Hours, 57 Minutes to take 2nd on the womens' podium. Lucy Hurn is currently 50km away, so should arrive during the party to take 3rd - nailed the timing! 

![Screenshot 2022-10-06 at 19.05.49](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6yN9tJ9OS9FGavk4fMNeHZ/98aeae479be92c58fcd57d7f468c8994/Screenshot_2022-10-06_at_19.05.49.png)

### Cutting It Close

That's right, the party has started, and knowing race director David Ayre, it will be going on into the early hours, BUT the finish line closes in 4hrs at midnight, which means anyone around 80km out from the finish is cutting it close. Anyone finishing after the cut off will not qualify as an official finisher. So I reckon Hector Kidds, Vincent Pouyet, Raymond Cox and Ben Chuillon are going to be adding a few watts to their power output right now.

They'll be running through constant calculations of average speed and distance in their heads all the way to the finish. If they're a bit faster than I'm giving them credit for, then even riders coming off the end of the parcours like Cap No.55 Ian Garbutt could be in with a chance of making the cut. Place your bets now kids, but as The [TPR Podcast's](https://transpyrenees.cc/podcast) Rachel Batt says of ultra racing: "When the fun stops, stop".

![IMG 7701](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6HEDTAbV5BSfGJXTiBNz3P/d4ea4a85fab14b605e59db60cbc5cc8b/IMG_7701.PNG)

### *UPDATE

It was in fact Cap No.55, Ian Garbutt who claimed the 'Maglia Nera' as the final rider to finish before the finish line cut-off at the party, squeaking in with 15 minutes to go. Congrats Ian!

### Final thoughts

Sometimes an image says more than a thousand words, so to sum up this beautifully brutal race, I leave you with this lot. Thanks for tuning in!

![Screenshot 2022-10-06 at 19.34.41](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2BChSTuO1cpLra9pxx4pHt/912b0b660ade119183352cb9f9b39e37/Screenshot_2022-10-06_at_19.34.41.png)
Photo from Patrick Besson

![Screenshot 2022-10-06 at 19.25.41](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4NyTl8PLWLKjOLssBfvlaA/a72aab70c7b2d40f8401293decd0ba0c/Screenshot_2022-10-06_at_19.25.41.png)
Photo from race director David Ayre

![Screenshot 2022-10-06 at 19.32.12](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/56oWpbNOq8R4qQKQouqqhd/ff2fc11fd9643c3aef46f879b9c42c5b/Screenshot_2022-10-06_at_19.32.12.png)
Photo from Vincent Pouyet

![Screenshot 2022-10-06 at 19.28.11](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3w6ywIz9Hg4PphaZWAlJ5J/47b8364e4e6ec744f078c8bf7318bf37/Screenshot_2022-10-06_at_19.28.11.png)
Photo from Cap No.145, Laurent Jolie


That's All Folks

(Images coutesy of [Lost Dot](https://transpyrenees.cc/report))

Good morning all you ultra ultras, I'm sure most of you will have been up all night glued to the dot tracker, but just in case, here's an update of who's been streaming over the finish line in the past 24hrs, and crucially...in what order.

![Screenshot 2022-10-05 at 08.24.09](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/uQrwALBlTAdnryLtnDbkP/a4fbc83f483ef9af29eafc9b54f3a058/Screenshot_2022-10-05_at_08.24.09.png)

![Screenshot 2022-10-05 at 08.24.17](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7GnKApS3U9eWLrJ0pLyMZd/1c193553691e3154e474dac70fb1bc53/Screenshot_2022-10-05_at_08.24.17.png)

Neil Phillips came in 2nd, less than two hours behind Robert Mueller (who it turns out only meant to sleep for 3 hours). A typically dominant perfomance by Neil, who wasn't feeling on top form for large parts of the race. He wasted no time jumping in the sea for his customary post-race swim.

