The Race
How is
Trans-Nomad?
Trans-Nomad powered by Orbea, celebrates its seventh edition in the Valle de Bielsa, one of the most magical corners with the best high mountain bike routes in the Pyrenees. This year, the Posets peak (3,369 m) will be the omnipresent witness to our great adventure.
In total, we’ll complete over 160 km of riding, accumulating more than 5000 meters of positive elevation and over 10000 meters of negative elevation. During our adventure, we’ll explore the Pyrenean valleys of Valle de Bielsa and Bal de Chistau, crossing mountain passes every day at altitudes exceeding 2000 meters, pedaling and carrying our bikes to truly incredible places.
This is an enduro blind adventure, with trails perfectly conditioned for you, featuring various types of terrain: alpine meadows, forests, and rocky paths. All surrounded by mountains towering over 3000 meters in height.
More than just a race, it’s a unique mountain biking experience. You’ll enjoy the high mountains with complete safety, thanks to our bike patrols and medical staff. The best refreshment stations and post-race relaxation await you in our chill area, complete with drinks and barbecues, courtesy of our logistics team. And you’ll rest comfortably in our hotel.
Concept
Pioneer event in Spain of backcountry enduro considered today as one of the best Trans format enduro race in the world. 5 events day and 4 race days into the wilder Pyrenees. Round trip route begining and ending in Bielsa (Huesca, Spain).
Entries are limited to 90 riders for environmental reasons. A good physical and technichal level of mtb-downhill for singletracks is required. It’s not necessary to be a superman or superwoman to come to Trans-Nomad but you have to be fitness, both normal riders and E-Bike riders.
Every day, 4-5 timed sections are completed, with stages ranging from 40-50 km and a positive elevation gain of 1500-2000 meters, along with over 3000 meters of negative elevation per stage. The race follows a backcountry enduro blind MTB format, entirely on high mountain trails. Participants cannot practice the sections in advance. The route will be revealed to participants one week before the event.
Additionally, each day, 1-2 shuttles are provided using vans equipped with racks to transport bicycles. These shuttles operate at the beginning of the day and after the midday refreshment stop. The timed sections are marked with tape, and the connecting segments are guided and feature signs at intersections. The timing system is Sport Ident, allowing participants the freedom to start without a predetermined order
Categories
- Men
- Women
- E-Bike
- Elite
- Master 30
- Master 40
- Master 50
Format
You can enjoy a high mountain adventure with complete safety. A team of 20 bike patrols will guide you through high mountain connecting sections and provide safety positions at the start, finish, and timed segments. Just in case, although we hope not to use it, we have a medical team on e-bikes and a nurse who will be present during the sections and at the hotel. We also have 4×4 vehicles for assistance in case of evacuation.
We provide you with the tracks and a comprehensive race book, and remember that even though the connecting sections and timed segments are marked, GPS usage is mandatory
Safety
5 days
3-5 timing sections per day
Shuttle service
Tracks
Chip timing
Catering and picnic
Race book
Mechanical Service
Accomodation
90 riders
Medical and Rescue Service
Media Team
Equipment
Mandatory and recommended equipment for Trans-Nomad
For the race
The most important, want to live and adventure and have fun. Despite of competition format, the most important thing is to finish the race without any problem or mechanical issues which force you to abandone the race.
About Equipment
- Full suspension All-Mountain/Enduro bike, featuring 140-160 mm of travel front/rear. This year E-Bikes are allowed too but with the same features than the other bikes (full suspension and 140-160mm). Although rigid bikes with enduro geometry are allowed too.
- Spare parts for the bike to prevent any stock issues in the technical service or the lack of very specific spares, such as the GEAR MECH/DERAILLEUR HANGER. Also, we recommend you bring all material you consider unique for your bike and that you won’t be able to get from the mechanical service.
Clothes and baggage
- Mountain bike technical clothes for a 5-day race: it must include warm clothes for cold, rain, and wind to protect you against high mountain weather changes in the Pyrenees. During the race, we recommend a windstopper and waterproof jacket with a water column rating of at least 2000 mm, and a spare long-sleeved technical top.
- For the night, we recommend warm clothes: feather anorak or down jacket, fleece, long trousers, mountain socks, spare shoes, technical long sleeved top and technical shirt for the 3 days of the race, 2-3 trousers and baggy/padded cycling shorts, toilet kit, flip-flops, and first-aid kit.
- A basic toolkit to repair basic breakdowns during the race. Every day, racers will be able to stop at the provisioning and technical service area to repair possible breakdowns, but these can happen after or before this point.
During the race (Mandatory)
Trans-Nomad powered by Orbea will make a TECHNICAL VERIFICATION of the riders material and it is mandatory that each participant has:
- GPS with race tracks uploaded.
