TL;DR. The Badlands 2027 draw is over. If you got a spot, you have roughly nine months to prepare for a 750 km self-supported ultra in the full heat of Andalusia: there is no room for improvisation. If you didn’t get a spot, alternatives exist and this year can be the one that makes the difference.
The Badlands 2027 draw took place around 20 November 2026 (approximate date based on historical patterns; always confirm on the official website). Demand exceeds the available spots by a factor of five, so the result splits hopefuls into two very different groups with very different needs. This article is for both.
Badlands is not a conventional race. It covers roughly 750 kilometers of self-supported gravel through Granada and Almería, with the Gorafe desert at the heart of the route, heat that can exceed 40 degrees Celsius, and resource management where one mistake costs you a DNF. Here, watts matter less than your head, your sleep, and your water.
When and how were Badlands 2027 spots allocated in the draw?
Based on historical patterns, the Badlands 2027 draw takes place around mid-November. The organization runs a pure lottery system: all applicants on the waiting list have the same probability of entry, with no bonus for previous attempts. Notification arrives by email and the spot must be confirmed within a short window. Always check the exact details and conditions on the official Badlands website, as deadlines can vary.
I got a spot in Badlands 2027: where do I start?
Start by accepting that the race has already begun. You have approximately nine months, and in an ultra of this magnitude not a single one is to spare.
Badlands is not lost in the final kilometers; it is lost much earlier: from a mechanical problem you failed to anticipate, from not having trained navigation with real GPX files, from running out of water on an 80 km stretch with no resupply, or from never having managed sleep while moving.
The concrete first steps to take this very week:
- Download the official track or tracks from previous editions and analyze the complete elevation profile. Identify the critical sections: the Gorafe desert, the climbs with the greatest heat exposure, and the water supply points.
- Review the condition of your bike with reliability in mind, not weight. A self-supported ultra on abrasive terrain is a completely different context from a single-day ride.
- Define your sleep strategy from the start. Most DNFs in ultras happen due to poor rest management, not lack of fitness.
- Start training in heat conditions if your geography allows it, or plan exposure blocks during spring.
Preparation for Badlands rests on three pillars that are non-negotiable: very long aerobic base endurance, self-sufficiency skills (mechanics, navigation, resource management), and heat acclimatization. If you want to structure this process with a professional who understands the specific demands of gravel ultras, you can learn about the preparation approach of the cycling and gravel coach at Push Rider.
To go deeper into the race format and logistics before designing your plan, see the Badlands 2027 registration guide. And to understand the terrain you will be riding, the article on the Gorafe desert route will give you real context about what lies ahead.
I didn’t get a spot in Badlands 2027: what options do I have?
More options than you think, and some of them may turn out to be more valuable than the spot itself.
First: check whether the Badlands organization manages an official reserve list. In some editions, withdrawals free up spots in the months before the race. Follow Badlands’ official channels so you don’t miss any communication on this (the exact format can vary each year).
Second: use this year. Not as a lost year, but as the year in which you build the foundation you were missing. Ultra gravel cycling has a long learning curve. A well-planned year can make the difference between arriving at the 2028 start line with the work done or arriving rushed and underprepared.
Some real alternatives to fill the calendar:
- The Traka 360. The Pyrenees, partial self-sufficiency, multi-day distance. A challenge with a DNA similar to Badlands but with different logistics. A good touchstone for measuring your level under ultra conditions.
- Other long-distance events you can find in the gravel races directory. There are more options than those that appear in the usual forums.
- Multi-day training routes in bikepacking mode. No race pressure, with a focus on learning to manage a loaded bike, sleep, and nutrition on the move.
You didn’t get a spot, but preparation can start in exactly the same way as if you had. The difference is the intermediate objective.
How much preparation time does Badlands require?
There is no universal answer, but there is a reasonable minimum: twelve months of specific preparation for someone with no previous ultra experience. Nine months are sufficient if you already have an endurance base and have taken part in some multi-day event.
What is non-negotiable in any case is the time needed to adapt to Badlands’ specific conditions. Extreme heat, autonomous navigation with GPX, and sleep management are skills that cannot be improvised in an eight-week block. They require repetition under conditions similar to the real race.
If you got a spot and feel that time is tight, the priority is to design a plan with a clear structure before the first weeks slip by. Every month without direction is a month you cannot recover.
How does technical preparation for Badlands compare with other ultras?
Badlands has characteristics that set it apart even from other European gravel ultras. The dry Andalusian heat in August is a critical performance factor: the body needs weeks of prior adaptation to function well in those conditions. Many riders who arrive in good shape but without heat acclimatization see their performance degrade severely in the first two days.
Full self-sufficiency is another differentiator. There is no support vehicle, no external assistance permitted in the traditional sense. All mechanics, nutrition, and navigation depend on you and what you carry. This is not just a logistical restriction: it is a mental state that requires specific training.
The Gorafe desert route concentrates some of the hardest sections in terms of heat and distance between water points. Knowing those sections before the race is part of the preparation plan, not a secondary detail.
Whether you have a spot or not, the work starts now. The difference between someone who finishes Badlands and someone who abandons is not always in the watts on race day: it is almost always in the decisions made months earlier. If you want help structuring that preparation, tell us where you are in the process at /en/apply/.