It’s fair to say the demand for ultra events has never been greater.
Once the audience for century rides has matured to a point where those distances are no longer enough to get them out training in the morning, thoughts turn to bigger, longer, tougher distances.
Whereas ultra-running – which has seen a similar uptick in interest – is defined as anything above marathon distance (26.2 miles), ultra-cycling’s distances are less clearly drawn, although 200km and upwards would generally meet the criteria.
That said, the capacity of a bicycle for much longer distances means the distance of an ultra can balloon into the thousands of kilometres.
The one consistent application of the rules, however, is the clock runs continuously from the moment you cross the start line.
One of the biggest players in the ultra-cycling scene is the Race Across Series (raceacrossseries.com) in Europe and Quebec, the creation of Frenchman Arnaud Manzanini.
He’s a man with a passion for ultra-cycling and wants to share it with as many people as possible.
On the road and gravel, and from 200km to 2,500km, the ‘semi-autonomy’ at the heart of the series means that, while riders receive no assistance out on the course, they are looked after in other ways, notably at ‘living bases’ where they can rest and recuperate, have their luggage carried between the bases and receive 24/7 safety tracking.
Ultras may never become mainstream, but Manzanini is driven to bring as many people into the fold as possible.
- Read more: Going the distance – inside the rise of mixed-terrain ultra-distance cycling events
Passion for adventure
A lifelong roadie, Manzanini raced at a high level in France, but didn’t have the requisite physiology to make it as a professional.
At 25, he left racing behind to focus on his career, but came back to the bike around a decade later following surgery.
“At this point in my life I wanted to ride with more adventure and discover landscapes, not just ride around a city on a criterium circuit. And that’s when I discovered the Race Across America (RAAM).”
Perhaps the most famous of all cycling ultras, this race – and it is very much a race – sees riders (either solo or in relays) race 3,000 miles from California to New Jersey.
It’s a single stage, with no specific rest stops – that’s up to a racer’s own goals and strategy. They’re followed by a support team in vehicles and it’s this, along with the high level of competitors and a requirement to secure qualification, that makes the barrier to entry so high.
Manzanini completed the race three times. “When I saw this race on my screen, I wanted to be on the start line. In my imagination, it was incredible to ride through a continent alone on the bike.”
How did it compare to being a road racer, where so much of your time is spent in the company of others, in the sharp-elbowed world of the bunch?
“In road racing you are so focused on your effort – it’s very intense. You’re constantly processing sensations in your body, which you need to address.”
There’s no shortage of road races in France, but something like RAAM? That’s what Manzanini wanted to import.
“In 2016, I decided to create my own. I didn’t want to just copy and paste it, though. In my vision of it, I didn’t see the rider being followed by vehicles."
From a first edition in 2018 with only 19 riders and three distances, by 2025 it had grown to 3,200 riders across eight events in two continents and multiple surfaces.
Distances range from 200km to a humungous 2,500km – twice as long as the legendary Paris-Brest-Paris audax.
“200km, you’re probably thinking – that’s not an ultra distance. But this is 200km only by the night. Riding at night is a key part of any ultra and is so different to riding during the day, so we feel that it’s a good introduction to the ultra world."
As someone who has ridden long distances in the past but never so far for so long, I regard ultras as a level of pain that I’m not willing to submit myself to.
Where does Manzanini think people summon the will and desire to ride an ultra?
“I think it’s people wanting to prove something to themselves,” he says. “When you compete in and finish any ultra – and it could be in running, swimming, cycling – you discover more about yourself, and you have the time to reflect on all aspects of your life: your job, your family, the things you want and don’t want.
“It’s almost like a meditation. When I rode through America, sometimes I felt like my body was on the bike but my spirit was some place else, disconnected from me.
"An ultra gives you humility. When you finish, you know who you are and I think that, for the future, you have more serenity and confidence to yourself.”
I asked Manzanini how he feels in the weeks after completing something as momentous as an ultra. Many who have completed a major goal after months, if not a whole year, prepping for it, will agree that a certain melancholy can engulf you in the down period post-event.
“I’ve hosted a [French language] podcast for the past six years [Ultra Talk] and I ask this question of all my guests.
"There are two sides to this. After you finish the race you are clearly happy at having done so, but days and weeks later it can be very difficult for your mindset.
"Suddenly the things that you created on the bike – the sensations, feelings, the feel-good endorphins – are no longer there and it could feel like a depression that develops. For me, it’s important to anticipate this, which will be very helpful to your future self.”
Sleep is key
Feeling safe in an ultra-cycling race may be the biggest concern for prospective entrants. Not just from the idea of being alone in the dark for prolonged periods of time, but from your own lack of sleep and rest making you a danger to yourself.
Forgoing sleep is something that can be somewhat fetishised in this world of extremes, but Manzanini had a solution.
“What we’ve observed is that, with social media, you get people communicating that they haven’t slept for X number of days – this isn’t healthy in my opinion, so I decided to stop this.
"We worked with a university on sleep and brought in a rule that states people must break for four hours in every 36 hours.
"We manage this with GPS, we know when riders stop and ride. This has been the rule in our series for three years now and I think we’re changing the mindset of ultra-cycling.”
They also have the Operational Management System (OMS), which keeps a constant watch over riders, tracking their movements, checking rule compliance and offering 24-hour assistance in case of problems on the road.
“Invisible but essential, it accompanies every pedal stroke and remains connected to all cyclists right up to the finish line,” states the Race Across Series website.
With so many races in the series across Europe, might we see a Race Across Series race in the UK, with LEJOG being such an iconic end-to-end?
“We have tried to develop one. In 2022 we came up with a route, from Scotland to Brighton – we’re just missing a local team to help stage it.
“When I develop a race in a country, I have a local team that is connected to the community in that country, and can explain the concept [of the series] locally.
"At the moment I do not have that team in the UK, but our hope is we do in the next two or three years, because the UK is such a beautiful country.”
So, if you’re still on the fence about riding an ultra in 2026, how can Manzanini persuade you?
“I think in life, everyone gets to a stage where they want to discover something new about themselves," he says. "That’s the key to life, to move, to progress, to take a risk.”
