“To succeed at Further you need to be part road cyclist, part mountain biker, part hiker, part fell runner, mostly belligerent, an expert strategist and with a broad vocabulary of swear words. being an olympian might also help. Or you can just do your best and see what happens”
- Jo Burt (Rider, Further #1)
Further: 23rd - 26th August 2019, the inaugural edition of a bike race set in the Pyrénées. 500+km and 12,000+m of climbing / hiking / bike carrying, over pretty brutal terrain and mountain passes.
Camille, the race creator (who was described as having "très bon goût" when I explained the concept and route to two local hikers I met on the top of Port d'Aula), had asked me to pick a theme to shoot during the long-weekend of racing. Probably unsurprisingly I chose "landscapes".
The nature of the race made it particularly difficult to cover its entirety (with high-mountain border-crossings only accessible on foot requiring 4+ hour loops by car to navigate around), here are the images captured from a few choice spots along the way...
See the film images.
The "secteurs" are shown below, along with each rider's finishing point. Riders were free to connect up each secteur as they wished.
The dining tables are ready to welcome the riders and supporters, at the wonderful Zero Neuf accommodation (and base of race operations) in Gaudiès.
There's time to relax and socialise...
...along with some final bike prep.
The BBQs are fired up.
Each of the bikes undergoes a mandatory safety check (verifying condition / set up and also required items for the self-sufficient ride ahead).
Riders sign in, receive their SPOT tracker, and gather for the briefing.
Bikes are dropped off at a road junction a short distance away - the start, a "Le Mans" style run across the field.
Some light gravel to get things started off. The secteur takes the riders South, towards the base of Mont Fourcat (2001m) the location of the first, and only, checkpoint.
A gravel descent into the the stunning Gorges de la Frau.
Time to break out the bivi bag and bed down for the night. A perfect spot to shoot sunset, the night sky, then sunrise.
Tim O'Rourke negotiating an early-morning blockade at the top of Col du Port.
Heading up to the border between France and Andorra; Port du Rat (2540m).
Negotiating the long ascent up the valley, the road culminating just above the dam at Étang de Soulcem. The climbing continues however; another couple of hours of gravel and rocks, steepening to the point where the bike needs carrying for significant portions of the track.
The "road" conditions progressively worsen as the border is neared.
Nestled between secteurs 8 & 9, the ascent of Port d'Aula (2260m) involves a 2 to 3 hour hike-a-bike, mostly following nothing more than vague cattle paths. It marks the border between Spain and France and the final border crossing of the race.
Descending back into France. Finally something rideable...
Taking in the views on the long drive back round into France and to the finish.
Rolling in at all hours. 8 out of 27 riders / pairs finished the entire course.
For more information, see the Further website and the race tracker at Follow My Challenge.
Thanks to Camille McMillan, to all of the riders and the supporters who made the journey over, and to the sponsors: Café du Cycliste, Mason Cycles and Hunt Bike Wheels.
© 2026 Greg Annandale
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