Badlands
Ultracycling through Europe's only Desert
Race Recap
Badlands 2023 ended up being a unique experience with extreme weather conditions forcing the organizer to utilize the back up extreme weather escape course. Racers endured the mountains, valleys, and clay of Europe's only deserts. They persevered through sleepless nights and long days.
Catch up on all this years edition and get a glimpse of what the riders journey looked like with our live journals below.
Previous Live journals
A Serious Undertaking
Europe's only deserts are an unforgiving onslaught of steep hills and high temperatures. Aptly named, Badlands is an ultracycling challenge of immense proportions, covering just under 800 km (500 mi) and 16,000 meters ( 50,000 ft) of climbing.
As September 3 approaches — the official start of the race — Velocio is taking stock of what's necessary to complete such an undertaking. We're documenting the highs and lows, and talking with past participants who have made it through the gauntlet of heat and hills.
Keep checking back for new podcast episodes, race preperations, and live coverage from the event.
Don't Speak Spanish?
No problem, read the transcript for the latest episode with the button below, or listen to the previous episodes recorded in English.
English Transcript
The Podcast
As Badlands approaches, Podcast hosts Maya and Olivia will be speaking with athletes, media, and organizers to discover what makes Badlands so special.
All Episodes
Episode 0: Olivia Dillon
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Velocio Director of Sales, Irish National Champion, and Badlands expert.
Episode 3: Organizers and Media
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Catch up with the organizers as final preparations are made for the race.
More to Come...
We'll talk with athletes, media, and be on the ground in Granada during the race.
Badlands Rewild
It's not lost on Velocio that the Badlands race goes directly through some breath-taking, yet fragile, ecosystems. Places that deserve to be protected.
As a leading sponsor of the event, Velocio is also supporting the Badlands Rewild project, taking action beyond Leave No Trace, to protect and restore the land so it can continue to be enjoyed for generations.
