Badlands Gravel Challenge: Inside Chris Hall’s 2025 Story

Some experiences stay with you. The Badlands gravel challenge is one of them — a desert, a climb, a community, and a test of everything you think you can endure.

This year marked our second year supporting Chris Hall and filmmaker Jack at one of the toughest bike race events in Europe, giving Jack a Siesta Camper as his rolling basecamp to follow the story from the inside.

While Chris rode fully self-supported — as the race requires — the camper became Jack’s mobile HQ: a place to charge gear, organise footage, stay rested and stay close to the unfolding narrative. Their project captures one of the rawest cycling experiences out there.

But before diving into Chris’s reflections, here’s what makes Badlands bike race legendary.

What is the Badlands Gravel Challenge?

Known as the wildest gravel challenge in Europe, Badlands is a self-supported bikepacking race covering roughly 816 km and 16,000 m of elevation across Southern Spain.

The route crosses:

• Europe’s only true deserts, including the Tabernas Desert
• The Mediterranean coastline
• Remote, rugged, otherworldly landscapes
• And the legendary Pico Veleta at 3,396 m, the highest paved climb in the continent
  
  

Nearly 350 riders take part each year across men’s, women’s, and pairs categories. There are no support vehicles, no team cars, no one to carry your gear. You pedal, eat, sleep, fix, and problem-solve on your own — until you reach the finish.

It’s beautiful. It’s brutal. And it’s addictive.

The Story This Year

Chris returned for his fifth edition of Badlands — but this time, things unfolded differently. After riding nearly 7,000 km around the perimeter of Britain just weeks before the race (a massive charity ride for Movember), he arrived at the start line with a deep sense of peace… and deep fatigue.

This was the year where the body said “not this time.”

And as you’ll read in the interview, there’s something powerful in that too.

Interview with Chris Hall

1. This was your fifth time at Badlands — what makes you return to such a demanding race?

For me personally, Badlands is so much more than just a bike race. It’s an experience with an incredible community of bikepackers exploring one of the most beautiful and brutal parts of Southern Spain. I keep coming back every year for the community, to see people I’ve seen at previous editions and reconnect with that absolutely crazy landscape. The views never get old. 

2. For someone who has never heard of the Badlands bike race, how would you describe it in simple words?

To describe Badlands as simply as possible, it’s an 800ish kilometre bike race (distance changes each year as the route changes too) where the clock starts on Sunday morning and finishes when you get to the end. The route is mainly off-road on gravel and you have to be self-sufficient, so carry everything you need. There’s no support vehicles. 

The challenge

3. You decided to ride almost 7,000 km around Britain just before Badlands. What was the idea behind that, and how did it affect your body and mind?

I bikepacked the perimeter of Britain as a charity fundraiser for the men’s health charity Movember. It’s been something I’ve been planning and wanting to do for about 5 years and the only time I had this year was a window before Badlands. Whilst I rode, I carried everything I needed for the 30 days of riding and encouraged others to come and join me and open a safe space for people to have sometimes hard conversations about their own mental health. It was about the journey and pedalling with strangers who became friends as we rode together through the days. It was an absolute monster, both physically and mentally.

4. At what point did you realise you couldn’t continue in this year’s race?

The gap between finishing the perimeter of Britain project and Badlands was just over 1 week. I think I always knew it was a big ask to be able to complete both especially when I was so fatigued. I think as early as the Badlands social rides in the lead up to the race I had a feeling it maybe a stretch too far. I just felt exhausted and hollow. No matter how much I ate or drank I just had zero energy. When the race started I went into it incredibly relaxed as I was completely at peace that it was likely I would stop.

5. How did you feel when you made the decision to stop on day two?

I was completely at peace with the idea of stopping. I find it really interesting trying to learn and figure out the limitations of my body and it turned out that was the limitation this time. It’s not often that you pull out of these kinds of races so relaxed so it was actually quite a nice way to pull out. Maybe I could have gone on a bit longer but I didn’t need to. I didn’t need to make myself unwell or take any silly risks. It was the best choice to allow myself some time to properly recover. 

Your experience

6. How do you process a moment like that — after so much preparation and expectation?

It's part of the parcel of ultra cycling. It’s like a puzzle. Sometimes you have all the pieces and sometimes you don’t. I think as I’ve got older I’ve got far more understanding that things don’t always go to plan and that it’s important to be safe.

7. Do you see this year as a setback, or as part of a bigger story?

This year is by no means a setback. It’s a tiny piece of work hate that happened this year. I actually see this year as one of the most successful years I’ve had in a while. I’ve done well in a few races. I’ve bikepacked close to 7000km around the perimeter in 30 days raising thousands for Movember. You learn the most when things don’t go exactly to plan. People forget that a lot. There’s no negative in it.

8. What did you learn about yourself through this experience?

I learnt that I can’t cycle nearly 7000km and have a week off to then go and race an ultra! Honestly you just never know, it was going to either go great or be awful and I find it interesting seeing what happens and how the body reacts. 

Reflections 

9. Looking back at five years of Badlands, what makes the race so unique for you?

It has such an incredible community around it, I don’t really know any other race quite like that. That’s what pulls me back each year.

10. What advice would you give to someone who dreams of taking on an ultra-distance challenge like this?

Start small. When I started I used to ride on a loaded bike to my mates and then camp in the garden and ride back. Also it’s important to remember to listen to your body. Pain is a signal not to be ignored for example. Most of all take the pressure off, enjoy the journey and the experience.

11. What’s next for you — more endurance adventures, or something new?

I’ll be taking a bit of time off over Christmas. It’s my birthday and I usually have some down time, then next year I’ll be looking at some new events in places I’ve not visited before hopefully but most of all I just want to continue having fun, making memories and sharing the adventure and journey. 

Closing

Badlands 2025 didn’t end with a finish line for Chris — but it did end with clarity, honesty and a deeper respect for the limits we all carry. And maybe that’s the story worth telling.

For us at Siesta Campers, supporting Jack for the second year felt like returning to a landscape that’s both familiar and wild. These are the places where our campers feel at home — close to the dust, the mountains, the night skies and the people who chase big challenges.

You can now watch Jack’s full documentary capturing Chris’s journey through Badlands 2025 on YouTube — a raw, thoughtful look at endurance, vulnerability and the spirit of adventure.

Documentary link: https://youtu.be/BmN9I6wZ36c