The Bike:

  • 2024 Orbea Orca OMR 
  • Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset
  • Deda Gravel100 handlebar
  • Selle Italia Novus Boost Superflow Endurance saddle
  • OQUO Road Performance RP35TEAM carbon rear wheel
  • Handbuilt SON Dynamo carbon front wheel
  • Pirelli Cinturato Velo 700×32 tyres
  • Profile Design Tribars

Post-Race Insights

My overwhelming takeaway from this race was that the bike was outstanding, I really couldn’t have asked for a better steed to take me up the mountains. Smooth, comfortable, lightweight, and handled beautifully through the hairpin filled descents. It also held its own off-road, not that I would recommend taking it onto trails quite as rough as I did.

When I punctured on one of the rubbly, rough descents on a ‘gravel’ section of the route, my immediate thought was to curse my tyres, but ultimately I ended up feeling incredibly happy with my choice to go for something a little more robust than I would perhaps otherwise ride on the road. They’re as fast rolling as you can get for something this strong, and held up well for a further 750km after they were compromised.

With a hard impact onto a sharp rock, piercing through the top and sidewall of the tyre, it still held strong and rode well with four Dynaplugs and a little less sealant in.

Another part of the bike build that I was really happy with was my choice of saddle; something I have spent a long time trying to nail. This was the longest I’ve ever ridden on an ultra, and the first time I’ve not had any kind of saddle sore or chafing issue. Don’t get me wrong, by the sixth day on the road I wasn’t finding sitting down a comfortable experience, but it wasn’t a painful one either.

The only thing I would change about the bike was the handlebar tape I used; more specifically the amount I used. I didn’t give this much thought before the race, but I should have used gel pads, or perhaps used a thicker or spongier tape. By the last couple of days I had pretty numb fingers, which still aren’t back to normal, and the palm of my hand was aching on the bars.

Clothing:

  • Fizik Vento Overcurve X3 shoes
  • Albion socks (plus spares)
  • Albion Women’s ABR1 Pocket Bib Shorts
  • Albion Women’s All Road Lightweight Short Sleeve Jersey
  • Albion Unisex Ultralight Insulated Jacket
  • Albion Women’s All Road Pertex® Shield Rain Jacket
  • Albion Merino Neck Warmer
  • Albion Merino Riding Hat
  • Albion Burner
  • Salomon Essential Seamless Sports Bra
  • Mesh undershirt
  • Arm warmers
  • Leg warmers
  • Giro LA DND Women’s MTB Cycling Gloves
  • Met Trenta Helmet
  • Julbo Rush Sunglasses

Post-race Insights

There’s not much I’d change about this, except maybe dropping the second pair of socks. Not a huge deal in the scheme of things, but an unnecessary addition as I didn’t change them once. Given how disgusting all of my clothing was by the end, smelly socks were the least of my concerns.

Considering the unseasonably hot weather, I would probably also drop the merino neck warmer and hat, two items that I would normally always wear at night and in early mornings during an ultra, but it was just too warm to deploy them on this race.

A few clothing highlights were definitely the bibshorts, which were still comfortable after over a hundred hours in the saddle, and kept my bum as happy as it could ever be during this kind of undertaking; the jersey, which was perfectly light and breathable for the conditions; the Burner which I could quickly deploy for the long mountain descents and then easily stow back away again in a pocket; and the ultralight insulated jacket which I wore throughout the nights of riding, and added just the right amount of warmth without getting too hot on the climbs.

Sleep System:

  • Albion Zoa Lightweight Insulated Jacket
  • Alpkit Kloke Bivvy
  • Lifeventure Silk Liner
  • Salomon Cross Run Unisex Pants (ultra thin jogging longs)

Post-race Insights

This was a pretty minimalist sleep system to take, particularly given that I would be in the mountains for most of the race.  However, in hindsight I was overly cautious in taking anything at all given the conditions we would be riding in.

I always planned to sleep inside as much as possible over the week, and the weather forecast was for a heatwave throughout. No rain, with night-time temperatures in the double digits and often teens, and an abundance of bus stops and shelters to hunker down in for a few hours.

The only item of this that I would say was essential was the Albion Zoa Lightweight Insulated Jacket, as I wore this when I slept by the roadside, and in the early morning hours of riding. I don’t think I would ever race an ultra of this length without one.

Instead of a bivvy and a silk liner I would swap in an emergency foil blanket purely for safety.

My lesson here isn’t to take less, as that’s rarely the right decision in my experience, but to adapt packing to the conditions more. I was led by anxiety on this one, whereas I should have let objectivity guide me. 

Tools and Spares:

  • Inner tubes x2
  • Tyre levers
  • Dynaplugs
  • Tyre boots
  • Inner tube patches
  • Spare tubeless valve/core
  • Multitool with Dynaplug tool
  • Chain section
  • Chain links
  • Mech hanger
  • Spanner for mech hanger
  • Chain lube
  • 2 Brake pads
  • Pad separator
  • Pump
  • Zip ties
  • Gorilla tape
  • Spare cleat/bolt

Post-Race Insights

The only things I used out of my toolkit, thankfully, were the Dynaplugs, pump, and chain lube. Having said that, I would take it all again. This is definitely a category in which the less you use the better. No regrets carrying it all through the Pyrenees, as without it a mechanical could have been ride ending.