Rounding out the podium in 3rd, Alexander Kopp finished as the evening descended on St Jean de Luz, in a total time of 4 days, 14 hours, and 54 minutes. Kopp followed the same metronomic 4 x 4hr sleep strategy as Neil, and was only out of the top 10 at the first control.

Julien Roissard and Max Prieur arrived within two hours of each other during the wee hours to take 4th and 5th spots respectively. Then came Jana Kesenheimer to take 6th place. Out of all the top 10 riders, Jana has made up the most places throughout the race. She was 20th through the first control, and had climbed up to 9th by the halfway point at the lighthouse. Then in an enthralling battle on the Raid route, she ate a further three riders to finish in 6th. What a performance.

Our latest finisher is Moritz Nennemann, in a time of 5 Days and 51 Minutes to take 7th. He's aniother rider who grew throughout the race, halving his position from 14th through CP2. Just for context, every rider that's finished so far has averaged over 300km / day, which is impressive when you consider they're completing basically an Everest worth of climbing every day and in Moritz' case still averaging almost 18kmph.

Cap 79, Lukas Franciszkiewicz, who was 6th past the lighthouse, has lost some places in the night. He was sitting in 9th place last night but has now been passed by Juhani Saario, Markus Zimmerman and Callum James. Benjamin Chadourne looks like he's on for 8th and now it looks like Markus and Juhani will complete the top 10, but it could be a close battle between them.


Kopps and Roberts

This morning, Cap 151, Robert Mueller rolled into St Jean de Luz to winThe Trans Pyrenees Race No2 in 4 days, 6 hours and 3 minutes. He showed real tactical acumin and resilience to push the limits to apply pressure to the rest of the field then rest up when he had the opportunity. And let's not forget, he did the whole thing on a hire bike. Chapeau!

![Screenshot 2022-10-04 at 13.28.47](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5mLxnSBhox4tZe8toW9isv/28e1fe7183f8dfcdb1b7c16bf9d87ed5/Screenshot_2022-10-04_at_13.28.47.png)

(Images courtesy of [Lost Dot](https://transpyrenees.cc/))

We Have A Winner!

OK, so I was a bit out with my timing. But I hadn't factored in Robert Mueller showboating by taking an 8 HOUR SLEEP! It's either a ballsy move from the German who may have noticed Neil's metronomic sleep strategy, or he just forgot to set his alarm. Both hitters were tucked up in bed at a sensible time and even though Neil only had half as much sleep, he's still 40km, or 2hrs behind. If only he could have limited his sleep to two hours we'd have a nail biting grand stand finish on our hands.

![Screenshot 2022-10-04 at 08.08.24 copy](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/56wlVI5AVcQpFmsyDSyC6w/f6811bf131a3d46d0aa3a41acd35e3e7/Screenshot_2022-10-04_at_08.08.24_copy.png)

(Main photo and below by [Ben Chuilon](https://www.instagram.com/benchuilon/))

![Screenshot 2022-10-04 at 08.28.49](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6cv2NcETZ3BRKMzPS0KP3l/03ecfa8e994191577991ba8bbb4bbf1b/Screenshot_2022-10-04_at_08.28.49.png)

In more sleep news, Angela Walker has been getting stuck into the final parcours and has treated herself to an AirBnB (Although she laments the lack of food suggesting it should be called 'Air Bed'). It's at this point in the race where riders may notice the effects the exertion has had on their bodies, and having taken stock, Angela's body is starting to rebel against her so she'll be having a bath and adjusting her pace to give it a chance to recover and give herself the best chance of getting to the end. Good luck lass!

![Screenshot 2022-10-04 at 08.41.31](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2ZkqSwtUwt5O6VtRYZdcJS/2e7f0746e6f7d9f6fc5eca10bdd1e215/Screenshot_2022-10-04_at_08.41.31.png)


Day 5: Snooze You Lose

### The Race for First

Good evening race fans. It feels like before we've even got going the race is coming to an end. The front end of the race has been steadily making its way back west, follwing the Raid route that is like a back to back greatest hits of all the most famous cycling climbs in the Pyrenees.

