Ahead of this year’s ultra-distance desert-based Badlands, Gravel Union caught up with event veteran and Gravel Alliance rider Ibai Fradejas for a pre-race guide that we strongly recommend bookmarking for future reference.
GU - What is it like to prepare for an ultra-distance gravel event like Badlands?
Ibai – “Everything is made a whole lot easier when you have already participated in this race. It’s been run three times so far and I’ve done two of them. Plus, it helps when you know the area. This time is going to be a bit strange given the weather warnings for intense rain. The organisers have just sent out “a safe route” so I’ve had to do some minor rethinking – luckily, I’m Basque so not afraid of the rain.”
“For any ultra-distance race, I try to set a realistic time goal for the whole event and then divide that time into daily sections so that I have a basic schedule. This then allows me to work out roughly where I’ll be each night and also to calculate which towns I'll be riding through in the daytime and which ones at night. Having this information means I can plan where and how to eat or buy supplies.”
GU - How do you train for a 725 km race with 15,000 metres of climbing?
Ibai – “I try to build up for several months in a reasonable way, increasing the volume steadily and making sure there are some quality sessions too. Two months before the event I’ll work up to do longer rides of around 200km and around one month before the event I usually do a couple of rides of 300km or even 400km. This year I haven't had time to do such big distancesbecause I only received the invitation from the organiser a few weeks ago, so my preparation was a bit hurried this time around.”
GU - How do you plan your nutrition for the race?
Ibai – “I have developed a nutrition strategy using the Spanish brand 226 that’s now become my go-to fuelling routine:
- A single-dose sachet of Race Day for breakfast every day
- Food intake every 45 minutes (either a bar or caffeine-free gel)
- A salt tablet every 1.5 hours.
Plus, I’ll hydrate as much as I can. As it is a race where water is quite scarce, I carry two 750ml water bottles on the bike plus 2 litres extra in a hydration backpack. I also incorporate caffeine in my food intake at night to keep my energy levels high. I’ve learned the importance of eating real food at the few stops I will make, so I’ll tuck into sandwiches, fruit juices, some carbohydrates (pasta, pizza, rice), and ice cream, of course. “
GU - What other factors do you consider for your preparation?
Ibai – “Before the race, I analyse the route, making sure I’m familiar with the technical sections, big climbs, stretches without water, the deserts and where I might have to hike-a-bike... This means I’m able to psych myself up and prepare for each of them and won’t get any nasty surprises. This year, compared to past editions, I have seen a couple of significant changes: one includes a village in an area that’s been affected by water and another takes us around a stinking windy area between greenhouses. Both of these changes will make the race a little easier hopefully. But it’s hard to work out what affect the third change, the predicted rainfall, in the desert may have. In this case I’ll have to wait and see. It is also important to analyse the weather forecast ahead of any event so you can choose your equipment sensibly.”
GU - What do expect to happen when you start?
Ibai – “Once you take to the start, it’s so rare that everything will play out according to the strategy so knowing how to adapt to the situation is essential. Experience has taught me to avoid the desert areas (extremely hot and without water) in the central hours of daylight (and therefore the strongest sun). I take the opportunity to rest and thus be able to ride during the cooler periods of darkness instead.”
GU - Tell us about your bike and gear set-up?
Ibai – “I’m pretty sure the setup for my bike this year will be the lightest I’ve ever had. I’m riding my Orbea Terra M20i Team with:
- Shimano GRX Di2 2x11 groupset - 48/31 chainrings and 11-34 cassette
- Carbon Fulcrum wheels
- 700x40mm Hutchinson clincher tires.
- PRO Bikegear power meter, handlebars, bar tape, gel inserts, seatpost and saddle
- Frontal Silva Trail Speed 5X front light which is 1,200 lumens.
- Supernova Airstream rear flashing light which is 205 lumens
I’ll have three Apidura bags on my bike:
- 4.5-litre frame bag (for my 108g ultralight bivvy bag, 2 power banks with 23,800 mah capacity each, warm clothes, chamois cream, lip balm with UV protection, and wet wipes
- Little Tool seatbag
- Food pouch of 0.8 litres on my handlebars.
Plus, a hydration backpack in which I will carry 2 litres of extra water at times, a raincoat (just in case!) and food for the 2nd day. I’ll be wearing Gsport apparel from top to toe, with Shimano Rx8 carbon sole gravel shoes and the Lazer Genesis helmet. I'll wear lightweight socks, super breathable gloves with gel inserts, custom bib shorts in a one-off lime colour and their lightest and most breathable. For extra layers, I will carry a Primaloft vest, a GoreTex rain jacket and a merino wool long-sleevebaselayer. “
You can dotwatch this year’s Badlands here and keep up with Ibai’s gravel life here.