I stripped my tools and spares down a little from what I would normally take on an ultra, as I would usually be riding gravel or MTB, but I would add back in either a needle and thread or super glue next time. When I punctured on one of the off-road stretches it damaged the side wall of my tyre, which thankfully held up with just Dynaplugs and sealant, but had it been a little wider or taller I would have needed something to rebuild the tyre until I could get to a bike shop.

Electricals:

  • Dynamo front light (K-Lite Bikepacker Ultra V2 – XT30)
  • Dynamo USB charger (K-Lite)
  • Fenix HM65R helmet light 
  • Lezyne KTV Drive Pro 300+ bar light
  • Fenix BC05R V2.0 rear light (on helmet)
  • Cateye Viz 450 rear light
  • Cateye Kinetic X2 rear light
  • EU USB plug
  • Garmin Edge 1030 Plus
  • Garmin Edge 530 (as back-up)
  • Garmin external battery pack
  • USB charging cables
  • Di2 charger cable
  • 10,000mAh power bank
  • Headphones
  • Phone

Post-race Insights

However many lights you think you’ll need, add one more.

For front lights this was non-negotiable as the race requires two independent front lights on the bike, so I took the K-Lite as my main light, and a smaller one for when I just wanted a flashing front. I chose to also take the Fenix helmet light, as I favour this off-road when hiking or riding too slowly for the dynamo to throw much of a beam, and also on descents where it really helps to be able to illuminate where you’re looking in order to choose lines around corners.

On the rear I initially planned on just having the two lights, one permanently on the bike and one on my helmet, but at the last minute I popped an extra one on my rear stay to act as a spare. As it happens, my main rear light came off my bike at some point out on the trail. I was pretty relieved that I had a spare, as this saved me a trip to a bike shop or some sketchy kilometres while inadequately illuminated. 

My major learning point from this race was that not every event is equal when it comes to relying on a dynamo for charging. When climbing for hours on end there wasn’t enough output to add even one percent to anything I was attempting to charge via the USB carger, and the descents were so short in comparison that there wasn’t enough time to add juice to any of my devices. 

On some days this wasn’t an issue as there were enough flat stretches, or I’d managed to charge things for a few hours at a hotel, but on others it proved a little trickier to keep everything up and running. I would definitely take a dynamo again for the light alone, and the occasional patches of charging were better than none, but I would be more careful with how I used electricals during the mountainous stretches.

Toiletries/First Aid:

  • Mini toothbrush and toothpaste
  • Suntan lotion
  • Chammy butter
  • Sudocrem antiseptic
  • Hand Sanitiser
  • Menstrual cup
  • Imodium
  • Paracetamol
  • Ibuprofen
  • Heartburn/indigestion tablets 
  • Voltarol gel
  • Personal medication
  • ProPlus
  • Tissues
  • Chlorine Dioxide tablets

Post-race Insights

When the forecast is for full sun and high temperatures, take a lot more suntan lotion. I brought a tiny little refillable bottle and ended up getting burnt as I tried to use it sparingly, when really I should just have packed a bigger bottle to start with.

Pharmacies are your friend on an ultra, and on the roads through France and Spain there is an abundance of them. That being said, as soon as you know you’re going to need something in the near future make sure to stop when you see one. I calculated that I would need more suntan lotion, paracetamol, and ibuprofen, on a day where I passed dozens, but on the next day when I had fully run out of all of these things there wasn’t one to be found.

The only thing I added to my first aid kit during the race was Voltarol pain relief gel. My achilles tendon had become increasingly painful over the days, particularly when climbing, and this really helped to reduce it to a bearable throb. 

My biggest takeaway in this category was how worthwhile it was to take chlorine dioxide tablets, especially given the temperature we experienced out on the road. Although there is an abundance of water in the mountains, during long stretches without resupply a lot of them are not drinkable. Although I’m sure you could risk it and probably be okay, taking purification tablets meant I could fill up anywhere and not worry about it. Ultimately I drank 15 litres of water either from streams or non-potable water taps.

Miscellaneous:

  • Wallet
  • Passport
  • Café lock
  • Albion Visibility Cargo Vest

Passport and wallet are a must, kept in a safe and waterproof place of course, and I would add a small bike lock to this essentials list. I know enough people who’ve had their bike stolen while in sight outside of a café or shop to make this an essential piece of kit, including lots who got away with it for years until they didn’t.

The visibility vest was a great addition to the kit list; a last minute one that really paid off. On the Trans Pyrenees race you have to wear a hi-viz vest at dawn, dusk, and night anyway, so this made things simple on that front as I wore it all the time. It allowed for easy access to a couple of layers, primarily my Burner and ultralight insulated jacket, and meant I could buy plenty of food for the longer stretches without shops or restaurants, and to keep me fuelled through the long nights.

Molly Weaver
@mollyweaver94