WHAT HAPPENED AT BADLANDS 2024. HARDEST CHOICES TO DATE

[@TailfinCycling]

Thanks for sharing this Chris. Knowing when to stop is super important - It's great to always see how open and honest you are with your race experiences.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Appreciate all the support over the years

[@malcontent_1]

You certainly made the right choice, by prioritizing your health and future adventures over pressing ahead in a risky moment. You have my support and admiration, Chris.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you mate I appreciate it

[@CycleXplorer]

Yeah that was 100% the right choice, could hear the suffering in your voice early on. Live to go and enjoy another day ❤️

[@stevehughes975]

Right decision Chris. It sucks but having had heatstroke on the bike in Australia I know how empty you felt. Survival is paramount. There will be beter days.

[@wykydgt]

Good call, mate. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of races, but only one Chris Hall. Be proud of all that you've accomplished and the hardships you've overcome this year.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you.

[@malcontent_1]

Incidentally, i really enjoyed the videography and especially the quality editing throughout. Your channel has become more cinematic, love it.

[@ChrisHallRides]

All the hard work was done by Jack. He did an amazing job

[@jameshughespictures]

Having never done this event I can only imagine how tough it would be. Chris, you’re an absolute legend. You show so much guts, resolve, determination, and humility in all your content. Rest up, get better. I think you made the right decision. Love your work!

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you for the kind words. I appreciate it

[@ShinobiVlog]

Your videos have made a massive difference for Badlands. This year was the first time I rode it and my first ultra. I thought I might bump into you along the way. The experience for me was one of the most profound of my life. I had to time trail the last 50 km to make the time limit by a couple of minutes. So thanks again for showing people what's out there and being the extra bit of motivation to get them to make the first step. See you on the road

[@ChrisHallRides]

Congratulations on finishing!

[@ShinobiVlog]

@@ChrisHallRides thank you

[@oOcrashOo.]

As you said a year ago "Sometimes in these races, safety comes paramount before anything else.".. You did everything right! You are awesome. I love your films and rides! You are doing so many cool things that this is just a small setback regarding all your achievements! Ride save!

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you

[@JoeCincotta307]

Much respect, Mate ! Enjoy the recovery with your head held high.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you

[@lpoolck17]

Tough call, but the correct one. Knowing when to stop is a skill in itself.

[@Spicybangralover]

You know within yourself when things aren’t right chris. Keep your head up high Onwards and Upwards to your next adventure👍

[@joncomber626]

Sometimes the right decisions are actually the hardest to make. We shoulder the expectations of others and ourselves and occasionally that burden can become overwhelming. Good for you Chris a brave but eminently sensible decision based on your wealth of knowledge and experience. Something many will be able to learn from. Chapeau!

[@thesuperheroprime5980]

Even though I finished Badlands 2024, I have immense respect for everyone, including those who DNF. It takes great courage to enter a race like this. Reaching Granada requires incredible mental strength beforehand, and we never know what each rider has gone through to prepare. They are all champions. Greetings from Malaysia.

[@gtgpevans]

Good call! Heat stroke is nothing to mess with. I hope you see the strength in making that decision.

[@richardhutchinson4740]

Oh Chris. What a journey you went on this year. Your decision was undoubtedly right no matter how shit it felt and feels. Being safe is the best decision you can make.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Yeah I think so. Thank you

[@CharlieVanPoppel]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience - the highs, the lows and everything in between. THAT takes grit and humility. Love following your stories. I'm not a fan of the positivity bias on social media; it just doesnt tell the whole story. Onto your next adventure ✌🏻

[@ChrisHallRides]

Appreciate the kind words. Thank you

[@guyq71]

As they say " discretion is the better part of valour", pleased pride didn't get the better of you! Good work fella. 👏🚴

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you

[@mattbiss6414]

Mad respect for knowing when to prioritise your health! Hope the recovery is going well

[@ChrisHallRides]

🤝

[@luciferciantko]

Thanks for documenting this and kudos for your great effort! Whether you finished or not, this is a great video! Hope you will feel better and good luck on your upcoming adventures!

