Quinda Verheul - wins women’s category

The Kyrgyz’s Curve Ball

The Podium is Full

Day 4 - what a day

Overnight into Day 4

Day 2-3 race report

In other news

Day 1 HMR

Who to watch

Mudsticks at Dawn

Ten minutes was all it took to rob __Quinda Verheul__ from coming in under 7 days to take the win in the women’s category. A time of __7D 0h 10m__ was enough to take the top step but also to drop into 19th place in the General Classification. 
![quinda](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2L2dxOaAd7Bs87rIy0uh9P/185fccbecfbf6dd2e040f5d5d4120497/image.png)

Breaking free from the other contenders on day 1, Quinda held this front position for the remaining time on the route. Managing her time well with only 1D 13h 34m of stoppage time over the week of racing. Looking fairly fresh at the finish-line, it looks like this kind of race is made for her. Here’s a [great article](https://www.wildhood.eu/logbook/quinda-verheul) on how she got into bikepacking and a little more about her as an artist.

__Kate-Jane L’Herpiniere__ chased Quinda the whole way. Despite suffering a mechanical which set her back serveral hours, she made up time on Quinda by keeping her breaks shorter, but wasn’t able to close the gap to her before the finish-line. Katie-Jane reported some ankle issues, which swelled up a few days ago, subsequently this expanded to include her lower legs, making walking and cycling tougher and slightly painful. Her goal is to get to the finish-line and hopefully join the party. 18km lie between her and the finish-line, while most of it should be downhill, it’s still fairly technical.

![katie](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3RiPGymgTV0C1uOL6aBqaV/8b9313336183cd5c1d3c95b6b233663b/image.png)
*Kaite-Jane still looking fresh after a few days*

So as the first and second places on the Women’s podium fill up, __Lissa Breugelmans__ is making her way to Check Point 3 with 80km left to get there, if she gets to the finish-line, this will put her on the third step of the podium.

## Women's Podium
1st Quinda Verheul
2nd Katie-Jane L'Herpiniere

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article.

## Race photographers
Race photographers are:
[Gavin Kaps](https://www.instagram.com/ospreyimagery/)
[Nils Laengner](https://www.instagram.com/nils_laengner/)


## Scratchers’ Paradise
It’s inevitable on a Nelson route one town will find itself selling out on cheap T-shirts and flip-flops. Meteora is currently Stratchers’ Paradise, as riders bailing from the harsh conditions out on the trail take refuge in warm hotels, wash out grit and mud from every thread in their kit and gather to swap tales of hub deep water, slippery cobbles and why Greece, sun-lovers paradise, threw them a Kyrgyzstan curve ball and served up a Silk Road Mountain Race weather pattern and a scaled down version of its terrain.

![greece 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/dH1bKsJ3CxskwId3XWufb/44869223729f6b0ef0f726d3fbfebbc7/image.png)

## Riders of the day

### Conan Thai
Conan slipped under the radar on previous Silk Road Mountain Races I’ve commentated on, but he’s come fully under the spotlight here at Hellenic. Just a brief recap of what’s been missed by overlooking his dot: Silk Road Mountain Race #4 and #2, Oregan Timber Trail.

A deep dive into his Instagram, pulled up my favourite moment - a slow-mo video showing golf ball sized hail stones bounding off the floor, followed by a photo of a bivvy bag totally covered in white hail, like it snowed. I bet that pummelling by giant hail stones was not pleasant while lying horizontal in a thinly veiled modern fabric.

He also received a bikepacking.com award for the Oregon Timber Trail “Best Event Documentation” for 2021.

![conan](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6dX6cMPKGwlR8LvXXj8mg3/2fa257abf33833c94a52ff62e5a4be92/image.png)

Definitly worth a scot through his [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/everydaycult_/) Stories for some wonderful photos and videos.

### Lissa Breugelmans
Working in sustainable forestry and nestled in a corner of Netherlands which affords her the pleasure of neighbours France and Belgium, means the gruelling nature of the Ardennes is on her doorstep and the weather and terrain on the Hellenic Mountain Race make her feel very much at home and there’s no amount of ‘Belgian toothpaste’ that can get under her skin. (Correction: I orginally said she was from Belgium and have corrected as Lissa is from the Netherlands).

Forestry work, no doubt, builds a strong body and hike-a-bike sections where you need to lift your bike overhead, probably won’t prove too much of an issue and the trail running will certainly make her sure footed over the Nelson-trails in the Pindus Mountains.

![lissa](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6SFaaLFuq7b2GO0bDJPrbB/5d54470c13be24e5c47599530faab7f5/image.png)

Find Lissa on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/caughtinthevoid/) and give her a cheer as she takes an overnight stop at Check Point 2.

## Women’s Race
Four riders remain on course, however if you look at __Elodie Deprez’s__ Dot currently, it looks like she is off route. A deeper dive into the shows she is on a common diversion, possible the one where the river is running high. Quinda, Katie-Jane and Elodie all took the diversion, while Lissa took the original course. The short cut took around 1H40 to ride, while the original route took around 3H40 to ride. So fair play to Lissa for tackling this section - quite possible she missed the signs indicating the diversion.

![diversion](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1RrVEe6NJhOpg0z1NlUbCZ/2b039adced9d4516fe4ce34a259686c8/image.png)

__Quinda Verheul__ retains her lead over __Katie-Jane L’Herpiniere__. Katie closed the gap to Quinda, but this gap increased as the day wore on with Quinda currently holding a 30km lead over Katie-Jane as they make their way to Check Point 3. However, those 30kms are by no means easy. 

From where Qunida is currently riding on the route, it took __Adrien Liechti__ 1 hour to ride and for Katie-Jane it took Adrien 5.5 hours. So it looks like Quinda will make it into Check Point 3 this evening and no doubt will take the opportunity to sleep indoors knowing she is technically a good 4.5 hours ahead of Katie-Jane.

ADJUSTMENT: As I was doing a count on those who have scratched, sadly Elodie Deprez is now on the scratched list.

## Pairs Category
Two pairs remain on course, __Mel Webb + Jake Cullen__ and __Fridolin Schoepper + Panos Provias__. The party is at Check Point 2, as all four riders look to be taking the good timing of nightfall to stay at the check point overnight. They’re currently at 489km, leaving them 427km to go. At this pace it should see them coming in around 11 days. 

