The weekend saw the start of the 2019 Mavic Trans-Provence; the last ever running of the legendary week-long on-sight racing enduro adventure.

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Mavic Trans-Provence Day 1

• Start: Barcelonnette
• Finish: Villars-Colmars
• Distance: 51.48km
• Ascent: 1794m
• Descent: 3313m
• No. of Special Stages: 4

Dawn rises on the Col d’Allos as the first wave of riders open their accounts at Mavic Trans-Provence 2019. The rain and isolated claps of thunder of Day 0 are long gone as the shuttles climb through the thin inversion to top out at 2250m into a bright morning sun.

Four stages greet riders on Day 1, with the day taking in 1794m of ascent with almost double that number in descent as they make their way from the Ubaye Valley to the Verdon and the forests above Colmars. Those riders who have raced previous editions of Trans-Provence will no doubt find the opening liaison familiar, only to be following an altogether different route under a stifling Summer sun.

Day 1 isn’t the fiercest in terms of climbing or out-and-out descending, but it was still enough to test even the best of the bunch as they learn to read a trail and find their speed. The heat was the real enemy as an initially very cool day turned out to be fiery enough as the day wore on.

The time sheet will show where riders stand after the opening 51km, but there’s plenty more blind, time trail exploration to come where they can make good their Day 1 mistakes.

General classification after Day 1

Mavic Trans-Provence Day 0: the prologue

Barcelonnette hosts Camp Zero for the opening shakedown of Mavic Trans-Provence 2019. The sky is blue and the sun is out as riders from fifteen countries shuttle their way along the final leg of the journey to the start line.

The optional Day 0 prologue stage is a sinuous ribbon through some ancient, twisted pine here in the Ubaye Valley offering riders the opportunity to make sure their bikes and bodies are in full working order for the week ahead.

The Mediterranean sea beckons, but there will be a cool 308km of blind, timed trail exploration in between here and Menton in a week’s time.