The week after

What a Challenge, what a Mission and what a weekend it was. Most participants fell victim to the difficulty of the challenge and the harsh weather conditions, but two heroes made it to complete 1000km in 48 hours. An incredible achievement on both a mental and physical level.

Quentin Gordon and Lennart Nap are the first people on earth who can call themselves a MISSION 48.1000 finisher. We have so much respect for your incredible achievement. At the same time we want to thank all participants of MISSION 48.1000 and MISSION 48.500 on Strava. It was a very inspiring weekend in which many physical limits were broken. Read below how all participants experienced the most extreme Challenge in their life.

LENNART – 1000km – FINISHER!

Lennart already indicated in his application that he is someone who never gives up and even though we had our doubts, Lennart proved during the weekend of the MISSION 48.1000 that he's made out of steel. The still valid curfew in the Netherlands made sure that Lennart had a lot less time to cover the 1000km. Not 48 hours but 41.5 hours, since Lennart did not have the possibility to cycle indoors due to the lack of an indoor trainer.
At exactly 4:30 Lennart started the first stage of 80km and due to his average speed of almost 33km/h he was back in no time. "The mandatory rest of 15min after this first stage was not ideal", Lennart looks back. "But during the following stages I started to look forward to the resting moments."
The extremely bad weather during the first day did not seem to bother Lennart at first, but during the 6 hour 170km stage the first cracks started to show. Would the rain and the cold win from his perseverance? Definitely not! Just before the curfew started again, Lennart reached the 500km mark on Saturday night. An interesting fact; Lennart was extremely efficient during the first day. His moving time was to the second the same as the elapsed time during all 4 stages! Did the Haribo candies make the difference this day ;-)?

The extremely bad weather during the first day did not seem to bother Lennart at first, but during the 6 hour 170km stage the first cracks started to show. Would the rain and the cold win from his perseverance? Definitely not! Just before the curfew started again, Lennart reached the 500km mark on Saturday night. An interesting fact; Lennart was extremely efficient during the first day. His moving time was to the second the same as the elapsed time during all 4 stages! Did the Haribo candies make the difference this day ;-)?
A short break between the 5th and 6th stage and hope for a 300km stage without breakdown.... And that is exactly what happened! After only 45km one of the derailleur cables broke and this forced Lennart to ride the remaining 255km on a fixed gear!! Here we saw what Lennart already said: "I never give up!" 255km on the 52-13, unbelievable! A big round of applause for finishing the 2021 MISSION 48.1000!!

QUENTIN – 1000km – FINISHER!

Quentin from South Africa, but living in the Netherlands, sent us his application at the end of February and he mentioned that he never rode such long distances in one day and he mentioned that he would love to prove us wrong, by finishing the challenge. Working full time and only having the time to train after working hours, we didn't think Quentin would be able to make it.
Like Lennart, Quentin had to observe curfew and this meant for Quentin that he would have to spend many kilometers in the ZWIFT world. Just after midnight he started the first 80km stage and after a short, obligatory break, the second stage (110km) was also completed on Zwift. After having already cycled 190km indoors with the accompanying extreme fluid loss, it was important for Quentin to prepare for the 140km of the 3rd stage which he will complete outdoors. The difference between indoor and outdoor cycling could not be bigger.

From the heat on ZWIFT to the cold, rain and wind on the roads around Utrecht (NL) with the prospect of the 4th stage (170km) also having to be conquered in these conditions. During the last stage of the first day of the MISSION 48,1000, it started to rain even harder and this made the already extremely tough challenge even more challenging. With the finish of the 170km in sight, Quentin no longer had any feeling in his hands and feet and the warmth of his house shouldn't have come much later…. And then to think that the next day has another 500km in store without having much time for sleep and recovery in between. If you have ever done a ride of more than two hours on your indoor trainer, you will probably have a bit of an idea what it would be like to do 500km on one day indoors! Quentin started the second day with the 200km stage on ZWIFT and kept pushing and pushing the pedals for more than 17,5 hours without giving up. Huge kudo's to him for finishing the 2021 MISSION 48.1000!!

JOSH – 902km

This guy proved himself and others that Mission 48.1000 is not only a physically challenge, but a mental one as well. ‘’I was pretty sure after the first day I wasn’t gonna make it, but I said I would give it my all’’, says Josh. And he did! After being on schedule for a long time, adding kilometers to his total became harder and harder with the minute on day 2. In the end Josh made it to 902km. But what deserves our greatest appreciation is that he never gave up. Josh has always kept on riding, even though he realized at one point that he would not make the 1000km. Very inspiring! ‘’Absolutely brutal and beautiful Challenge! Never been this broken before’’, Josh concludes.

CHRISTIAN – 501km

Christian not only had the challenge of the number of kilometers, but also a considerable number of altimeters ahead of him for his Mission 48,1000. A sprained wrist resulted in Christian having to give up. The sprained wrist was caused by an unfortunate crash on a piece of gravel. An accident can happen at any time. It brought an abrupt end to the Mission 48.1000 adventure of Christian, or as he said himself: ‘’a very annoying DNF.’’

DANIEL – 329km

Proving to be a true professional cyclist, Daniel had prepared his participation in the MISSION 48.1000 down to the last detail. Nutritional plans from his dietician, different bikes for the different stages, the right clothes for all circumstances and a start, rest and finish location just outside the city. Just like Lennart, one of the two heroic finishers, Daniel chose not to make use of the time during the curfew. Mainly because of the difference in temperature between inside and outside and adapting to it. At 4:30am Daniel started the first 80km stage and within no time he was back for the first obligatory rest of at least 15 minutes. The second stage of 110km also went well and all the signs were green for a successful weekend.... Until during the third stage everything started to change. The cold, Daniel's perspiration and the strong wind meant that the chances of completing the 1000 km in 48 hours were diminishing by the minute. The speed was still good, but Daniel did not feel great and it became more difficult to eat and drink enough. With the Olympic Games in Tokyo in mind and the risk of jeopardizing the training plans, Daniel decided not to get on the bike after the 3rd stage. Well done, Daniel! Looking forward to your 2022 application!

RIANNE – 350km

After a very good start in the morning, where Rianne broke some mental boundaries, she finished the first two stages indoor. Then she continued her challenge outside. During the 140km ride, she was still able to maintain her target pace and focus on eating well and staying hydrated. Rianne: “After 350km I had to call it a day. I couldn’t keep the minimum pace I set for myself anymore.’’ However, the next day she showed character by getting on her bike after all and completing the 'light' version with a 150 km ride. We are proud of you Rianne! As she is a very experience ultra-trailrunner, she has now set a new goal by doing a running version, which will be 100km in 48 hours.

GILLES – 405km

Our ‘Grinta’ rider from Belgium started his Mission with a very solid first two stages. The weather in Belgium was not great, which made the challenge all the more difficult. After being dry for the first hours, the rain came pouring down. Whilst being on the road to fulfill his challenge, Gilles had a hard time staying warm and dry. After 405 km Gilles had to say goodbye to his ambition to finish Mission 48.1000. It was a good effort and we look forward to your 2022 application!