## After Party
The After party is on the evening of 20 May, leaving just two days for riders to get to the finish-line. So the question is, will the women make it to the party? Adrien took 25.5 hours to cover the distance remaining for Quinda and 31 hours for Katie-Jane. There is 48 hours until the party starts, so it’s looking good for Quinda and Katie-Jane to make the party. 

I’m assuming the snail is going to make the party, so it looks like a handful of riders behind the snail will be racing to get to the finish. But as the party, no doubt, will rock into the early hours of the morning - what’s another night without sleep? - the riders will receive a very warm welcome.

![cp2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1DiePZnxBECHteB1ZAOpxL/84a035b1b15bfbff1ab5bb4d69468b5a/IMG_0903.jpg)

__Scratchers__: 61
__Active__:  44

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article.

## Race photographers
Race photographers are:
[Gavin Kaps](https://www.instagram.com/ospreyimagery/)
[Nils Laengner](https://www.instagram.com/nils_laengner/)


It took just __4D 12h 6m__ for __Adrien Liechti__ to ride himself into the history books with a win on the inaugural Hellenic Mountain Race. Conditions set the scene for an unforgettable introduction to this race - persistent rain, snow, peanut butter mud, cold and rising river levels. After taking the lead from the first half of Day 1, he held the lead for the duration, bar the one night both he and __Tanguy Ramser__ spent catching a few hours nap at Check Point 3 in Karpenisi. At this point Adrien held a 1.5 hour lead over Tanguy and left before him. He hold off the chasers finishing 1.5 hours ahead of __Manuel Trucollo__ who completed the course in __4D 13 h 37m__, allowing him to step up the the second stair on the podium.

![done](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7g7g56boDd468StWNAgBpM/0a963ba2e6f686a8f3707677c3ef1a20/image.png)

Manuel made up 30 minutes on Adrien between Check Point 3 and the finish line. He chased hard but was not able to close the near 2 hour gap he trailed behind Adrien at Check point 3.

![Manuel](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4RCfyFHuapMscxQ9BLbfYt/43629b00c01328cb674e1df6951602a5/image.png)

But it was the fight for 3rd place which was hard fought after Check Point 3. Holding a stready 4th place for much of the race. At Check Point 3 __Max Riese__ arrived 1.5 hours behind __Tanguy Ramser__ (at that point sat in 2nd place). It was before the finish-line we saw Max overtake Tanguy to take the last spot on the podium finishing in __4D 16h 2m__.

![max vs tanguy](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3rQZoNSk8Wlu1iLNshfwoR/8dd3c616107918d3f4195a5d993ff04d/image.png)

At 25 and relatively new to bikepacking, Tanguy put on an amazing ride. He's stopped short of the end, too exhausted to complete the downhill in the dark to the finish. Mentally he's done and the last bit is evading his mental capacity to go back and complete it. This goes to show just how deep he rode this race. I am sure we will see more of him in these hardcore races. I certainly hope so.

![tanguy](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2S5T2AhihLjLLdlUWj7iA6/af379023efec03022857e446a1a1d053/image.png)

## Man of the Match
Irrespective of the outcome in a match, there’s often a stand out performance and this has got to be __Marin de Saint-Exupéry__. A picture paints a thousand words, so I’ll save mine and let you digest the graphic below.

![marin](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5tyPfJDkyuzKPFENtJDm3s/6f37792fef57c22f69596ef68ef25cd8/image.png)

![man of the match](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4K6jgYnlAtgMwAjDRn8nhC/78744796b8b40921ca1d0a57c4746013/image.png)

### Reports to follow:
Women’s Race
Pairs race

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article.

## Race photographers
Race photographers are:
[Gavin Kaps](https://www.instagram.com/ospreyimagery/)
[Nils Laengner](https://www.instagram.com/nils_laengner/)


Where to even start to dissect the events yesterday. Organisers’ were kept busy, between digging a channel through the snow to show riders a safer path along a technical section to diverting riders around a river where the flow looked impassible. So you may see riders off route for this section.

Perhaps the first place to start is the race organiser. This is the difference between an active organiser who is on the ground to assess the race and the route, making decisions as conditions change. Here's where you get some value for your hard earned entry fee., Bravo to the team out there managing the conditions, because let’s face it, these are pretty crazy weather conditions at the moment.

![diversion](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2xPgBL5cYwQRrtxpB5Be2Y/f04964fa0c41a8d694e525b56b7223af/image.png)

For comparison, on the Giro D’Italia yesterday, 20 riders abandoned the race and for the stage finishing up the Grand St Bernard, snow conditions prevent the race finishing up the climb, it’s not that they don’t want to spend the money to use the snow ploughs to clear the roads, there is a risk of avalanche and potential issues with the sidewalls along the road collapsing. Plus it’s still probably going to keep snowing at that height. It’s still ski-touring season up there.

Back to the Hellenic. Quite possibly, I’ve not checked the record books, yesterday saw the some of largest number of people scratch on one day of a race I’ve followed. Looking at the list of folk who abandoned, many of them are well versed in these types of races, having completed others of a similar nature. But you can’t predict or control mother nature and the call to stop when there is a safe and easier exit route off the race and before you need to send in rescue services is a wise choice. A hard choice, but wise one nonetheless.

Many exiting the race did so due to mechanical issues rather than being unable to physically complete the route. Chatting to __Abe Kaufman__, who completed Tour Divide last year, finishing 4th just behind __Adrien Liechti__, used an electronic groupset on Tour Divide which made it through those equally tough conditions. However, for Hellenic the derailleur died on him (same brand, different groupset for this race). There’s no popping into your local bike shop to buy a replacement and I’ve not heard of anyone carrying a spare.

Twenty riders scratched from the race yesterday, doubling the number from the day before. The current weather looks to hold until early next week with a weather front bringing in heavy rain today for much of the southern part of the course. It looks to dry up from Thursday. This means the front runners will continue with the conditions they’ve been facing up until today, while those following may luck out with drier trails, but that very much depends on how the soil drains. From what we’ve seen in the photos, it’s a clay which holds surface water really well. 

## General Classification
This is edge-of-the-seat stuff. Before lunch yesterday (Day 4) __Adrien Liechti__ held a 40km lead over chasers __Tanguy Ramser__ and __Manuel Truccolo__. By early evening (when I was able to check again), Tanguy was able to close the gap to within 20km of Adrien. I thought What-The-Heck and went scouting for an answer. Photos of riders traversing in thick snow, sinking waist deep with bikes held overhead was enough of an answer for me. Here comes in the role of ‘potholer’ and ‘potholee’.

