Laurens ten Dam’s Transcordilleras-winning bike & strategy for 1,000 Colombian gravel KMs in 3 days

Transcordilleras is a bikepacking gravel race in Colombia. There are 3 events: a 3-day stage race, an 8-day stage race, and the 1,000km non-stop, where participants can go as far as they can each day, sleeping wherever they decide. Former Tour de France top-10 finisher Laurens ten Dam came to Colombia with a Specialized S-Works Epic mountain bike equipped with a Shimano GRX gravel drivetrain, road handlebars and aero extensions – plus *two* Wahoo Elemnt computers, just in case…

He won the race in record time, sleeping just over 7 hour for the entirety of the competition that took races high into the Andes with some 66,000ft of climbing, and down into the sweltering lowlands.

I caught up with Laurens at the finish in Santa Fe Antioquia.

Still photos courtesy Transcordilleras and BikeRadar.

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We are in Santa Fe antiochia with the man the myth the legend Lauren tin Dam who completed 1,000 rugged kilom in 3 days I just rode 300 km in 3 days I slept in a soft bed every night and it felt like a lot congratulations man nice

Work thank you your bicycle is like you it’s a piece of work here my at first glance my favorite piece thus far is the little shorty Arrow bars with The Quon yeah incaps I still got to find a way for to Def to raise them because

Actually this is like a mix and match last minute buildup you know in order to to test the bike already for two divide yeah but you as you see this is not over here they’re not cut yet because it’s actually those are my arrow bars for my

Uh G bike and if I use them I’m really Arrow you put it further out yeah further out and but I wrote further Scotland with it like that and I couldn’t walk for 5 days when I finish that ride after 26 hours you know in air

Is not possible so I want that thing in Scotland but I was like it can I cannot race like that to divide yeah so I shortened them but now I need also find a way to raise them so probably here are spaces needed or whatever so it’s still

A a project to be built but the basics is like a full suspension yeah with the drop bar will be will be like this I think so specialized s Works Epic full suspension uh Pro what’s the what’s the bar Pro bar it’s the same bar as on my G

Bike okay so I I’m a roadie at the end you know so I like Drop bars yeah and I put the extenders I put a like a a light light with a with an auu you know with a so so no Damo so I’m still testing next next

Month I’m going to test the Dynamo Hub if I like it better oh oh yeah yeah Dynamo Hub yes yes yes to have uh to have electricity yourself right to be totally self-sufficient wo I got a spare one with me but I didn’t use

It but I lost my w in the last Ulta I did so then I had to wait for the number two and then we rode together to the finish so never never go to happen again I so is this wire going to a an extra battery what is what is this what is

This oh no that’s just a clip I thought that was a wire coming off Hol got to stay man on your left in The Villages you got to move the people around what up per get out of the road nice how many hours did you sleep

Do you think all told for 1,000 km 3 hours the first night yeah 3 and 1 half hours the second night and 45 minut minutes the third night so in total it would be 7 hour 15 nights yeah are you sleeping in a bed are you sleeping by

The side of the road first night was checkpoint yeah hotel and then two times Hotel yeah but I took my beefy with me so I could sleep in in the ditch okay but uh also the third night was not planned to sleep that short but I woke up after 35 45

Minutes and I saw R is close like 2 3K yeah and I thought like that might not go sleep you know so either way I turn around and lose the race yeah or I got like this and SLA myself in the face and let’s get going

And I did the last one and I I hoped still he was going to sleep and then I had the easy night but he wasn’t so we had like a Dr race all the way to the Finish oh wow wow two more questions worst part of trans cordier non-stop

Best part trans cordier worst part was the right to PTO berio when it was like a th000 degrees Yeah like it was so hot and I did it at 3 pm and Robie was going and I was like you can win it I just need to back down back off now so

We passed the river I swim in the river for a few minutes yeah then I was laying in a creek for a few minutes I found a girl and I could shower with her but the shower was hot because there was a rooftop uh you know bucket on the roof

It was like a heated shower is not what you want and then I was like in a shed for 90 minutes somewhere at the kiosk and then I went to the hotel I arrived at 7:30 and I heard Rob was there only 50 minutes before me so I was

Like okay he must have been suffering too you know yeah and then I woke up at one and I rode through the night and then it was actually perfect because then the night was better and the best part was maybe that day after that day because I was great scenery I had good

Legs I was I was 6K in front actually the very best part was uh checkpoint 2 okay there a big party going on when I arrived I had pizza I had tacos I had a beer okay I stayed there maybe for 90 minutes way too long but we Ino

Or people there I’ve been there on training camp at Dum okay so I I know that last year we were there the week before the race so I know them pretty well yes so I couldn’t go within 30 minutes they all want to pictures and

Yeah so we were there at uh at Toyota so there’s Scarab bicycles there’s a coffee shop toyata Brewing yeah fr’s close we were having pizza there and beers yeah it was a big social thing and some nonstop nonsters would come in and they’d be like I can

Go out on the road by myself where I can stay here with the party so I stayed for a while I was also 60k in front back then you know uhhuh and uh the big take takeaway would be for me race is never over I gave up and Robbie was going when

I was overheated mhm but you know at the end it was only 48 minutes difference and I lucky I won and uh really happy with the win and a few things to test because I have not my BS are not sorted out and like I said the Damo and the

Lights are not sorted out but overall really happy with the bike for uh two divides you know like let’s go try to do the big one all right good luck thank you congratulations we’ll let you pack your bag catch a flight thanks Lawrence y I’m proud of everyone who finished

Because I did the whole whole course too and I think for everybody who made it here to uh Santa Fe you know it’s a big accomplishment and I think you all feel also your body your body will be sore but it makes the the nice feeling afterwards makes it even better you know

So the sorer the feel the better you feel tomorrow and the day after so thank you for being part of the community it’s it’s growing man Maro like I remember the first year we were here and I didn’t need a mic if I need to speak say

Something you know so it’s growing and I think this is the limit you told me but like this it still is like the nice underground feeling so this press everywh marito I think you saw that already and uh I think uh we have to keep it like this and U hopefully I see

A lot of you guys next year bye [Applause] Right