The Vastly Intelligent Navigation Challenge Event
The V.I.N.C.E. 8th to 12th Sept 2025
If you have NOT done the V.I.N.C.E. before, you should be doing the Apprentice event in May
THE INFORMATION:
09/10/11 Sep 2025 – remember, you must ‘report’ by 1900hrs on the 8th Sep 2025. You will leave after breakfast on Fri 12th Sep.
NOTE: this is a 3-day V.I.N.C.E.
Hotel Castellarnau, Escalo, Catalunya, Spain
2, 3 or 4 riders only – no solo.
Special offer! £350 if paid up before 12 Dec 24 or if a TRF member.
Then, £390 per rider until midnight on Jan 31st 2025 (£350 if a TRF member).
After 31st Jan 2023 the entry fee will be £410.
This includes the map, set of notes and vinyl checkpoint booklet per team. Does not include food and accommodation.
a) You CAN cancel at anytime (before 11 July 24) and get a full refund less £50 per rider. That’s how much you are gambling, £50. I want to encourage you to commit and sign-up. If some issue means you cannot attend, you have only lost £50. If I, Austin VINCE, cancel the event you get a full refund.
If You cancel after 11 July 24 you will:
i) Receive no refund at all
ii) NOT be able to defer your entry forward to the 2025 event
iii) Need to have holiday insurance in place to claim back these lost fees
b) If a statutory authority (govt, National park etc) makes the event impossible then it will be POSTPONED to a sensible date and this will be announced.
c) Get holiday insurance that covers you cancelling after 11th July 24.
Do NOT contact the hotel about your reservation. Liaise directly with Austin.
https://www.hotelcastellarnau.com It is a family-owned hotel and they cannot wait to host us! Expect it to be 70 euros pppn for Supper, bed and breakfast.
This is a hotel that is in the far north of Catalunya. That means it is best reached from a Normandy port NOT Bilbao/Santander. It is 4hrs drive from Barcelona Airport but only 3 hrs from Toulouse.
Unlike Quintanar de Sierra, there is TONS of parking and space for us.
Here’s how it works at The V.I.N.C.E: Austin has block booked the entire hotel. We encourage everyone to stay there. However, if you prefer to go elsewhere then be our guest but you will have to organise this yourself. Your entry fee does NOT include your accommodation, you pay for that yourself when you are in Spain. All we do is ensure that we’ve got the place booked for our party.
There are 90 bed-spaces in the building. The room configuration is all multiple-occupancy. Some of the rooms have 4 or 5 beds. You are NOT even guaranteed a twin room with your only your team-mate. You cannot get a single room in the Hotel. If you crave a single room, you need to find another hotel and book in there, yourself.
Do NOT attempt to book your own room at the hotel via booking.com etc.
Do NOT contact the hotel. Liaise directly with Austin.
If you don’t want to hotel it, with us, that is a great shame, you probably won’t save any money but there is a campsite (Camping Llavorsi) 6 miles south of the hotel. We have no association or arrangement with this campsite but we have used it on and off over the past 15 years
You need to book in with the campsite yourself, but do not say you are taking part in an event.
The 2025 event runs over a single ICGC Catalan map, sheet 26 -Pallars Sobira. Unlike in 2023 and 2022 you WILL be sent this paper map by Austin with your CPB and other guff. You will be sent the checkpoint booklet pages, notes and a massive scan of the map (as a jpeg) by a dropbox link.
If you are impatient, buy more copies here, direct from Barcelona at 7 euros a pop:
There is one set of guff (maps, notes, booklet etc) issued per team, NOT per person. If you are a ‘lone rider’ and Austin creates an arranged marriage, there will be one set of guff BETWEEN YOU.
Low key and lo-fi. If you want to pop wheelies and show off your super noisy after-market exhaust then do NOT attend the VINCE.
New in 2024 will be a noise test on your exhaust pipe. If it fails, you cannot use that bike in the event.
If you are selfish and unpleasant, do NOT enter the VINCE. If you are uncertain as to wether you are unpleasant, do NOT enter the V.I.N.C.E.
Moto-cross space man clothes forbidden. Plain, muted colours only. Wear armour yes, but underneath your crocheted poncho.
Zero, this is not a competition. There is no prize save the joy of taking part. If you are a super-competitive alpha-male then do an enduro, The V.I.N.C.E. is not for you. If you are found speeding (more than 20mph) around the trails, you will be banned from all future events. Don’t spit your dummy out when this happens, I told you this is NOT a rally, it’s a navigation challenge.
In 2024 there will be only one class in the V.I.N.C.E. Map only. The GPS experiment is now over.
