The ultra-cycling event Bikingman is coming to France, specifically to the Côte d’Azur, where around a hundred participants will explore stunning locations in the south of France on a 1,000 km route with over 20,000 meters of elevation gain.
Founded by French explorer Axel Carion in 2016, BikingMan is a series of self-supported ultra-cycling events. These races combine adventure raids, cycling, and self-transcendence. In 2021, France will host BikingMan with about a hundred adventurers attempting to complete this race in less than 120 hours. Each participant, as in all BikingMan events, must manage their progression, supplies, repairs, and rest without assistance (no support vehicle). Solo or in pairs, each competitor has a year to prepare for the adventure.
An Adventurer Leading the Project
Axel Carion is a renowned explorer known for his cycling exploits across the globe. “My passion for cycling came to me thanks to a friend who invited me in 2011 to a biking expedition: the proposal was to cross Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, and Moldova, in less than 10 days. At that time, I had no experience. This incredible journey changed my life. I see only advantages in traveling by bike, particularly the autonomy. Cycling is kind of my magic potion,” he says. This adventure enthusiast currently holds the speed record for cycling across South America (from Cartagena in Colombia to Ushuaia in Argentina). With Swede Andreas Fabricius, he managed to complete 10,685 km and 74,600 meters of elevation gain, without assistance, in a record time of 49 days and 23 hours.
The South in the Spotlight
Through BikingMan, the 34-year-old explorer has already gathered over 700 enthusiasts in spectacular territories like the Sultanate of Oman, Corsica, Laos, Peru, Portugal, and Taiwan. “It was upon returning from an expedition in South America in 2015 that the idea for such a project came to me,” he explains. “I spent 185 consecutive days on a bike, had time to think, and my desire to share this raid and adventure experience gradually matured.” At the end of that year, Axel Carion created his company, and the first edition took place the following year. This year, scouting for the 2021 edition was done after lockdown. Axel Carion, accompanied by five veterans of previous BikingMan races (Swiss, French, and Belgian), explored the 1,000 km dizzying route starting from Le Cannet (06) in less than four and a half days. The route includes passages on the most picturesque cycling routes of the region’s six departments while highlighting the verticality of the Alps and the challenge of its passes. “The Côte d’Azur is my base camp; I train there constantly,” says Axel Carion. “I first went to create some crazy experiences abroad and have always wanted to return to France someday, especially in the South region, which I consider one of the most beautiful areas of our country with an exceptional variety of landscapes and terrain.”
The 2021 edition is open to all, “as long as you are able to testify to experience in endurance and adventure.”
Only about a hundred pre-registrations will be selected to start in 2021. Pre-registrations are still open: https://bikingman.com/fr/france/
