Nathalie Baillon, professional long-distance cyclist

Hello Nathalie! Could you please tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Nathalie Baillon, I'm 33 and I live in Grenoble. For the past two years, I've been turning what was just a hobby into a real profession: I'm a professional long-distance cyclist, after a career as an engineer in Munich.

How did you manage to turn this into a profession?

I was lucky enough to be noticed for my performance right from my first ultra competitions. I was often in **the top 10 overall **and first woman in competitions (BikingMan Corsica, the BikingMan Euskadi, Race Across France, B-Hard Ultra Race...).

In 2023, I was the first woman to cross Europe from South to North, over 6400 km, in 19 days, at an average speed of 14.30 km/h, including stops.

At the same time, I was documenting my cycling journeys on social networks. Brands like Komoot started to take an interest in me, and this enabled me to make a living out of it, thanks to other activities like coaching cyclists.

Where does this magic on the pedal come from?

I'm just passionate, I think. I started cycling when I was 15 and I was hooked right away. I'd already built up my endurance by walking long distances to meet up with friends. As I've always been drawn to travel, I took my first cycling trip to New Zealand in 2018. It was there that I discovered long-distance cycling and really got into it! Back in Europe, I equipped myself with a top-of-the-range bike and bike-packing panniers and completed my first 1,000 km ride in less than 60 hours.

At the Ultr'Arverne: a 780 km road ultra © Instagram Nathalie Baillon

Has ultra racing changed you as a person?

When I was little, I was sickly shy. Ball sports were unbearable: if someone threw me a ball, I didn't react! Cycling helped me to progress on my own, without having to suffer the judgment of others. Today, I'm still introverted, but I'm no longer afraid of approaching people, thanks to my bike.

"Women find it harder to get started. Even when they have a very good level, they think they're beginners

".

Why are women so rarely involved in racing?

Women find it harder to get started, becausethey underestimate themselves. Most say they're beginners when they already have a great level! Imposter syndrome still takes its toll... So it's vital to help them become aware of their skills.

"To cycle long distances, you need to work on your endurance, but above all you need to be resilient

".

What skills do you need for bicycle travel and cycling?

Endurance! To work it, you can do long hours at low intensity, raise endurance thresholds or train to stay in your maximum endurance threshold for a long time. I also find it very interesting to work on other disciplines such as sprinting.

But the most important thing is to work on your resilience, your ability to find solutions and not get discouraged. You have to have a goal and know why you're doing it, otherwise, at the slightest difficulty, you give up.

"One of the challenges of the Silk Road Mountain Race is diet 🍉 In the last edition, a large proportion of participants dropped out because of gastric problems 🤢" © Instagram Nathalie Baillon

Do you have any advice on diet to combine travel and long distance?

You have to get to know yourself, testing to find out what you digest well and what you don't. I like liquid nutrition, because it provides calories that are easy to digest. The recommendations are 100 grams of carbohydrate per hour, but if you manage to ingest 60 grams, that's already good. Above all, eat regularly, what your stomach can handle best and ... anticipate what you're going to find on site because you can't carry everything on your bike.

📷 @photonomadesproduction© Instagram Nathalie Baillon_

What about sleep?

It's the same, it's personal and depends on the length of the race. I'm not a big sleeper, so on short races, I don't sleep or I just take 10-minute naps if really, I feel it's hard.

And then there are races lasting more than a week. I try to sleep 3 or 4 hours a night and take naps during the day if necessary. But there are different strategies: it all depends on your abilities and needs!

"The races I prefer are those with a compulsory route

. However, I always study the route beforehand.

Discover Lunéville and its castle © Instagram Nathalie Baillon

What about the route?

The races I prefer are those where the route is compulsory, because you just have to follow it. Having said that, you always have to study the route beforehand, to see where to refuel and where to sleep.

But there are also races with free routes where you just have to connect checkpoints. For those who, like me, are aiming for the rankings, you need to find the route that goes as fast as possible, where you can refuel and, above all, avoid as many difficulties as possible.

Sometimes, it's worth extending the distance to reduce the gradient, or taking a detour to avoid the headwind. Here again, it all depends on your profile: are you a good climber? Strong on the flat? You have to learn little by little.

Rare are the photos on her Insta without her trusty steed... but always helmeted 💙 © Instagram Nathalie Baillon

"I choose my races according to the places I want to discover

. I rarely do the same one twice!"

Where do you find your pleasure, in these races?

In the scenery above all, although of course there's also the pleasure of surpassing myself and achieving a performance! I choose my races according to the places I can discover. That's also why I rarely do the same competition twice.

In May 2023, Nathalie became the first woman to cross Europe from Tarifa to North Cape, through 12 countries, in 18 days, 15 h00, 27 minutes! 🥳 © Instagram Nathalie Baillon

How do you deal with fear and suffering?

To manage my fear, I try to be rational. The first night out, I slept really badly. I was afraid someone would steal my bike and come and kill me at night 😂! Even today, I take precautions, I find out where I'm going, I only camp in isolated places. But most people are super generous.

As for the fear of failure, I admit I'm very stubborn... so I never give up, unless I have a physical or mechanical problem. But if I were to give up, I'd consider it a learning experience. What's the point in going on at all costs if you're not enjoying it?

Music for the climbs: Unstoppable -Sia

Music for descents: Don't stop me now - Queen

A book to understand cycling: Cyclisme et optimisation de la performance, Frédéric Grappe