The Mountain Races Podcast

Welcome to day 2 of the Silk Road Mountain Race. Riders descend from Kegeti Pass into a cool, rainy valley, a stark contrast to the scorching heat of Day 1. The remote terrain and high altitude push riders to their limits. Allan captures their stories as he navigates a day of media car challenges and a marathon drive to the first checkpoint. Follow the riders progress on MAProgress .  Thanks...

Welcome to Day 1 of the 2024 Silk Road Mountain Race. In this episode, we take you straight to the start line, where riders from around the world share their thoughts, hopes, and nerves before embarking. The day unfolds with the riders facing the daunting Kegeti Pass, a climb notorious for its steep gradients and unforgiving terrain. Allan captures the highs and lows as they ascend this formidable...

Welcome to Registration day of the 2024 Silk Road Mountain Race. Allan Shaw is reporting live from the registration area, where he’s chatting with riders as they gear up and get ready for the adventure ahead. The air is buzzing with a blend of anticipation and excitement. We can’t wait to see how the race unfolds. Be sure to tune in tomorrow to find out how the riders fare on the first leg of thei...

Welcome to the 2024 Silk Road Mountain Race. In this podcast, we want to bring you the stories behind competition. From the very front and all the way to the back of the field. Because no matter which racer gets to the finish line first, every racer will experience an unforgettable journey across a beautiful country, full of challenges and rewards, and we are aiming to bring you as many of those u...

We've now reached the finish line of the Hellenic Mountain Race. This episode is a little longer than previous and for good reason. Allan sits with some of our riders at the seaside in Nafpaktos to hear about their races. These experiences are difficult to capture in such a short time frame, and but we hope these conversations give you a glimpse of just how magical this race can be. Riders as they...

Welcome to day 7 of the Hellenic Mountain Race. While the vast majority of our riders have reached Nafpaktos, we still have a handful of riders out on course battling the snail in hopes of making the finishers party on Saturday evening. In the small village of Kastania, there's a surprise oasis in the form of a restaurant run by locals Dimitra and George. It's been a haven for riders in their fina...

Welcome to day 6 of the Hellenic Mountain Race. We now have a full podium for both the men and women, as well as our first place pair. Christophe Djikmanns took the top step in the men's race, while Mascha Wahlig won the women's category. After some sleep and food, they sat down with our host Allan to give us the story of their journey from Meteora to Nafpaktos. We still have plenty of racers out...

Welcome to day 5 of Hellenic Mountain Race. Today Allan catches up with riders at CP3 in the ski resort town of Karpenisi. Karpenisi is the final major town before riders head out into the wild for the final arduous stretch. We hear from our eventual women's winner, Mascha, as well as a host of other characters. This podcast is made possible thanks to the support from Holy Fat. To shop their energ...

Welcome to Day 4 of the Hellenic Mountain Race. While the head of the race is nearing the finish line, there's still a long road to go for many. Allan catches up with riders at the haven that is CP2. By now, many stories have begun to surface. Race Director Nelson Trees also provides an update on the field and how things have unfolded so far. Tune in to hear what's unravelled in the past 24 hours,...

Welcome to day 3 of the Hellenic Mountain Race. Many of our riders have now gotten their stamp at checkpoint one and are on their way into the wilderness beyond Metsovo. Allan spent the evening of Day 2 at CP1, catching up with riders before they took off. We also hear from some of our riders further back ahead of receiving their stamp and cap off the episode at CP2 with some of our leaders. While...

Welcome to day 2 of the Hellenic Mountain Race. After a rainy first night, many riders took shelter while others opted to push through. Allan caught up with our riders at various points along the course, from the beautiful Vikos Gorge, to Kipoi, to the highest point of the race just before checkpoint one. While we're only nearing 48 hours into the race, everyone had countless tales from their trav...

Welcome to day one of the Hellenic Mountain Race. Early Saturday morning riders set off from the picturesque town of Meteora. After a scenic singletrack loop around the monasteries, riders headed into the mountains. In many ways this year is reminiscent of last year's circumstances, with heavy rain during the day and into the evening. Tune into see how riders faired on the first day of their grand...

Welcome to the Hellenic Mountain Race, an 880km fixed route, unsupported, single-stage cycling race through the mountains of Greece. With nearly 28,000 metres of climbing in some of the most remote landscapes in Greece, riders are in for an adventure. Allan Shaw reports live from registration, catching up with riders as they get checked in and locked in for the journey ahead. Last year’s edition w...

