SEVEN DAYS OF SWEET SUFFERING
Transpyr is a seven-day mountain bike stage race traversing the entire Spanish Pyrenees mountain range. From the sunbathing beauties of the Costa Brava coast, the race crosses 800 kilometres of peaks and valleys to the Basque town of Hondarribia at the Atlantic. Now in its 10th year, Transpyr promised adventure and threw everything but the kitchen sink at us—to the finish line and slightly beyond.
“Do you enjoy it? I mean, do you actually enjoy it?” Warrick asked with all the inquisition his weary mind could muster. Almost halfway into the race, the Brit was beginning to feel the strain from big back-to-back days in the saddle. Before we could reply, he continued, “I’ve put so much time in trainin’ and getting ready for this, ya know. I’ve missed some really fantastic family time, some great weekends. But I just don’t know. Enjoy it? It’s just so bloody brutal. My wife’ll say, ‘how was it, worth it?’ And I’ll say… ‘yeah, bloody brilliant!’”
Warrick’s conundrum was one many of the hundreds of riders battled with throughout the week of riding—a fight between the pain in the