Having disposed of a string of world class climbs, Robert Mueller is only 125km away from the finish and could be home and hosed in 5 hours (Around 3am CEST). Astonishingly, he still hasn't slept and it looks like he's going to hang onto this lead. All Neil Phillips in 2nd can do is keep applying pressure and hope that lack of sleep catches up with the German, who I found out today is RIDING A HIRE BIKE, as if this feat of rising wasn't impressive enough. 

![Screenshot 2022-10-03 at 20.38.17](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6Nu6rri9klogKtfEr2DAT7/996f13c2a0eb69a6decf0b1cd46bb87c/Screenshot_2022-10-03_at_20.38.17.png)

Alexander Kopp and Julien Roissard complete a front 4 that are evenly spaced with huge gaps, so it's unlikely we'll see much change now barring some big unexpected issues. Speaking of which, it's worth noting that James Lowden, who lit up the first half of the race and was in the lead rounding the lighthouse, scratched this morning. We don't know why exactly, but he'd spent a while in Tarascon Sur Ariege so he's in civilisation and safe. 

![Screenshot 2022-10-03 at 21.15.13](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2lsemXYqFClUemjFvqfPfD/400ee91f8c72169764f9fd132b621170/Screenshot_2022-10-03_at_21.15.13.png)

### The Race for Top 10

With the front 4 spread wide amongst the mountains, the real drama is in the race for 5th, with 4 riders closely packed together and battling it out with two more possibly in contention behind them. Moritz has had a storming day to catch the group of 4 and move up a place, while Lukas has dropped back from 6th to 9th.

### Jana ganna catch her

In the middle of that fight for 5th is Jana, who's nevertheless managed to find the time to hang out with some horses at sunrise...

![IMG 7676](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7b4hLJR4VWZlmyRdsIF9hd/bef2d8936b8ecb454949d386a48a71bb/IMG_7676.PNG)

### Making the Cut

CP5 cut off was at 18:00 today, and everyone was happy to see Angela Walker make it through, having raced to reach CP4. She was 5th last through but made it comfortably and celebrated with an Ice cream - Matt Falconer would be proud. And speaking of eating, Norbert Munch was the final rider through the control, let's hope he hasn't bitten off more than he can chew, to make it back for the finish. 

![IMG 7680](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1ze4E1BR3wUKauI1CHKqBx/3702059361953141aa22c35330a4b08c/IMG_7680.PNG)
![IMG 7681](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4q3HiqXpDWG7dBoFmW5GPM/c316ac906845b5b4e5d3add629578508/IMG_7681.PNG)

### Then There Were Three (Six)

Sadly Pair 148, 'Pephen', have had to scratch. Things looked bad when Stephen had to stop in La Seu d'Urgell on the approach to CP3, and we believe it's a DI2 problem that's put an end to his race. Pair 146, 'Chrernd', look like they had a white knuckle dash to make the CP5 cut off, just missing out. On the tracker it looks like they just snuck in with 5 minutes to go, but they don't appear on the list of riders through the CP. So...that leaves us with just three remaining pairs: Laulexis (145), Huart (149) and Innobel (150).

![Screenshot 2022-10-03 at 21.58.08](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/520kwMKOzHgRo93Kfyia7Q/891076a3e5c2666b03be779751c14998/Screenshot_2022-10-03_at_21.58.08.png)

Some lovely words here from Cap 77, Lucy Hurn at the half way point...

> "Each day dawn breaks at the top of a mountain to reveal a new , today's gift was different again, and all lit up by every shade of pink and orange. As we approached the coast it got more desert like and then after a gradual climb we popped over the top to see rolling hills of sprawling vineyards with roads winding their way through."