[@francoistremblayfoisy3586]

I respect and admire the hell out of you sir! Live to ride another day!! Greetings from Montreal brother!!

[@ChrisHallRides]

I appreciate that

[@ianjwhitmore]

Thank you for this film. It is such a testament to true story telling and the reality of taking on these challenges. Your past films inspired me to visit Granada and ride in that part of Spain myself. Looking forward to the next adventure. Cheers!

[@ChrisHallRides]

Glad you enjoyed it! Granada is pretty special :)

[@billincolumbia]

Great film, sir. You know your body. You know your emotions. If you were done, you were done. Definitely the right choice. Not the easy choice, but the right one. Thanks for sharing.

[@timbarlow5139]

Love your vids because you show it all , not just the nice bits .

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you. Yeah I think it’s important to show the good, the bad and the ugly

[@PerW79]

So mutch respect for you. Great video. Some times the hardest thing is to stop ❤

[@ChrisHallRides]

Absolutely

[@notkaty]

Been watching you for years. Your openness and honesty is always refreshing.

[@ChrisHallRides]

I appreciate you saying that. Thank you

[@phillipraifordjohnson8371]

Something very vulnerable about documenting something like this. Especially if it doesn’t end how you hoped. You’re a good egg Chris. Even when you’re suffering and your ego gets hurt. That’s when people are most real. Thanks for sharing!

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you. I appreciate you saying that too.

[@christopherhood9241]

Health comes first, often hard to accept this. Those that believe in you will understand. Thanks for sharing - hope you recover soon. Loving my recent purchase from zerolemon by the way.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you for the support!

[@markjermey8579]

Thank you! I don't normally comment on any video but had to on this one, I cried watching it. But I am so happy you put this video out there for all to see ❤

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you for commenting. It was a bit of a hard one to share to be honest

[@johnsimpson1507]

Good Call Chris. I'm heading out to Andalucia from UK in a few weeks to do some riding and thats a useful lesson

[@MrBrackley88]

Chapeau for making such a good decision. This is such an important part of undertaking major challenges. And you nailed it.

[@ChrisHallRides]

I think so too

[@benwootton]

You're a legend, also love how you've done this video. A lot of thought and great videography.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you! Jack absolutely nailed it

[@alexchurst]

Very proud of you mate, very honest and relatable video ❤️

[@ChrisHallRides]

❤️❤️

[@TheRealMichaelB]

What do I know, but what I tell my kids about my former life mountaineering and big wall climbing, it's not about getting to the top, it's about making the greastest number of good decisions. By my book, you did good mate. It's a harder thing to do (stopping) than what folks might think. Wishing you all the best in your next adventure !!

[@ChrisHallRides]

Never thought of it like that. Thank you for sharing that. I appreciate it.

[@derfx89]

The fact alone that you were even considering continuing after 200k gravel riding while sick amazes me and is a testament to your will and mental fortitude Chris!

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you

[@Paulpedalsforcoffee]

I love how honest you are in these videos 🙌🏼

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thanks mate

[@tobiasbienasch4723]

Absolutely the right decision! Don’t let this bring you down! ♡

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you!

[@grahambell9831]

Good evening, Chris 👋. Absolutely the right decision 👍. Your health must come first. Events can wait. There will be others when you're ready. You are right on the humidity front. Very unusual for the Area & Spain in general. I was in Spain at the same time triathlon training.....and I had to completely reevaluate how and when I did my training. Such an insightful, honest video and the content and learnings we can all learn from. Rest. Recover. Take care, Chris & have a good weekend.

[@ChrisHallRides]

It was so weird the humidity. I have never known something like it there.

[@grahambell9831]

​@ChrisHallRides good afternoon Chris 👋Totally agree, I've never in 17 years of tri training in the Quesada area, experienced such humidity.