- A full face or open face helmet and protections (knee guards are mandatory, and elbow and chin guards are recommended).
- Gloves.
- Backpack with a water bag of at least 2 liters capacity.
- Trans-Nomad face mask in transport and in the case of not being able to respect the minimum distance of 1.5 meters.
- Sun glasses.
- 2 energy bars and 1 energy gel.
- Whistle.
- Lighter.
- Thermal blanket.
- Windstopper and waterproof jacket.
- Long-sleeved thermal technical top.
- Bike spares: 2 tubes of the wheel dimension, pump, and gear mech/derailleur hanger adequate for the bike model.
- Multifunctional toolkit.
- Recommended (not mandatory): small first-aid kit.
Those racers that after inspection are found without this material could be penalized with an addition of between 1 and 5 minutes to their race time, depending on the severity of their fault.
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)
Trans-Nomad powered by Orbea will take place from 2nd to 6th of October, after breakfast. 5 event days and 4 race days. On 2nd of October welcome, check-in a will take place from 15h in Hotel Bielsa (Bielsa, Huesca, Spain). On 6th of October there will be a final party and ceremony. (2nd of October accomodation an 7th of October breakfast is included)
We wake up early, around 7h AM, to have breakfast.
Around 8h AM, your race will start from paddock or your shuttle will be ready to start the transfer of 30 minutes or 1 hour. Before starting our Race Office responsible will activate SPORTident timing chips. Remember you have to be on time.
In the morning we’ll make 2 timing sections with their links by paths or singletracks. At noon, in the middle of the route, you will find a feeding point with mechanical service to bring some drinks, food and repair your bike if you need it. You will find there hot pasta, fruit, ham, energy bars, sale drinks, water… but remember yo have to carry on water in your bag and at least two energy bars.
In the afternoon we’ll make another 2-3 timing sections before reaching the paddock and the hotel.
In the paddock area near the hotel you’ll find our Race Office where you must go to download your chips and getting your day times.
You’ll also find there our village and chill area where you could get some food and local beer. You could also wash your bike and we’ll save it in a safety area.
At 8h PM there will be a briefing mandatory for all riders. There we’ll show you all important issues for next day.
After that you’ll take a good and local gastronomy dinner and then resting at your accommodation to the next day.
You have to be fit and being used to high-mountain weather conditions to face long ridings, bike-carrying between 30 minutes and 2 hours, long downhills… but you don’t have to be superman or superwoman to come to Trans-Nomad! You just need to be fit an to be aware that you’ll be at high-mountain and the weather could change in some minutes.
About downhills it’s necessary to have a middle-high driving level on singletracks. All difficult sections will be marked before and protected by our bike patrols. You decide if you believe you can pass it or if you prefer to go by foot. The most important is to avoid crashes.
We calculate an average of 6-7 hours per race day including the whole route with an average of 30-50km, 1300-2000m of climbing and 1700-2500m of downhill.
Medical race service could value if your conditions are not the best to come to Trans-Nomad or to continue in the race. We’ll tell you about it and in this case you can’t come to the race or can’t continue the next day. In this case our cancellation policy won’t be applied and no refund will be possible.
No, in this edition you´ll have an accident insurance with your entrie for 4 racing days.
In spite you having another accident insurance, you´ll hive an official Trans-Nomd insurance too that cover all kinds of accidents and rescues for our race.
The system used is the internationally recognized system SPORTident. Each rider will carry two chips that must be activated each day at the Race Office before the start.
This system allows riders to start each stage when they want without scheduled start times. All riders must follow Bike Patrols instructions about it at each stage.
There will be no scheduled start times. Each rider can choose the starting order at each section respecting a minimum of 30 seconds between each rider. It’s one of the SPORTident timing system advantage.
If a participant reaches another in a special stage, they will have to respect the basic rules of race and as far as possible both riders should facilitate proper advancement and does not cause any kind of danger.
The start will be made individually after activating the SPORTident chip in the paddock area, except in the case of shuttle at the start of the stage. In this case, all the riders will be transferred in a single movement by bus/van.
Breakfast time will be from 7h to 8h AM and all riders must be prepared at 8h AM to activate their chips and start the race. Feeding point will be around 13h-14h PM and arrival to paddock area around 18h PM. At 20h PM there will be the breafing and at 20:30h PM the dinner.
If a rider can’t complete any stage or can’t start one day or can’t finish a race-day complete, he could continue racing the next days and he will appear also at the race ranking after all the riders who completed all timing sections.
If you have more questions or doubts about the race you can write us an email to info@trans-nomad.com and we will answer you as soon as possible.
Javier García
(Race director)
“Pyrenees are one of the best international scenes to develope this kind of race which combines different landscapes and high-mountain areas with long and wild singletracks perfects to enjoy a real downhill with an enduro mtb.”