Main photo by [Patrick Besson](https://www.instagram.com/patbess/)


Day 4: Near and Phare 

(Photo by [[Patrick Besson]](https://www.instagram.com/patbess/))

Good morning all you TPR-heads. The race is ripping along at a frightening pace, the leaders are half way back across the Pyrenees now, virtually everyone is through CP3, which closed yesterday afternoon, and the race is on to reach the lighthouse at CP5 before 6 tonight.

Robert Mueller is in the lead and 100km ahead of second placed Neil Phillips. At 11pm last night they were separated by only a couple of kilometers, before Neil looks to have taken a big six hour sleep on the riverbank in Siex - it looks like a delightful spot if he could have seen anything. That allowed Robert to get over 100km ahead, but he's only had a total of about 4 hours sleep for the whole race, that's 72hrs now. If he can make it back to the west coast with less than 6 hours sleep he's won, but will he run out of gas? The sleep chart below tells the story, although I think we can ignore the almost vertical section as it looks like an error.

![Rob-Neil Sleep](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1G81iE1Pr5vXUjWlzAt4IM/38804616cba93ba50f10dd6a855ef834/Rob-Neil_Sleep.jpg)

![Screenshot 2022-10-03 at 06.44.00](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5w2v7A7SGoIjuhXoieMrA3/91b1170cc53c1df8c79898321ee8f970/Screenshot_2022-10-03_at_06.44.00.png)

*Neil chosing to eschew the obvious camp sites, like any good ultra distance racer*

### CP3

I've been concentrating on analysing the race here, so I'll try to throw in a bit more of a sense of what it's like out there through riders' social media. Here Pierre Gouyou Beauchamps shows us his Brevet card at CP3, where he passed through comfotably within the time limit at 8am yesterday - he says the race is brutal and he's learning a lot.

![Screenshot 2022-10-03 at 07.08.34](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1FkmYffMmyjuvTZdkGHQ0u/f4014acbdd33371ce95661b72e049623/Screenshot_2022-10-03_at_07.08.34.png)

Riders have to reach the control points before the official cut-off times, which in the case of CP3 was 2pm CEST on sunday. There are always riders who fall agonisingly short and it looks like here it might have been Eleanor McDonough. (Bjorn, also on this screenshot, had already passed through and was on his way back out.)

![Screenshot 2022-10-03 at 07.15.11](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/40GvoOo3hIt19lbxds4wb6/4a1ddfaa4c4544d1c6932d4fbba239ab/Screenshot_2022-10-03_at_07.15.11.png)

### The Womens' Race

Jana is still comfortably in the lead on the womens' race, and still in the top ten overall, sitting in 9th and with Max Prieur, Lukas Franciszkiewicz, and Benjamin Chadourne not far ahead and in her sights. Simone and Nicola are both on the Raid Parcours now, with Lucy Hurn and Angela Walker giving us the best chance of a battle as they approach the lighthouse with probably 10-15km between them.

![IMG 7669](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7cLYA9eFB17pBs1nYvcNAy/4824ae5c31ec265efdca6bbdafd750fb/IMG_7669.PNG)

*[Angela Walker](https://www.instagram.com/veloelle/) passing through CP3 yesterday*

![Screenshot 2022-10-03 at 07.38.17](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2l6ESzZUgJ1dwffcOpO5Gq/02c1004cc606441cd8ae13c9ba5cf4c5/Screenshot_2022-10-03_at_07.38.17.png)

![Screenshot 2022-10-03 at 07.38.26](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4owETR1ZTD7DZBwqzfi72q/bb762ac9af0f22635ee71d9441944734/Screenshot_2022-10-03_at_07.38.26.png)

Photos from [Corrado](https://www.instagram.com/codoxcrn/)


Day 4: Siex Appeal

James Lowden hit the Mediterranean coast first at 10.30pm last night but surprisingly stopped just short of the Control Point to check into the Hotel Catalan for a luxurious 6 hours sleep. Robert Mueller smelled blood and took advantage to overtake and land the psychological blow of getting to the CP first. 