The ‘potholer’ - the person who faces snow without a prelaid trail is going to need to break trail and this requires a whole lot more energy and is slow work. The ‘potholer’ meerly has to walk in the already compressed sections of snow. Through the Red Meadow Lake section of Tour Divide last year, __Sofiane Sehili__ took around two hours to crest the col. After a foot of fresh snow fell, 7 riders working together took nearly 9 hours to break trail through the same section. So I can understand how this 20km difference could be gained. We’ve seen how strong Tanguy is, but he’s up against one of bikepacking’s toughest competitor. So pour a cup of your favourite brew and get your butt ready to hang off the edge of your seat until the end of this race.

A post by __Adrien Liechti__ to say he is suffering with knee pain and is struggling to ride, so he’s walking, could mean the resounding lead he held from Day 2 will be diminished by the knee trouble.

![joke](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3g4OPzDd3wA5VmFFVv1EK2/880bf23eaa2faab24aca36d5bec7ca6a/image.png)

Well blow me down if __Marin de Saint-Exupéry__ hasn’t made it into the Top 10 again. Man, that is one heck of a ride. Where is he going to end up on GC? 

Dropping into the top 10 for the first time is __Theo Kelsey Verdecchia__, also a 2022 Tour Divider, making it 15 days into the race before throwing in the towel, he looked pretty strong so perhaps it was a time constraint which saw him not finish. He's familair with these conditions and lives in Canada, so it's no surprise to see him near the pointy end of the race.

![men day 5](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6hI0YhYYQtY3gjb1yF0N40/c52d86f2b36d5cdf8c89e8ba7404e898/image.png)

## Women’s category

This is getting close. __Katie-Jane L’Herpiniere__ closed the gap to __Quinda Verheul__, trailing by a mere 5km this monring. You can see from the graph Katie-Jane is taking slightly shorter sleep breaks. The leading women are reaching the halfway mark in the race, indicating they probably still have another 4.5 days out on the trail. That’s a long enough time to suffer the effects of sleep deprivation, so who ever can recover the best on less sleep could hold an advantage here.

![sleep women](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/y0EJLevhcetA4lFUozRUo/8bc4f63a207d2a262fa9384de73437dc/image.png)

__Wendy Stevenson’s__ tracker last updated 18 hours ago. There were reports from the tracking website to say some Spot trackers where having issues with the Satellite link, so let’s hope it’s that and not something that will keep her from returning the the trail. __Lissa Breugelmans__ is also showing a 9 hour stoppage with her tracker, so it’s hard to determine where they may be in the field. I’ll keep an eye on them today. That brings __Elodie Deprez__ up into 5th place after a few scratches in the women’s field and she’s pressing on too.

![women day 5](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2itBAWtZ1nfBz7NrDR0upk/0607ae8b79c624ab79ee6e0c1d054a5e/image.png)

## Pairs category

__Georgios Lentzas__ finds himself riding solo, after partner __Achilleas Alopoudis__ scratched from the race, I’m unable to find any info on this. Leading pair from yesterday, __Fridolin Schoepper__ and __Panos Provias__ slipped from the lead thus putting __Mel Webb__ and __Jake Cullen__ at the front of the pairs race. To conquer this race is to just finish and I don’t think it’s going to matter if you’re ahead of the SNAIL or not. It can be hard to keep pressing on when your goal is to place with the General Classification but to keep going under these tough conditions takes a strong mind and it looks like Mel and Jake have the mindset to keep going to the finish barring any unfixable mechanicals.

![pairs day 5](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/50TGkibQQ5PAiHAt7wqtct/654cd3b97563ec7fc5945a4162f81023/image.png)

__Scratchers:__ 43
__Still active:__ 64

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article.

## Race photographers
Race photographers are:
[Gavin Kaps](https://www.instagram.com/ospreyimagery/)
[Nils Laengner](https://www.instagram.com/nils_laengner/)


It was hard to keep up with all the mechanicals yesterday, as the weather and terrain took their toll on bike parts. 19 riders are marked as scratched. Actually it is was 20, however __Marin de Saint-Exupéry__ who scratch came back into the race, taking a 12 hour break to get his bike sorted out and is back on the trail making his way through the field. Marin cycled to the start of the Silk Road Mountain Race, so there’s a touring mindset to keep going, mean you need to find a solution to a mechanical and then get back on track. It’s great to see him back in the race and the 12 hours or so it took him to get the repairs done put him around 257km off the front runners.

![Carl](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4nvYXPp56NMtrWvunD66z5/78347e1d3d4aca3f13a677d326b986e6/image.png)

## General Classification
It’s been an exciting one overnight. The action for second place is hot, three riders are within 3 or 4km of each other - tracker updating times make it hard to know just how close they are, but it looks like __Tanguy Ramser__ is just ahead of __Marco Truccolo__, while __Max Riese__ can’t be far off from them (tracker updated - his is around 11km behind). The biggest change in the top 10 is the loss of __Abe Kaufman__, who scratched overnight with a dead derailleur. __Adrien Liechti__ is holding onto first place with a similar margin to yesterday - around 40km - and took a few hours to sleep.

![clean bike](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5i1h2Pk8ejuM8YkuiOynO7/a656e6654b0040cd1419081c6aa25653/image.png)

Another surprise in the rankings is __Sam Thomas__, moving up to 5th place. Stopping times for the riders vary quite a bit at this point in the field, and no doubt this will change over the next few days, so expect positions to change quite a bit.   

It’s interesting to note that 7 of the top 10 are fresh off the __Deadends and Dolci__ event, held in the Ticino region of Switzerland. The steep terrain clearly impacted the riding ability of these guys and I expect it could be what the Dauphine or Tour of Switzerland is to the Tour de France - a great leg-sharpening race for the beast that the __‘Hell’enic Mountain Race__ is proving to be. 

__Gregory Marchand__ crept into the top 10 for the first time, his break times are on the lower end of the riders in the top 10, either ride efficiency or a lower sleep ratio is moving him up the ranks.

