Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
This summer, Sofiane Sehili had to dig deep just to finish Basajaun, a long-distance gravel event on the edge of Basque Country in the north of Spain. Find a written reflection from Sofiane and his video highlighting how he dealt with the scorching 50°C highs here…
The folks behind Transpyrenées and Transiberica launched their newest event, Basajaun, in 2022. In Basque mythology, Basajaun is a mythological guardian of the most virgin and remote forests—protector of the flocks. The 800-kilometer gravel event was designed to showcase these landscapes’ natural beauty and fragility. Over 200 riders arrived in Álava this summer for the 2024 grand depart, and only half completed the ride. Among them was ultra-endurance athlete Sofiane Sehili, who shot footage of his ride and compiled a video recap of his experience. Watch it below, and then scroll down for a brief written reflection and photos from the race.
Words by Sofiane Sehili, photos by Carlos Mazón
When it comes to cycling, Spain is underrated. It does get some credit, but honestly, not nearly as much as it deserves. People rave about neighboring France and Italy, and justifiably so, but Spain can be as spectacular and might offer more diversity in terms of landscape. It’s hard for me to believe that only three years ago, I didn’t know Spain at all. I had been there a couple times but never with my bike. And then, in less than three years, I found myself riding Montanas Vacias, Transpyrenées, Badlands, Granguanche, Desertus Bikus, and Basajaun. Each time, I took the opportunity to add a few days of bikepacking prior to the event to get to know the country better.
It takes time to be in a position to say you know a country, and I don’t feel like I’m there with Spain (I feel like I’m barely there with France, the country where I live). But I have a general opinion about the country, and that opinion is that it’s a great place to cycle. I’m not just saying this because the Spaniards are some of the most respectful drivers in the world. All of the events I’ve attended there delivered big time. But the last one, Basajaun, ended up being probably the best.
The Himalayas have the Yeti, the Rocky Mountains have Big Foot, the mountains of the Basque country have the Basajaun: a mythical hairy giant that used to be feared by the men and women who populated the region. I can’t say I came to the Basque country with much fear of the Basajaun, whether we’re talking of the creature or the race. But I should have. While I didn’t encounter a giant, I had to face a much bigger problem. While northern Spain is not as infamous as its southern counterpart when it comes to the heat, I found myself riding in some of the hottest weather I have ever experienced, rivaled by only the Australian Outback and Arizona in July. This is why the story told in this video is not one of triumph but one of survival. Or how sometimes you have to shift your focus from winning to just finishing.
Learn more about the Basajaun event at Transiberica.club.
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