[@PumpkinVillage]

It was the right decision. Live to ride another day!! Take care, Al

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you

[@RickRolling-tc7vb]

I don't have any desire to end a bike race in a Spanish ambulance either. It's tough, but you know better than most what the limit is. Respect Chris, rest up and be kind to yourself.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you

[@aafridi284]

well executed, it was a right choice , in life we face obstacles all the time and we have no choice but to face it , sometimes its in our favour and sometimes is not but we have to through it and we are not perect so dont feel any guilt about it! you are a warrior chris!!

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you I appreciate it

[@StacyODell]

Gutted for you, but you made the right choice. Made it much further than I ever could given those circumstances. Respect. The beach in Marbella sounds good to me!

[@ChrisHallRides]

Beach was very much needed

[@sascha1778]

Right decision Chris. Listening to your body and correctly reading what it is telling you is crucial for every athlete and actually everybody more generally. Personally, I am quite sensitive to heat and strong sun light and am amazed how others apparently have no or little issue riding completely exposed in the heat / sun for days.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you. Yeah I feel more comfortable that it was the right choice now

[@press1]

Amazing video, amazing human ❤ Badlands will be there next year

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you 🫶

[@stephangeissler7491]

As mentioned already at other videos, I really appreciated your honesty and sharing with us also the moments with us, which go everything but according to plan. This makes it even more realistic and also shows us what a hard cookie this race is! I feel sorry for you since you also showed us, how much preparation you put into this event - and all of this goes through the window after 24 hours. But on the other hand it does show, that even in such situations you should really listen to your body and do not force the things - so well done that you put the plug at a moment when you had the control in doing so! Chapeau! "Fun fact": I did long distance triathlon for a couple of years, and it was in my fourth race too I had a DNF (issues with the blood circulation after the half marathon). It seems "4" is not our lucky number, eh!? ;) For now I hope you can recover physically and mentally good from that experience - and we are waiting for the film of your 2025 participation! :)

[@ChrisHallRides]

Yeah maybe 4 is just a bad number. Hopefully be back in 2025.

[@kevinlyon9501]

Can never be an easy decision ti scratch, but definitely the right one. Hope your know fully rested and recovered.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Still recovering tbh

[@michaljambor7772]

No matter what the ending is, if you can tell the story so well. This is a visual feast.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you. Jack did an amazing job with it

[@NameNaameNameeNaamee]

I know that high humidity from Japan. It makes it so you don't even realize how much you are actually sweating. It's always more than you think, and the problem is, that even if you stay ahead of drinking, you are loosing so much salt that you have to be very concious of that side of fueling as well. Add to that, that the cooling effect of sweating is much lower than in dry heat, and the toll taken on your body can make you reach the point of no recovery very quickly. This is all down to how you disposition is in general of course, some years it's relatively easy, some years you get absolutely hammered. In any case, exercising demanding stuff can be downright dangerous under those conditions, and if you don't listen to your body, you can actually die of heat stroke. You did exactly the right thing mate. Thanks for taking us along, we are looking forward to the next one

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you for watching. I appreciate it. Stars just didnt align this year.

[@TheLucateli]

Vídeos are getting better! Let’s do it together next year mate. Redemption! My time in 2023 was 97h

[@ChrisHallRides]

Still deciding what to do next year

[@mrpokeit]

Cant see that you had any choice at all mate. Thanks for sharing the rough with the smooth it's really valuable and appreciated. Sometimes life gives you lemons, sometimes it gives you extravagantly hairy tiny Yorkies with a bolshy attitude. Sometimes it gives you both! ONWARDS!