![Screenshot 2022-10-02 at 08.32.28](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7cfrwoIFziDIdmGT58csvY/4b9dc0b131b0a494d1cf1276a9fb2a11/Screenshot_2022-10-02_at_08.32.28.png)

![Screenshot 2022-10-02 at 08.28.59](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4x7PTUF7vJHoNLjH7EC11i/5c31dfdfcc454d244e5547ad99430995/Screenshot_2022-10-02_at_08.28.59.png)

Lowden emerged from the pit lane just ahead of Neil Phillips to get to the CP in 2nd, half an hour ahead of Neil and 5 hours behind Robert Mueller, but don’t forget Robert still had to have his sleep, so these front three riders are closely matched and will continue to trade places while their sleep schedules are out of sync. Robert grabbed 3.5hrs in the early hours and was up and back on the road just as James arrived in town - was it his spidey sense or does he have some kind of ultra endurance radar alarm system? Either way, it looks like James has quite a bit more sleep in the tank.

![Sleep Chart copy](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/Ori5xFUFFOuNMxO5pYYcA/559cb7f435a98845d7f35d7ce16be8dd/Sleep_Chart_copy.jpg)

### The Lowden Lowdown 

James Lowden has taken many of us by surprise. He's not one of the known names on the 'scene' and analysist and pundits across the world are scrambling to get any information on this wonderkid taking the race by storm. All we know so far is that this is his first unsupported ultra, his longest ride before this was 220km, and he seems to live in the Pyrenees, which could be seen as an unfair advantage.

The pragmatic decision to rest half way through the parcours and not be lured in by being first to the control is quite impressive and speaks to  - then again, he will have been totally knackered and that hotel does look nice.

![Screenshot 2022-10-02 at 09.22.49](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5gtI1SiQ8zWP8OftC6ETM6/a13e8b65f5071d7a7698bd017b5fb46a/Screenshot_2022-10-02_at_09.22.49.png)

![Screenshot 2022-10-02 at 09.24.32](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6na5e67oNQMV0BLk2x41p8/4cff6b4340bbde3da9a5ab73abdf40b1/Screenshot_2022-10-02_at_09.24.32.png)

### Raymond Cox: Maverick. 

Look at the heatmap above. It shows the route between the end of Parcours 2 and CP3. The more red there is, the more riders have taken that route. We can see two conventional routes emerging here, then two more southern routes with one leaving the mountains completely to hit the flat lands to the south. It's over 300km before it rejoins the conventional route before CP3. This is Raymond Cox, he plays by his own rules.

To get a very unscientific idea of how effective Cox's plan was, we can compare with Hector Kidds Cap50 who was at the end of Parcours 2 at around the same time - 11am yesterday. Cox hit CP3 at 4am, while Hector has just completed the CP, 5hrs after Cox.

![Screenshot 2022-10-02 at 12.12.08](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4HlAt2KG0Kr7Q9aPmEJTWn/ef01e7b9c053a0d34ae62edf2364fdf4/Screenshot_2022-10-02_at_12.12.08.png)

*This is what Raymond is trying so hard to avoid - the gravel section going over Col de Sahun - looks awful doesn't it. Photo by [Ben Chuilon](https://www.instagram.com/benchuilon/)

### Routing Madness 

![Screenshot 2022-10-02 at 10.14.14](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/14HJ3bqzWlWM3RG7ayIWzc/51fae2138d06e25552ea24e015f68c42/Screenshot_2022-10-02_at_10.14.14.png)

In other mad routing news, Andrew Brunton is either taking a very northerly route to CP4, or he’s forgotten about CP4. He might have even forgotten about CP5 as he’s very close to arriving at the start of Parcours 6 - that’s how far north he’s gone. He’s been following the N116 which looks like a fast, flat road along a valley floor, so that’ll be his rationale. He’s not alone in this caper either - Ben Chuilon is showing signs of following the same route. We’ll monitor the situation and report back when Andrew’s masterplan / disaster becomes clearer.  

