A brutal pilgrimage through Europe's only true desert — Andalusia's badlands to the snowline of the Sierra Nevada.
The Badlands route was more than an ultra-distance race; it was a brutal pilgrimage through Europe's only true desert frontier. The route cuts mercilessly through the parched heart of Andalusia, where the surreal ravines of Gorafe collide with the snow-capped majesty of the Sierra Nevada. Riders must navigate the volatile swing between searing heat and freezing high-altitude nights while conquering thousands of metres of vertical gain on sun-bleached gravel and forgotten trails. It was an epic crucible for the soul, where the line between profound suffering and absolute freedom dissolves in the golden Spanish light.
Granada out into the desert proper — the Tabernas and Gorafe badlands, sun-bleached ravines that feel more Arizona than Europe.
Relentless heat, thousands of metres of climbing on forgotten gravel, and nights that swing from baking to freezing.
The terrain turns alpine — high passes, thin air, and the first snowline of the trip.
Legs hollowed out, the last kilometres are pure grit before the finish.
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