Video: Trans Provence Day One

Jun 22, 2015 at 9:03
by Pinkbike Staff  

I am an agnostic on most matters of faith, but on the subject of maps I have always been true believer. It is on the map, therefore it is, and I am." - Tony Horwitz, One For The Road, An Outback Adventure.

"Like guns and crosses maps can be good or bad, depending on who’s holding them, who they’re aimed at, how they’re used, and why." - Mark Monmonier, How to Lie With Maps.*


Trans Provence 2015

Day 1

Competitors on Mavic Trans-Provence get a lot of maps during the week. They get five or six pages a day, lovingly prepared for them. They’re in order and in a swish plastic sleeve so that they can be taken out into the mountains with them every day. These maps are aids that support and/or confirm the signage that is attached to posts, bushes and trees along the entire length of the route. The maps have intonations that can help the savvy map reader work out where they are, where they should be, or just confirm that yes, they’re lost!

There’s also an explanatory page of icons and symbols (called a legend) that tells you what the symbols mean on the map. Handy thing such as: where mountain staff are, where you can refill with water, where the feed station is and so on. If it’s useful to you, it’s on the legend.

They also get a route profile once a day. This looks as if you’re looking at a comically compressed range of mountains in profile. Many riders that look at these peaks turn them into a set of metaphorical peaks that must be conquered that day.

Trans Provence 2015

Yet somehow all of this mapping and information never quite seems to gel with the country in front of you. People often overestimate how fast they’re travelling. The number of kilometres a day that’s written on the profile each day doesn’t seem to equate to having spent eight hours out in the mountains. The hike a bike will take them across a scree slope and however closely packed the map contours are it still doesn’t really prepare you for the feeling of empty air and long drop to the right of you once you reach them.

Maps also don’t really tell you how much fun a timed stage is going to be. Or how a liaison stage might give you some of the best views of your life. Maps can tell you a lot but they’re just a bunch of theory until you experience them in person.

Today, not one of the riders had ever ridden these trails before. Neither had the TP Mountain Staff included. Every rider encountered everything on-sight, no one had any advantage. The Spirit of Mavic Trans-Provence is alive and well!

Day 1 results.

Trans Provence 2015

*Could easily have been written about Ash Smith, Founder and Director of Trans Provence (serial map-sniffer and the Man with the Plan).

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13 Comments
  • 13 0
 I look forward to these TP videos every year! Wink
  • 4 0
 Trans Provence represents mountain biking at its core and all of the the reasons that got me into the sport in the first place. The goosebumps! Must ride.....stupid office.
  • 2 0
 Amazeballs. Epic adventure of a lifetime - something I absolutely have to try out before I'm way too old for the challenge...
But... WTF with all those flies??
  • 1 0
 Yeah, there really were quite a lot of flies in the first few days this year, haha. This hasn't happened before, we think it's because the race was in june this year, in stead of in september. It was irritating sometimes but just a small spot on an otherwise perfect week Smile
  • 1 0
 Man I have a love hate relationship with these videos. Love watching them but really do wonder if i'll ever be able to be part of it.
  • 2 0
 What kind of helmets the guy wears at 32 second ?
  • 3 0
 Bell Super 2R
  • 1 0
 Joe Barnes on a Cube, thanks Nicolas Lau for the little help ! Smile
  • 1 1
 I'm interested to see if Joe is faster on the Cube. Mines is fast as fu#k !
  • 1 1
 isn't it joe at 3:18 on his strive? i read that he is one nicos bike, but this here seems to be his own strive?!
  • 2 0
 @sren late reply, but he borrowed my bike for that day. I had Nico's.
  • 2 0
 Such an epic event!
  • 1 0
 Jo(n)Manji FTW! #sospecialized #sågöta







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