Going Long: What does it take to transition from sportives to ultra cycling? Sportive.com talks ultras with Race Across founder Arnaud Manzanini

Ultra-cycling has always occupied a curious space somewhere between competitive sport, personal expedition and controlled self-destruction. Few people have done more to shape its modern identity than Arnaud Manzanini. A former competitive cyclist turned endurance rider, it was his participation in the Race Across America (RAAM) that proved transformative, and led him into becoming an event organiser. Manzanini is the driving force behind the ‘Race Across’ series — a collection of ultra-distance cycling events.

At the centre sits the flagship Race Across France. First held in 2018, it returns this June with distances ranging from the relatively approachable 200km overnight Go’Lum ride to a brutal 2,500km crossing of the country, with close to 29,000m of elevation. Alongside these are the 300km, 500km and 1,000km options, designed to let riders progress gradually into the world of ultra-cycling rather than simply throwing themselves in at the deep end. 

With similar events held in Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal and Canada, is it possible that eventually, Britain could become part of this world too?

“I tried a few years ago in the UK to organise a recce,” Manzanini tells me. “We rode through Oxford and the National Park of Snowdonia — it was just the most beautiful road I have ever ridden. Amazing.”

The idea of a British Race Across event never fully materialised though, largely because the organisation lacked local support at the time. But that may be changing.

“Now it’s another story,” he says. “I have good people around me and we have very much improved as an organisation compared to four years ago.”

When I ask whether Race Across is actively building a UK presence, he hints that plans are quietly developing behind the scenes.

“My guys in the sales team live around London, so I already have a team who live in the UK. And yes, we have discussed developing a little team in the UK for the future.”

For British riders, though, there remains a practical hurdle that perhaps explains why the start lists of European ultra-events are still dominated by French, Belgian and Spanish riders.

“English riders who want to ride in Belgium, in Spain or in France in the Race Across series need a ‘package’,” he explains. “Not just entry to the races, but also the hotel, the shuttle to the event. We don’t have such a package at the moment and I think it is for this reason we don’t have many English riders on the start line.”

That international expansion raises an obvious question: how far can the Race Across concept go? In an era where endurance athletes seem permanently engaged in an arms race of longer distances and harsher terrain, would Manzanini ever consider creating something truly enormous — a Race Across Europe perhaps?

His answer is surprisingly cautious.

“We could organise greater distances, but how many riders would there be on the start line?” he says. “In the past there were Trans-Siberian races sponsored by Red Bull. We rode through Russia — ten thousand kilometres and we just had 21 days. But there were only 16 riders at the start. Only five or six finished.”

Still, Race Across France’s tenth anniversary next year may bring something bigger.

“I will probably add a 4000km event,” he says. “But more than that… why? Who has time to prepare?”

That pragmatism perhaps explains why the Race Across series has grown steadily. Rather than focusing purely on the extreme end of the sport, Manzanini has deliberately built entry points for riders coming from more traditional backgrounds.

“Our readers are mainly cyclists who ride sportives,” I tell him. “Usually the maximum distances offered are around 100 miles or 160km. What advice would you give for riders who are tempted to try ultra-cycling?”

“Take it step-by-step,” he replies immediately. “It’s for this reason I have created many distances in each Race Across event.”

The progression is simple: start with a 200km overnight ride, then build gradually towards 300km, 500km and eventually 1,000km or beyond.

“This way you can discover for yourself, and develop your confidence with your luggage, with your bike, and with your physical ability.”

He is also quick to point out that ultra-distance riding is not simply “more cycling”. It becomes something fundamentally different.

“The way your body feels after 100km is totally different to how your body feels after 500km.”

One piece of advice, however, surprises me: invest in good lights.

“If you are going to do ultra-cycling it is necessary to ride through the night,” he says. “The lights in ultra-cycling are very important. Because if you have a good light, you are more comfortable during the night, and you are less tired. It is not just for your security really.”

That strikes a chord. I tell him I’m signed up for his 200km Go’Lum night ride in June — my first long solo overnight ride.

Psychologically, I suspect the challenge may prove harder than the distance itself.

“I can imagine if you have good light, you are more focused on what you can see in the outside world rather than what’s going on inside your head,” I say. “Where, when things start to get tough, everything is saying: ‘Get off your bike. Stop. Turn around. Go somewhere warm.’”

Manzanini laughs. “In the night you discover another dimension,” he says. “The speed is totally different at night. You imagine you are moving very, very fast but you are not. The night is a new environment. Two hundred kilometres during the day and during the night is totally different.”

Ultra-cycling may still be heavily road-focused, but gravel’s rapid growth inevitably raises questions about where the discipline goes next. Manzanini admits the Race Across series is watching that evolution carefully.

“The Race Across series is mainly road,” he says, “but we have one event which is focused on gravel — GRAAALPS — Gravel Across Alps.”

The event crosses Switzerland, Italy and France and traverses the Alps twice, blending ultra-distance riding with the technical demands of gravel terrain. Elsewhere, Race Across Quebec already includes sections of gravel roads out of necessity.

“In Quebec the road surface after the winter is difficult sometimes,” he says. “So it’s better to ride on gravel than the road.”

Could gravel ultra-events become a larger part of the series in future?

“I think our speciality is long distance,” he says carefully. “If we have a big partner who asks us to introduce a series of gravel events, why not? But for now we will focus on long distances on the road.”

Perhaps the most revealing moment in our conversation comes when I ask why riders should choose a Race Across event over a traditional Audax. On paper, the differences can appear marginal: long time in the saddle, self-supported riding and huge distances. But for Manzanini, the distinction is philosophical.

“Our mindsets are totally different,” he says. “In Audax you have no services around your ride. Our concept is that you have many services to support your ride.”

That support infrastructure includes GPS tracking, security teams, rider briefings, bike checks and emergency management systems — all designed to make ultra-distance riding feel more accessible and less intimidating. Competitors are also required to have a minimum of 4 hours rest every 36 hours, for their own well being.

“We are the same sport as Audax,” he says, “but we have a mindset that is totally different.”

It’s a comparison that feels familiar to anyone who remembers the early days of sportives in Britain, when traditional club cyclists questioned why anyone would pay to ride routes that were often ridden on club runs. But organised events offer something many riders increasingly value: structure, support and a clearly defined personal challenge, without all the faff and politics of club events.

Race Across also adds another ingredient absent from Audax culture: competition.

“We have rankings,” Manzanini says. “We promote the first five riders on every race. We have women, men and age categories. There are awards like ‘King of the Prairies’ and ‘King of the Mountains’.”

I reassure him that I have absolutely no ambitions of reaching any podium when I line up for the Go’Lum on June 27. Survival is a more realistic objective.

But after speaking to Manzanini, the leap from sportive rider to ultra rider suddenly feels far less intimidating than it did beforehand. His whole approach is built around progression rather than exclusivity — the idea that ultra-cycling is not reserved for a tiny group of superhuman endurance athletes, but something ordinary riders can gradually grow into.

Whether that confidence survives my first lonely stretch of French road at three o’clock in the morning remains to be seen.

Discover the Race Across series: en.raceacrossseries.com

Entry to the Race Across France closes on 16 June 2026.