The Impossible Route - Tour De Gravel (We RACED 1 vs 1 Across France)

Mission: Stage 10 of the 1926 Tour de France has been called the hardest stage ever! What was it like? Can JB and VC survive the Circle of death?

In this episode of the Impossible Route, Jeremiah Bishop and The Vegan Cyclist take on the “Tour de Gravel.” The concept is to recreate the experience of the hardest-ever stage in the Tour de France’s golden era. Begging the question: is it possible to recreate the experience, finish in the time cut. Not get lost?

“This is a journey not just through terrain but one thru time”

The hardest days of the Tour de France were most likely in the 1910-1920’s.
Stage 10 of the 1926 Tour was a turning point for the event. With a 40% cutoff rate and nicknamed “The Circle of Death,” the high Pyrenees was feared by early tour de France riders. We want to know why?

OUR GOAL is to experience first-hand why this was called the toughest stage. Can we complete the stage within the same time cut that the Tour de France riders faced? Can we accomplish it with the classic rules? Can we even find parts of the old route no longer in use? Is it even Possible to survive our gravel simulation route across the Pyrenees?

We started on the west coast of France in Bayonne at 3 am. Riding the new Canyon Endurace allowed us to fit 35 c Irc Boken tires for what was to be a mixed route of pavement and abandoned dirt roads to replicate the 30% gravel and dirt that the riders took in 1926.

The crux of the route was the Tourmalet-Pic Du Midi climb. This monster climb some 15 hours into day one ascending 4,400 ft /1341M of ascent on pavement with the finale on a brutally steep rocky road.

Day 2 was even more climbing as our route took us into Spain’s high mountains thru ancient dirt tracks and stone villages of the mountain kingdom of Andorra. The finale into Perpignan included historic villages aqueducts and a final sprint for glory.
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STRAVA FILES :
DAY 1 :::   / strava  
DAY 2 :::   / strava  
DAY 3 :::   / strava  

::: IMPOSSIBLE ROUTE SERIES :::
HAWAII :    • The Impossible Route - Worlds Hardest...  
DEATH VALLEY :    • The Impossible Route: Death Valley (A...  
VIRGINA :    • Bike Racers Try Bike Packing (The Imp...  
MONTANA :    • The Impossible Route Ep.3 - Bike Pack...  
COLORADO :    • The Telluride HELLRIDE - Impossible R...  
TEXAS :    • The Impossible Route: FAR WEST TEXAS ...  
FRANCE :    • The Impossible Route - Tour De Gravel...  

BIKE ::: Canyon Endurace
(https://www.canyon.com/en-us/road-bik...)

TIRES ::: IRC Boken
https://puregravel.com/collections/ti...

BAGS :::: ALMSTHRE
https://almsthre.com/veganbag

HYDRATION ::: FLOW FORMUALS
https://flowformulas.com/

TIRE SEALENT ::: ORANGE SEAL
https://orangeseal.com/

CLOTHING ::: ELIEL CYCLING
https://www.elielcycling.com/ - VEGANBRO10

EYEWEAR ::: BLIZ
https://www.bliz.com/us/

MAGIC SAUCE ::: DELTA G KETONES
https://www.deltagketones.com/

LUBE ::: BIKE HARDCORE
https://www.bikehardcore.com/

FITNESS TRACKING ::: WHOOP
https://www.join.Whoop.com/vc

Wheels::: Dt Swiss1600 SPLINE
https://www.dtswiss.com

Handle BarTape ::: Ergon BT All Road
https://www.ergonbike.com

Saddle::: Ergon SR All Road Core Pro Carbon Men
https://www.ergonbike.com


#adventure #cycling #documentary #outdoors #bicycle #mtb #CyclingDocumentary

0:00 Intro
3:02 Ride Start
8:54 Day 1 Morning
15:00 Rest Stop
19:42 Gravel
28:05 BIG CLIMB
30:35 HARD
36:30 CAFE
41:15 MONSTER CLIMB
56:47 DAY 2
1:08:34 RACE 1
1:14:23 RACE 2
1:18:15 RACE 3
1:23:10 DAY 3
1:25:47 LAST EFFORT
1:32:00 END