Even the best preparations cannot make up for lack of experience. Before my first ultra – GranGuanche Audax Trail 2021, an 800 km off-road race across the Canary Islands – I knew it would be key to not push myself to the max and save my energy for later in the week. But what does that really mean? I had no experience whatsoever with riding full days for a week on little to no sleep, and because of this, I didn’t have a clue how much sleep I’d actually need or how much I could push myself in terms of endurance without draining my energy too much. Lacking experience, I set off way too fast and slept far too little. I learned the hard way during this first ultra that I am no Sofiane Sehili, a fellow Gravel Alliance rider and something of an expert when it comes to ultras. I need my sleep and I need to ride slowly in order to even finish at all.

Let’s tackle another issue: Fun. Riding an ultra is the pinnacle of type 2 fun, maybe even verging on type 3. They’re like riding up a tough mountain; it’s rarely fun in the moment, but afterwards, you’ll look back and realize that it was a great experience, and you want more of it. They’re addictive in a way that is hard to describe. I asked experienced ultra rider and Transcontinental winner Josh Ibbett what it was that made him come back time and time again. His words read so well that I’ll quote him here:

I remember him not being slightly less poetic when we were drinking beers together at the finish of GranGuanche. I had just told him that I was never going to ride an ultra ever again, to which he replied: “It will either take you five nights’ sleep or five beers, whichever comes first, that will make you change your mind.” He was right. Months after DNFing at GranGuanche, I found myself at the start of my second ultra race, the Atlas Mountain Race, one of the most challenging off-road ultra races on the planet.

The run-up to this new challenge had been much more relaxed than the run-up to my first ultra. My bags were much easier to pack, my bike was already set up correctly, and I somewhat naively thought that I had an idea of what I was getting myself into. I actually felt confident going into this 1,200 km single-stage monster effort with eye-watering amounts of climbing and remote hike-a-bike sections. Learning from my mistakes the last time and actually doing some party-pacing and real sleeping felt like a big win. I wasn’t in it to win it, but to finish it, which is still easier said than done at a challenge like the Atlas Mountain Race.

This confidence, however, led to another lesson learned: It transpires that there is also a phenomenon of ‘going too slow’. With this, I don’t mean slow in the sense of kilometres per hour – you can only push yourself so much on terrain as tough as that in the Atlas mountains – I mean, the actual time it takes to make progress in the race. Riding at night is an important part of ultra-riding. Those resting 6-8 hours will have to make up for it in speed. For slower riders like me, you will have to find a good balance between speed and sleep. Sleep too little and you’ll lack energy. Sleep too much and you’ll be too far behind in the race to make up for it later on. Again, experience matters.

E-bikes are fitted with strong, powerful brakes so you can stop quickly and effectively.

Before you ride your bike the first time make sure you know which is your front brake and rear brake as it may be different from bikes you have ridden before. Pushing your bike, not riding it, squeeze each brake in turn to check.

Once riding your bike, when you want to stop, squeeze your brakes on slowly and progressively. Watch out for your front brake, it's super powerful. If you grab your front brake sharply it can stop the bike really suddenly.

It helps to change into an easier gear before you stop, if you see traffic lights changing colour for example, so it is easy to get started again. When you start pedalling again the e-bike motor will provide pedal assistance to help you get up to speed again quickly.

Finally, think how empowering it is to discover that your boundaries are way beyond where you thought they would be. A fresher pair of legs and a clearer head might be what get you to the finish, but even if you scratch and don’t make it, there will be hardships you’ve overcome, and lessons learned. You never return home empty-handed. You’ll bring something home that only riding – or in my case, trying to ride – an ultra race can give you.

All of the above is probably why sooner or later I will show my face again at the start of some ultra somewhere. So, should you also do it? Should you race an ultra? Obviously, it’s a really personal choice. Not all ultras are as hard as the Atlas Mountain Race, so when in doubt, I suggest doing some more dot-watching and long bikepacking rides at your own pace. Try riding through the night on your own and see how it feels. But the best way to scratch the itch is to give it an actual try. Whether you finish or not, you’ll go home with more insight. And through your gained experience, you may even want to try it again.

Why don’t you sleep on it, and I’ll do the same. Perhaps we’ll see each other at the start of the next one. In fact, I'll put money on it. See you there.

 Erwin