[@ChrisHallRides]

That yorkie definitely had small dog syndrome

[@howdyak]

crushed it, excellent work big dawg

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you

[@moobaz8675]

Fairplay. It takes guts to know when to stop. There's always next year. 👍

[@ChrisHallRides]

Cheers

[@Chrisb286]

You definitely made the right decision, listen to your body. Inspirational video excellent filming. Take care 👏👏🚴‍♂️👍

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thanks so much for watching

[@Steven-gf1ns]

Bugger! Gutted for you. Thank you for all your videos on Badlands. They contributed to me applying and being offered a place this year. Thanks again for your badlands tips of last year which I followed especially the salts suggestion, which I will be eternally grateful for. Please don't stop what you are doing. How about a group ride in the Peaks?

[@ChrisHallRides]

Glad to help :)

[@adamgriss2025]

I really like Tyler Pearce’s philosophy on cycling wear. He says that when he wears a t-shirt on a ride, his mind switches from “cyclist” to a dude playing bikes, having fun. It’s nice to play bikes. I hope you know that this Canuck supports you 100%.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thats a great way to think of it.

[@heidijarvis777]

Oh Chris, you looked broken when sat down at that village stop. So sorry that this happened but you did the right thing by listening to your body. Sometimes it takes more courage to stop than continue.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Been a bit of a tough year this one

[@MichaelSmith-fn1ci]

Inspired and felt your pain, you made the right decision 😊❤

[@ChrisHallRides]

😊 thank you

[@obedevert28]

Very brave of you to be this vulnerable. Keep pressing on.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Appreciate it

[@jnrickards]

Big hugs Chris.

[@ChrisHallRides]

🫶

[@milesizdead]

Good choice, well done! On to the next one :)

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you!

[@enuazeal]

huge respect!

[@ChrisHallRides]

🫶

[@jdeckard1243]

No shame pulling out Chris, you have to know where you limits are when you are not 100%. Like you said there are other thing you want to do this year, no point destroying yourself.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Totally

[@rboyce4539]

You made the correct choice. I have been were you are at and I made the same choice you made and it hurt doing it but it was the correct call. Check it off as a learning experince and gret job in listening to your body.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Yeah totally a learning experience

[@RachelPash]

Can't win 'em all, mate! The important thing is getting your butt out there, which you do often, and do well. Was a tremendous effort!

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you I appreciate it.

[@HHHSykes]

Jeez...having a tough year! Between this one and the Atlas Race video. Chin up!

[@ChrisHallRides]

Yeah it’s not been smooth sailing this year

[@markrobinson1458]

Knowing when to stop is a skill in itself, you've nothing to prove,not even to yourself 👏👍

[@ChrisHallRides]

Someone else said that to me. I had not really thought of it like that

[@sampass]

Love that “ appreciate the other three times “ from David

[@ChrisHallRides]

David is a legend

[@sampass]

Awesome

[@TBATTIECYCLING]

Well done Chirs ❤

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you

[@leedenton870]

Well that was a emotional watch ❤

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thanks for watching 🫶

[@alexside_]

Legend ❤

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thanks Bro

[@marcclish]

Bravo 🙌🏻

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you

[@gjmhughes]

Well done chris. Hope you're recovered well. It was the correct choice but not an easy one hey?. Next year?

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you. Yes probably haha

[@MP-th4nx]

Heat stroke is not something you mess with. Good call Chris .... all the best

[@ChrisHallRides]

Yeah I never realised how serious it can be

[@anthonykelly3231]

Wise decision, too many push beyond at a cost, knowing when it done is strength of mind,

[@ChrisHallRides]

Yeah I think so

[@LewisArnold-bs9cz]

You have to listen to your body when your body's had enough that's it. When you started crying that was emotional for me

[@ChrisHallRides]

Yeah I was pretty gutted. But I knew it was right.

[@felixjackson2670]

Sometimes the stars seem to line up..everything smoothly follows…sadly though,sometimes one thing hits you after another! Not your year so far. However,onwards and upwards. No doubt made the right choice here I would say.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Yeah it has been a bit of a shit year to be honest.

[@ssenssel]

No shame in preserving your health. Cheers from Brazil. 💚💛🚲

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you 🫶

[@bikebob66]

way to listen to your body and soul my friend,,,Om Yo!

