NATURE IS BIKE: GRAVEL IS LEGEND
GRAVEL IS LEGEND
Alba Xandri & Ricard Calmet
The race started on Friday 25th in Arromanches-les-Bains (Normandy) and finished on Sunday 27th in Angers. Alba Xandri and Ricard Calmet, ambassadors and friends of the brand, did not want to miss the event. |
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At 6:31 am on Friday, June 25, as a tribute to the first of the 175,000 soldiers who set foot on June 6, 1944, at the same time on Gold Beach in the Normandy landings, the starting gun was fired for this first edition of the GravelofLegend. Somehow, we felt like heroes and heroines in that moment of historical remembrance. The first 50 kilometers were the hardest, among uneven fields with high vegetation, rocky tracks, and especially muddy sections. Here we needed patience, persistence, and motivation since we were advancing slowly. Further on, we reached the highest point, the Mont de Cerisy, at 264 meters, and from here it seemed that the route smoothed out and led to the plains of Norman Switzerland. |
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We rode and rode through greenways, river roads, and some asphalt stretch, letting the mind flow, thinking about the next refreshment station and where Sergi would hide to capture the best snapshot of the race, the legs accompanied and the mind, too. A race of almost 12 hours is synonymous with roller coasters, especially in the psychological section.

Text: Alba Xandri Photography: Tactic |