Tro Bro Cyclo: Hell on Cycling Earth

Call them “ribin” (pronounced ribine) and “ribinoù” in the plural. These are dirt roads, known in northern Finistère and made popular by the Tro Bro Leon in the 80s. Initially reserved for amateurs, the race has been open to professionals since 1999. This year in Lannilis, Italian Andrea Vendrame (Androni) won the event on Easter Monday. The day before, we participated in the sportive, which was almost 120 km long and included the main sectors.

By Sylvain Pigeau – photos and videos: @3bikes

This extraordinary race is sometimes nicknamed “the Hell of the West” in reference to the Hell of the North, in Roubaix. But comparisons with the Queen of the Classics stop there. These are two very unique races. One with cobbled sectors, its stories and legends. The other with its significant palmarès and its heritage. Frédéric Guesdon and Jacky Durand have notably won it.

Moreover, the ribinoù are part of the race’s difficulty and the most strategic moments. The wind, the succession of climbs, the length of the event (200 km), give the “Tro Bro” the label of a very difficult, unique professional race. Today, many riders would like to add their name to its palmarès, but calendar clashes also mean that many big names don’t risk heading west at Easter.

The organizers launched the sportive about ten years ago, as well as two variations with the gravel (69 km) and the vintage (28 km). At 120 km long, it covers the main sectors and the most beautiful part of the event, in the far west of Brittany. The steep coast, the beaches, the wind, the very essence of Brittany, with its spectators and its atmosphere, make it an atypical and exceptional event.

At 120 km long, it covers the main sectors and the most beautiful part of the event.

Without a ranking, the race still has starting pens for pelotons of about 100 riders, in order to avoid bottlenecks and potential problems at the entrance to the ribinoù. However, at the front, in the first peloton, riders “go to war” with each other. No ranking, no winner at the finish, but the atmosphere is friendly, and everyone tries to gauge themselves on the sectors.

Equipment-wise

We chose Continental 4 Season tires inflated to six bars. This was too much for the very stony ribinoù. 5.5 or even five bars would have been enough. Unfortunately, with a 23 mm tire width, it was impossible, and going below that would have risked hitting the rim. We therefore recommend a tire width of 25 mm, or more, and a pressure below six bars. And if possible, with tubulars. On some sectors, the gravel is very dense and you have to play tightrope walker to avoid skidding.

From ribin number 9, five sectors follow one another. With, in some cases, slight descents and tight turns. You have to stay alert and be careful to place your wheels well. In a group, you have to go in blind and trust the riders in front of you. But of course, the ideal is to enter the sectors first to have a choice of lines. This year, the dry terrain had the disadvantage of kicking up a lot of dust. So at the end of a group of 50 riders, if there’s no wind, it’s a blackout.

We therefore recommend a tire width of 25 mm or more and a pressure below six bars.

The goal is to maintain some flexibility and grip while trying to limit punctures. The terrain for this edition was dry; pressure can vary in case of rain and mud. The whole difficulty therefore lies in choosing the tire pressure.

The farm sector (18) is the strategic point of the professional event. It is also the most difficult, with a passage under a tunnel on a false flat descent and a climb towards the said farm after a right-angle turn. But this section, used by the pros twice in the final, is not present on the sportive, but only on the gravel and vintage routes.

As for gearing, you can easily go with a classic 53×39 combination and an 11-28 cassette, or your usual gears.

The difficulty lies in the length of the event (a little less than 120 km on Strava), the wind (North East this year) and the succession of leg-breaking climbs. However, the groups that form quickly allow for a relatively relaxed morning; there are always wheels to follow and friends to chat with.

At €15 for online registration and €20 on site, the value for money is decent. An event T-shirt and a meal at the finish are included, but there is only one very simple aid station on the course after about 80 km. This year the weather was good, even if the North-East wind made things difficult for us along the coast. But under exceptional sunshine, a mild temperature (around 15 degrees) and the first spectators of the pro race already in place to cheer us on, Aeolus was quickly forgotten.