Paper map only, no roadbooks, zero electronics, smartphone in a sealed bag – THIS is what we are all about…
The trophy awarded at the event is for this. The V.I.N.C.E. is a map-reading challenge, you can only be in the spirit of the event by spending three days actually map-reading.
- Expanded and enlarged maps are fine.
- Maps annotated with notes relating to Austin’s ‘notes’ are fine.
- Anything included in Austin's notes CAN be taken out on the trail.
- Maps that are printed out then stuck together to make a rolling 'roadbook-style' map are fine.
- Laminated map booklets are fine.
- Screenshots of Google earth are NOT allowed on the trail, during the event (but they are allowed anywhere else, during planning).
- You can use the internet to assist your planning but you cannot print it out and take it with you. Only the map and notes, as issued, can be used on the actual event. No roadbooks are allowed.
What is a ‘roadbook’?
In Austin’s opinion, a roadbook is any mechanism that reduces a rider’s ability to cross terrain to simply following a list of instructions that may or may not be connected to the bike’s odometer and trip meter. These instructions include:
a) ‘Tulip’ style pictograms as used in rallies
b) Lists of written instructions (turn left at river, go 1,2km, turn right onto trail, at abandoned farm take left fork, go 0.8km, take left fork etc)
There isn’t any. Ensure you have your own and that it covers you for an off-road event of this kind.
Take out holiday insurance that covers a refund scenario.
This company has created a bespoke policy that is designed for Austin Vince Pyrenees trail-riding events:
https://ss.globalrescue.com/partner/austinvince/
This event is NOT licensed by the ACU or any other statutory m/cycle body. Remember- there is no ‘course’. YOU will decide where you go and how fast. The National Park speed limit on all trails is 12 mph. If you want to ride fast then this event is not for you. Ensure you have the NHS reciprocal cover thingy (EHIC). However – bear in mind that the EHIC often gets REFUSED in Spanish hospitals and they illegally charge you for medical treatment! This is an international dispute at the moment. Get travel insurance (see above) so you are covered come what may.
- There is no recovery vehicle, rescue or first aid provision. If there is an emergency, contact the emergency services. Get a tow-rope, self-rescue is always quickest.
- You WILL be sent the maps and booklets 8 weeks in advance – do your homework
- No unchivalrous behaviour and no cheating.
- This event is for people who want to make friends, enjoy the challenge of map-reading and the self-reliance inherent in ‘Adventure Motorcycling’.
- Let’s be serious, this is an orienteering event in a First World country. The VINCE is NOT ‘adventure motorcycling’.
- Your bike must have a number plate, a UK sticker and in Spain, at least ONE wing mirror.
You may only navigate with the ICGN map that I send you. You MAY enlarge this map so as to make it 1:25000 but you cannot use any other map, from any other source.
You must ride in a team of 2, to a maximum of 4 people, (minimum two bikes) so be sure to put together your team before registering as we need the names of all team members. If you cannot find someone to team with, go ahead and register for the event, note that you do not have a team partner, and we will match you with someone with a similar bike and riding skill level as best we can.
Start / Finish Time: Each day, 8AM to 8PM (0800-1959). Official VINCE time is as per Austin’s mobile phone.
Penalties for late return:
Return at 2000-2009hrs 10 pts penalty
Return at 2010-2019hrs 20 pts penalty
Return at 2020-2029hrs 30 pts penalty
Return at 2030 hrs or later – disqualified from the event (however you may still ride day two but your CPB will not be ‘marked’).
The Dai Jones Ruling:
A dispensation consistent with the ancient English traditions of clemency and mercy. Named in honour of Bristol’s legendary trail-riding child-reforming youth worker;
If the last member of a team gets back late on day one by x minutes where x is 29 or less then naturally, they incur a penalty. However, the Dai Jones ruling states that if they curtail their second day’s riding by x minutes or more then their penalty is revoked. Hence, the team will still only have had a max of 24 hrs riding over the two days.
Team mates must ride together at all times! If you separate for any reason other than one bike is broken down and stopped or one rider is injured, and the other rider is going for help, you will be disqualified.
Obtaining checkpoint info from another team is grounds for disqualification. In the event of a dispute or challenge, a digital photo of all team members at a checkpoint will be required to verify the team has been to the checkpoint.
Your team's score sheet is collected only after the third day’s ride. It must be neat, tidy and well-presented. There are two points for presentation, make SURE you are awarded them!
09/10/11 Sep 2025 – remember, you must ‘report’ by 1900hrs on the 8th Sep 2025. You will leave after breakfast on Fri 12th Sep.
NOTE: this is a 3-day V.I.N.C.E.
Hotel Castellarnau, Escalo, Catalunya, Spain
2, 3 or 4 riders only – no solo.
Special offer! £350 if paid up before 12 Dec 24 or if a TRF member.
