Tour del Sufrimiento -- or no gain without pain

Staying in shape (pear shape?) and feeling good all year round. Even if you are an old fart like me. There is plenty of advice out there, so I aim to avoid giving any. This is not about technique or routines, just about places I know that make doing stuff outside fun, that somehow inject that extra energy or whatever it is, to make you get off your backside and hit the trails, on bike, walking or running, and slip into the sea for a bit of gentle cross training or safe open water swimming.

Typical coconut plamscape, Arroy Surdido, Samana

Where to start? I am right now in Samana, Dominican Republic.  A mountainous peninsula with the Atlantic on one side and the Bay of Samana on the other. On the Atlantic side most beaches are long and protected by coral reefs, calming the breakers and making swimming safe. On the bay side, the beaches are smaller, but also safe. The mountains are green – it rains a lot – and riddled with tracks and trails. These are mostly only known to the people who work the fields, as they use the tracks for getting in and getting their produce out on mule back. A word of caution! Most trails are not suited for the faint hearted, as they become treacherous in the rain. And like I said, it rains a lot. Notwithstanding that, there are plenty of all weather options and after a few days of sun most trails become doable. 

You know who with Samana backdrop

My penchant is cross-country mountain biking with a view to discovering new trails and good single-track, technical downhill routes. Most of the routes I describe are great for trail running and hiking. In fact some are more suitable for the latter two. Check out this for an idea of the fun to be had doing stuff outdoors in Samana

Before I get to specific routes, most of which I have posted on bikemap.net, I want to explain that I have lived on and off in the south of Spain, in the coastal mountains of Cabo de Gata; in Samana; in Cuenca, Ecuador; Trinidad and more recently Oxford. Yes, there is even some fun cross-country to be had in Oxford. So I have had time to try out lots of trails and get in some serious swimming. I have to say, my favourite place for swimming is Cabo de Gata, on account of the amazingly clear waters. The only downsides are the occasional stinger jellyfish invasions and the cold water from December to May. Samana comes next in the swimming stakes, thanks to the great beaches for good gentle open water swimming off Portillo and Punta Popy, to mention only a few cool spots. Cuenca lies in the mountains. There  ain't  no beaches. But to make up for it there is a great Olympic-sized pool. And swimming 40 lengths at 2500 metres elevation is brilliant altitude training (more on altitude training and Cuenca in later blogs, you are warned!). Trinidad has good swimming beaches, only sometimes the traffic jams make getting there no fun. I used to hike or bike over from Maracas valley to Maracas Bay or Las Cuevas beach to avoid the snarl ups.  And, no, there ain't  no beaches in Oxford either. But then again, you can’t even consider all-year-around outdoor activities there in the first place. On the contrary, Oxford is a proxy for the audience my blog is meant to reach. Because try as you might in Oxford, although you can have fun in the summer on the trails, you will need a decent winter break if you want to keep up the biking, running or Ocean swimming, or whatever it is you like to do outside.

Back to the DR. I recently took part in a regular cross-country mountain bike event called, appropriately, the Tour del Sufrimiento. No need to translate that. My friend Rafael Pouriet of PlanetBike has been organising this event since 1996. I first went in 2011. I wish I had found out about it earlier. It is very low key event in that it is not widely advertised or marketed. In fact it is only really known to insiders. And as I live a secluded life in Samana I managed to ride the local trails in blissful unawareness until 2010 of this three-day challenge in the central mountains of the Dominican Republic.

The Tour del Sufrimiento is held at the end of January every year. It takes you on trails and dirt roads (apart from the start and finish) from Jarabacoa to Constanza, Constanza to San Jose de Ocoa, and on the third day to Santo Domingo. The accumulated vertical climb is around 2000 metres every day. Each day there is an official time trial of about one hour’s ascent. The judges are officials from the National Cycling Federation. A lot of people don’t bother with the time trials, as their main concern is just making it. And lots don’t. I don’t have the official figures, but from my own observations I’d guess only about a half of those who set out make it all the way on bike. Some give up from complete exhaustion. Some because the bike broke. All kinds of people take part. From young, aspiring MTB cross-country racers to seasoned, die-hard mountain bikers and everything in between. Mostly blokes.

Sort of line up in Jarabacoa at start of the Tour 

The terrain is tough, the ascents are steep, temperatures range from plus thirties to below ten (at 2200 metres). Factor in the wind chill effect and it can get pretty cold, especially downhill. It can rain heavily too. And the sun can beat down on you. So you have to be prepared for extremes.

Basically Rafael offers various packages – from registration only to hotel accommodation (2 nights) with transportation of bags. And even a bus transfer from Santo Domingo to Jarabacoa for the start. For details in Spanish check this out.

Here are the costs -- if you think about it, it is probably the best deal you can find anywhere on this planet. Although there are events in Ecuador that don't cost an arm and a leg and are well worth taking part in (more in later blogs I promise):

Registration                                                    RD$2,500

With accommodation 1 night                              RD$ 3,200.00            

With accommodation  2 nights                           RD$ 3,900 or USD 200 for foreigners

With accommodation  2 nights, transfer from SD  RD$ 4,600 or USD 250 for foreigners

This year, like the two previous years, the weather was close to perfect. No or little rain, not too much mud on the critical sections, not too much sun. Most people arrive early on the day of the event to set off from Jarabacoa around 9 am. I stay at a small family run hostel   located between Rancho Baiguate (where the event usually kicks off)  and the centre of Jarabacoa. Here is the route I plugged into bikemap.net: You can find the GPS routes for the other two days there too.

