Seven-222 Challenge: Sevilla to Marseille

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Seven-222 Challenge: Sevilla to Marseille
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Miramas, France ‐ Sep 17, 2020

312 km

DAY 7: Seven-222 completed!! 1.554km from Sevilla to Marimas (54km in front of Marseille). Yesterday's big day in the mountains meant that I started my final day of the challenge 312km away from reaching my goal of having a 222km-average over 7 days. I had consciously chosen the experience of climbing the Pyrenees over putting up mere numbers on the flat. At the same time, I was well aware of the fact that while 312km in one day would require a massive effort, it could still be within the realm [...]
of possible if absolutely everything goes well... . Knowing that this would be my last day on the bike, I decided that I could literally empty the tank today and see how far I could go. I have to say that the first 100km cost me more than expected because the daily goal seemed so far to reach and I didn't feel the same adrenaline boost that helped me yesterday when I imagined myself standing on top of the Pyrenees. . What made all the difference for me was breaking down the day into subgoals such as certain towns that I wanted to pass at a certain time. This way, my competitive nature gave me the fuel to power through and smash these little goals while making good total progress. Still, at some point I was simply so out of gas that I wanted to stop. What got me hanging in there was the fact that I had consciously made sure to cut all the bridges that would allow me to quit at some point (e.g. by not booking any accomodation for the night). It can be quite chilly here at night, so there was no other way than going all the way! After all it's warmer as long as your cycling, right? . I am extremely proud to say that I smashed the 312km today and successfully completed the Seven-222 challenge! This may have easily been one of the hardest things I've ever taken on and it has taught me a lot about myself (more about that soon). For now, no more cycling for a while I guess and enjoying the city of Marseille.

DAY 7
Puivert ‐ Sep 15, 2020

210 km

DAY 6: Incredible day of cycling through the entire Pyrenees!! Not only did I cross the highest paved road of the entire Pyrenees (Port d'Envalira at 2.408m of elevation), I also crossed Andorra and finished the day with a total of 210km and 4600m of elevation gain. That is 20km of distance and 200 meters of elevation more than the most difficult Tour de France stage this year. . Not too shabby for a guy who really struggled to walk down the hotel stairs the same morning, hey? . I have to say I [...]
am pretty positively surprised about how well my body performed today, especially after bearing in mind that days 3 and 4 felt more like a game of pain management and were really a test of resilience. I guess two nights of good sleep can make all the difference..

DAY 6
Artesa de Segre, Spain ‐ Sep 14, 2020

200 km

DAY 5: I have so far covered a total of 1.032km in 5 days. That puts me at a daily average of 206km - 16km shy of my daily goal of 222. . As you can see on my Travelmap, I've had to cross a number of mountain chains on my way through Central Spain already - so I am reasonably satisfied with my progress thus far. Right now, it's time for a crucial decision though: . Option 1: Start from my current location in Artesa de Segre and head towards the coast, cross the Spanish-French border next to the [...]
ocean, avoid the Pyrenees and use the flat terrain for two 260km efforts which would leave me 70km shy of Marseille (lost in detours, mechanic visits, blocked roads, etc.) but allow me to reach my goal of Seven(days)-222(km). . Option 2: Make a push through the Pyrenees, climb some serious mountains and see how far I can get. It would be unlikely to reach the km-goal previously specified but it might present a valuable opportunity to test and train my ability to keep going in the face of difficult circumstances. . Regardless of which option I'll go for, Day 6 is going to be a BIG day!

DAY 5
Alcorisa ‐ Sep 13, 2020

155 km

DAY 4: Short Day, 155km, as I had to charge my devices after being without electricity since Sevilla. Thus, I was able to catch up on some much needed sleep as well. After passing a few significant mountains today I am finally getting back to flatter territory before approaching the Pyrenees. . Before I've started this 7-day challenge I've thought a lot about a phrase that many ultra-endurance athletes have come to embrace: "The first couple of days may be about fitness, everything after is abou [...]
t your ability to suffer. Mental strength, it's really just your willingness and capacity to suffer." . After being four days on the bike for pretty much all day, I am beginning to (literally) feel the truth to this sentence. At least my lower-body does!

DAY 4
Torrebaja ‐ Sep 12, 2020

205 km

DAY 3: Manual Navigation, Incredible Night Skies and Sleep Deprivation. . Trying to catch up on the time that I lost yesterday has meant that some sacrifices needed to be made looking forward. In order to reach my daily goals, I've therefore driven an awful lot at night time and cut (very) short on sleep. On the upside, some of the mountains have felt easier at night time (probably because you're not aware of what you're getting yourself into). . Also, as I have been non-stop in the outdoors so [...]
far (with no hotels to charge batteries at night), I ran out of phone battery at some point and had to switch back to manual navigation. Quite fun!

DAY 3
Munera ‐ Sep 11, 2020

200 km

DAY 2: This summer I was fortunate enough not to have a single puncture in all the 3.800km I've cycled on my bike. Today was different.. I punctured my tube not once, not twice, not three times... but FOUR TIMES in one day. Needless to say I didn't carry enough spares to make up for this unlucky streak. The third puncture happened out in the wild and I'd had to walk my bike back to the town where I'd left in the morning. Very frustrating having to go backwards and be at 0km progress at 2pm. Tod [...]
ay was really a test of character for me. It was tempting to call it a short day, extend the trip for one day or blame bad luck for what happened. I decided to push through and it was a grind. I had two more issues with my ventils which cost me more time and I had to climb mountains beyond 1100m height. Im happy to say that I reached my daily goal of 200km and arrived in the town of Munera after an extended night shift at 5am. . So let's go for Day 3 now!

DAY 2
Guarromán ‐ Sep 10, 2020

272 km

DAY 1: Long day, went a bit further than planned to allow for a little buffer in case sth. breaks down in the next days. Day in itself was not overly spectacular. I drove for hours on end through olive tree fields. The night sky was absolutely incredible though, one of the best if not the best Ive seen this summer.

DAY 1
Calle Cano y Cueto, Spain ‐ Sep 10, 2020

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