As we were each handed 2 dry pieces of toast and a cup of coffee for breakfast, I wondered how my tired legs would get me through the final stage of 86kms and 2300 metres of climbing. No one expected an easy last day, but the official timing was to stop at the 55km mark…perhaps an easy finish for all the battle scarred riders?. A stiff 700 metre climb from the start line that became gradually steeper and sketchier was a true heart starter before some more rocky and technical downhill sections. Overnight rain turned some slippery single track sections into very slippery single track sections before the final climb to the end of the timed section. I don’t think I was the only one who expected an easy run into the finish at San Sebastian, but it was a long and windy road to the last 6kms and the sniff of the finish. A diversion onto a tight, rocky, steep walking track was definitely the “sting in the tail”.
A final celebration on the beach had every rider – most veterans of many other stage races – claiming this to be “the hardest race I have ever done”. At the top of the leaderboard was the strong Buff International team from Spain who had led from the start, with the young Portuguese team finishing strongly behind them. Team Marathontb.com maintained their second position in the mixed teams behind a technically strong French duo . Riding solo, and in a class of her own, was former World Cup downhill champion Mireille Montminy. Her superior technical skills and fitness giving her an advantage over the rest of the field. Her 3 times a day training regime obviously paying off.
A quick check of the marathon gurus back pocket before race start revealed the new race food favourite. Hans Dielacher had ditched his normal gel routine for the local egg and potato tortilla. ” It is the best race food. I just nibble on it all day”.
Transpyr is a true mountain bike stage race. Technically challenging, physically demanding, mentally exhausting and gob-smackingly awesome.
