The Dark Side of Ultra, Badlands, and more with Chris Mehlman

In this "ultra-coded" episode, Thomas is joined by American
ultra-distance gravel racer and writer Chris
Mehlman to break down his 3rd place finish at the
Badlands race in Southern Spain and to talk
about his “The Dark Side of Ultra Racing” piece.


Chris shares his approach to preparing for one of the most brutal
780-kilometer ultra-races on the calendar, detailing the mental
battle of pushing through extreme heat and two sleepless nights
in the unforgiving Gorafe Desert. It’s a deep dive into the
meticulously planned logistics and fierce competitive spirit
required to stand on the podium alongside the toughest racers in
the world.
Topics in this Episode:


The Meticulous Prep: How Chris mapped out
every single potential food and water refill point—down to
fountains and convenience stores—kilometre by kilometre to
survive the long, unsupported stretches in the desert.


No Sleep, No Tracker: Chris shares why he
never looked at the race tracker during the race to manage
stress, and why missing sleep for 40 hours was a necessity to
stay competitive in the 780 km event.


Littering and Drugs: Chris wrote about
littering issues and a pack of Tramadol found on the Badlands
course. We talk about “the Dark Side of Ultra”


Tour of Detours: After Badlands, Chris went
straight to the UK for a multi-day, 1,500 km bikepacking trip
covering England and Wales.

Featured in this Episode:


Chris Mehlman: Ultra-Endurance Cyclist and
writer. Read his work on his Substack and
follow his journey on Instagram.


Thomas Euler: Host of the Gracing Podcast and
author of the The Gravel Stack Newsletter.
Follow Thomas on Instagram



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