BONUS: The Jumbo Wild 600: Sveino Goes Ultra

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The biggest bike race of the year has just wrapped up; the Jumbo Wild 600…

What did you think I was talking about?

If you haven’t heard of it, the Jumbo Wild 600 is an Ultra Cycling race in the wild heart of British Columbia’s Kootenays. The race was created by none other than my old mate - and the co-host of the Life In The Peloton Chronicles - Svein Tuft.

Sveino has just finished racing the inaugural edition, and I do mean just…literally 12 hours before we sat down to record! I had to hear how it went, and open up a conversation about the mythical world of ultra distance cycling. That’s what this month’s episode of The Life in The Peloton Chronicles is all about.

Ultra cycling as a discipline has actually been around since the very first days of people deciding to race their bikes. What was the inaugural edition of the Tour de France way back in 1903 - with riders racing pretty much completely self-sufficiently over 2,500kms split into just six stages - if not an ultra race? Original races like Paris-Brest-Paris and Bordeaux-Paris kept that ultra cycling movement alive among the pros, who used them as warm up races for the longest monuments like Paris-Roubaix or Liege-Bastogne-Liege back in the day.

Since things like GPS computers and lightweight bikepacking bags came about, Ultra cycling has become more accessible and more and more people are giving it a go.

The world of ultra distance is one that Sveino’s become very experienced in since retiring from the pro pelo, and I’ve even had a little dabble myself. It’s a totally different type of bike racing that demands a very specific set of skills. Hearing how Sveino’s 730km epic went whilst it’s still so fresh in his mind was super cool, and you can really get a good idea of how much these races can take out of even the strongest riders.

Of course, he didn’t just race it, he organised it as well. You might think that organising an ultra race is pretty straightforward; just set out a GPX file, set a date, and send a bunch of riders off into the wilderness with a “see you in a few days!”. Well, I can tell you there is heaps more that goes into it. With a route alternation because of some pretty scary forest fires in the run up to the event, it sounds like Svein had a harder time organising this one than riding it!

Guys it was so great to chat to a (pretty tired) Sveino and hear how his race went, as well as dive into this world of Ultra cycling and the things that make it so special, so I hope you enjoy listening to us spin a yarn.

Get yourself in the ultra racing spirit; crack open a red bull and your favourite processed servo snack, deprive yourself of a good nights sleep, and have a listen to this month’s Life In The Peloton Chronicles.

Cheers, Mitch