Spectrum: Last week we heard about the plans of the Swiss fixie athlete Patrick Seabase berichtet, wanting to tackle one of the most difficult stages in the history of the Tour de France on a fixie – yesterday evening at just after eight o'clock he arrived at the finish in Bayonne. After 309km and more than 7.000 meters in altitude. He had conquered the Tour d'Assassin.
15 hours and 52 minutes after the start, Seabase got off his bike in Bayonne. Since the trainers and support staff ordered him to take a break or two in between, the pure travel time from Bagnères-de-Luchon to Bayonne was actually just 12 hours and 52 minutes. "I don't know how I got here. For the first time in my life I doubted myself, not sure if I could do what I set out to do." said the visibly battered Seabase shortly after crossing the finish line.
When he set off on the Col de Peyresourde in the light of the full moon, he was still full of energy, the motivation was still huge. It almost felt like "as if someone were pushing me up the mountain," Seabase later stated. With really surprising ease, he also conquered the Tourmalet with its gear ratio that was actually far too high and seemed as if it were a ride like any other. But the slump came - at the Col d'Osquich, which actually looks harmless on paper with its not even 300 meters in altitude. "Afterward, my legs felt like they'd been beaten with clubs," the Swiss reported afterwards. His sports director, the German ex-professional cyclist Danilo Hondo, also played a major part in the success: "[...] finally I had to help him through the dark moments by telling him that it would soon be flat again and that he would be able to recover." said Hondo later.
In the end it was just a matter of will – my legs were tired and every hill, no matter how small, on the final kilometers to Bayonne was a challenge. In the end he made it and achieved the goal he had set for himself: “I'm the type who likes to achieve my goals. It's the first time I've announced a performance in advance - that created pressure. I am extremely happy that I made it.”
Hats off to Patrick Seabase!