The Perks of Not Racing an Ultra Event: 2022 GranGuanche Audax Trail

Words by Katrien Sanders (@katriensanders), photos by Matteo Minelli (@matminelli)

Last November, I was acting on a hunch and registered for the fascinating GranGuanche Audax Trail. The route follows an 800-kilometre fixed trail along five Canary Islands of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and La Palma, with 20,000 metres of elevation gain, connected by ferries. It follows mainly doubletrack, but there are some rocky singletrack, hike-a-bike, and sandy sections.

As I don’t consider myself a racer or athlete on the bicycle but rather someone who enjoys the touring aspect, it was a bit exciting to sign up for my first ultra-cycling event. In the last couple of years, my boyfriend Jens and I started noticing the unspoken existence of this invisible ticking clock and mental drive to keep pushing ourselves for longer days. So, an ultra-event seemed like the logical next step.

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Encouraged by Matteo Minelli’s quote on the website, “It’s a personal race against the clock, not against other riders. It is focused on the experience rather than the final results,” and with the prospect of sublime weather and rugged nature on the Canary Islands, the decision was easily made. An honourable escape from the slightly depressing Belgian November.

Jens and I decided to ride together as a couple and considered GranGuanche as a bicycle holiday with a little bit fewer restaurant stops than usual. There wasn’t a lot of planning because of our bad time management, insecurity about a (not bicycle-related) knee injury, and about me handling the lack of sleep during the event (I like to sleep!). With no need to set goals, we decided to enjoy the days on the bike and always tried to sleep outdoors. This turned out to be a great plan.

We started on the 19th of November at 10 p.m. and tackled Lanzarote by night. Like every bicycle trip, we experienced the same relief once we started riding: no more reconsidering gear or battery choices, no more rethinking the decision not to bring that extra layer. We were moving on our bikes, and everything felt like it should. There was a great vibe riding Lanzarote at night, and we fantasized about what it would look like during the daytime. We’ll have to come back someday. We didn’t feel alone, or at peace, surrounded by all the other bike lights—the tempting ones in front of us and the teasing ones behind. We knew it was an Audax (basically a group ride), but we felt the nervous atmosphere and yes, the race was on!

Naturally, a group of like-minded people found each other at the tail of the bunch, and we ended up riding most of the route together. In the spirit of Audax and contrary to other events, participants are allowed to ride in a group and draft each other. We shared the excitement about the different islands’ variety and beauty, and reaching the next ferry harbour after surviving some hike-a-bikes felt like a joint victory. With limited nights’ rest, we made some questionable choices about bivy spots, and I spent one of my worst nights sleeping outside. No worries, the other comfortable nights under the stars amply made up for it.

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The fact that there are five islands allowed an easy subdivision of the route into five stages. This meant we needed to catch four ferries, which gave the race a few interesting additional features.

First, we switched our timing and sense of urgency to the rhythm of the ferry timetable. For people who didn’t spend a lot of time planning, this made it a lot easier. Every day, there was one simple task: try to catch the ferry. For the fastest racers, there was the challenge to ride GranGuanche at the Audax pace connecting all the ferries in a non-stop ride and thus completing the whole route in three days. No doubt, this was impossible for me, so that brings us to the second advantage of the fixed ferry timetable. When the ferry schedule allowed it, we could take the time to enjoy the scenery, eat countless boccadillos, drink cappuccinos, and sleep a few hours here and there. This made the event quite unique. These ferries were the glue bringing the dispersed riders back together like an accordion. Spending time meeting others on the ferry and listening to the stories behind the dots competed with catching up on sleep. Luckily, we didn’t make smart decisions and enjoyed hanging around. Everything is funnier when everyone is a bit sleep deprived. The perks of not racing an ultra-event.

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Obviously, for the fastest riders, the unforgiving ferry timing can cause heartbreak and decides the outcome of the race. Missing your ferry, with sometimes only three boats a day, means losing all your preciously gained time and your chance of victory. But that’s part of the ferry game. Why shouldn’t everyone be happy with an unexpected extra rest and culinary break? I clearly wasn’t in race mode.

It’s funny how quickly our brain adapted to this ferry schedule, and it’s like we never knew anything else. After every island we finished and every ferry we caught, we forgot the struggles we had faced there and moved on to the next one. A new island, a new day (although sleep-wise, this wasn’t always the case), and a new challenge!

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We finished the route in less than five days and immediately missed the rushed feeling and purpose. For me, an ultra-event appeared to be equal to a bicycle holiday with an extra touch of urgency—. I loved it! As a bonus, you can even make some friends along the way. The next time I participate in an ultra-race or when I have a difficult week, I might just divide the journey ahead into different islands. With the right amount of humour, mental flexibility, and boccadillos, I know I’ll be fine!

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