2015 Mongolian Bike Challenge By The Numbers

The race, which I'll write about in more detail soon (with photos) was a pretty unique experience - not like a road stage race, not a true mountain biker (i.e. very technical) stage race either - something in between but very very tough. Staying safe on the bike, healthy, recovering and still riding fast was my focus each day. But enjoying the incredible scenery and great camaraderie snuck itself in :)

This is a brief breakdown and full files (including power/hr etc...) for the stages. I'll go into more detail later, but the first stage I didn't feel great (altitude, 12hr timezone flip in 2 days and heat (30C+)?) and from 10km into stage 3 I was nursing a very bad gash (6 stitches) just below my left knee which required a course of antibiotics - I was a bloodied mess when I finished that stage.

Camping grounds post stage 2 - stunning

Across the seven stages:

Riding Time: 31 hrs, 20 minutes

Distance: 840 kilometers

Climbing: 12,500m

Work/Kilojoules expended racing: 29,000 (approximately 135 Mars Bars!)

Average Cadence: 80

Amount off-road: 99.999% !

Punctures: 0 (Racing Ralph 2.25 front, Thunder Burt 2.1 rear)

Longest Stage: 176km, 6hrs 20 minutes (and I won it!)
Days with Internet: 0

Marathon MTB final report
Stickybottle piece

Post stage 4 camping

Thanks Schwalbe, Selle SMP, NoTubes & Cycleways!

The race finish - 13th Century National Park