queen of the desert

BikingMan Oman

By Soigneur

March 8^th, 2019

Throughout 2019 Soigneur will be bringing you images and words from the BikingMan series, six ultra-cycling events in the some of the most challenging and beautiful terrains on earth. Together the events comprise the unassisted ultra-cycling World Championship, and the first race was in Oman.

Jasmijn Muller continues to surprise herself. The Dutch woman came to cycling relatively late in life. It was only after moving to London in 2007 that she caught the racing bug. Discovering that she was, in her words, ‘pretty rubbish’ at bike handling and riding in a group, Muller found her métier in long-distance time-trialling, something the British have a peculiar fondness for. In 2017 she became National and World 24-hr Champion and moved on to the legendary Land’s End to John O’Groats long-distance record. But her three attempts were hindered by ill health and unfavourable weather, so this winter Muller has pressed the reset button. A new challenge was needed.

On February 24th she found herself in Barka City, Oman, with over 1000km and 7500m of climbing ahead of her. In Bikingman terms, the Oman race is short, but the desert heat, strong winds, exposed roads and sections of gravel, make this a tough proposition. Not having competed in an ultra-cycling event before, Muller wasn’t sure what to expect and had modest ambitions. ‘Before the race I took last year’s women’s winning time and added ten hours, that was my target,’ she says.

She was, however, well-prepared. Her clothing was designed to work in 30 degrees during the day and 5 degrees at night; her food supplies included electrolyte replacements, oats, bananas and just a bit of seaweed; and her bike – a trusted Scott Foil TT bike - set up with gears that took the climbing into consideration.

After a fast police escort away from the start, the peloton began to fragment as the road undulated. Muller found herself in the lead group, close to Rodney Soncco, the eventual overall winner, and realised she might do better than she’d envisaged.

The route took in the Hajar Mountains, including the feared climb of Jebel Shams, which climbs 2121m with an average gradient of 8%. Ramps of up to 20%, plus sections of gravel make it one of the toughest climbs in the region and Muller was rightfully fearful of its reputation. Shortly after the steep opening section she began to get hamstring cramps so painful that she couldn’t pedal, or even unclip her shoes. Very slowly she wobbled and fell to the ground before extricating herself from her bike and walking for a while. She walked the gravel section near the top too, but says it was ultimately a positive move. ‘I said to myself not to panic, to keep eating and drinking, and my legs were rested from walking. And there was still over 700km to go…’

Over the summit, Muller took in a beautiful sunset as the long descent to the coast started. A young British woman, Georgina Panchaud, had overtaken Muller on the climb but had opted to stop and sleep on top of the mountain. Muller’s strategy involved replacing sleep with caffeine chewing gum.

She couldn’t afford to relax however. The helpers at the second checkpoint told Muller that Danish woman Helle Bachofen Von Echt was chasing closely behind, and Muller was concerned that the final 40km included a 7km stretch of gravel. On her stiff and unforgiving TT bike, would she even stay upright?

‘We came off the main road and hit the gravel, and it was loose and bumpy and hard to ride. When my computer said we’d got to the end of the 7km stretch I celebrated. And then it not only carried on but got worse! Somehow I found the courage to say, you can do this. I was really swearing a lot, I was just trying not to fall off, with stones flying all around, but by the end it was the highest of highs.’

Muller finished in 45 hours and 37 minutes, first woman and ninth overall. Helle Bachofen Von Echt finished less than an hour later.

Incredibly, Muller says that afterwards she barely felt tired. Whether it was the adrenaline of the adventure or the euphoria of winning, she felt like she could have gone on racing.

Bikingman founder and race director Axel Carion saw it too: ‘Jasmijn is incredible, she reached the finishline during the night, without looking even tired! The light in her eyes though, showed a burning fire for the unsupported ultra-cycling game.’

So what plans does Muller have for the rest of the year? More Bikingman events?

‘I had planned only to do this one event, and with work and family I don’t have a lot of time, but… that event in Portugal looks pretty cool. And with these kind of races I’ve definitely found my thing.’