![day 4 GC rankings](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6o4HlqpVFs7B2UF9s88Yj3/b2118e070f708ec6d989cf7c1bb23146/image.png)

## Women’s category
Tracker updates for the top three women are in sync with each other, allowing a more accurate view of their on-the-ground positions. __Quinda Verheul__ took a 6 hour rest overnight versus the 1.5-2 hours of both __Katie- Jane L’Herpiniere__ and __Wendy Stevenson__, who both took breaks in town, suggesting this may have been a food stop rather than a sleep stop. If this is the case, Quinda may have the upper hand as she’s taken some recovery time, given the terrain that’s up ahead, this may hold her in good stead. Not keeping to your own race strategy and keeping to a system that works for you can come back to bite you later in the race. Trying to keep a position in the field ahead of your rival can lead to pressure to short change sleep and recovery. It will be interesting to see how this impacts both Katie-Jane and Wendy further down the line. 

![belgians](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7gldYYGNSVWn30gn3bBQpC/b7e356a2736d7c2932bf1f023936446f/image.png)

Following in their wake are __Lissa Breugelmans__, __Alessandra Bussoli__ and __Elodie Deprez__, giving the two Belgians (Lissa and Elodie) the chance to see each other on the out and back to the Gorge Outlook point just past Check Point 1. 

![day 4 women](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/37S33CobvRTARclalHWHid/e4450c20c892e672052d7b94dbedb81c/image.png)

## Pair’s race
The status quo in the pairs field remains steady and thankfully all riders are still on track. Food servings look fantastic and with much left to cover in the race, calorie input is a good thing. Note the side of fries shared by __Mel Webb__ and __Jake Cullen__, who look to be enjoying their ride, despite the conditions.

![paisrs](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3UqYNcYMY01qyOKzuVf03L/f9a61f6a1bdb932fed994f2b866f763c/image.png)![pairs d4](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6LNPrHu1lw3QaxjUFOKpjQ/3a9b07901aaad9ff5607f180b0fbe678/image.png)

## The SNAIL
While less of an issue on the HMR, as riders can self validate and are not DQed from the race if they fall behind the SNAIL. 46 riders are ahead of the virtual broomwagon, leaving 40 of the active riders trailing it. Testament to the slow conditions created by the weather.

The organisers are also keeping an eye on the trail and conditions - a traverse through some deep snow, which could prove tricky, saw the organisers forming a chaingain to clear a hikeable path through the deep snow that is still on the ground. I wish they’d been on Tour Divide last year, were a normal 2 hour section took over 8 hours to cover in -2°C and a foot of fresh snow.

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article.

## Race photographers
Race photographers are:
[Gavin Kaps](https://www.instagram.com/ospreyimagery/)
[Nils Laengner](https://www.instagram.com/nils_laengner/)


As 24 hours closed off, a clear lead was forming in the general classification, the same was happening in the women’s field too. As at writing, Day 3, 6pm we’ve seen two and a half days of racing, with riders just over the half way mark in the race. But a quick analysis shows that there is more climbing in the second half than the first and more descending too.

![stats](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6VZ8JZ5YcsTyVSeBPDJ8Q9/4474faaf3b84c998b839c58ac5cba711/image.png)

Descending may sound like a welcome relief, but when the terrain is so rough full concentration is needed and it’s no relaxed affair. Usually you’re out of the saddle, everything is vibrating, including your teeth (maybe not so much on a MTB) and if you are in the saddle things are getting jolted around alot. So while the leading riders may be over the halfway mark in kilometres travelled, they're not halfway in climbing and descending. There are some pretty wild tracks over some rather close contour lines later in the race, where fatigue will be one of the hardest elements when tackling this tricky terrain. 

![day 3 mud](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1KSzQGTbmoiCilY9yxdupl/a306c15c634b6c68fe6209e4f72b0616/image.png)

## General Classification
__Adrien Liechti__ took to the front part way through day 1, holding a marginal lead until nighttime where the distance to second place increased and he’s held a clear 20km lead over those following. __Manuel Truccolo__ moved into second place towards the end of the day 2, holding off those chasing in 3rd place, where positions chopped and changed between a few riders: __Max Riese__, __Alexander Kopp__ and __Cristian Romero__.

![Day 3 men](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7vkUmFmMV05frVOCuYvYVD/7c9fee79ae3ecb47e38d5e1360ab89fb/image.png)

But it is __Tanguy Ramsler__ who could be the one to unseat __Adrien__ up front. He’s slowing moving up the rankings reducing a near 50km deficit, after taking a wrong turn on day 1. He’s closed the gap to Adrien, now trailing by 20km. Stopping times for both riders are very low, they could both be due a longer break to catch up on sleep and getting indoors could be good to recharge the batteries, both for equipment and bodies. 

Despite his mishap with slipping off the trail, __Max Riese__ is keeping good pace and holding onto 4th place for the time being. The top 10 places are holding steady, but with 10km between 3 riders outside of the top 10, this could change.

## Women’s category
__Quinda Verheul__ remains at the front of the women’s race, holding around 25km to __Katie-Jane L’Herpiniere__, who suffer shifting issues and walked to the check point. It appears she’s resolved the issues as her pace is holding good. Both riders have a similar stopping time and took time to sleep on both nights of the race, so with all recovery things being equal, they’ll be carrying similar levels of fatigue. 

In terms of third place, an interesting battle is ensuing. Of course the battle is the weather and terrain, and each rider is just trying to make it to the end without incidence, but I’m sure the carrot of a rider ahead is enough to spur on someone to keep breaks a little shorter while pressing on.

Positions for third place are swapping as fast as the terrain is laying waste to components on the bikes. At writing in the Day 1 report, __Lissa Breugelmans__ held third place, when I looked this morning __Alessandra Bussoli__ was in third. Returning to the keyboard mid afternoon, __Wendy Stevenson__ quickly crept up the rankings and is currently holding third place. Experience in the Tour Divide in 2018 and 2022 means Wendy is well versed with these types of conditions, ensuring bike and body are well looked after. __Gidi Heesakkers__ took a long break overnight - around 9 hours - allowing those behind to leap frog ahead. 

![Day 3 women](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6RhG1XdDQcdkSNBLQChd9W/51a98d153763a3b1805615ded3692a3d/image.png)

## Pair’s category
The largest chance in places took place here. Leading pair of __Riccardo Sacchi and August Boi Tengberg__ stopped at 175km and they’ve not moved yet. I’ve not seen any updates on what might the reason for the stoppage. This put __Fridolin Schoepper and Panos Provias__ ahead. None of the pairs managed to stay ahead of the Snail - aka the broomwagon - while they can self validate and still receive a completion of the event, it goes to show that riding in a pair is not always an advantage as you can only travel as fast as the slowest person at any one time. With so much climbing, descending and technical tracks, riders would need to be evently matched in all areas to be able to move at the pace of a solo rider. Sure they can share a few things, but on this race there’s not that much you share as riders are travelling with fairly light camping stuff. 

