The Capitals by PedAlma 2024

Earlier today we had our first pairs cross the finish line at Barcelona's Arc de Triomf.

Mark Anderson, from Australia, and Louis Bronstein, from the Cotswolds in England, finished first after 78 hours and 57 minutes. They didn't seem to break a sweat the entire route, that or they have outstanding poker faces.

Louis – wearing his Rotor Race Team kit throughout – is a mountain biker by background. He was raving about the descents when I met him in the middle of nowhere yesterday: "Yesterday, some of the descents, especially the last one [from Pedraforca into Bagà], were f*cking, phwoar, absolute heaven. The last one into CP3 was mint."

Both very speedy, they clearly wanted to get their rest in the evenings and see the entire route during the daylight.

Next up we had Anna Colom, our first female finisher, and Guillem Vizcaino. Guillem – a nutritionist for the Kern Pharma continental team – was donning his branded kit throughout the event. He seemed quiet and focused on what he needed to do. Anna, always smiling, looked super strong throughout. She was also super strong on the brakes too though, changing the pads at each checkpoint.

The descents in The Capitals are certainly a challenge. Many have mentioned sore wrists due to the sheer number of hours, the dropped handlebars, and most significantly the force they experience on the descents.

We still have 36 riders yet to finish, including four pairs. Of them is Laia Tasies and Carla Guinart, who arrived in Bagà at 2am last night after a challenging hike-a-bike at Pedraforca.

Carla is Catalan and lives in Barcelona, but – given the language is a very early-days work in progress for me – she spoke to me in fluent English with an American accent, owing to her upbringing at a US school in Chile before also spending some time in Bristol (big up!).

I first met her and Laia on Day 1 in the unassuming village of l'Arboç just over halfway to Tarragona. Both of us clearly feeling quite delirious already, I challenged Carla to ride next year's event in an enduro kit, complete with a full-face helmet, on a 12-speed Brompton. I think she accepted (tune in next year to find out).

Next, I met them at the bottom of Coll de Pal earlier this morning. Laia has been having trouble with her brakes rubbing – that'll be costing her a few watts for sure. They stopped in La Molina, a little ski village at the top of the mountain, to try to get it fixed and to replace Carla's bidons because, in her words, "they taste like ass". Hopefully, they managed to get both issues sorted; they now look to be spending the night in Ribes de Freser ahead of another big day tomorrow.

Most riders have already finished, but for many, it’s a choice: Arrive in Girona and push through the night to Barcelona. Or rest up and arrive tomorrow, either in Girona, Olot, or Camprodon.

For those who didn’t finish yesterday – the vast majority – the heat has been a lot. Here in Girona, it’s 35 degrees, another hot day.

The ride to Barcelona isn’t the best part of the route. During the day it’s exposed and with very little tree cover. During the night it’ll be long, but cool. Either way, it’s a long old slog and shouldn’t be underestimated, even if it doesn’t have the elevation of the Pyrenees.

For many who plan to finish tomorrow, they tell me that it’s their first ultra. Even for those who ride their bike a lot, there is something very different about riding 200km a day on gravel, in the inferno heat, every day for 4-5 days.

It weighs you down. The adrenaline has worn off. The sleep deprivation is catching up. You don’t want to drink any more water. You can’t eat. The carbs Just. Won’t. Go. In.

Once they have finished the climb out of Ribes de Freser and arrived in Camprodon, there is only one unwelcome hike-a-bike and then it’s downhill all the way to Girona. The end is in sight.

Seeing this side of the event, having taken part as a rider last year, has been a real eye-opener for me. It has been amazing to see the tenacity of every rider, no matter how long it takes them. Everyone is on their limit, pushing themselves to do the best they can.

André Alves is our Cap 63. The choice of number wasn't deliberate, but it turns out that it is a very significant number for him.

Thirteen years ago, André wasn't happy with the way he felt. He wanted change. Cycling has always been his passion, but it was also his motivation for change.

Cyclists come in all different shapes and sizes. It's a difficult topic to write about because there is a lot of toxic rhetoric and mentality in the sport around weight. There should never be an expectation to lose weight. Cycling is getting out, being in nature, and simply the joy of riding your bike.

