Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Cynthia Frazier and Rob Britton took first place in the women’s and men’s categories at the 2023 Badlands event, both finishing the challenging 780-kilometer route in record time. Find some photos and details from the event and more about the 2023 Badlands winners here…
Photos by Sebastian Samek, Juanan Barros and Nils Laengner
The Badlands is a 780-kilometre self-supported gravel event in Southern Spain. This year, the route is a touch less technical, and riders are expected to move quicker than previous years. The biggest changes are in Tabernas section (around the 420-kilometer mark) which has some new ramblas, dry/sandy river beds. Riders have traveled from 34 countries to participate, including Kenya, Colombia, Indonesia, the US, Canada, Philippines, South Africa, and Japan. There are 342 registered riders: 43 women and 299 men. Of those, 240 are riding solo, and 51 are riding in pairs.
The pointy end of the race has been exciting to follow. According to the organizers, there are up to 25 pro and ex-pro riders, as well as other well known names from the ultra-cycling community, Olympic athletes from other sports, and ambassadors from popular brands. Former pro cyclists Enrique Morcillo and Rob Britton rode close together right up until the city of Almería on the coast, but Enrique scratched from the race early Monday morning due to knee issues. Rob Britton settled into first place, and after a brief stop at the final checkpoint, he pushed on towards the finish. Cynthia Frazier of the United States was also part of the front group, leading the women’s category the entire race. This comes after taking second place in the women’s category last year and the 2022 Badlands, setting a new women’s record at the 2022 Across Andes event in Chile, and becoming the first woman finisher at the 2023 Transcordilleras event in Colombia.
Yesterday evening, Rob Britton of Canada finished the 2023 Badlands event in just 1 day, 14 hours, 20 minutes, a record time for the event despite the route changing slightly each year. For comparison, Sebastian Breuer won last year’s edition with a time of 1 day, 19 hours, 36 minutes. At the finish line, Rob shared that a high point included the Gorafe Desert. Apparently, it even inspired him to stop to take photos and video, despite his eagerness to stay on a race pace. A low for him was the climb out of Almeria, and the last 50 kilometers of the race. Robin Gemperle of Switzerland, winner of the 2023 Atlas Mountain Race, finished almost exactly an hour after Rob with a time of 1 day, 15 hours, and 27 minutes.
Cynthia Frazier held her position the entire race and rolled into Granada just five hours later, taking first place in the women’s category and setting a new record for the event. Cynthia’s time was 1 day, 21 hours, and 34 minutes, and she placed eighth overall. She was followed by Cara Dixon, who took second place with a time of 1 day, 22 hours, and 19 minutes. Congrats to the winners and everyone who has finished so far!
Further Reading
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