The initial riders across the finish line in
The Traka Adventure
They zipped through the race in under 24 hours, yet the following day, several participants were still making their way to the finish line after pushing through for over two days.
Scotland’s Allan Shaw was among those riders who took on the 560 kilometers using a cargo bike.
This isn’t his maiden voyage on a lengthy quest aboard a cargo bike; he previously tackled the 2000km Silk Road Mountain Race using a gravel bike back in 2021. In 2023, however, he chose to revisit Kyrgyzstan but this time with a cargo bike.
This indicated that he harbored minimal reservations about doing the same at The Traka Adventure.
“Ultimately, it had a sufficient time limit… I was certain that I would manage to complete it, and considering the bicycle we were using, no one really expected me to finish within 24 hours or anything like that,” Shaw explained.
after crossing the line.
“I arrived around noon, which means I was out there for an eternity,” he chuckled.
I believe that totals around 54 hours, which is approximately 30 hours more than the winner.
The duration of 54 hours and 14 minutes placed Shaw at the 110th position as he finished, even though numerous cyclists remained trailing behind him in the Trakka 560 event, which had a cutoff time of three days.
“Being realistic isn’t always very useful, huh? You might prefer to set impossibly high goals and then find yourself having to continually tweak your expectations,” Shaw explained, though he swiftly acknowledged that this can often be quite challenging.
But once you get into the process, you realize that nobody really pays attention. It’s only you who matters, and it’s perfectly fine if that’s the case. However, since we find ourselves here, your journey starts from wherever you stand in this competition. Ultra races come with 1000 varying factors; hence, embrace them and adjust accordingly.
The leaders of the pack engaged in a contest, though it was extremely lengthy and arduous, whereas Shaw experienced quite an adventure.
One experience involved discovering cozy spots of tall grass along the roadside to rest in, where he ended up sleeping much longer than intended due to how pleasant it felt. He had numerous chats with people from nearby towns who found humor in his thick Mexican accent whenever this Scottish cyclist spoke Spanish.
Certainly! Here’s your paraphrased sentence:
“There were certainly some challenging moments right from the beginning, where the sheer magnitude of the upcoming tasks burdened both thoughts and limbs, requiring an adjustment in expectations.”
“It was nearing 5 p.m., and we hadn’t made significant progress. I was extremely tired; my legs felt drained, and this led to a demoralizing moment since the actual experience contrasted sharply with what I had anticipated,” Shaw explained.
I simply parked beside the road and lit up a couple of cigarettes while leaving some voicemails at home where I vented my frustration about feeling uncertain about my actions. Yet, despite this confusion, I understood that I needed to press forward; realizing how challenging this situation was served as quite an eye-opener. However, these doubts must be set aside since finishing is important, even though it feels like engaging in a somewhat absurd mind game.
You have an idea that’s foremost in your thoughts along with a noticeable physical and mental unease, yet you must set it aside—not just for a short while but for approximately the next 36 hours.
Although dawn brought comfort through more uplifting exchanges with fellow cyclists following solitary hours on the trail, complemented by landscapes and tunes that elevated the spirit.
“I rode through an entire subsequent stretch of beautiful, delicious singletrack, blasting Adele at maximum volume and ended up singing loudly into the woods. That moment stood out as a true highlight during my race,” explained Shaw.
Shaw might have savored the pleasant parts of his adventure, yet considering over 10,000 meters of elevation gain, 56 percent rough roads, and a robust cargo bicycle adding extra load for him to push uphill through these challenging ascents, it was clear from the start that this endeavor would demand considerable effort.
“It wasn’t really an underestimation; I mostly focused on the figures but chose to overlook them somewhat,” Shaw explained.
I simply thought we’d take things as they come, which is pretty much what ended up happening… and dealing with a cargo bike can be quite challenging.
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