Allan Shaw sits down with some of the recurring racers we've followed over the past week. Hear the highs, lows, and whats on their minds as they pack-up their bikes, say goodbye to friends, and get ready to go back to normal life. This podcast is made possible thanks to the support from Holy Fat, Energy dense sports nutrition. Listeners of the podcast can check out holy-fat.com and use the offer c...

Allan Shaw sits down with the winner of the overall race, Justinas Leveika, and the winner of the women's category, Cynthia Carson. Hear all about the roller coaster rides that both riders went through on the way to their respective victories at this year's Atlas Mountain Race. This podcast is made possible thanks to the support from Holy Fat, Energy dense sports nutrition. Listeners of the podcas...

Allan heads to CP3 to check-in with riders who have squeaked in before the time cut, as well as those who have had to scratch from the race. With a mix of podcast first-timers, and those we haven't heard from since the beginning of the race, today's episode provides a fresh outlook on the race, as riders discuss the many lessons learnt in the Atlas Mountains. This podcast is made possible thanks t...

Allan stations himself in the Paradise Valley to get impressions from riders heading into the home stretch of the race. With tired legs, cloudy minds, and some very sore necks, riders take on one last big climb before the relatively tame ride up the coast to the finish line in Essaouira. This podcast is made possible thanks to the support from Holy Fat, Energy dense sports nutrition. Listeners of...

Allan catches up with racers as they work their way from CP3 to the finish on the coast in Essaouira. He then jumps ahead to hear from the leader of the women's race Cynthia, and the leaders of the pairs race, Manuel and Federico. He then heads to the "Moroccan Stelvio" to chat with riders as they climb the last major climb of the race. Finally, Nelson calls in to update us on how the front of the...

Allan rolls into CP2 shortly after midnight and finds countless riders fuelling up, resting, and preparing to take on the next section of the race. We also hear from pre-race favourite Mattia De Marchi on scratching from the race. We then get a special guest call-in from race organizer, Nelson Trees, giving us an update from the front of the race. Afterwards, Allan hikes up the infamous colonial r...

As the riders make their way between CP1 and CP2, our faithful podcast host, Allan Shaw, gets stranded in the desert due to multiple flat tires on Control Car 2. Making the most of the situation, he hikes up a climb that the riders are descending and catches them for a stream of quick fire interviews. With the Control Car's tires fixed, it's then off to Omar and his lovely waterfall for tea time a...

The riders head out of the bustling streets of Marrakesh and into the Atlas Mountains. The route from the start to CP1 is significantly changed, with most off road sections being taken out due to flood damage. Allan Shaw checks in with riders on the road to CP1, shares tea with riders passing through CP1, runs alongside riders after dawn on the first morning, and catches up with the leaders of the...

As the racers anxiously await the announcement of a start time, Nelson and the race organization work hard to try to get approval to start the race without further delays. Allan is on the ground to get comments and thoughts from racers as they wait in there racing gear to find out if the race will go ahead. With 20 minutes until 6pm, everyone is asked to gather at the start line for an announcemen...

In the first episode of the 2024 Atlas Mountain Race Podcast, Allan interviews racers during rider registration before the pre-race briefing. Hear stories and insights from seasoned racers, first-timers, and members of the team that put on the race. Before the race gets underway though, the weather throws a curveball which throws everyones best laid plans out the window. Stay tuned for the next ep...

The Atlas Mountain Race, Detours: An Ultra Cycling and Adventure Podcast, and HolyFat are proud to be presenting the 2024 Atlas Mountain Race Podcast, hosted by Allan Shaw. The Atlas Mountain Race is a self-supported, Ultra-distance bike race across the Atlas and Anti-Atlas mountains of Morocco. Covering 1340 km and 25,000m of climbing on mostly gravel trails and single track, with the occasional...

Silk Road Mountain Race 2019 is LIVE. This podcast will follow the race from the start until the last day at the finish line in Kyrgyzstan. Episode 8:Stefano follows the midpack on the loop of the CP3, and the most frightening pass of the race: the Tonpass. Links:   Website:  https://www.silkroadmountainrace.cc/   Komoot map of the route:  https://www.komoot.com/collection/891/silk-road-mountain-r...