Mavic Trans-Provence Days Four and Five: Videos and Results

Sep 25, 2014 at 17:26
by Mavic HQ  
Day 4 Video and recap:



Day 4 results.

Day 4 - GUILLAUMES to VALDEBLORE - Distance: 42.71km


D+ : 716m
D- : 2453m

Every day we start our press release with some stats - height gained, height lost, distance covered and for you that are following the racing closely we also have more stats for you - who won which stage, who was fastest overall today, and of course who is fastest overall.

Today we thought we’d bring you some 'under the bonnet’ TP stats - the stats that fill rider's bellies, that sooth tired muscles, that give them shelter every night (and possibly mild hangovers as well). If you like your stats read on.

In numbers, and in no particular order which I’m sure will upset some, here’s the last last four days of the Mavic® Trans-Provence. If you want to, you can add on half again to most of the numbers and you should get the full weeks tally; but the booze total will probably be all skewed by Friday night’s drinking.

Meals - 1400. Which is impressive enough, but it is actually even more impressive than that - that’s 2000 courses plus packed lunches everyday, and fresh food at the feed station.
20 litres of red wine per day.
91 pop up tents that get erected then taken down again and moved every day.
3 event tents for chilling under.
2 massage tents.
76 luggage rounds (One round per competitor, but many have more than one bag). That also need moving from site to site every day.
100 massages.
60 brake bleeds (all mechanical stats are from Mavic support and doesn’t include other riders working on bikes on their own).
40 tyres.
4 chains.
4 mechs.
50 pairs of brake pads.
340 combined stages so far this week.
11 new stages out of 24.
240 nespresso coffee capsules drunk at the lunch time feed station
500 litres of water at the lunch time feed station.
15 kilos of haribos at the lunch time feed station.
1.8 Kilos of dried figs at the lunch time feed station.
4 uplift vehicles - with 9 camp vehicles in total.
20 shock rebuilds.
107 people in total.
76 competitors.
11 camp staff and drivers.
4 signage staff.
1 pre-course sweeper.
4 mountain staff.
5 masseurs.
6 media staff.
2 drone pilots.
2 doctors.
2 black eyes.
1 motorbike.
1 timing master.
1 Ash Smith.

Big numbers, that tell you how big a thing Mavic® Trans-Provence is in terms of logistics and people. What it doesn’t measure is the smiles, the effort the energy. The adventure.



Day 5 recap and video:



Day 5 results.

Overall classification after day 5.

Day 5 - VALDEBLORE to SOSPEL - Distance: 39.61km

D+: 1328m
D-: 3076m

Tiredness, attrition, wear and tear - day 5 is where it shows.

A broken rib, smashed knuckles, most people carrying some kind of grazes somewhere; smooth riders pinch flat, and other people mysteriously burn through a set of brake pads in a day, where before a pair had lasted all week.

Those stats are telling lies again as well - Day 5 on paper looks like a good gravity deal. Lots of down compared to up but tempered by a whopper of a climb at the beginning and some of the most physical downhills of the week. Depending on your mindset it's either the most amazing on sight trail you’re ever going to ride, or being simultaneously shaken and terrified while you receive dead arms by that bully from school.

The racing is really heating up as well. Jérôme Clementz was the leader this morning after stage one and two, only for it all to be taken away after a small crash this afternoon, 20 seconds stand between François Bailly-Maitre and Jérôme Clementz

Ben Cruz was out today with a mechanical. He’s now out of contention for the race overall, but he’ll be back tomorrow to try and pick up some stage wins.

The Women's race is just as hotly contested, just as it has been all week. Ines Thoma is in 20th place overall and Anita Gehrig is in 23rd. There's a couple of minutes between them - easily eroded should Ines have a mechanical

Tomorrow will be a celebration for everyone regardless of whether they’re here to race to win, or whether they’re battling for 46th place, or just want to get to Menton and the beach in one piece. To find their last reserves of energy, ride fast but not crash, ride hard but protect the bike; to savour the last col, the last corner, to see the end of a great adventure.

Stay Tuned.

Mavic® Trans-Provence is supported by Mavic, Santa Cruz, Fox Racing Shox, MOJO Suspension and Lean Greens.

Author Info:
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Member since May 9, 2012
39 articles

9 Comments
  • 4 0
 what other type of 1 week staged enduro events are there available to the public? I got all excited just to find out that for this 2014 edition there were only 55 places available...Is there any website where I can see some sort of list? Thanks!
  • 1 0
 In Europe there is also the Trans-Savoie that is six days, and in the U.S. there is the five day Crested Butte Ultra Enduro in Colorado. In Canada there is the B.C. Bike Race which is a seven day XC stage race, but it has an enduro category as well. The XC racers race the entire course, and the enduro racers only race the special stages and ride the rest of the course at their own pace, as if it were liaison stages.
  • 4 0
 These are excellent. Looks like a fun time.
  • 4 0
 That's my sister at the end of the Day 4 video! Go Mary-Anne!
  • 3 1
 that is one strange mating ritual right at the end.
  • 1 0
 is the yellow bike being shown a lot a bronson? i love it in that colour
  • 1 0
 Sponsored by SC so the Bronson and Nomad's are getting a little more airtime than others. No complaints from this Bronson owner!
  • 2 1
 Fat man says best trail he's ever ridden lol
  • 1 4
 Glad to see them suffering to stay in the trail on their 27.5 wheels.







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