Then, £390 per rider until midnight on Jan 31st 2025 (£350 if a TRF member).
After 31st Jan 2023 the entry fee will be £410.
This includes the map, set of notes and vinyl checkpoint booklet per team. Does not include food and accommodation.
a) You CAN cancel at anytime (before 11 July 24) and get a full refund less £50 per rider. That’s how much you are gambling, £50. I want to encourage you to commit and sign-up. If some issue means you cannot attend, you have only lost £50. If I, Austin VINCE, cancel the event you get a full refund.
If You cancel after 11 July 24 you will:
i) Receive no refund at all
ii) NOT be able to defer your entry forward to the 2025 event
iii) Need to have holiday insurance in place to claim back these lost fees
b) If a statutory authority (govt, National park etc) makes the event impossible then it will be POSTPONED to a sensible date and this will be announced.
c) Get holiday insurance that covers you cancelling after 11th July 24.
Do NOT contact the hotel about your reservation. Liaise directly with Austin.
https://www.hotelcastellarnau.com It is a family-owned hotel and they cannot wait to host us! Expect it to be 70 euros pppn for Supper, bed and breakfast.
This is a hotel that is in the far north of Catalunya. That means it is best reached from a Normandy port NOT Bilbao/Santander. It is 4hrs drive from Barcelona Airport but only 3 hrs from Toulouse.
Unlike Quintanar de Sierra, there is TONS of parking and space for us.
Here’s how it works at The V.I.N.C.E: Austin has block booked the entire hotel. We encourage everyone to stay there. However, if you prefer to go elsewhere then be our guest but you will have to organise this yourself. Your entry fee does NOT include your accommodation, you pay for that yourself when you are in Spain. All we do is ensure that we’ve got the place booked for our party.
There are 90 bed-spaces in the building. The room configuration is all multiple-occupancy. Some of the rooms have 4 or 5 beds. You are NOT even guaranteed a twin room with your only your team-mate. You cannot get a single room in the Hotel. If you crave a single room, you need to find another hotel and book in there, yourself.
Do NOT attempt to book your own room at the hotel via booking.com etc.
Do NOT contact the hotel. Liaise directly with Austin.
If you don’t want to hotel it, with us, that is a great shame, you probably won’t save any money but there is a campsite (Camping Llavorsi) 6 miles south of the hotel. We have no association or arrangement with this campsite but we have used it on and off over the past 15 years
You need to book in with the campsite yourself, but do not say you are taking part in an event.
The 2025 event runs over a single ICGC Catalan map, sheet 26 -Pallars Sobira. Unlike in 2023 and 2022 you WILL be sent this paper map by Austin with your CPB and other guff. You will be sent the checkpoint booklet pages, notes and a massive scan of the map (as a jpeg) by a dropbox link.
If you are impatient, buy more copies here, direct from Barcelona at 7 euros a pop:
There is one set of guff (maps, notes, booklet etc) issued per team, NOT per person. If you are a ‘lone rider’ and Austin creates an arranged marriage, there will be one set of guff BETWEEN YOU.
Low key and lo-fi. If you want to pop wheelies and show off your super noisy after-market exhaust then do NOT attend the VINCE.
New in 2024 will be a noise test on your exhaust pipe. If it fails, you cannot use that bike in the event.
If you are selfish and unpleasant, do NOT enter the VINCE. If you are uncertain as to wether you are unpleasant, do NOT enter the V.I.N.C.E.
Moto-cross space man clothes forbidden. Plain, muted colours only. Wear armour yes, but underneath your crocheted poncho.
Zero, this is not a competition. There is no prize save the joy of taking part. If you are a super-competitive alpha-male then do an enduro, The V.I.N.C.E. is not for you. If you are found speeding (more than 20mph) around the trails, you will be banned from all future events. Don’t spit your dummy out when this happens, I told you this is NOT a rally, it’s a navigation challenge.
In 2024 there will be only one class in the V.I.N.C.E. Map only. The GPS experiment is now over.
Paper map only, no roadbooks, zero electronics, smartphone in a sealed bag – THIS is what we are all about…
The trophy awarded at the event is for this. The V.I.N.C.E. is a map-reading challenge, you can only be in the spirit of the event by spending three days actually map-reading.
- Expanded and enlarged maps are fine.
- Maps annotated with notes relating to Austin’s ‘notes’ are fine.
- Anything included in Austin's notes CAN be taken out on the trail.
- Maps that are printed out then stuck together to make a rolling 'roadbook-style' map are fine.
- Laminated map booklets are fine.
- Screenshots of Google earth are NOT allowed on the trail, during the event (but they are allowed anywhere else, during planning).
- You can use the internet to assist your planning but you cannot print it out and take it with you. Only the map and notes, as issued, can be used on the actual event. No roadbooks are allowed.
