The Utrecht Ultra is a 1000km long self-supported cycling race starting and finishing in Utrecht, The Netherlands, details can be found on https://utrechtultra.com
At the beginning of August I took on the ultra race ‘Utrecht Ultra’. This is relatively new race in only its second year but already attracting a 150+ plus field. The brains behind this is a man called Ruben from Utrecht. He has put together a great race that is ideal for seasoned riders as well as those new to the ultra scene. It is 1000km long with some set parcours, three mandatory control points with their own parcours and some free choice route selection.
Starting out at 6pm on Sat 3rd August from a cool trendy craft brewery in the suburbs of Utrecht we set off south towards Belgium. I was in wave three and quickly settled into a nice pace out along the river. Being a race there is no outside support allowed as well as no riding with others or drafting. My strategy was to go through the night and into the next evening until about 10pm so 28 hours of riding was ahead of me. After about 4 hours a welcome site, 24 hour Golden Arches get in there!! After fueling up I carried on and then it arrived……..rain and lots of it!!! What followed was 4 hours of solid torrential rain, thunderstorms and lightning. It is called character building lol. Anyway as the light came and the rain eased off I was making great progress down towards Belgium and my aim to reach control point 1 by late afternoon was firmly in sight. The weather on this second day got really warm and the terrain a lot more lumpy before I reached the CP1. This was in Huy and this the famous setting from La Flèche Wallone classic pro race, after getting the card stamped it was time to hit the wall, the legendary Mur De Huy. This climb is just brutal and had me on the limit on my fully loaded bike and the 20%+ gradient. What followed was a lovely rolling scenic route down through to the Ardennes towards control point 2. Getting my brevet card stamped at CP2 was a welcome sight as I headed up into the Ardennes for Bouillon and my hotel for the night. Just before I reached my overnight stop I stopped at a lovely bar/cafe for a well earned meal of crusty bread and soup and much amounts of chilled Fanta. After this I rolled down into town and my overnight stop, 460km done and ready for sleep.
I woke the following morning and set out of this sleepy town nestled in the foothills, the sun was on the rise and the temperature already picking up. This was going to be a tough day ahead but I was well rested and ready for what was ahead. The next few hours were just glorious as I headed north east towards Bastogne. This town is on the famous classic race Liege Bastogne Liege. Having seen the place many times on the TV it was amazing to witness in at firsthand. From here we set out on a glorious 50km cycle path of silky smooth tarmac rolling on north towards Germany and control point 3. Before this we had the mandatory parcours again and some lovely riding on gravel through the Eifel region and through the sleepy town of Monschau. Here we had to negotiate upwards of 25% cobbled gradients that put me on my limit. A short while later I rolled into control point 3 and that was the stamp on my brevet card. After taking a few minutes to refuel I set back out on the road for Aachen and an Ibis for my overnight stop. Here I ate, washed, slept and was up at 5am for the final 280km push back up to Utrecht.
This last section was a mandatory route we all took back to Utrecht. Out of Aachen I climbed to three country divide. This is a fascinating summit with a monument where the three countries of Germany, Belgium and Netherlands all meet. The markings on the ground show where the borders of the countries meet. After spending a few minutes to take it all in I was back on my way. The next 40km was very lumpy as we were taken over some of the testing climbs as used in the Amstel Gold Race and these certainly woke the legs up. What followed was glorious countryside and before long picked up the river path and cycle route. The sun was beating down, a light tailwind and the pedals were turning as I cruised northwards. Utrecht was in sight and I was well on target for a finish that evening. After a well earned Golden Arches stop the last few kms were rolling by as my tyres buzzed along the paths and Utrecht came into sight.
Exactly 1023km and three days and two hours later I rolled back into the brewery as a finisher of UU 2024. A beer awaited me along with some cheers from people gathering at the finish. This route and event is absolutely amazing and I recommend anyone to have a go at this themselves. I ended up with a final position of 60th which I was very happy with. The finishers party was a blast with beers and pizza flowing. Thank you to Ruben the organiser and roll on next years race.