### The Women

Jana is riding so strongly and came through CP3 at 5pm yesterday. She’s currently in a fierce battle for 8th place with Benjamin Chadourne after passing through CP4 earlier this morning.  

Simone Eder is having a similarly strong ride, and sits within the top 20, looking to reach CP4 sometime mid afternoon today. Nicola Ray is another 5hrs or so behind sitting in 3rd place on the womens’ leaderboard. Then we have five riders evenly spaced out, led by Lucy Hurn, who’s through CP3 and will cross over with Angela Walker who’s on the approach heading north. We looked at an interesting tussle between Eleanor and Hieke yesterday, well Eleanor has retaken the lead there and is cruising about 30km up the road.

![Screenshot 2022-10-02 at 10.38.23](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6lLI6zGnfjuyuQf5PiyVN5/5ce3adab25a46ecb14a8381a5879447f/Screenshot_2022-10-02_at_10.38.23.png)

### Pairs

The pairs race continues to excite. The Caledonian Express train that is Innes and Isobel steams eastwards with a commanding lead. Further back down the tracks is where the real intrigue lays…Pair 149 Hugh and Stuart (let’s call them Huart) just pipped Pair 148 Paul and Stephen (they can be Pephen) to CP3, although Stephen Dalton seems to have stopped in Le Seu d’Urgell, the last town before the control - let’s hope he knows both team members have to pass through each control point. Meanwhile Pair 145, Alexis and Laurent (Laurexis) have taken the hipster route choice across the gravel shortcut. Good luck with that. They left Sort at roughly the same time as Christian and Bernd (Chrernd) Pair 146, who took the road route, so we’ll see who gets there first.


Day 3: The Lowden Lowdown

On the approach to CP3, riders pass through the appropriately named town of Sort - where they will have a choice of direct gravel or circuitous road route, thus 'sorting' them into two groups (gettit?). Leaders Julien Roissard and Robert Mueller decided to take the direct gravel route (Ruta del contrabanisters, or ‘smugglers’ route’) to CP3 while James Lowden headed south on a huge loop to take advantage of the sweet sweet tarmac of the N-260, ending up approaching the CP from the south east. The road route paid off, as James overhauled the gravel pair to regain the lead and arrive at CP3 in the lead, half an hour ahead of the two smugglers. 

![Screenshot 2022-10-01 at 21.01.14](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4CFusMofxg8ZQSctr9GrX3/45df5b52968597939f45c7bb1392ab71/Screenshot_2022-10-01_at_21.01.14.png)

![Screenshot 2022-10-01 at 19.27.35](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/62Muxeke5H0Sor4KS5OCp9/a8d0387e69f6dd36299b315aeb295bb2/Screenshot_2022-10-01_at_19.27.35.png)

This split seems to be dividing riders pretty evenly between road and gravel. Neil Phillips and Alexander Kopp both opted for the road option, and as they started heading east we saw a spirited attack from Neil to edge away from his close competitors and establish himself firmly in third place on the approach to CP4.

![Road Blocks](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/29XglzmOirp9XkWmPpHfdU/e71434ac53c1587411833967e6d3beed/Road_Blocks.png)

*[Ben Chuilon](https://www.instagram.com/benchuilon/) encountering some barriers to progress*

Jana is about 130km ahead of her closest female rival in Simone Eder and has spent most of the afternoon trying to keep Markus Zimmerman at bay, having passed him around lunch time to move back into the top 10. Can she start moving up inside the top 10? Stay tuned. Further back, Angela Walker has crashed the pairs party and is surrounded by no less than 8 pairs riders. Hopefully she's not feeling too lonely out there. Heike Sturm and Eleanor McDonough are locked in a close battle, with Heike passing Eleanor while she was napping (literally) - a sneaky and very much encouraged maneuvre. 

