312 Kilometres Against The Clock
'Going Fast, All Day Long'
Back Again
Before this spring, I had participated in the Mallorca 312 twice. Whilst many people might view the event as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I’ve somehow ended up using it as a sort of threat to motivate myself. I use this threat to force myself to get fit through the UK's delightful dark and soggy winters when the sofa would otherwise be calling. Like all cyclists, I occasionally come off my bike, and every time I’ve signed up for the 312, I’ve been recovering from some sort of setback and not in my best condition. The sign-up period is about six months before the event, and its looming presence is all the inspiration I need to get on my bike through the darkest months and into spring.
This year, I was determined to beat my 2022 time, which, considering how fit I was then, would be a serious challenge. Luckily, working for Sigma Sports, I have access to an Aladdin's cave of go-faster equipment, excellent nutrition, and colleagues with tons of experience racing their bikes.
Everything In Balance
The watchword for the 312 is balance. Over its actually slightly less than 312 km, you climb and descend over 5000m. The road carries you through a hundred miles of mountain range before sending you out into the farms and backroads that make up the heart of Mallorca. The road surface varies from pristine smooth tarmac to rutted concrete covered in loose gravel. Push too hard at first and pay the price later; go too gently and miss out on the rapid pelotons of riders that form over the much flatter second half. Don’t forget to eat, don’t overeat, don’t overheat! The list goes on. Your equipment has to both suit your strengths and suit the course.
Photos kindly provided by Sportograf.com
The Perfect Wheels
I’m a bigger rider at 187cm, so the flatter second half of the course and the mountain descents are where I make up my time. The first big thing I wanted for this attempt was a top-end wheelset, optimised for bigger tubeless road tyres. I went with ENVE SES 4.5s and could not be happier with this choice. At my height, any weight penalty from wheels is essentially negligible, and the SES 4.5s allowed me to run 30mm Vittoria Corsa PRO TLRs at 60psi. The cornering confidence this gives you is just fabulous. More importantly, as the event enters its second half and fatigue levels start their endless ramp upward, the roads get worse and worse. Lower pressure, wider tyres take the sting right out of this challenge. The SES 4.5s were built for tyres this wide, so there is no aerodynamic penalty. As it happens on the day, the wind would be the principal challenge for every rider, with 40 km/h gusts throughout the day. I was incredibly grateful for the SES 4.5s’ stability, despite the 50mm deep front and 55mm deep back, especially on the faster descents. As I’d hoped, the SES 4.5s were perfect for the parcours.
The Fastest Clothing
You have to think about aerodynamics for an event like the 312. Savings counted in single watts add up to multiple minutes by the finish line, with every decision magnified by the length of the course. That means a skinsuit—in this case, the Castelli Sanremo BTW Speed Suit—paired with a new bit of aero wizardry, Castelli’s Bolero Baselayer. I am not going to pretend I know how it works, but apparently, it’s all been inspired by something Chris Froome did at the Tour de France that the UCI tried to ban. What I really wanted was the chamois pad in Castelli’s bibs; if you’re going to sit on something for at least 10 hours, you’ve got to be certain it’s comfortable. Castelli’s Progetto X2 Air Seamless is, for me, the best place to rest your behind in cycling, and so it proved.
All About Eating
My final big consideration for this year’s attempt was feeding. We know one of the biggest differences in elite cycling from the past is the ability of riders to rapidly absorb carbs. It feels almost miraculous that the technology that allows the pros to do this is now available to weekend warriors like me! Maurten has transformed what I eat during cycling events. I can feel that in my stomach—the ease with which their products go down towards the end of long efforts—and the power increases I can see on my Strava files towards the end of long events. On race day, I started out drinking bottles of Drink Mix 320 and eating their smaller gels, the GEL 100, swapping over to their more hydrating Drink Mix 160 and bigger gels, the GEL 160, as the day progressed. Being able to drink more and eat less often as I got more tired and the temperature rose was absolutely vital.
It's Just How Cycling Is
So, how did it go? Well, I went slower! But what about all that kit? It did everything I wanted it to do, but sadly, cycling doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The wind decided that this year, it would not be playing ball. The mountainous part of the race featured a constant, punishing headwind, and although I was a tad lighter, put out more power, and had more aerodynamic kit than last time, there is just not a lot you can do about that. Whipping crosswinds on the downhills also meant more cautious and therefore slower descents were a necessity. Combined with some bad luck with traffic stops and that was enough for me to spend seven more minutes on course, for a total of 10:48:32. Over the second two-thirds of the course, I did better power and went considerably faster than I ever have before, but it wasn’t quite enough. Although my moving time of 10:20:23 meant an average speed just over 30 kph and there’s nothing quite like a big round number to make you feel better.