![Day 3 pairs](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4yM8AEdruIboDOqiSsGzyN/33f950feb78dabefcbaa202b06f2f07f/image.png)

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article.

## Race photographers
Race photographers are:
[Gavin Kaps](https://www.instagram.com/ospreyimagery/)
[Nils Laengner](https://www.instagram.com/nils_laengner/)


As the weather takes central stage at the HMR, riders can merely take a ringside seat and watch the show unfold. No amount of cracking the whip can tame the beast as mud and slick conditions lay waste to equipment.

Punctures, broken spokes, sodden electronic equipment and tyres loosing grip are making forward progress tough for some participants. Sods law dictates the time you forget your spare spokes will be the time one of them goes ping and no lucky three leaf clover jersey will spare the ‘puncture fairies’ from waving a race ending wand in your direction.

Not deterred by needing to sew up a tire and apply a number of puncture patches, but when __Marin de Saint-Exupéry’s__ pump broke, his air-time expired and it was time to throw in the towel. A real shame for us Dotwatchers, but he'll be back I'm sure.

Others are also suffering mishap and misfortune. __Max Riese__ who slipped off a single track, while pushing his bike, tumbling 4 metres into the stream below. Able to recover his bike from a rock that snagged it before it could head downstream, he relocated his dislocated thumb, swallowed a few pain killers and continued along the race route at a slightly slower pace than planned. But he’s holding 5th place, so I’m not sure how ‘slow’ he is going.

__Mike Gaffey__, wearer of the lucky jersey, wasn’t spared misfortune by the indicent-gods, losing both phone and Garmin connectivity, while snapping a spoke. Replacement spokes didn’t make it into the race spares, so he’s looking for a local solution. Thankfully he’s able to restock on hot meat and potatoes, so that may help make a more rational decision once the glucose levels increase again.
![Mike](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5teXvvC0yOXdSaTQpzRhP0/43d3591078200bd5b301083d3f411eae/image.png)

__Katie-Jane L’Herpiniere__ found her bike wasn’t shifting into the four easiest gears - the ones most needed in this terrain - unable to resolve the issue road-side, with interruptions from hikers trying to help - she pressed on by foot to the check point where she could diagnose the problem after a good meal and without the input of mechanically-clueless hikers.

![katie](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/72v3icDnCpRZhgUgY9yVxk/b9fd0c411a6c69551adcb6b78dd6bd1a/image.png)

__James Illman__ is also on a bumpy ride, with one of his front shock seals failing. While the bike is still rideable, it’s not the cushioned comfort one would hope for from a front shock.  

![shocks](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6jK6wklk49E5cMrWhW0Ny5/b6f96334421a4c6c1ec19eaf71f053fc/image.png)

The route is taking its toll on the bikes and I don’t doubt the same will happen to bodies. Wet muddy conditions are no panacea for a healthy undercarriage. Wet with a gritty paste, trapped between skin and shorts, pressed into a saddle for 12 hours or more are the perfect environment for abrading skin and allowing bacteria to breed at will.

Hands and feet end up looking like prunes, while the continuous damp clothes, rain trousers clinging to the knees and if you choose laced up shoes - the impossibility to tie them tightly when they are covered in mud coupled with wet socks - mean your feet are sliding around in your shoes while hike-a-biking. Body parts are going to take a beating too.

But it’s not all bad news out there and while they may be making slow progress, the race is still on. Day 2 race report to follow. 

# Wild life
Warnings of bears may have been taken with a pinch of salt, but faced with fresh prints in wet soil, brings home the wild nature of this event. Reports from the trail suggest the bears tend to be timid and move out the way before the riders can see them. That said, it is cubbing season, so let’s hope no rider gets between a cub and it’s Mum. The paws may look relatively small compared to their North American counterparts, but I imagine they can still inflict some serious tears to all that expensive lycra and goretex out on the trail.

![bears](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1TA6wzzCWWSx65qsm1UUCh/1addd22b458f9322bac5214e8df2dfe2/image.png)

# Riders of the day
With so many new folk on the start-line, I’ll pick my way through the ones I can stalk on Social Media. First up is…

## Gidi Heesakkers (Netherlands)
Poetic licence applied as I gather information from social media and make a few assumptions. Feel free to hit me up with some good facts if I’ve slipped off the trail. 

![Gidi](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6sidBEM9A8KV1pk6oDeUK9/726140858c20b344ca384b282968a4cf/image.png)

Working for ‘de Volkskrant’, Gidi arranges to swap her newspaper with a reader in exchange for a cup of coffee, it looks like she rides there to deliver the newspaper too. She regularly meets with readers for coffee or over a bite to eat and the photos tell a story of joy. Bikes only feature more recently in her timeline, so I assume she’s a rookie at bikepacking, and if so what a race to pick and from her tracker, she’s doing pretty well.

Urban dictionary reveals that GIDI stands for ‘Get It Done, Idiot’ - I nabbed this off her insta too - and it looks like this is what she is planning for this race.
[Gidi's Insta](https://www.instagram.com/gidiheesakkers/)

## Tom Moschitz aka JetRangerTom
The clue is in the Moniker - Tom flies helicopters but he also runs ultra marathons like the UTMB in Chamonix, sails boats and has been around bikes for quite some time - according to his Insta feed. He lives in Australia, but with a roll of Borewors on the BBQ, he’s clearly from South Africa. The best sausage in the world for throwing on a fire (yes I’m biased). 

![JetRangerTom](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2SgxqXwQHCC2HmOGoINUjj/c34f137d96e9efedfc96e8a7e2265347/image.png)

Tom took to the 2022 Silk Road Mountain Race, but his race ended in the back of an Ambulance, followed by a tonne of heart and organ tests to finally determine he overcooked himself in the race while the exposure and altitude were too much for him to sufficiently recover. Clearly the man knows how to go deep in a race, so we’ll be keeping an eye on him through the Hellenic and of course the Silk Road. Tom is no spring chicken - I hope you don’t mind me saying this Tom, I am a few years your senior, so I can call the age card here - he’s currently in 32nd place and pushing ahead at a steady rate. He won’t need to contend with high altitude and the weather is unlikely to drop below freezing, so hopefully if he does go too deep into the red, he’ll be able to recover.

