Sofiane Sehili, cycling without sleeping

Sofiane Sehili is first of all a smiling French guy who transmits passion and enthusiasm, but he’s also an athlete able to win many of the toughest races on the planet, like Silk Road, French Divide, Atlas Mountain Race or Italy Divide, arriving second or third in many others. Some days ago Sofiane visited Miss Grape headquarters and we had the chance to have a long chat with him while listening to his stories.

Sofiane, everyone is talking about you. Who are you and how did you start practicing ultracyling?
I’m an ultra endurance racer and an adventure cyclist based in Paris. Since 2010 I’ve toured over 100.000km, visiting more than 40 countries on 5 continents. My first experience with races was the Great Divide: in 2014 I pedaled along the Great Divide Mountain Bike route in the United States. I heard that every year people would gather on this track to race nonstop, day and night, with the clock never stopping. Obviously I thought they were crazy, but the idea of taking part in this race made its way into me. Two years later, I came back to the course to race it and finished 3rd. It was much harder than I imagined but I got hooked and my ultracycling career began.

What’s your favorite bike setup?
I like to race with a hardtail MTB and rigid fork, with 2.25 tires. It’s light and fast and allows me to tackle any terrain. Lately I’ve been racing rougher courses so I’m thinking of maybe adding a front suspension for more comfort. When you spend 18 to 20 hours a day on your bike, comfort is speed. I like to use a full frame bag to make the best of the space offered by the front triangle. It’s also very convenient for me as I like to use a water bladder for hydration. I always have a Node top tube bag for my batteries, cables and chargers. I use two Bud food pouches as I like to have easy and fast access to food when I’m riding. Depending on the weather conditions, I use either a Cluster 7 or Cluster 13 waterproof seat pack. For warm weather short adventures, I use the smaller one. When the temperatures are likely to go down and I need more equipment, I use the 13 liters version.

Your race strategy is unique.
What helps me tremendously is my ability to go without (or with very little) sleep. I have a touring background and I have developed a habit of being relentless and efficient, rather than just going fast and then resting. It’s an ability that is both a gift and something acquired with lots of training and experience.

What is your favourite race?
Silk Road was probably my favorite race ever even though it was also one of, if not, the hardest. I suffered a lot but never asked myself what I was doing here. Kyrgyzstan is such a magnificent place, everyday I kept being amazed by the scenery. I am very proud that I was able win the race and I’m looking forward to giving it another go.

Are you working on a new project?
Next year I will try to break the record of the fastest crossing of Eurasia by bike from Lisbon to Vladivostok. The current record is 64 days.

The most longest trip you’ve ever done?
In 2017, I rode my bike from my home in Paris to the shore of the south China sea. A 16.624km long trip across 18 countries over the course of 88 days.

Why did you start cycling so late?
If I started before, I probably would be a pro now. I like cycling without the obsession of performance and ultracycling is perfect for me, letting me discover places and meet people. Bike, that’s where I feel happy and alive.

You are working with Miss Grape to develop or improve the products, to make them even more efficient: what are your ideas?
Miss Grape bags are already very well conceived and it’s hard to come up with ways to improve them. They are the sturdiest bags I ever used, which, in my opinion, is the most important quality when you use them as much as I do. I still managed to pitch a few ideas to Michele. What I’d like to see on a seat bag, for example, is a dedicated compartment for a tracker. Things I feel I miss and could be added to the Miss Grape range is an ultralight anti-slip musette, and an ultra-compact and light bag to transport your bicycle on the train.

In your opinion, why people are so attracted by ultracyling and by bike adventures?
I think as a society we’ve reached a level of comfort that is so high that you can often feel like it’s putting you to sleep. Things are both very complex (all of the choices we have to make daily) and very predictable. When you sign up for an ultracycling race, you give up any kind of comfort and you get a chance to see where your limits are. But you also discover the simplest of life, where there’s very few choices to take and one goal where you can focus all your energy. There’s no meaningless questions anymore. And on top of that, you just can’t predict what’s gonna happen. It’s just the complete opposite of the daily routine that a lot of people are trying to flee because they need to feel alive.