![Screenshot 2022-10-01 at 21.07.58](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/mYuk9mlMXuSv0lZiPShdv/d7f923b207717be2be0cd32764a6e8fd/Screenshot_2022-10-01_at_21.07.58.png)

We haven’t looked at the pairs yet, and what a mistake that was. In first place currently we have Pair150: Innes and Isobel, a couple from Scotland with some serious bikepacking pedigree. They’re about to launch themselves onto the 30km gravel sector to CP3, and currently sit 50km ahead of their closest rival - Pair145 - Laurent Jolie and Alexis Dumeaux. This is where it gets really exciting, as we have pairs 145, 148, 149 AND 146 all within about 15km of each other (in that order). Do not take your eyes off this one folks. We’ll be returning to this in more detail in the morning to see if anything’s shifted during the night.

*Main Image by [Patrick Besson](https://www.instagram.com/patbess/)*


Day 2 - The Smugglers’ Route

Good morning race fans. While you’ve been tucked up in bed, our intrepid adventurers have been cranking away on the pedals, making steady progress through the cold night towards the Mediterannean. 

Neil Phillips, Christopher Duperrut and Alexander Kopp all stayed in the town of Castejon de Sos for 4-5hrs sleep while James Lowden cracked on to tackle the gravel - he then took his own 5hr sleep in el Pont de Suert, so retains his time advantage without conceding any sleep deficit. Although, while he was napping, Julien Roissard snuck through to take the race lead, with Robert Mueller slipping stealthily into second.

![Screenshot 2022-10-01 at 08.44.23](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1XaO11qlnbnAJTjPXsbPXW/8f112c302191a2ba3a15b5d44676c42e/Screenshot_2022-10-01_at_08.44.23.png)

While most riders reached the end of the parcours and continued east on gravel, Markus Zimmermann bucked the trend by turning around and riding 30km back along the parcours to Escalona, to join up with the fast A138 road. We can use Liam Clarke and Jana Kessenheimer as a gauge of how well his tactic paid off - as we stand they are poised to regroup on the N260 and they are neck and neck, and have all rested at various points in the night, so neither route looks to have given a clear advantage. However, the extra mental effort needed to ride on gravel at night could have cost the off roaders more energy, and comes with a higher risk of falling off on technical terrain or getting lost. Big roads also tend to avoid steep gradients so even after adding a lot of distance to his route, Markus may well be fresher and as we speak is resting up.

![Screenshot 2022-10-01 at 09.25.28](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3GmY9qrfeUS9mL9MFNcjrm/6ebd2fd5a861052b48129c3241b8257c/Screenshot_2022-10-01_at_09.25.28.png)

(Main photo by [@vincinity1010](https://www.instagram.com/vincinity1010/?next=%2F) )


Day 2: To grav or not to grav

The feature of the start this year was the rain. Riders lined up in the early morning darkness wrapped in layers of waterproofs and hi-vis, like astronauts bracing themselves to leave the airlock and venture out into the void. Or something. At 6am the first batch of 25 riders were away and off on the start parcours around the coast, followed by more waves over the following half an hour to comply with French traffic law.

![Screenshot 2022-09-30 at 22.27.35](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4ABSHzYUSh8vPGboZVapE7/31e4e9a39b21be93cbb48442111eb926/Screenshot_2022-09-30_at_22.27.35.png)

*Hendra Wijaya at the start line*

This race doesn’t mess around, doing away with any foreplay, we were straight into the action and into the mountains. Within two and a half hours, Neil Phillips was first through CP1, completing the first 77km at an average of 30.8km/h (that’s including two 700m summits). He had Benjamin Chadourne and James Lowden hot on his heels, and they completed the top 3 through CP1. Jana Kessenheimer made a strong start, coming through the control in the top 10, sending a strong signal that she’s here to compete for the win.