He’s back doing the Silk Road again this year, I imagine the Hellenic will bury a few demons from his Ambulance experience and get him to the finish-line in Kyrgyzstan in August.
[Tom's Insta](https://www.instagram.com/jetrangertom/)

## Bengt Stiller
Calm down, it’s not THE Ben Stiller with a spelling error - but still someone worth following. He’s a photographer and needless to say his photos are fantastic, capturing the atmosphere of the race.
[Bengt's Insta](https://www.instagram.com/bengtstillerphotography/)

![Bengt](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/lzRwzHIDCFT2f47GhUg8Y/8dafedb7f7d38f089a4f1734df6703c7/image.png)

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article.

## Race photographers
Race photographers are:
[Gavin Kaps](https://www.instagram.com/ospreyimagery/)
[Nils Laengner](https://www.instagram.com/nils_laengner/)


Day 1 saw riders at the front of the race yo-yoing off the front: __Adrien Liechti__, __Marin de Saint-Exupéry__, __Abe Kaufman__, __Max Riese__, __Alexander Kopp__ and __Manuel Truccolo__ (who was also at DEAD ENDS & dolci) traded places all day. __Marin__’s tracker stopped for around an hour, suffering a torn side wall, he took time to sew up the tyre, but unfortunately lost his tubeless set up. This is bad news - with the rough terrain, a softer tyre makes for an easier ride over the rough surfaces the riders are seeing, however with an inner tube this would need to be pumped a little harder to stop any pinch-flats, so the going will be less comfortable and with less control, especially on the descents. Add to this loss of speed, an inner tube will be more prone to ‘rub punctures’ where grit from the very muddy conditions work their way between the tyre and inner tube and these grains of sand rub small holes into the inner tube. They’re tough to locate as the holes don’t blow out huge amounts of air when looking to patch the tyre. A bath of water would be the best place to find the hole and while there is tonnes of standing water on the course, using a puddle to find the hole results in a muddy tyre that is a nightmare to clean before trying to stick a patch on the hole. 

![stitched up](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2T8KMmUK8mgGCbP2uV0873/e7abcffe0a2f40e12121801b17121d65/image.png)

__Marin__ made up good time after the tyre repair to chase back into the leading group, but stopped overnight and his dot shows 10 hours of stationary time. The options to get to a bike shop for repairs are both lengthly and costly from this part of the world, so we’ll wait for some updates on whether he continues to move forward. At the time of writing he is not listed as scratching, so it’s assumed he’s looking for a solution for the tyre. 

Over the course of the day the dot of __Tanguy Ramser__ slowly caught up with the lead group, he was holding good on the group until he took a wrong turn up a path and set himself up for a large loop before rejoining the course. This didn’t deter Tanguy as he slowly made his way back into the top group. [Tanguy](https://www.instagram.com/tanguy_ramser/) is from the Lausanne region of Switzerland, working as a courier and looks to be a multi-sport competitor. The Gravel riding group in this area are pretty hardcore, so I imagine is great terrain for training for the HMR.

__Vedran Gračan__, from Croatia, held his pace with the leading pack, but slowly drifted backwards as the day wore on. __Jona Riechmann__ (also from DEAD ENDS & dolci) and placing in the top 10, kept a steady pace with __Paul Wüst__, from Switzerland. They maintained a constant distance behind the leading group. __David Sanchez__, from Switerland, and __Cristian Romero__, from Spain, make up the remaining places in the top 10 of the GC ranking.

But it was __Adrien Liechti__ who made it to Check Point 1 first, looking fresh and he continued to hold his lead as of this report.

![adrien Liechti](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1CrwGi5xjJaZ1sgmxcwM8S/5b8a60ff3939ebb372f43a34862e4b64/image.png)

As at  11:00am on Day 2, these are the top 10 ranking.
![day 1 GC](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4GbuxnXhRlseGcNIo32GSG/8704ef22f0203b79b60d7e1324fabaf3/image.png)

## Women’s Race

The women stayed together for the first few hours of the day, before Quinda Verheul took the lead with Lissa Breugelmans and Alessandra Bussoli taking up the immediate chase before Gidi Heesakkers overhauled them and managed to catch Quinda. But only briefly. Gidi looks fast on the climbs, but Quinda is making a gap on the descents, especially the more technical ones and is faster over the more technical climbs and single track. No surprise given she finished the super tough Further Pyrenees race. 

Katie-Jane slowly clawed her way back to Lissa and Allessandra. With services in Meteora many stopped for a slightly longer break, but Quinda pushed on through, opening up a larger gap to the chases. As night fell Quinda and Lissa continued riding while the others stopped for some sleep. Katie-Jane stopped first and left around 2am. Lissa stopped in the next town around 4am, allowing Katie to overhaul her into second place. As daylight gathered and the day pressed on, Quinda, Katie-Jane and Lissa hold their respective positions in the field. Without sleep, Quinda is at a disadvantage is she is unable to hold her pace due to lack of rest time.

As at  11:00am on Day 2, these are the women's ranking
![day 1 women](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/229qMWrlMrdq0t38hozbl3/fa1f901efb2708e8bea1bdaa49376820/image.png)

## Pair’s race
Hard to predict before the start of the race, the pairs race proving the commentators curse is a real thing. The ones I pointed out are not up front, so let's introduce those who are.

__Riccardo Sacchi__ (Italy) and __August Boi Tengberg__ (Denmark) and possibly the youngest in the field, took the lead from early on and held it for the duration of the race so far. Slim pickings on the social media channels I follow, seem to indicate Riccardo is a courier, but I might need to scout about on other social media  channels to find out a bit more about them. [Fridolin Schoepper](https://www.instagram.com/fri_do/) and __Panos Provias__ held onto second, with __Jake Cullen__ and __Mel Webb__ in third place. 

Riccardo and August hold a good lead, but this is early in the race and with the riding surfaces and rain causing havoc, there are plenty of opportunities for mother nature to throw a spanner in the works. 

As at  11:00am on Day 2, these are the pair's ranking
![day 1 pairs ranking](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1Xk0LVygdmjHfEDstXZsvu/aa966a2a38730614e36c6e2f1055ffc2/image.png)

## Day 2
It doesn’t sound like it’s gotten any easier, with __Adrien Liechti__ reporting that he was yet to ride his bike, with conditions and terrain forcing him to push his bike. Progress will be tough in these conditions, so the three and a half day completion time I suggested may be a pipe dream.

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article.