By the way, there are the usual categories, from Open  (which includes Elite), Master A, B and C (me) and something called Sports (usually slower than Master C). The riders who want to compete in the time trial wait until they are given the starter’s order -- not a free-for-all, rather each rider is released at one minute intervals, starting with the nominally slowest on the first day, i.e. Sports. The Open or Elite start last. Only about half choose to compete. The rest set off after the break at la Cienega at their own pace. After all, all they are interested in, apart from enjoying the scenery, is getting to Constanza before dark.

Kids on the track -- pic courtesy montyculebramtb

The time trial is mostly climbing, with a few sections where you can get some speed up before you hit the next ascent. It takes a good hour (or 1 hour and 20 minutes in my case) to get to the finishing flag. It is quite a haul. After a break at the same spot, where the organisers provide drink and fruits (lots of bananas, sliced pineapple, honeydew melon and water melon) and usually chunks of rustic local cake or honey on slices of bread it is a good idea to get moving. It can get a bit chilly if the sun is hidden behind the clouds and there is still a long way to go before Constanza.

Hopefully the luggage arrives in Constanza before you do. When you get to the finish there are more drinks and cake and fruit. Accommodation is in small hotels. Not exactly five-star, but after a day in the saddle who cares? Food is all comida criolla, i.e. local. This year everyone was invited to a free pasta nosh up at the medal giving ceremony for the day’s winners. If you like spaghetti in tomato sauce, go for it. Otherwise there are a couple of places that do tasty food. And there is always pizza in a friendly pizzeria in the main drag.

Photo opp Contanza park

Day 2 starts off in the park. Big photo session. Then it is off in the direction of San Jose de Ocoa. This area is the country’s market garden. Full of fields of vegetables.  Mountains on all sides.  After about an hour and half there is the official entrance to the national park. This is where the time trial starts (after a longish break). The trail takes you to Valle Nuevo – reminiscent of the paramo landscapes of the Andes. At 2200 metres or so above sea level the mix of steppe and forest is impressive. After an hour at this elevation the dirt road starts to drop -- 22 kilometres of exhilarating downhill (not technical) to the desert like landscape at the base. 

Rafael (Planet Bike) running the lights at start of time trial day 3

Photo:  montyculebramtb

After a night in San Jose de Ocoa you start the toughest section of the whole event. The time trial starts in San Jose. For the uninitiated it is a rather daunting experience, because you ride straight through two sets of traffic lights, which always seem to be on red. And there is no friendly Mr Plod to hold back the traffic from either side of the main road. Scary. Assuming you survive this gauntlet after 2 klicks of main road you hit the climb, which seems easy enough at first. But it gets steep, especially after you leave the tarmac and peddle up dirt. The climb is a good hour’s slog. After the usual fruit and water stop at the finish of the third time trial the route is down and up three more times -- the accumulated ascent is 2500 metres -- before hitting the coastal plain and the coastal heat.  And only another 50 kilometres to go, only now it is along the motorway. No kidding. For this bit the best strategy is to find a big group of riders who know how to slipstream. Then it is fast and fun.

Winners in each category, final 

The finish with all the usual paraphernalia is in Santo Domingo. Certificates for those who made it, and a medal. Never seen so many medals. And as, at a guess, only half the starters finish on their bikes there are loadsa medals left over for the kids to play with. And you can tuck in and replace carbs with hot dogs and some local specialities.

All in all a great event. Every one is friendly. You get to meet people. You get to see some amazing scenery. You get to sleep in places you would probably not otherwise consider. And you eat so many bananas you won’t want to see another banana for another year. Honest. So if the idea of taking a winter break and getting in some serious cross-country mountain biking grabs you, I can highly recommend the Tour del Sufrimiento.

Of course, the DR and especially the peninsula of Samana offer good all-year-round sporting opportunities apart from bike riding (road and off road) and swimming. Take kite boarding in El Portillo for instance (check out the windguru or windfinder sites for the winds there). Mind you, you can’t beat Cabarete for good winds – it is no surprise to find Cabarete it is a regular venue for world sail boarding and kite boarding championships. Check this out. 

But if you can’t afford the flight to the DR, the best winter grounds for training and keeping fit I know are to be found in southern Spain, and in Cabo de Gata in particular.  Just have a look at this to whet your appetite.  From the UK there are good flights directly to Almeria, and to Murica, where car hire is sometime incredibly cheap – check this out. I am rather partisan when it comes to recommending places to stay as I rent my own place out when I am not there. It is, objectively,  er subjectively, a great gaff with own garden and plenty of room to swing a cat. Check it out, don’t take my word for it.  It is a great place for families and for groups of friends. You can also google Rodalquilar (slap bang in the middle of the Parque Natural Cabo de Gata and best base for biking and running – also features great beach close by at El Playazo) to find out more. And check out Bikemap.net for running and biking routes. Here is a favourite of mine.  And the fun doesn't stop with xc mtb riding, road biking, trail running, hiking and swimming. Old fashioned wind surfing aka sail boarding (again check out windguru for local beaches like Los Genoveses and Cabo de Gata) is mind-blowingly good with poniente and levante  winds. Scuba diving is so good, it is like taking drugs. Parapenting, another mind expanding experience, is there to be had. Warning, these sports can be addictive.

Go for it. 

If you want to contact me, feel free.