admin - 45-SouthWest

26.03.202304.06.2023

River Po

Back on the route for route scouting in Italy.
The river Po in the Po planes near Pavia.

Photo: taken yesterday morning

#45sw #45southwest #endurancecycling #bikepacking #bikepackinglife #ultracycling #adventurebybike #adventurecycling #ciclismo #cyclinglife #rower #bikelife #cycling #ultraendurancecycling #krakow #tarifa #montventoux #verdon #nice #coldetende #tourmalet #picodelveleta #rusjanbag #transbikeadventures

12.03.202304.06.2023

A cyclist dream

Mont Ventoux, a cyclist dream. Checkpoint 4 on the route.
Registration will be open till 30th April. New price from 18th March.

12.02.202312.02.2023

Photo from the route

Col de Tende, on the bucked list of many cyclists.
After the disaster big storm in 2020 the old road looks now better then before.
Something of sure, no cars on this road crossing the Alps.

Photo: from route scouting November 2022

#45sw #45southwest #endurancecycling #endurance #bikepacking #bikepackinglife #ultracycling #adventurebybike #adventurecycling #longdistancecycling #ciclismo #ultrabicyclerace #cyclinglife #rower #bikelife #cycling #ultraendurancecycling #krakow #tarifa #montventoux #verdon #nice #coldetende #tourmalet #picodelveleta #rusjanbag #transbikeadventures

31.01.202304.06.2023

Photo from the route

This old lighthouse tower you find 27km before the Tarifa finish. A section along the coast where no cars are allowed.

Photo: from route scouting November 2022

24.01.202304.06.2023

From Pico del Veleta the route follows for about 60km NorthCape-Tarifa route. Then a new route heads to Tarifa. 45km longer but 1100m less vertical climbing. The last 50 kilometers along the coastline will lead the riders to the last checkpoint on the route.

45-SouthWest finishes in Tarifa the southernmost point of continental Europe, where the Tuna wind vane marks the end of the adventure!

Situated in a unique geographical location, this Spanish port town is the ultimate destination also for those completing the NorthCape-Tarifa and Iberica-Traversa routes. Popularly known as “the tuna” serves as the finishing point for many riders who have been on the ride of a lifetime.

“Tarifa is the place to finish, with plenty of cheap but good options for accommodation, a chilled and relaxed café, and bar culture in the old town, blue skies, beach, and warm sea. The perfect place for a few days of recovery” Mike Sheldrake NorthCape-Tarifa finisher.

CP10 Tarifa:
https://45southwest.com/checkpoints/#CP10

13.01.202304.06.2023

CP9: Pico del Veleta

Pico del Veleta will be the next goal for the riders. To get there, the route will lead the riders south through the expansive fields of olive trees to the Renaissance town of Sabiote situated at kilometer 3700 from the start and only 190km from the top of Europe’s highest cycling climb – checkpoint 9.

Pico del Veleta is at 3,398m – CP9
https://45southwest.com/checkpoints/#CP09

For those who decided to go for the silver finish – Pico del Veleta will be the final stop at km 3900.

03.01.202331.01.2023

CP8: Land of Giants

Land of Giants – the perfect place to meet the spirit of Don Quixote. The route will guide riders through the land of windmills starting in Sierra de la Paz (Campo de Criptana). Riders will continue south to the windmills of Alcazar de San Juan a municipality and city located in the northeast of the Ciudad Real province, in the autonomous community of Castilla-La Mancha.

Further west riders will reach Herencia. The town is located on part of the eighth stretch of Don Quixote’s route. Windmills are placed on each of two medium-sized hills found behind the village.

Till the next checkpoint, the route is as flat as it can be even though we are now on Spanish soil! Terra de Gigantes will be a good warm up before the big climb that waiting for the riders in Sierra Nevada.

CP 8: Terra de Gigantes parkour in La Mancha
https://45southwest.com/checkpoints/#CP08

21.12.202204.06.2023

CP7: Mallos de Riglos – the orange towers

Heading to Spain, the route will lead the riders over Col du Pourtalet which is a border between Spain and France at an elevation of 1.798m above sea level. The first checkpoint in Spain is located in the foothills of the Pyrenees in Hoya de Huesca comarca, Aragon.

The Mallos de Riglos are huge natural sculptures up to 300m tall and are among the most spectacular landscapes in the Spanish Pre-Pyrenees.

CP7: Mallos de Riglos – the orange towers:
https://45southwest.com/checkpoints/#CP07

15.12.202204.06.2023

CP6: Col du Tourmalet

Coming over Col d’Aspin riders will reach the statue of Eugène Christophe who famously re-welded his broken fork in a forge in Sainte-Marie-de-Campan. This happened under the control of officials in the Tour de France 1913. At that time fully self-supported, and no outside help was allowed.

Sainte-Marie-de-Campan is the starting point of the Eugène Christophe parkour. The 17km climb with an average gradient of 7.37% will bring the riders to the CP6 at the top of Col du Tourmalet at an altitude of 2,115m.

The control point will be by The Giant of Tourmalet which symbolizes Octave Lapize, the first rider to cross the Col du Tourmalet in the Tour in 1910, the first Tour going over a high mountain pass. The parkour continues on the fast downhill followed by Col du Soulor and Col d’Aubisque, the finish of the parkour.

In 1913 the sixth stage of the Tour was done in opposite direction: Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin, and Peyresourde. The start of the 326km between Bayonne and Luchon was at 3 am in the morning. After his accident, Christophe had to make the downhill from Tourmalet by foot and lost a likely TdF win, but he finished the stage and the Tour. “I had bruised kidneys and painful legs confessed Eugène Christophe. But the physical pain was little compared to my pain, seeing all those I had let loose pass me by again.”

CP6 Col du Tourmalet:
https://45southwest.com/checkpoints/#CP06

10.12.202210.12.2022

CP5: Cirque de Navacelles

After descending from Mont Ventoux and heading further about 200km west, riders will reach CP5.

Cirque de Navacelles – the valley which was formed about 3 million years ago by glacial erosion and is one of the widest canyons in Europe and one of the most remarkable natural sites in France. 1400 meters separate the belvederes that face each other above Navacelles.

There will be a nice and smooth descent of 300m to the bottom. From there, riders will have a short climb to get to the other side of the canyon which will come with a reward – a magnificent view.