## Race photographers
Race photographers are:
[Gavin Kaps](https://www.instagram.com/ospreyimagery/)
[Nils Laengner](https://www.instagram.com/nils_laengner/)


A browse through the starters-list throws up both new and old riders, many familiar to the other ‘Mountain Races’ and not necessarily those at the pointy end of the race. There are also a handful of riders coming off the back of Deadend and Dolci, where I was fortunate enough to be onsite for the race, leading one rider to ask: “Are you stalking me”. Here’s looking at you __Max Riese__. It could feel like that, as I’ve commented on a few of the races he’s completed recently. With a good deal of climbing, Dolci was perfect timing for a race primer and sees __Adrien Liechti__, __Alexander Kopp__, __Michele Miani__ and __Sam Thomas__ using the race to sling shot their fitness into the Hellenic Mountain Race.

Two crowns in the ‘Triple Nelson’ bag, __Sofiane Sehili__, surely, was heading to the start of the race with the aim of bagging the Triple Crown, by adding the Hellenic Mountain Race to his existing collection of wins from the Atlas and SilkRoad Mountain Races. Robbed of this opportunity after a pack of Mountain Sheep Dogs took a large chunk out of his calf, means Sofiane won’t be able to take to the start-line. Rather than wondering if their legs are good enough to stop Sofiane from nabbing another win, his closest competitors will now be looking around to see who’s leg might take them over the line first. 

![dogs](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3dythwt1xzap53u3IfBAAx/61c0e0409ba60dfc488a9a7830fd2f54/image.png)
*Dog bites - Sofiane Sehili*

Could this be the chance __Max Riese__ is waiting for, as a large win of this caliber would underline his consistent performance at many races? He’ll need to work hard to beat __Alexander Kopp__ who placed third at Deadends and Dolci where Max finished behind him. But this is another race and conditions could suit any of the top contenders including Max. Riding a cargo bike at Dolci, __Adrien Liechti__ placed 11th, he’ll also be one to watch as he comes to the race with a bike suited more to the terrain, even though he raved about the Cargo Bike, especially on the descents and flats, even though the cargo bike only weighed 11kg, with 29,000VM of climbing every gram saved will count.

![kopp](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/32nme9Nn3LmxKzYKYgZmzH/37428a0069f65dfc10eae0fa3503d6ba/image.png)

[__Abe Kaufman__](https://www.instagram.com/shenvatele/) will also be one to watch, with a few FKTs (fastest known time) for some shorter events and a finish in the 2022 in around 20 days, where conditions saw only 30% of the field finishing in the race category (under 25 days). 

But [__Marin de Saint-Exupéry__](https://www.instagram.com/marinstex/) is perhaps the one most riders will be watching. Taking the win in the 2022 Atlas Mountain race, run in the October due to Covid delays, he also took 4th in the 2022 TCR. A win at the 2021 Hope1000, he also set the course record finishing in three and a half days. The distance and elevation are similar between the HMR and Hope1000, so we can expect to see the top riders coming in around this time. The conditions mirror those Marin rode through on the Hope1000, so I don’t expect this to impact the ride time in any way.

This is a great write up about the [Hope1000 FKT](https://bikepacking.com/news/marin-de-saint-exupery-hope-1000-record/).

With so many new names and a good handful of local Greek riders taking to the field, it’s possible someone we’ve not heard of could surprise us with the win.

## Onto the women’s field
11 women are lining up to take on the HMR, nine are riding solo and two are in the pairs category, both of whom are riding with male partners. A few names you’ll be familiar with are __Katie-Jane L’Herpiniere__, __Elodie Deprez__ and __Quinda Verheul__. [Katie](https://www.instagram.com/katiejaneendurance/) took part in the first Silk Road Mountain Race with partner __Lee Townsend__ - they finished as first pair and will both be taking part in the solo category. Katie also took part in the 2023 Atlas Mountain Race, also in the pairs category. [Elodie](https://www.instagram.com/elodie_dep/) we saw on the 2022 Race Around Rwanda returning at the Rhino Run, finishing a tough race in extremely hot conditions. With races like the 2021 Hope1000 - a very wet year for the race - Atlas Mountain Race and some Further Journal events, [Quinda Verheul](https://www.instagram.com/avoidtheavoid/) will also be one to watch. You’ll know her face from some of the iris.cc adverts. She’s taken on some of the tougher events in bikepacking and I feel it will be a tussle at the front of the race between __Katie__ and __Quinda__.
![Quinda](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/XJZBwbmGw7M33EFROuMSt/1a302672493b788d536791f69ac5eae1/image.png)
*Further Journal HAB - Quinda Verheul*

You may also remember __Mel Webb__ from last years Silk Road Mountain Race, she was hit with stomach issues and retired from the race while partner __Jake Cullen__ continued solo. They’re back with some unfinished business and no doubt will be aim to keep to the plan and avoid any illnesses along the way. 

__Pairs field__
Apart from Mel and Jake, mentioned above, all the pairs riders are unknown to me. It will be an interesting race to watch and to see whether local pairing of __Achilleas Alopoudis__ and __Georgios Lentzas__ can beat the Swiss pair of __Christian Sieber__ and __Gaëlle Liengme__.	

## Paris Dakar field
A new category is emerging, as coined by the Deadends and Dolci organisers, we’re seeing more riders bring cargo bikes to these events. None other than the King of Zipties, __Bagoley Leventi__, is coming to compete alone in the Paris Dakar category. He could carry a  supply of baklava to feed the entire field and if feed back from Adrien about the descending abilities of a cargo bike holds true, it sounds like Bagoly is in for one 'Hellas' of a ride. 

## A Tapas of Riders
As always there are many not at the pointy end of the race and it’s always great to see some personal favourites turning up again. Who can forget __Jongha Pak__, hailing from South Korea, always delighted to be able to recreate foods from home out of the local cuisine, his posts are fun to follow. Winner of the Jersey of the Race in the 2022 Silk Road Mountain Race, __Michael Gaffey__ reassured me he won’t be riding in a toga for the event but I’m delighted to see him returning in a new version of his unique style. Recognisable by the ‘Born Wild’ banded tattoos on his calves, __Michele Miani__ is everything those tattoos say they are. Known to ride from his home in north east Italy to race starts, if left to his own route planning - the most obvious, easy and shortest route is not the one he’ll take. He’ll be kept on track at the Hellenic, but no doubt will find ways to make it extra Wild.

