BikingMan Corsica 2021: Event Recap

Words by Stephen Branagh, photos by BikingMan

There’s something about the longer distance and endurance riding that I find very intriguing. The physical and mental training that is necessary to complete a long event is something I really enjoy. I have a friend who completed the Portugal event in 2019 and was complimentary about the BikingMan organization, the course, and the great group of riders it attracted. And so, later that year, I signed up for the 2020 BikingMan Corsica event and figured the 750km and 15,000m of climbing was a great challenge as a first event. Then COVID-19 appeared and changed the planet.

With the 2020 Corsica event impossible to get to for international riders, I waited to see if 2021 would happen. In the meantime, Axel took a look at his original course and decided it needed to be longer (1,000km) with even more climbing (18,000m). I started to worry!

With a slight easing of the rules across Europe, I booked the flights and hotel with a week to go and started stressing about PCR tests, what spares to take, nutrition, my lack of French, how to book hotels while riding, and a lot of other things that really didn’t make a huge amount of difference in the end.

I arrived in Corsica on Friday evening and the BikingMan guys met me at the airport and dropped me at the camping site that hosts the start. The unpacking of the bike was going okay until I found that the rear hanger had been snapped during the trip. After five minutes of sweating while digging through my tool bag, I found the spare hanger I always carry with me. Crisis averted!

Race check-in was completed on Saturday afternoon with the final bikes checked in on Sunday morning. This is an intimidating process for a newbie. It seemed that everyone apart from myself and a couple of others were riding carbon frames and going super light (around 12kgs) with minimal kit while hoping to find food and water on the way. My loaded titanium Curve GXR tipped the scales at 17kg and there was a collective sucking in of French breath as one by one everyone took a look at the digital readout. Next crisis!

I wheeled the bike back to the room and unpacked everything onto the floor to figure out what I really didn’t need. Then I sent a WhatsApp message to Jasmijn Muller, my coach, asking if I needed to change my strategy, what I could get rid of, and how was I going to be able to ride against guys who were riding so light. Jasmijn messaged back, “Don’t stress, stick to your plan. You’ve trained for this and will be fine!” I carried on staring at my stuff and dropped out a few drinks, powders, and bars to save around 400g and make me feel better, then wheeled the bike back to the start area and checked it in for the night. Crisis under control… sort of!

The next four days took us on some of the roughest roads I’ve ridden in a while and through some of the most stunning scenery, all while dealing with heavy rain, thunder and lightning, hailstones, and 35°C heat.

The extreme weather combined with endless climbing on poor roads and the ever more painful saddle-sore issues led to a roller coaster of emotions. I knew that it would be mentally tough and had prepared myself for this during my training. My ability to deal with these dark or negative thoughts and push on was a huge boost, and even the 10-minute tantrum on the side of the road trying to get my rain gear on in a lightning storm was turned into something funny that I could use to motivate myself later in the race.

The final day of 230km was a real test of willpower and it honestly felt like someone was trying very hard to get me to quit and get a cab home. The three punctures with 160km to go followed by the first split in my front tyre were just the start and forced me to stop frequently and come up with plans to try to strengthen the failing sidewall throughout the day.

The temporary repairs started with gel and bar wrappers then moved to foil mango juice packets before finally I ran out of them and the tyre split again with 30km to go. I had planned for this and let the pressure in the tyre down to around 20 psi and rode the bike home slowly while sitting on the rear saddlebag trying to keep the front rim from bottoming out. At this stage, the finish could not come quick enough but the feeling of accomplishment both physically and mentally was fantastic.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this event and was really amazed by the camaraderie amongst the riders and the BikingMan teams on the road and manning the checkpoints. The times when the car popped up beside me for a quick chat and a few photos or some filming were a great distraction during the various hard climbs and were always welcomed.

I’m glad I listened to Jasmijn’s advice and stuck to my strategy. I was happy that I carried my extra food as there was nothing in the bags by the end and I finished ahead of a lot of people running a lighter set up. I guess I knew I could complete the challenge, but there is always a doubt somewhere in your mind as there are so many things that can go wrong, and dealing with these on your own (and in another language) is never going to be easy. Without a doubt, I’ve learnt a lot about distance riding both physically and mentally and will be putting this into good use in the next event.

2021 BikingMan Corsica Results

• Participants: 69
• Finishers : 51
• First Female: Marguerite Muhlhaus – 80h, 37min
• First Male: Clément Clisson – 57h, 49min
• First Team: Cedrick Guerin and Philippe Patrick: 80h, 56min

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