Here’s how I finished 29/255 in a 2000km ultra cycling race
Despite being mostly flat, Race around the Netherlands (RatN) is a brutal endurance challenge. With extreme headwinds and constant pedalling, there’s nowhere to hide any physical or mental weaknesses.
But it’s not all suffering - every individual who finishes this monster endurance ride will experience rewarding and fulfilling moments.
I spent 6 months training for RatN, covering 13.030kms, investing in new bike parts and even moving to Granada for 2 months. So when the race finally arrived and my bike check was complete, there was a fair amount of pressure in not just completing, but competing in the 2000km bike adventure.
Day 1, 384km: The family of slugs
I started my race from Amerongen at 8:20 am. With my dad and some fellow club cyclists there to see me off, my only focus was keeping the power steady at 160 watts.
The route first heads north through Flevoland - a flat and uninspiring part of the Netherlands and there were a lot of riders bunched up at the start. Generally when I ride long distances, I prefer to be alone and the drafting really annoyed me, but despite some early aches, I knew from experience that my body gets better with time on the bike.
In the first 5 hours, I kept the pace at 27kph while seeing race leaders Lennart Nap, Julio Greff and former team mate Marcel van der Graaff pass me at blistering speeds.
After 150km I reached Arnhem and headed through a wooded area with short hills called the Posbank. At this point, I met Irish rider Kieran Killar and we briefly chatted until stopping at the Albert Heijn in Doesburg. After a quick refuel and navigating an orange wall of Dutch drunks celebrating King’s Day, I pushed on alone but started to encounter my first problems and most dangerously, doubt in my mind.
First my saddle came loose and I had to buy an emergency 14 euro torque wrench from Action to fix it. This cost me 30 mins time and simultaneously, I also had an energy dip. With 1700km to go, it’s not an ideal situation. I had to refuel, put on my short sleeve jersey to cool down and start to recover.
After passing through Enschede and some light rain showers, I started to feel better and made good progress into the night. At around 1:30am just before Emmen and eating a pizza on the bike, I found a field to bivy and sleep for 1 hour with a family of slugs.
Day 2, 240km: The Dutch Mountains
The second day didn’t start well. I was too hot in my bivy bag and the sweat had dried on me which was really uncomfortable. When I removed the slugs, ate last night’s pizza leftovers and started cycling, the feeling in my legs wasn’t good and I started having issues with my bag. Basically, I’d overpacked my Tailfin and my dad’s rain jacket fell into my rear disc brake and ripped.
It was a frustrating low point and I had some serious doubts about how I’d pull through and finish this race. But this is why I’d spent countless hours training on the bike. I had a 30 min nap in Hardenberg, chatted to a friendly man who was curious why I was sleeping on his garden bench and cracked on.
My legs started to recover and I established a nice rhythm, eventually stopping for a coffee and apple pie in the picturesque village of Bourtange with other riders. From there on I made really good progress heading to Groningen. With a tailwind and more confidence in my body, I had a brief stop at the Albert Heijn supermarket for some Red Bulls, before heading to the coast and starting what would be, the hardest section of the race.
Along the coast from Uithuizen to Halingen every rider faced a 122km stretch with a block headwind, countless sheep, piles of animal shit and the dreaded gates. Progress was painfully slow. I averaged around 18kph - almost climbing speed up a mountain -and at 19:30pm I stopped at a hotel to sleep until midnight and start riding again with less wind.
Day 3, 425km: Improvisation is the key
With an early start, the third day was my strongest on the bike. Despite struggling to get the legs going, navigating the last of the sheep, a 270km headwind until Amsterdam ahead and slow progress the day before, I managed to sit in my Time Trial bars and push hard into the wind with minimum breaks.
When it comes to ultra riding, creativity and improvisation can go a long way. At around 9:00am, being mentally fatigued, I threw a cardboard spoon into a bin for a yoghurt I’d bought. I ended up twisting an old wrapper like rolling a cigarette and rather inelegantly spooned it into my mouth.
After a short nap, a nature break and some fries in Muidenport near Amsterdam, the headwind was over and I averaged 31kph to Den Helder.
The race outlook was much brighter for me. I briefly met the race organiser Michael in Enkhuizen, booked a hotel in Callantsoog and had a chat with the local ambulance driver who was tracking the riders for fun. But the hotel booking was a miscalculation .
My accommodation was much further than I thought. The RatN route follows twisty, narrow and uneven coastal paths around Den Helder, turning my last 2 hours of riding into a flat out race to arrive before the hotel reception closed. It put me under necessary stress and I was burning precious energy.
Even when I arrived, there was no food. I ended up eating a bag of raisins and nuts which was far from ideal nutritionally. Lesson learned - book a hotel you know is within reach and always ask in advance for food to be prepared. I went to sleep around midnight and was hopeful for a smoother day tomorrow, which wasn’t to be the case.
Day 4, 320km: A bumpy ride takes a biblical twist
Nearly 72 hours after the race start, I was on the road by 3:00am. The main goal was to resupply with food and in Alkmaar I found a SPAR where I met Friedhelm, a fellow German racer. We had a brief chat and pushed on through Heemskerk to rejoin the coastal road.
Arguably, this was the toughest part of the route for me. Yet more headwind and above all, a bumpy, bendy and brutal coastal road was mentally challenging. After passing over the Kopje van Bloemendaal and heading towards Rotterdam, I started to crack.