"The road has never been easy, I confess, because the mind throughout the process plays us many tricks and it is in those moments that we have to stay focused."

What I love about André's story though is that he had a big goal – that many might think unattainable – he set out to achieve it, it wasn't easy, but through grit and determination, he did it. It feels relatable to the ultra-distance riding he and we are all so passionate about. It's the celebration of what we can achieve when we set our mind on something and dig deep.

“Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination”.

The result of Cap 63's hard work and determination? 63kg less. And he says the ability to ride events like this one and Transibérica, something he's truly proud of. He's kind, chatty, and a character that we're lucky to have in our ultra-distance family.

André has a tattoo on his leg of Obelix – a nickname he has adopted for himself – from the Asterix comics carrying a boulder. The boulder represents the 63kg he lost.

If you want to read more in his own words, below is an Instagram post he made about it.

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Yoan Dercourt reached Barcelona early this morning to finish the event at 5am. Still looking as relaxed as he did at the start line, it was as if he was arriving for the morning group ride, not finishing an 825km ultra-distance gravel adventure.

Yoan didn't just beat any competition there may have been on the start line, he comprehensively blew it out of the water. He set a course record – albeit slightly modified – and stopped just 2 hours and 23 minutes.

Òscar Garrido looks certain to finish second. He had been riding close to Sergi Lopez for a while together in second and third place. I last saw them at the top of Coll de Pal.

Sergi has fell behind close to Girona and is now sitting in 6th place. With 50km to go, it's possible he could make up a position or two.

The hours tick by and everyone is saying it, today was a beautiful day. The climbing has been hard, but the views have made it worthwhile.

For much of today I've been around the area from Ponts to Bagà, taking pictures and speaking to the riders as they scale two of the three big climbs of their day.

First up, Montan de Tost. A 11km climb 620m in height. Its 18 hairpin turns over such a short distance makes it stand out immediately on the map. Here we met seven riders, all riding within a short distance of one another.

Two of the riders are a German pair from Berlin, Raphael Schröder and his dad, Andreas. Raphael, 26 years old, is quickly becoming a seasoned ultra-distance rider, his dad told me as they arrived into Bagà (CP3) after dark this evening. This year he rode the GranGuanche Audax event across the five Canary Islands, coming 6th in a stacked field of well over 100 riders.

They are currently the joint 1st pair (four pairs are currently sleeping in Bagà) in this event, with plans to reach Girona by tomorrow evening, before deciding whether they continue to Barcelona during the night. His dad is beginning to suffer though, admitting that he's never done anything like this before and where he rides in Berlin is very flat.

The second climb (before we headed back to Bagà) we visited today was Coll de Pal. A large mountain standing 2,106m tall with Pedraforca in the backdrop, we met the riders in 4th, 5th, and 6th positions.

You'd think being in 4th position and riding 500km+ in 36 hours would be busy enough, but Sergi Lopez – a freelance accountant – has been taking work calls with his headphones while he rides. He's a real character.

Tonight I will leave you with this Instagram story and quality dog content from from Sanjhoy Beltrán of Team La Fuga:

The route is fairly flat from Lleida to Ponts. Smooth gravel through farmland, nothing of too much note, but the mountains are looming.

Many so far have opted to stop in Ponts, where I'm currently sat eating my lunch. No one is in too much of a hurry, save that for Yoan and those planning to go beyond Bagá (CP3) today.

I've asked a few riders how theyre finding today. "Better than yesterday?!" The answer is always "Oh yes, definitely!"

It's not the mountains and elevation that is bothering most riders. They’re too busy looking at the beautiful scenery or dodging rocks to care too much about that. It’s the heat.

Today it’s in the mid-to-high 20s. It might push to the very low 30s in the mid-afternoon at the most. There is a great breeze though, not enough to slow riders down much, but more than enough to keep them cool.

Unfortunately we’ve had a few riders ‘scratch’ (drop out). Last year we had 6 – all on the first day – and all because of the heat. This year we’ve had seven so far.

We can fairly neatly split the event in two by where they ended the first day. Those who completed the first mountain – between Tarragona and Lleida – and those who didn’t.

For the most part, those who made it over did so before dark and reached Lleida before stopping. Most of those were gone by 7:30am this morning. They are well on their way to Ponts, our gateway to the Pyrenees.