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you

[@AnkeisAwesome]

Sharing strength and victories online is easy. So much harder to show vulnerability and “failure”. That’s why this is way more impressive to me than finishing another ultra. Hereby changing the title from Badlands and bad luck to bad ass!

[@ChrisHallRides]

You’re one of the good ones 🫶

[@AnkeisAwesome]

@@ChrisHallRides Don’t tell anyone. I’m still pretending to be a total bitch on the Internet…

[@ChrisHallRides]

😂😂😂

[@Ecoroof1986]

Great video 👍

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thanks 👍

[@Ecoroof1986]

@ChrisHallRides you're very welcome Chris. You make great content which we enjoy watching. 👍

[@lazlo2511]

Hey..:. I wondered what happened? I didn’t see you and Nick start, so I thought you both had pulled out. Then spent hours staying up to follow the dot and definitely something was off. Well Chris, sometimes these occasions tell us, no matter what we want, sometimes the body prefers to lead, and it’s wisdom and age that makes us accept the inner surrender, knowing full well, it’s better keep the good stuff for another day! Ps: I hope you will give us a bike report on how you found all that Dark Matter in desert.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you. I appreciate that message. Yes I will do something soon. Having a bit of time off for now

[@troycollett8540]

You made the right call that’s for sure

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thanks

[@troycollett8540]

@@ChrisHallRidesdo you normally go ok in the heat or was it the humidity? Would some heat prep help next time ?

[@CreativeFishDesignsCharlotte]

Heath is king your still the prince of this ride good work man

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thanks mate

[@cleberaraujo055]

Wise decision. 👏👏

[@ChrisHallRides]

I think so too

[@woduk]

I’m sure you’ll come back and smash it again for number 4 🙂

[@ChrisHallRides]

Hopefully!

[@grahames9228]

You certainly have to know when to hold them and when to fold them.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Completely. Just wasn’t meant to be

[@wazzup105]

What a beautiful landscape. Makes me want to ride there as well. Must have made it extra hard to scratch. But riding on when you're sick is not smart. You could have done a whole lot of damage to yourself and no ride is worth that. (well IMO)

[@ChrisHallRides]

I completely agree.

[@BikepackingAdventures]

Can I ask which is the hardest.. GranGuanche Gravel or Badlands? I finished GranGuanche (in as far as reaching El Hierro for a leisurely ride the day after) and it was shockingly difficult. It's hard to tell simply by watching videos on KZbin.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Badlands is harder.

[@CycleXplorer]

Humidity 🥵 you'd expect a dry heat not a UK 22 degrees but massively humid type heat 😂

[@CycleXplorer]

Was it harder to know what was coming up?

[@ChrisHallRides]

Yeah it was very strange

[@ChrisHallRides]

It probably helped me wisely decide what to do

[@oliverburke3743]

Gutted for you dude. What head torch is that?

[@ChrisHallRides]

It’s from exposure lights

[@sarvagya1994]

You are Mike's brother

[@emusp]

Good decision to stop. You made the right call.

[@ChrisHallRides]

I think so as well

[@patrickmcfeeney413]

Thanks for being a human…

[@ChrisHallRides]

Thank you 🙏

[@Hardchoices4aneasylife]

why do people ride through that heat. Once you have heat stroke once you will ever do it more than once again. It was 47 on my garmin getting into gorafe I stayed there and hydrated to 17.00 when we set off again. You lose power and speed in the heat. It's far better to not destroy your self

[@thesuperheroprime5980]

It is called Ultra Cycling darling. 😂 but lets take that as an advice. 👍🏻

[@Hardchoices4aneasylife]

The idea is to arrive at the finish. If putting your health and life in danger due to Riding through the heat is part of it then that's not great. A guy possibly due to the heat went off a 10m drop in the gorafe desert he wasn't found for a long time. Ultra cycling should be a test of endurance not stupidity

[@thesuperheroprime5980]

@@Hardchoices4aneasylife Even when I arrived in Gorafe, I couldnt eat at all, I had been cycling non-stop from the starting point earlier and got caught in the heat. I was only relying on the gel I brought. I understand this may seem like an extreme situation, but every rider already knew about this beforehand, either from friends, previous videos, or possibly from the organizer. I assumed they understood their own limits, which is why some riders chose to DNF. It wasn’t because they were weak, but because they had reached their limit at that moment.

