Trans-Provence and the Stone King Rally both limited rider numbers. But now anyone can trace the route and experience the journey
The concept of a six-day enduro stage race, in which every trail is ridden blind, captured the imagination of a new breed of mountain bikers when the Trans-Provence launched way back in 2009. By no means the first blind race, it was the first of its kind to adopt an ambitious multi-day format, and stood alone in this regard for quite some time. Six days, 24 stages, utilising shuttles to maximise the distance covered – yet always balancing the assisted uplifts with the need to climb under your own steam – along with a real emphasis on superlative descending, became a hallmark of the Trans-Provence experience. And all down to the vision and obsession of one man: Ash Smith.
His addiction to mapping and exploring the dense network of trails that has developed across the Alpes-Maritimes area over centuries of human habitation, and sharing them with riders from across the world, has driven Ash’s evolution from mountain bike guide to pioneering race organiser. His latest project is the Stone King Rally and it’s the culmination of this mental and physical mapping of south-eastern France over the last two decades. So while his latest six-day odyssey is by no means a one-man operation, it’s his habitual trail scouting that has sparked the flame and fuelled the fire.
STONE KING
At first glance, the Stone King Rally is simply a re-badging of the decade-long adventure that was Trans-Provence. However, the reality is very much different. While some of the classic elements remain, the end result of this colossal project might end up being so wide-reaching that the effects will be hard to measure.
Whilst Trans-Provence – and the subsequent guided trips for those who might have missed the cut for the race and still wanted to experience the trails – might have served as the all-singing, all-dancing realisation of Ash’s vision, there is a marked difference between the original event and the Stone King Rally.
In fact, few realise that after the final Trans-Provence, that was very nearly the end. Over the decade of Trans-Provence, the options for new routes had been exhausted. With the French national parks being off limits to bikes, the only other direction to head had terrain that seemed like a backwards step.
THE NEW ROUTE OFFERS MUCH MORE OF A BLANK CANVAS
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