There were a lot of words being spoken about the first stage of Transpyr 2013, but the most common was “brutal”. A mid 30’s temperature was an added bonus for the ride that took us from Roses on the sea, up to Camprodon at 1000 metres. A new route this year saw the riders endure a hard, long, steep and rocky hike a bike that seemed to us to go for hours. (We did indeed walk for over 2 hours). Many kilometres of technical and rocky singletrack made for slow progress for all but the very pointy end of the field. Aussie marathon specialist Hans Dielacher commented that “I have done a lot of racing, all round the world and that is the most brutal stage. I have never had cramps before in a race, but today I was completely unable to move.”
Amazing scenery, beautiful old villages and a picturesque finish made the day one to remember for all riders.
The first guys from the Buff International team finished the day in 6 hours. As I write (at 10 pm) there are still riders finishing their day.