Yoan Decourt slowed through the night but he has completed Pedraforca – the hardest mountain section – and has passed CP3, Bagà. At this rate, he’ll be in Girona long before dark and in Barcelona around midnight.

With a 60km lead, it would take something truly significant to catch him now.

The leading solo women are the La Fuga trio, Laura, Sanjhoy, and Odei. They’re bringing smiles, positivity, and real energy to the event. We just met them leaving CP2 – last night they stopped for food in a village outside Lleida only to find all the restaurants closed.

Tired and hungry, a man appeared from the dark and offered to cook them food at his home. Delirious from 250km riding, they accepted, only to find a huge saw and other strange decorations when they arrived. Thankfully only eggs were harmed as he cooked up a delicious omelette and they went on their way, agreeing they would never have accepted his offer had they been alone.

All riders bar two have made it over the first mountain, with the front third of the event tackling the second significant climb before Organyà.

Pedraforca is up next, a gruelling hike-a-bike at 2,000m before CP3 in Bagà. It'll be tough but the views make it every bit worthwhile.

Most riders have now passed Tarragona, the first checkpoint and second Catalan ‘capital’ visited by The Capitals.

A city rich in Roman history, riders had very limited time to take it in. For many it was a flying visit to the main square to get their brevet card stamped, a near full-body submerge at the public water taps to cool down, and a quick meal deal at the kebab shop.

The stand out performance is from Yoan Dercourt (pictured above). He has ridden away and left everyone else in his dust. He’s just about to reach Lleida (CP2) and he doesnt look the slightest bit tired.

The next closest solo person is Aitor Vinos who is riding 32km behind. The lead is not unassailable depending on rest and resourcing strategies, but so early on it’s a gap that could easily grow.

In between those two are the lead pair, Louis Bronstein and Mark Anderson. They’re a humble Brit and Aussie duo, who assured me at the start that they wouldn’t be racing. Let’s hope that’s changed now!

A common story for all the people that I have met has been the heat. It’s 31 degrees and it’s certainly a big factor, but thankfully it hasn’t caused anyone to scratch this year (yet, at least).

A special shoutout to those at the back. Our two German riders Loris and Jessica say that they are here to soak up all that Catalonia has to offer them. This route will certainly do that. Rachel took a tumble on a steep, technical downhill part, but thankfully she’s all good.

Antonio tore a muscle in his quad ahead of Madrid to Barcelona – Pedalma’s spring road adventure – and says he is only able to put pressure through his other one. I’m not sure what a doctor would say, but for sure Antonio wouldn’t rather be here.

Keisuke Ichinose has travelled from Japan for this. He seems like a really strong rider, but he's in absolutely no hurry. At 10am it was breakfast time so it was time to make his miso soup. So wholesome. I love it.

This is Yolanda’s first ultra distance cycling event. When the crew first met her she was nervous about what was to come. Now that she’s on the bike, conquering the all gravel climbs and technical descents, she’s happy. This is exactly what we like to see.

There is nothing like an epic challenge to show you what you’re capable of. It’s always so much more than you give yourself credit for. There is nothing like an epic challenge to show you what you’re capable of. It’s always so much more than you give yourself credit for.

We're still in the very early stages of the event but we are already beginning to see the participants really stretched out. Who is riding within themselves and who is on the limit trying to stay near the front?

I picked Yoan Decourt as an early favourite in the Riders Preview and he appears to be just that. Calm, confident, and looking super comfortable. He's at the front of the event with Òscar Garrido but with a 15 minute advantage having started in the second wave of participants.

The leading solo women are all fairly close to one another. Franziska is leading, with the La Fuga trio Odei, Sanjhoy, and Laura riding together (not drafting) approximately 5km behind. Zita Croes is going strong, just 500m behind them.

The temperatures are picking up, but at 30 degrees it's manageable and some might even say pleasant.

Next up: Tarragona (CP1)

I really enjoy photos like this one of Zita Croes (Belgium) eating her breakfast cross-legged at the startline.

I can't really explain it. Maybe because they show the essence of ultra distance events. Ordinary people doing such extraordinary things. Yet so extraordinarily basic at the same time.