![Screenshot 2022-09-30 at 21.39.34](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6G6oDBMKBpQBr4NooGN3OT/e32ddee4dde962c59339c4b1710b8a3c/Screenshot_2022-09-30_at_21.39.34.png)

What happened next was fascinating. With the next target of Parcours 2 sitting on the southern edge of the mountain range, you’d be forgiven for thinking everyone would skirt around the bottom, avoiding entering the mountains. Instead, as soon as they’d dealt with CP1, riders fanned out in alarmingly different directions giving the impression everyone had simultaneously got completely lost. The mountain valleys gradually forced the race into some kind of order, with a northern route, a really northern route, a southern route and a really southern route emerging.

At around lunch time it looked like the northerners had the edge, spearheaded by James Lowden, Neil Phillips and Markus Zimmerman. But having made their early gains from the directness of their route, they now fhad to traverse a large chunk of mountain range that lay between them and the start of the parcours. Even navigating through the valleys, they would face more climbing.

![Screenshot 2022-09-30 at 21.46.56](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2Vx1FzDT3LgARca19mzY2K/231fd34c8c9ef7504ebfd8847e02f411/Screenshot_2022-09-30_at_21.46.56.png)

Whereas the southern contingent, led by the likes of Alexander Kopp and Jana Kessenheimer, had invested some extra distance, taking a large southern detour, but now had a much flatter run-in, skirting along the edge of the mountain range along big, fast roads. The two routes converged at Biescas, spitting out the two leaders of their respective groups within a few kms of each other, James Lowden of the northern route just coming out on top, with Alexander Kopp chasing him down. Lowden made quick work of the parcours, arriving in the town of Plan at around 6:45, with the top 20 riders all spread out along the 70km mandatory section, including Jana in 10th. 

> *" Day 1 - Biarritz to Biescas 250km, 4500m climbing. Stunning 27km climb up more than made up for the rather wet start, constant nagging fear and the freeeeeezing descent. Day 1 done, feeling good, stopped early cos had crap sleep last night (booming thunder rolling round didn't help). Off road section tomorrow, bring it on! "*

*Lucy Hurn (Cap 77)*

As the last light of the day faded away, riders at the front of the race were faced with a choice: a shorter 30km gravel sector, saving around 65km and 1000m of climbing, or take the road option. It’s not ideal timing to tackle the most technical, tough and dangerous section of riding as it gets dark, but for racers competing for the win it’s a calculated risk worth taking. As the leaders head into the night with the crunch of gravel beneath their wheels, first-time ultra racer James Lowden leads the way, with Neil Phillips and Alexander Kopp close behind, and Jana making solid progress on the parcours to lead the womens’ race ahead of Simone Eder, who’s also on the parcours.

![Food Comparison](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/q8eQsyaJ4MlnWAQS7ZdN1/e8fc2643f1f7e82933dd3a0f3e20ec70/Food_Comparison.jpg)

*Two very different approcahes to in-race nutrition here from James Bradbury and Patrick Besson*

With the short days and early sunset, it’ll be interesting to see whether riders adapt their sleep strategy to stop earlier. I found myself doing this in 2019, as psychologically it seemed easier to go to bed earlier, then get up in the early hours and have a sunrise to look forward to as a reward for a few of hours or early morning riding.


Soggy Starts and Speedy Summits

Tom Probert

Trans Pyrenees Race Tracking: With three control points, three parcours and some set route, riders take on 1500km of the most spectacular and remote scenery in the Pyrenees from the Bay of Biscay to the Balearic Sea and back again.

Trans Pyrenees Race Tracking 2022

Trans Pyrenees Race Tracking: With four control points and two parcours, riders take on 1500km of the most spectacular and remote scenery in the Pyrenees from the Bay of Biscay on France's south west coast to the Balearic Sea on the south east and back again.


Trans Pyrenees Race 2022

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