[@thesuperheroprime5980]

So it is up to them (cyclists) to decide what time they want to move when they are in the desert or hot areas. I know some riders prefer to ride at night. That might be one of their tricks to avoid being in the heat. Who knows? 😅

[@paulbolton8699]

Bad luck Chris but right choice. You looked whooped on the first hill and no humour in the b roll. Clear sign you weren't well!

[@ChrisHallRides]

Yeah just wasn't meant to be

[@RainerCMent-lx7fe]

[@alienaudaxer9827]

Don't bother listening to the snipers. You got cooked and made the right decision at the right time to scratch.

[@wilfwilliams]

When you’re in a hole , stop digging. It’s bound to sting a bit !

[@ChrisHallRides]

Very true!

[@Rafael-vu2xn]

It seemed like the race was tough, and you might not have been in your best shape. With some more focused training, I'm sure you'll bounce back stronger

[@ChrisHallRides]

I ride roughly 15-20 hours a week and go to the gym twice a week. I’ve been racing ultras for 10 years now.I know how to train and ride. I’ve completed this race 3 times previously. You can’t prepare for something like sickness and heatstroke.

[@Rafael-vu2xn]

​@@ChrisHallRides It just looked like you were carrying a bit extra weight compared to your previous races that's all. I hope you've recovered well from the sickness 🙏

[@ChrisHallRides]

@@Rafael-vu2xn I don’t think you should ever be commenting on someone’s appearance.

[@Rafael-vu2xn]

@@ChrisHallRides My intention wasn’t to comment on appearance, but rather to note that it seemed you may not have been in your usual racing condition. I apologize if my comment was taken the wrong way, as that wasn’t my intent. Wishing you a full recovery and looking forward to seeing you back stronger.

[@infocuslearning]

You certainly looked bad!

[@ChrisHallRides]

🙃

[@xkpm]

That sucks. Props on knowing when to call it quits. Seems like it might've been a little cursed from the start with your partner pulling out last minute. Don't take this the wrong way but you didn't look physically fit either. Not that you need to be skinny but speaking from experience cycling with a belly made me sick and nauseous also. I think it was due to my riding position and my stomach getting "pinched" while riding, making it hard to eat and drink and keep food down without feeling shitty really quickly.

[@ChrisHallRides]

I don’t think you should ever comment someone’s appearance. You don’t know me, my background, my back story or history. You only see what’s going on publicly that I choose to share. Maybe you think it’s ok to comment something like that but honestly, when people say things like that to me as an incredibly self conscious person who’s actually going through quite a lot at the moment privately. It makes me want to completely give up. So please think before you comment on people’s appearances.

[@xkpm]

@@ChrisHallRides I'm sorry, I didn't know it was a touchy subject. As some who's struggled with weight my entire life I was speaking from personal experience. It wasn't meant to be mean or bad spirited. Don't give up!

[@siix477]

Time for an angiogram. It's not your preparation, climate, or mental state, it's your heart health. See a cardiologist you have heart disease. Check your heart rate data and blood pressure and compare with previous races.

[@ChrisHallRides]

Are you a doctor?

[@stuartguy4479]

What are you talking about? If you knew one thing about Chris it’s that he knows and understands his own body.

[@JackBuchananHague]

What makes you think he needs an angiogram then? You can’t throw this diagnosis out there without anything to back it up

[@stuartguy4479]

@@JackBuchananHague too much binge watching Grey’s Anatomy 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@ncc1107]

I'd ask if you ever got tested for brain worms, but it seems like they would have starved to death before inducing any damage.