What is a ‘roadbook’?
In Austin’s opinion, a roadbook is any mechanism that reduces a rider’s ability to cross terrain to simply following a list of instructions that may or may not be connected to the bike’s odometer and trip meter. These instructions include:
a) ‘Tulip’ style pictograms as used in rallies
b) Lists of written instructions (turn left at river, go 1,2km, turn right onto trail, at abandoned farm take left fork, go 0.8km, take left fork etc)
There isn’t any. Ensure you have your own and that it covers you for an off-road event of this kind.
Take out holiday insurance that covers a refund scenario.
This company has created a bespoke policy that is designed for Austin Vince Pyrenees trail-riding events:
https://ss.globalrescue.com/partner/austinvince/
This event is NOT licensed by the ACU or any other statutory m/cycle body. Remember- there is no ‘course’. YOU will decide where you go and how fast. The National Park speed limit on all trails is 12 mph. If you want to ride fast then this event is not for you. Ensure you have the NHS reciprocal cover thingy (EHIC). However – bear in mind that the EHIC often gets REFUSED in Spanish hospitals and they illegally charge you for medical treatment! This is an international dispute at the moment. Get travel insurance (see above) so you are covered come what may.
- There is no recovery vehicle, rescue or first aid provision. If there is an emergency, contact the emergency services. Get a tow-rope, self-rescue is always quickest.
- You WILL be sent the maps and booklets 8 weeks in advance – do your homework
- No unchivalrous behaviour and no cheating.
- This event is for people who want to make friends, enjoy the challenge of map-reading and the self-reliance inherent in ‘Adventure Motorcycling’.
- Let’s be serious, this is an orienteering event in a First World country. The VINCE is NOT ‘adventure motorcycling’.
- Your bike must have a number plate, a UK sticker and in Spain, at least ONE wing mirror.
You may only navigate with the ICGN map that I send you. You MAY enlarge this map so as to make it 1:25000 but you cannot use any other map, from any other source.
You must ride in a team of 2, to a maximum of 4 people, (minimum two bikes) so be sure to put together your team before registering as we need the names of all team members. If you cannot find someone to team with, go ahead and register for the event, note that you do not have a team partner, and we will match you with someone with a similar bike and riding skill level as best we can.
Start / Finish Time: Each day, 8AM to 8PM (0800-1959). Official VINCE time is as per Austin’s mobile phone.
Penalties for late return:
Return at 2000-2009hrs 10 pts penalty
Return at 2010-2019hrs 20 pts penalty
Return at 2020-2029hrs 30 pts penalty
Return at 2030 hrs or later – disqualified from the event (however you may still ride day two but your CPB will not be ‘marked’).
The Dai Jones Ruling:
A dispensation consistent with the ancient English traditions of clemency and mercy. Named in honour of Bristol’s legendary trail-riding child-reforming youth worker;
If the last member of a team gets back late on day one by x minutes where x is 29 or less then naturally, they incur a penalty. However, the Dai Jones ruling states that if they curtail their second day’s riding by x minutes or more then their penalty is revoked. Hence, the team will still only have had a max of 24 hrs riding over the two days.
Team mates must ride together at all times! If you separate for any reason other than one bike is broken down and stopped or one rider is injured, and the other rider is going for help, you will be disqualified.
Obtaining checkpoint info from another team is grounds for disqualification. In the event of a dispute or challenge, a digital photo of all team members at a checkpoint will be required to verify the team has been to the checkpoint.
Your team's score sheet is collected only after the third day’s ride. It must be neat, tidy and well-presented. There are two points for presentation, make SURE you are awarded them!
BOOK YOUR TICKET(S) NOW!
The V.I.N.C.E. is run by Big Scale Adventures Limited • Registered in England and Wales • Registered number 11234298 • Registered office 27 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3BL
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
RIDING DIRT BIKES ON ROUGH TRAILS IN THE MOUNTAINS IS NOT 100% RISK FREE. IF YOU ARE UNLUCKY, YOU COULD BE KILLED OR MAIMED. IF YOU HAVE DEPENDANTS, YOU MUST have PROVISION FOR THEM IN THE UNFORTUNATE EVENT OF A BAD CRASH THAT PERMANENTLY DISABLES YOU.
This event has no umbrella insurance that is covering you or your family.
In a few weeks this will be you – self-navigating your way across some of the most stunning scenery in Europe, by dirt-bike.
These metal plaques are what you are looking for up in them hills!
The VINCE is taken deadly seriously by a crowd who frankly, don’t care about winning…
The trails are all old farm tracks – nothing too difficult.
Study those maps in advance! It’s all about preparation.
It CAN be done on big trailies but is far easier on a small bike.
