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BADLANDS 2023: The Untold Story of an Ultra Distance Bikepacking Race (Video)
Tristan Cardew placed 11th at this year’s Badlands event in Spain, overcoming stomach issues, torrential rain, extreme heat, and hallucinations to arrive at the finish. Watch his self-filmed documentary from the race here…
Photos and video by Tristan Cardew
The Badlands is a 780-kilometer self-supported gravel event in Southern Spain, and it’s continuously one of the most popular and well-attended events each year. There were an impressive 342 riders from 34 countries participating in the 2023 edition, with riders traveling from Kenya, Colombia, Indonesia, the United States, Canada, the Philippines, South Africa, and Japan to take on the route.
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. 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.
Tristan Cardew made it to the end just a couple of hours after Cynthia, finishing in 11th place overall. And, by the sound of it, he had a pretty interesting experience. You can watch his 48-minute self-filmed documentary from the event below.
Further Reading
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