Rob Britton, former pro road cyclist turned ultra-endurance racer, shares the untold story of his Badlands win—a brutal 38-hour desert race across Spain. We dig into his pacing strategy, sleep deprivation tactics, and the serious physical toll these events take on the body, plus why he's already eyeing his next ultra in Patagonia despite lingering injuries.
Key Takeaways
- Front-loading effort and establishing a gap early can be decisive in ultra-endurance events—Rob's 'attack' with 550km to go at just 330W (which extrapolates to a 600W effort over 48 hours) was enough to break the race open for good
- Strategic food management at refuel stops is critical; being trapped between major stops with only two bananas and a Coke forced Rob to enter 'cruise control' and moderate effort for 13+ hours overnight
- Ultra-endurance racing causes serious post-event complications—nerve damage (numb hands, tingling feet), sciatica, hip dysfunction, and sleep disruption can linger for weeks and derail race calendars, even for experienced athletes
- Short power naps (7 minutes) during ultra events are surprisingly effective because fatigue is so severe you'll sleep anywhere; Rob napped on gravel roadsides and concrete without gear, proving comfort matters less than nervous system recovery
- Pacing by feel rather than power is more sustainable for multi-day efforts; Rob sat at around 220W early and dropped to 180W later, but rigid watt targets would have caused earlier collapse
Expert Quotes
"I spent a career racing in the most beautiful places in the world yet you don't ever really get to experience them—all you see is hotel, team bus, wheel on front, team bus, hotel. I would love to be that guy more often."
"When you go back and look at what that was it was like sitting at 220 for a really long time and then it's like after 24 hours it was like 180... if you tried to ride a power I think you would just crumble."
"I don't think [ultra-endurance events] are that good for you... doing three of them in a year just doesn't seem like a good idea. My body definitely revolts after the fact but I maybe question its health and like its actual long-term effects."