TOASTING TRANS PROVENCE

Ryan Walsch got his entry to the final Trans Provence – and he lived and breathed raw mountain biking in a way that only Trans Provence can provide.

ON THE TRAIL

With an average of 4000m of descending per day and no idea what is around the next bend a days’ riding is literally a full day of riding and thrills. With four stages per day, it could be possible to focus on the racing while missing the journey. We spent roughly 50 hours riding and 2.5+ hours of timed stages and it was the liaisons that offered just as many good times. With vast and expansive landscapes that took hours to skirt, brutally steep hike-a-bikes and singletrack that took us through farmer’s yards, freak hail storms and mechanicals. Searching for water and more importantly coffee and ice cream was all part of your normal day. Each day was an adventure in every sense of the word.

A DAY AT TRANS PROVENCE

Your day starts by getting up at dawn and to apply liberal amounts of chamois butter to your knicks, and kit up before breakfast. You have to eat as much as possible, don’t forget to pack your snacks and lunch and it was time to roll out. Then jump into the Cool Bus shuttle at 7.30am for 45mins up the col and back on the bikes for a “mellow and lightly wooded” descent of 1200m. Now climb up possibly the world’s steepest fireroad, reduced to hike-a-bike and then the never ending traverse of though someone’s alpine grazing pastures to reach stage 1 of 4 for the day at 1.30pm. Tackle stage 1 and 2 for the day which while following two close by ridgelines couldn’t be more dissimilar, one loam and grass the other janky rocks and boulders. Roll into town, eat as much as possible, take on another 2.5 litres of water and set out for the final two stages of the day.

You then learn that “Sospel Loam” isn’t loam but rather rocks the size of tennis balls, but square, janky and abundant. By the time you are rolling into camp, exhausted after another epic liaison with “slight exposure” or “Relatively straightforward but not in a literal sense” we would wonder if the road we turned off many kilometres before would have actually lead us straight to camp? It probably did and we were glad that the adventure by bike part of the event was equally as important to Ash as the stages.

Now you’re back, the day isn’t finished. Washing and prepping the bike before eating as much as possible is super important, and finally there us a race briefing before crawling into bed, with someone piping up from the crowd “how many hours will tomorrow take?” Ash replied, somewhat puzzled “Err, well the whole day”. Classic.

MY BIKE AT TP 2019

There are many so many genres and sub genres getting around it’s all getting a bit out of hand. Basically riders need a reliable and sturdy trail bike, something that’s going to take on big days of climbing and hike-a-bike and huge days of descending, simple sort of. You could either go to a big hitting Enduro rig and sweat it out on climbs and hikes or go the lighter and more dainty approach and run the risk of it rattling itself to bits mid-event.

Being young and inexperienced last time I raced Trans Provence, I put a lot more thought into my bike this year choosing the Specialized Stumpjumper. Slightly under-gunned and on 27.5 inch wheels previously, I knew that long rough days could be made easier by bigger 29 inch wheels and more modern geometry. In addition to 29 inch wheels, tyre and rim technology has come in leaps and bounds since 2015 and I knew this would be key in surviving the week.

For tyres I chose Michelin’s Wild Enduro tyres, with the front specific Magi-X compound up front (the softest) and Rear specific Gum X compound on the rear (not quite as soft). These >1kg tyres were mounted onto Crank Brothers Synthesis DH29 wheels with I9 Hydra hubs and CushCore Pro inserts with 100ml of Orange Seal sealant. With 23 kilometres of vertical descending on the cards, blind, mistakes and poor lines would be ridden and I was taking

no chances. In my pack’s waist belt and what I though would be the most accessible spot tubeless tyre plugs were loaded and ready to jam through any mid to large holes that could occur while riding. Also in the same pouch was a CO2 inflator to get me pumped up quickly.

With the first stage descending more vertical metres than a whole club Enduro round back home, brakes were an easy choice. The consistent and predictable feel of SRAM’s Code DH brakes paired with 200mm rotors front and rear worked flawlessly the whole event, even if my cramping hands barely had the strength to squeeze the levers. I like how the Code’s perform when used heavily and are super hot, it’s in these situations that brakes are needed most.

SRAM’s XO/XX1 Eagle group set was again an easy choice with its huge range, low weight, crisp shifts and a solid rear mech. I used shorter 170mm cranks for clearance over the jumble and even remembered to go down to a 32t from a 34t chainring before leaving. With a spare derailleur at camp and a chain and hanger with me, I was relieved that none of my spares would be needed in the end.

A Fox 36 was my go to fork, this year running 160mm paired with Fox’s DPX2 rear shock. For me, I really like having adjustable high and low speed rebound up front and the 36 allows me to get the front wheel tracking just the way I like it and maintain as much grip as possible on loose and unknown corners. I opted for an air shock as making small adjustments due to gradient/ pack weight are much easier. It’s one thing to have your bike setup back home but when you arrive, the terrain is much steeper than home and being able to make changes getting my body position dialled were important. Air shocks get super hot with long relentless descents and I packed a spare set of seals/lubricants just in case.

Touch points can be easily overlooked and provide hours of agony if wrong. Ergon GA1 grips offer a low profile and fatigue reducing compound and shape which helps on rougher trails I raised the stem by 15mm and flattened out the brake levers slightly too as the steep gradients require you to get back a tad further than the local. A WTB Rocket V and Time ATAC DH pedals kept the undercarriage comfortable and attached to the bike with super easy release and the easiest cleat engagement around for some foot off action.

To keep excess weight off my back, I had the following stowed in my frame’s SWAT compartment hidden neatly in the downtube, arranged so that the most important things were just under the cover: - 2 x tubes - a handpump - 2 x CO2 canisters - more Slugplugs - Weldtite tubeless repair plugs - spare cable and ferrules - chain links and quick links - deraileur hanger - tyre boots and patches - gaffer tape and super glue - a space blanket.

With the frame and wheels jam packed full of goodies the whole package weighed in at 15.7kgs and tracked like it was on rails, bikes are less skittish and better behaved when running heavier tyres and this was appreciated.

TIPS FOR RACING BLIND

∙ Now & Next and Trail Scanning, both PMBI mountain bike coaching terms and what may seem simple can be a tricky skill to master. While looking in the now (directly in front of you) is useful blind racing does require you to look further ahead to what is coming up Next. Constantly scanning the trails for lines, obstacles, Trans Provence arrows, fallen riders, freshly cut grassy turns… you name it, this skill is an essential.

∙ Don’t ride at 100%, tone it down and pop your ego in your backpack/fannypack. It’s a long event and if you start getting too brave and end up with a flat or mechanical you will lose more time than you can make up. Ride smooth, take good lines and play the long game.

∙ Get a tyre pressure gauge and use it, take big drops in elevation and your tyre pressures will drop too. You’re racing blind and are going to be tired and charging over stuff you didn’t always mean to, know your pressures or safe range and keep them that way.

∙ FTFT, Follow the F***ing Trail. With hundreds of kilometres of trail, bunting is minimal and if its doesn’t look like the track don’t take it. Keep your head on a swivel, don’t cut the switchbacks.

∙ Look out for your peers, anyone could make a mistake and ensuring another rider’s safety is more important than any race, it could even be you that needs the help.

While Ash sticks to his guns referring to Trans Provence as “The Original MTB Rally” it is in essence mountain biking at its core. I feel lucky and privileged to have been at the last Trans Provence, and will have trail riding and camp life memories for years to come.