The Migration Race

There are certain rides and races that truly leave their mark. The Migration Race is more than just Gravel cycling, more than a race, it is a miraculous human experience, for the participants, organisers, and communities of Kenya (human and animal). Rare moments of life shared.

The Migration Race is a 600km Gravel race over four stages/days taking place in the territory of Masai Mara in the south-west of Kenya. The Masai Mara makes up one of the largest nature reserves in Africa, a vast expanse of grassy plains, savannah and hills, and home to an incredible diversity of wildlife.

Beyond its extraordinary herds of zebras and giraffes, the Masai Mara is home to the rich and vibrant culture of the Maasai (note the difference in spelling) people. Traditionally semi-nomadic, the Maasai tribe, despite the oppressive creep of modernity, succeed in the 21st century in preserving their ancestral traditions and enjoying a way of life in harmony with their natural habitat.

This week of racing would not be possible without men from the Maasai, omnipresent in the organisation, piloting the motos for photographers and journalists, setting up camp, watching over the whole entourage established in wild spaces that they know like the back of their hands. These men would also brighten up our evenings with their songs, dances and beautiful demeanour, always smiling.

A curious contrast to the Maasai’s simple approach to life out here, the cyclists from all over the world arrive with bleeping mechanisms and technological paraphernalia. The natives casually stoic, draped in their tartan shukas, machete on their belts, observe our trivial concerns for tyre pressure and GPS battery life as ‘modern’ humans a thousand miles from their own daily lives. They are constantly confronted with these quirks – their homeland attracts tourists from all over. Yet these two-wheeled tourists bring commerce, and this bike race happens to be one of the more curious (and dare we say it beneficial) forms of tourism that invades the pastoral life they have inherited.

The first day of racing for the Café du Cycliste Gravel Team was a thunderous affair. British racer Annabel Fisher rode the 140-kilometre-long stage to first place, with Spaniard Lydia Iglesias in third. Our Icelandic warrior Maria Gudmundsdottir and Belgian adventurer Isabelle Beckers rank in the women's top ten – a superb start.

For the male competitors, the race is even faster, with many of Europe’s top Gravel aces making the trip. The African riders are breath-taking, with Team Amani showing many how it’s done on this incredible terrain.

The first night’s camp felt like it had magically appeared in the middle of nowhere. Individual tents were set up, with showers and toilets, a refectory, and enthusiastic cooks already in action to feed 200 very hungry bellies. Over four days the organisation also succeeds in the remarkable feat of washing every rider’s bike, offering hot showers, and a mechanical service. The quality of the logistics is very impressive considering how everything must traverse difficult terrain – often steep, stony and muddy to places that aren’t often easy to find.

Day two is a mountainous one, the equivalent of a stage of the Tour de France but on tracks. 170 kilometres with 2800m of vertical that promises much for our riders. 10 kilometres after the start, however, Lydia falls. With hindsight, seeing the depth of the hole, the state of the smashed rim, the violence of the impact, the accident could have been much worse. Exhausted, she knows it means leaving her third place in the mud, and she cannot contain her tears. She can get back on the bike the next day though and that's all that matters, she didn't hurt herself too much.

At the same time Annabel has struggled with food poisoning; she will maintain her first place but not for long, the bug has made life difficult. And then Isabelle gets lost; a victim – like many during these four days – of a temperamental GPS. Lost in the bush without a GPS, she confessed to us on her arrival at the camp her anxiety out there in the middle of the wilderness. But Maria remains focused on the race, and the next days will smile on her...even if her bruises make her suffer.

She finishes the stage in the top three. Annabel understands that her intestinal problems have got the better of her excellent form, and Maria and Isabelle ride steady, Maria for the classification, Isabelle for the pleasure. That evening at camp a spectacle of rare grace, like a hallucination, presents itself. Over there on a ridge sway a tower of giraffes, the elegance of their wandering is sumptuous. The athletes have their tired eyes glued to the horizon. Our Maasai hosts are more numerous than usual too. The women have improvised a craft market, the men have lit a fire and are grilling meat for the group. A beautiful atmosphere for the penultimate night out here under African skies.

The fourth day offers a final stage of contrasting fortunes involving numerous occurrences and wild animals: Maria sees her steady efforts pay off and takes third place in the GC, thanks to her vast racing experience and determination. (The team is more than proud of her.) Annabel will endure another exhausting day – with just under 20km gone of the course her derailleur breaks and she is stuck in one gear for the remaining 150 kilometres.

The stage also has some 1800 metres of elevation. But Annabel being who she is, she wants to finish, and arrives at nightfall. Mixed feelings, but a truly memorable experience, nonetheless. These racing memories will occupy our minds for a long time, an indelible journey. What landscapes, what encounters, what emotions... The Migration Race is special, it's much more than just a Gravel ride.

Gravel Advice: Women of the CDC GT

We sat down with the CDC GT, our female trio of Gravel racers, to talk about women’s racing and community, and how it feels to be a female athlete in a traditionally male-focussed sport.

The Lauf Life

Conceived on the windswept and desolate trails of Iceland, Lauf are the bike sponsor of the Café du Cycliste Gravel Team. Having begun their journey as a suspension fork manufacturer, this fledgling brand now also produce beautiful carbon fibre bikes for gravel racing across varied terrain.

The Café du Cycliste Gravel Team

A new year and new season on the horizon for the Gravel Team. The all-female squad will once again test their endurance, spirit and commitment on an international circuit.

The Traka: The reference for European gravel

For the Café du Cycliste Gravel Team, arriving at The Traka is a little like visiting an old friend. There’s a familiarity born of previous experience and two of the team were winners last year (Annabel Fisher in the 100km and Lydia Iglesias in the 200km).