I was forced to take a nap, drink some Redbull and really dig out every pedal stroke to make it to the Hoek van Holland. And in Rotterdam it didn’t ease up. A busy, bustling city with traffic lights, whizzy scooters and real exhaustion in my body made for slow progress.
But as with every ultra ride, sometimes it’s the unexpected moments that trigger a turning point and mental escapism. I had a text from Anouk de Jong, a work colleague and fellow exercise enthusiast, and learned that many of my team mates were tracking my dot in the office.
It put a smile on my face and after yet another Red Bull, I started to pass other riders and made it to Haamstede where I sat down for some pesto pasta and made a brave decision - I’d ride through the night and move higher up the rankings.
Why make this decision after such a hard day? I had the confidence and sudden realisation that my legs weren’t able to just finish the race, but also compete.
However, as is often the case in adventure bike racing, plans are short lived. I had a wonderful chat with Dotwatcher Sjoerd and his son and started to head towards Middleburg. Just 10km later on the bridge, I heard a dreaded hissing noise and after a quick inspection, the sidewall of my rear tyre had sliced open.
At 22:00pm, I had a serious problem. No bike shop was open and once again, I had to think creatively. By chance, I had still some tape used to secure the tracker to my bike.
After an hour sitting in a dark, lonely car park and sleeping on a bench with inquisitive looks from dog walkers, I managed to patch the tear. But due to sleep deprivation, I twisted my inner tube and it took another two attempts to seat the tyre correctly.
Finally, 2 hours later, and with the skin from my thumbs ripped off after pushing on the tyre 3 times, I started again at half past midnight. It was mentally frustrating, but I tried to forget about it and block out any anxiety that my tyre would open again.
I cycled another 2.30 hours into the night and at around 3:00am in Vlissingen my eyes were dropping and a thunderstorm was on its way. When the rain became biblical, I stopped in a sand dune and curled up into my bivy bag for a 3 hour sleep.
Not an ideal day riding, but I was still in the race and there was hope for a strong finish.
Day 5, 581 km: A mammoth push to the finish
Cold, rain and sand characterised the start of race hour number 94. Progress along the coast was slow again and within a 15km distance, around 10 riders were competing for the top 30 places. I was paranoid about my rear tyre opening up again and sure enough, after chugging a coffee just before Bergen in Zoom, I had a flat. Fortunately, the tape had held but a thorn had worked its way into my tube.
The next 14 hours of riding that followed were probably the hardest in the RatN and it was the only point in the race where I truly cracked. Eventually I found a Giant bike store in Alphen and despite a new rear tyre, a brief nap, a supermarket raid and an encouraging message from Lennart Nap - the race winner - the suffocating heat and headwind broke me.
(Cycling with my feet on top of the cycling shoes because they had overheated)
But ultimately this is why you train. You don’t train for the moments where you feel good. You train for the moments where you have to dig yourself out of a hole and find new energy in your legs and your mind.
In 29 degree heat I pushed on and after more Red Bull and a chicken burger in Borkel, I was quickly approaching the hills in Limburg, with the main goal to reach Valkenburg.
For any rider who wants to take on RatN, this is the most deceiving part of the route. You think that you’re near Valkenburg where the real hills start and you can push for the finish, but the route beforehand is brutal. Twisty, tight and cobbled streets await you with nasty inclines. Mentally it’s extremely frustrating, borderline infuriating, and despite the Limburg hills beckoning it takes a long time to reach them.
The bodies strewn along this part of the course was testament to its difficulty. I passed many riders sleeping on benches and one who was slumped on the pavement while staring at his feet.
I eventually reached Valkenburg at 23:20pm where I knew my parents were waiting to cheer me on. Once again, I’ve come to realise that despite the long distances of ultra cycling, they’re made up of small moments. Seeing familiar people put another smile on my face as I pushed through the night to the finish.
I breezed through the hills and started passing other riders. At 3:00am, I reached the highest point in the Netherlands - Vaalserberg, however, tiredness started to set in and I was experiencing hallucinations.
Every road sign morphed into a person and at 4:30am in Heerlen, I ended up chatting to a Stop Sign thinking it was a spectator. This forced me to sleep in a bush for an hour to clear my head and recover for the last 250k to Amerongen.
Once I had started again, this next part of the route is also deceivingly hard. Despite relatively gentle gradients at 3-4%, progress is slow because the climbs follow small cycle lanes through towns and villages. But again, the volume of my training and my race mentality kicked in for the last part of the course.
After a brief coffee at an overpriced SPAR, I bought enough food to last me and I committed to not stepping off the bike until the finish, averagIing over 30kph and leaving 6 riders in the dust.
It was just pure muscle memory and I completely emptied the tank. At the 1.890 kilometre mark I was fortunate enough to be briefly joined by my friend and training partner, Hugo Heijer, who took some pictures and at around 15:20 pm, I arrived in Amerongen in 29th position.
More to work on & more to write
There’s a huge amount I need to improve upon. Ultimately, the goal is to break into the top ten in these races and enhance my riding efficiency. But at 24 years old, there’s a lot i can achieve in this sport.
Next up is TransAlba, a 1.600km race with 20.000 metres of climbing on June 16th in my home country, Scotland. It’s a quick turn around for my body and mind, but I’m confident I can arrive in top shape and push for a good finish.
So there’s lots more to come and lots more I can write about; the link between endurance exercise and emotional intelligence, balancing a full time job at a scale up with high performance sport, how I prepare for these races…
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Mega effort!
Surely the midges will be the biggest challenge for transalba, maybe motivation to cycle through the night...