Basajuan
Winter Inspiration: Basajuan
With the days getting ever shorter here in the UK and the weather being bleurgh, it’s time for a little winter inspiration; Winspiration, if you like! I’ll have a trawl through the internet and put together a list of events or challenges that will hopefully inspire you to keep training through the murk. First up is the Basajuan.
Basajuan, huge hairy hominid, or 870Km unsupported gravel event? The first was thought to be a wise and gentle wild man. A protector of shepherds and their flocks, he is also credited with bringing agriculture, milling and smithing to humankind. The second? Well that’s a whole different beast.
The Basajuan is described by its organisers, Transibérica as being, along with Badlands “the ultimate unassisted gravel test in Europe“. Starting in Vittoria on the 25th July, they describe the route as going “from the most leafy forests of Urbasa and Irati (home of Basajun), we descend to the most arid and barren plains through Bardenas, returning to the banks of the Ebro River before facing the Sierra de la Demanda, a mountainous massif in the “land of cameros” of transhumants who face very harsh lands in terms of climate, to culminate by surrounding the Pico San Lorenzo and returning to the forests of the Basque Country, through the Izki Natural Park.“
Basajuan, challenge or race?
This ridiculously tough 870Km (70% of which is off-road) challenge can be tackled solo or in pairs. Those who decide to race the Basajuan, can look forward to 48 hours or so of hell! Last year’s edition saw riders having to deal with daytime temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius! Watch Sofiane Sehili’s YouTube below to see just how challenging that made an already tough event.
However, you don’t have to ride it like you stole it. Instead you can ride it as a personal challenge, some riders will roll in eighty hours after the first riders. They will have experienced the same challenges as the front runners, but will have had a chance to savour the amazing terrain they rode through.
Basajuan, The Route
Urbasa
The organisers have spit the route into four handy regions for your delectation. First we have the Urbasa region. This is described as being made up of meadows and lush beech forests. It sits on a high plateau that divides the Mediterranean climate from the Atlantic. To me words like ‘lush’ ‘divide’ and ‘climate’ mean one thing; rain. Something the Basque region is famous for.
Irati Forest
You’ll also ride through the Irati Forest, one of the largest and best-preserved beech and fir forests in Europe. Despite the deforestation carried out since the Middle Ages, the forest is still home to stags, roe deer and wild boars. And if you look up you might catch sight of black and white-backed woodpeckers, bearded vultures, peregrine falcons and golden eagles.
Bardenas Reales
As you enter the Bardenas Reales you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve passed through some kind of worm-hole. After the lush terrain encountered so far, turning south brings you into a parched landscape straight of a Spaghetti Western. The region features many features eroded by wind and rain into spectacular shapes. This is one region that really needs to ridden slowly to appreciate it. Although you will have to be careful as it is the only desert in Europe. Temperatures will be high in July and water stops few and far between.
Sierra de la Demanda
After the desert comes the mountains of the Sierra de la Demanda. This mountain range has a “continental, arid climate“, so you’ll be sweating on those climbs! The Sierra is home to the biggest climb on the route, Pico San Lorenzo (2270m). So you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the views…
The 2025 edition of the Basajuan will be the third running of this mammoth event. The first Basajaun was run in 2022 and had 236 riders of 21 nationalities, of whom 131 would finish. Setting off from Vitoria, the route was 780 km long and had an altitude difference of 15,000 m. The first rider was home in 48 hours and 8 minutes, meanwhile the final rider rolled over the line after 129 hours and 3 minutes.
I’ll keep an eye out for more Winspiration as I slog through winter and will put them up here. Maybe we’ll get to meet on one of these next year?
Thanks to Gravel Union for the heads up about this event.
