Bimabache extrem

Highs and Lows at Bimbache Extrem in Catalonia,,Spain

Bimbache Extrem was the only AR World Series Adventure Race taking place in Europe this year, and it offered all the drama and excitement you could hope for from an expedition race. A ride up into the Pyrenees in foul weather was too much for several international teams, the favourites missed a checkpoint and pulled out, and the lead kept changing, with the result in doubt right to the end of the race.

Bimbache Extrem is a famous name in adventure racing and was making a return to the calendar having not taken place since hosting the 2010 World Championships. This 9th edition was held in Catalonia,Spain starting and finishing at the resort of Platja d'Aro, and attracting international teams from South Africa, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, France, UK and Ireland to the start line.

After a delayed start the teams set off with a marathon run stage along the coast, quickly followed by the crux stage of the race, a 190km ride from sea level up into the Pyrenees, to the ski resort of Vallter 2000. The ascent was 5000m, teams were racing through the first (and second) nights and the weather was as difficult as it could be on the Mediterranean coast. It was cold, very wet, and fog madethe already complex navigation even harder.

Teams were at their limits and the two most experienced and favoured teams, Cyanosis (South Africa) and Buff Adventure Addicts (Spain) both pulled out, leaving the competition wide open. Cyanosis withdrew due to injury, and the Spanish favourites missed checkpoint 9 and decided to withdraw rather than continue unranked. With the withdrawal of two other Spanish teams (Antioquia-Trangioworld and Meridiano Raid), this left Grifone Platja d’Aro as the only Spanish contender, racing against several experienced French teams at the front of the field.

The race continued with a high mountain trek along the French/Spanish border, a stop for a mandatory 4 hour rest, where teams were relieved to get some hot food and warm up, and a short ‘SUP challenge’. This is the first time stand up paddleboards have been used in the AR World Series, and you couldn’t imagine a more unlikely setting than a mountain lake at a ski resort in the dark! It was a bit of fun for the teams and set a record for the highest paddle ever in Spain!

By now the race was very spread out, with Grifone Platja d’Aro and Absolute Raid Rodez established in the lead as the teams began the return journey back down to the coast and the finish line. Sleep strategies, navigation choices and mistakes all played a part as they raced to the finish. The French team slept for 3 hours on the 3rd night and Grifone Platja d’Aro moved ahead, but were pulled back on the fourth day by the fresher team, and after making a mistake visiting a wrong checkpoint.

As the teams reached the coast again, completing a 20km trek, then a via ferrata section, and finishing with a run along the beach, it was the French team of Adrien Séguret, Lionel Villeneuve, François Lalanne and Audrey Ehanno, who were first across the line. They won the 570km race in just over 83 hours, ahead of Grifone Platja d’Aro , Spain and Averne Outdoor, also from France.

Séguret said, “There were times when we thought all was lost, but the sleep on the third night was very restful and we accelerated like crazy towards the end of the race. Driven by the excitement of leading we put more than an hour on the Spaniards in the final stage. It was an eventful race for us, during which we never wanted to give up or panic when we took the lead. We tried to be smart in the race ... and it worked. Now we are on cloud 9 as we didn’t ever think to be winners in an ARWS race!”

To find out more about Bimbache Extrem and see the race coverage, photos and videos visit; http://www.bimbachextrem.com/

For more on the AR World Series see http://www.arworldseries.com


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