![tats](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3WiEAi1U6QBEJpQicaAcgs/0f71c9fae2887ce59e9389dd675e7e6b/image.png)
*Born Wild tattoos - Michele Miani*

This is just the starters for what will be a feast of racing over the next week. The racing will come thick and fast over such a short event but the action will, no doubt, be dictated by the weather gods, as rain, mud and rough surfaces play havoc with any well laid plans and the winner will need luck or good bike handling skills on their side. 

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article.

## Race photographer
Race photographer is [Gavin Kaps](https://www.instagram.com/ospreyimagery/)

All photos from riders' Instagram accounts.


The word Greece conjures up images of idyllic islands baking under the high sun, a gentle breeze listlessly fluttering the frills of a faded blue beach umbrella. Golden sand shimmering as it meets the cool, blue Mediterranean hosting a number of sun-screened bathers attempting not to turn bright red.

This is not the Greece the inaugural riders of the of first Hellenic Mountain Race will find themselves in. As weather across much of Europe shows signs of a wet week, Greece is not spared by this cloud cover, bringing temperatures to below 20°C. In addition to a warning by race organisers to ensure riders bring suitable rain gear to the race, a mudstick might be a worthy addition to the provisions riders need to bring along. 

The central mainland of Greece provides an ideal mountain environment to host the third race in the Mountain Race series:  Atlas-, SilkRoad- and now the Hellenic- make up the trio of MountainRaces revered by bikepackers and no doubt the ‘Triple Nelson’ is being contested as we speak, with some aiming to complete all three in the same year.

Ancient and Greece are synonymous and this region is well punctuated with buildings clinging to ancient history and rock faces scoured by nature. The race starts in Kalambaka, a shortish ride from Meteora - a rock formation hosting the largest, and perhaps most precariously build monastery, where six of the remaining 24 buildings balance and blend into the rocks that form part of the Pindus Mountains.

![Monestry](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/e5J82fgbLKtzkWUVRpnAb/ed73785b2458202394fea89b6fa6e198/image.png)

Photo credit: Stathis floros, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

These rocks come from the sea bed, pushed up into a plateau, they are formed from a conglomerate of sand, stone and mud from an ancient delta running into the sea. Erosion of the surrounding terrain left these unusual rocks in situ and riders will have the opportunity to view them from all sides as the initial part of the race forms a lope around this magical region. Returning to Meteora, riders will then press south through some remote regions. While not as high as some of the other races, the mountains will still require riders to be prepared for adverse weather and planning will be key in resupplying.

![race route](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1anM2mqm400PtwJcsZqqiW/c700201740dc7b6a4fe016313d903bb3/image.png)

Passing through small villages means shops may not be open all hours, inhabitants living in a remote region self support themselves off the land. Gorta - or as we commonly know the weed as Dandilion - forms the base of Spanakopita (spinach filo pastry pie). Gather wild greens from the hills around a village, the cook with layer thin sheets of filo with copious amounts of olive oil before filling with gorta and feta and baking into a swimmingly delicious pie. The same happens to pumpkin, but this could be served sweet as a dessert. Should a ride happen upon a village on a Friday or Saturday evening, they’ll be meet with a festive village engaged in singing and dancing. small tables serving ‘tsipero’ - small bites of eats, from octopothie (small octopus in olive oil), local olives and locally baked bread with a spread of olive paste could be accompanied by a ‘kroko cassina ( carafe of red wine) or some Ouzo. Hospitality in the small villages is all welcoming and riders may find it hard to escape an arm-linking dance around the village square. We all know that tune which starts slowly and builds into a crescendo. Cleat tapping, lycra clad riders could find themselves with a dancing injury more than a tumble off their bikes. Local hospitality is part of this race so riders won’t need to fear a disqualification for accepting it, but those contesting the GC may find this a hinderance rather than help when certifying their ride as self-sufficient. I spend my first ever excursion to Europe (in my very early 20s) living in a tiny Greek village, not far from this region, for 3 months. I can attest to this hospitality and the fact that the food in this region is heavily laden in calories. Riders will be well provided for in this region and no doubt will leave with a very different view of Greece once they’ve travelled through the less know roads of this ancient landscape. 

Race route
While short in distance, just under 1,000km in distance, the elevation will provide a near 3% average gradient over the course of the race with riders facing around 29,000VM of gain. The track is a mixture of surfaces, 53% is unpaved and from the race notes some sections will be rough, even for a mountain bike, with a possible need to walk the bike both up and down some sections. 

Two sectors are fairly sparse for resupply, the longest being from the last check point to the finish-line. In terms of dealing with unfixable bike mechanicals, it will be a long way to get to a bike service point. With this in mind, riders will be allowed to catch a lift out and back to the point where the mechanical took place, due to the distances involved. The cost could be fairly substantial and will cost the rider a place in the General Classification, but they will receive a Completion for the race. To qualify for the General Classification riders will need to be self-sufficient, however, with the remoteness of the race, receiving help from a fellow rider is allowed but again will take the rider who gets help out of the General Classification. The same goes for the timings at the check points. Those who make the check points while they are manned will receive a GC placing, while those outside of these times can self-validate their times via services in the villages or should these be closed with a photo. This is a great idea and allows those ‘full value’ riders to continue along the race and receive a completion of the race. 

Three check points offer the opportunity to get a stamp in the brevet card but also to resupply. There are plenty of small villages which should help with resupply, but riders will still need to come to the race with good research and be prepared to carry extra supplies should they hit a village when nothing is open or should they suffer a mechanical. It could take a few days to be extracted from the region, so being able to remain in situ until rescued would need some additional supplies. Water looks to be obtained from the stone fountains tapping into ground water. While this may not taste the best, it does mean riders won’t need to worry about filtering or sterilising the water before drinking. But the additional minerals in the water could play havoc with a sensitive stomach.

## #DotReporter
Your DotReporter is __Peta Mc Sharry__, I’ll be posting updates via [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/petamcsharry/) Stories which will notify you when I post a new article.


Peta McSharry

Adrien Liechti

Hellenic Mountain Race 2023 Tracking and Commentary: For this inaugural event, riders will leave the famous perched monasteries of Meteora and head to the north and west of Greece, to the steep, forested slopes of the Pindus Mountains. Hike a bike and mediterannean hospitality have been promised.

Hellenic Mountain Race 2023 Tracking

For this inaugural event, riders will leave the famous perched monasteries of Meteora and head to the north and west of Greece, to the steep, forested slopes of the Pindus Mountains. Hike a bike and mediterannean hospitality have been promised.

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Hellenic Mountain Race 2023

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Terrain

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