London Dynamo member David Nicholls finished 7th of 56 pairs in the Badlands gravel race in September 2026: 816km, unsupported, from Granada through Spain’s only desert, in 61 hours. Here is his own account.
Badlands 2026 at a glance
- Distance: 816km, unsupported, starting in Granada, Spain
- Climbing: 14,000m
- Category: pairs
- Result: 7th of 56 pairs in 61 hours (2 days, 13 hours)
- Conditions: heat of up to 45°C in the desert canyons
The Badlands gravel race
In September I lined up at Badlands, a competitive 816km unsupported gravel race from Granada, Spain, with 14,000m of climbing. It blurs the line between a long gravel race and an ultra-endurance bikepacking event: the winners finish in under 48 hours without sleep, while others take 4 to 5 days, stopping in hotels and Airbnbs each night.
Riding as a pair
I rode the pairs category with a good friend, which is infinitely more fun but usually slower, as you can only go as fast as the slowest rider at any point. We were pretty evenly matched and motivated though, and had some entertaining sleep-deprived conversations towards the end.
Heat and sleep: the two big challenges
The two big challenges are sleep strategy and heat of up to 45°C. Heat is the more trainable of the two, so we both did our biggest-ever heat blocks, with long sauna sessions and turbo sessions in full winter kit with no fan. As a result, the searing desert canyons felt surprisingly manageable while others around us were visibly wilting (there were bodies everywhere!).
We rode through the first night, but for the second we made the mistake of agreeing to “see how we feel”. Shockingly, we felt like sleeping, and stopped for 4 to 5 hours in an Airbnb in Almería. In hindsight, skipping that stop would probably have saved a few hours (although meant a much more miserable last day) and earned us the top-five finish we wanted. Still, finishing 7th of 56 pairs in 61 hours (2 days, 13 hours) felt like a solid effort for us middle-aged dads.
Would I recommend it?
All in all, it’s a great race through a unique corner of Europe, including its only desert, and I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys heat training! It isn’t really technical: the Traka 360, which I rode as preparation, was far more so. Gravel bikes were fine, though I would suggest 50mm+ tyres if you can fit them. Happy to discuss if any questions!
