Hearts set ablaze through some of the toughest terrain in Europe as Badlands 2025 took off during the first week of September.
350 adventure cyclists from across the globe gathered in Granada, Spain, to pedal 815 kilometers over remote mountain ranges and desolate deserts. Completely self-supported, this non-stop one-stage gravel event entices the most daring bikepackers to compete.
“If you don’t want it badly enough or your mindset is in the wrong place at the start, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a way through the entire 815 kilometers. Badlands doesn’t take prisoners."
Pushing his mind, body, and bike to the absolute limit, Chris Mehlman found himself in 3rd place with 144km left — finding a second wind and propelling him forward to the finish. After 41 hours and 25 minutes of constant pedaling, Chris completed the beast that is Badlands, which gifted him his most epic adventure, his biggest result, and his greatest cycling accomplishment.
"Even with the end of the event turning into a race for me, the finish line was a moment of relief more than happiness about the result.”
<div class="dynamic-checkout__content" id="dynamic-checkout-cart" data-shopify="dynamic-checkout-cart"> <shopify-accelerated-checkout-cart wallet-configs="[{"name":"shop_pay","wallet_params":{"shopId":2804495,"merchantName":"Hammerhead","personalized":true}},{"name":"paypal","wallet_params":{"shopId":2804495,"countryCode":"US","merchantName":"Hammerhead","phoneRequired":true,"companyRequired":false,"shippingType":"shipping","shopifyPaymentsEnabled":true,"hasManagedSellingPlanState":null,"requiresBillingAgreement":false,"merchantId":"TNMUSUDGMEXRG","sdkUrl":"https://www.paypal.com/sdk/js?components=buttons\u0026commit=false\u0026currency=USD\u0026locale=en_US\u0026client-id=AbasDhzlU0HbpiStJiN1KRJ_cNJJ7xYBip7JJoMO0GQpLi8ePNgdbLXkC7_KMeyTg8tnAKW4WKrh9qmf\u0026merchant-id=TNMUSUDGMEXRG\u0026intent=authorize"}}]" access-token="a4f59fc52e03a6a676b3cf33e3fdc074" buyer-country="US" buyer-locale="en" buyer-currency="USD" shop-id="2804495" cart-id="d1d85ced7d44db5daf6b42b33df9ad6a" enabled-flags="["2d75a54c"]" > <div class="wallet-button-wrapper"> <ul class='wallet-cart-grid wallet-cart-grid--skeleton' role="list" data-shopify-buttoncontainer="true"> <li data-testid='grid-cell' class='wallet-cart-button-container'><div class='wallet-cart-button wallet-cart-button__skeleton' role='button' disabled aria-hidden='true'> </div></li><li data-testid='grid-cell' class='wallet-cart-button-container'><div class='wallet-cart-button wallet-cart-button__skeleton' role='button' disabled aria-hidden='true'> </div></li> </ul> </div> </shopify-accelerated-checkout-cart> <small id="shopify-buyer-consent" class="hidden" aria-hidden="true" data-consent-type="subscription"> One or more of the items in your cart is a recurring or deferred purchase. By continuing, I agree to the <span id="shopify-subscription-policy-button">cancellation policy</span> and authorize you to charge my payment method at the prices, frequency and dates listed on this page until my order is fulfilled or I cancel, if permitted. </small> </div>
