looks right up there in terms of fitness levels but want to have a go in a year or so’s time!

Anyone got a good review of it?

Cheers!

I did it in 2004. The best write up is here…
http://www.justridingalong.com/news/jra-articles/race-reports/dan-and-dom-ride-the-transalp/

and in summary if you can’t be bothered reading the whole article, this catches the mood…

Man, these 5.30 starts are getting soooo old. Thank god it’s the last time I have to open my eyes of a morning to see a half-naked German smearing Savlon all over his testicles, some sights are just deeply unnecessary. That said, after more than a week I am worried that I’m beginning to consider this normal. Ditto speaking to naked men in the showers and discussing the more intimate parts of your anatomy with relative strangers. I’m also concerned that I will not be entirely ready to return to civilised society without suddenly having the urge to jam my hand down the front of my trousers and slather my cods with antiseptic cream in some sort of Transalp flashback.

that’s the kind of thing that puts me off.

The article that was in Singletrack a while back goes on about the cream on bollox/nakedness/stench/sleeping in car parks aspects a lot too.

You could just do the Trans Wales and contract cholera instead.*

*may not happen.

brilliant event!
i did it back in 2005 and still have vivid memories of riding in the peloton at the start of each day to the sound of a chorus of farts and burps, as days of living on energy drink and gels began to catch up with everyone! (that’s not what made it brilliant, btw, just memorable)

the organisation is superb, the scenery is properly nice – good enough to almost make the pain of the 3hr long climbs bearable and there was some fantastic singletrack the year i did it (some people have complained about it being very fire-roady in other years)

quantity of fire roads doesn’t matter. The organisers really pump it up, so you feel you’re part of a huge thing. You’ll soon end up fighting it out with the usual suspects every day, so it becomes pretty competitive. One Brit team we were racing had to beat us by 4 minutes on the final day. They went out hard, but kept them within eyeshot for the whole day. They kept looking round to see if we’d been dropped, so returned the gesture with a cheery wave. Fantastic event.

If you can afford the flights, I beleive the Cape Epic is even better organised, and at least you get individual tents so you don’t have to watch Fritz fiddling….

Cape-Epic just as organised. It’s run by the same people I think now. But it is a lot less technical. You don’t get massive two hour plus climbs in Cape-Epic but it could be done on a cross bike. In fact when I did it it would have been preferable on a cross bike, the least technical race I have ever done.
TransAlp much better race but definitely not the toughest mountainbike race in Europe. But that doesn’t denigrate it in any way. You still need to have a good fitness level to complete it and good climbing skills if you want to compete in it and not be stuck near the rear with hobby cyclists on the descents.
There are also many other multi-day races out there too.
in Poland a good one. Smaller field and more spread out.
La Ruta an expensive (airfare etc) but worthwhile trip.

I have managed to find a new race each year for almost ten years now.

Try and enter this year (it’s not guaranteed you will get in) freeform5spot and if you do get in, get in touch and I’ll give you some tips if you like.
Number one would be carrier bags. Bow before the carrier bag it is a mountain bikers most impostant accessory.