I know it might be a long shot but is there anyone on the forum doing Mongolia Bike Challenge this year or with past experience?
Looks like it’s going to be at least 6 hours in the saddle each stage, I’m confident I can train myself into a decent shape by August from endurance perspective, but really don’t know what to expect in terms of terrain.
Any tips on equipment choices, tyres etc? Do I need to ramp up my strength training? I’m a roadie doing my first off-road stage race and I’m concerned that my back will give up sooner than my legs.
It’s a very roadie-friendly race as there’s almost no single track. If you look at the photos on their website that’s what it is - lots of jeep track across grassy rolling hills. Lightweight MTB - hardtail is more than fine - and strong XC tires (Racing Ralph, Ikon etc).
For training do as many long firetrail rides as possible - I took 2 days off work a month out and had a 4-day weekend of back to back long rides which I think really helped.
Thanks, this is really helpful! Looks like I won’t have to worry too much about my technical skills - I was already planning to do a bunch of fire roads as training anyway as that’s basically the best I can do anyway living in the Netherlands.
Just a little update on this old topic, I did go in August and it was an adventure of a lifetime! I actually managed to get in a really good shape and was only held back by the rental bike. I had some last-minute drama with my own gear and headed to Mongolia bikeless, luckily I found a rental bike my size in Mongolia but it was far from perfect (shocks not locking, chainrings falling off etc.).
Anyway, despite my hardware challenges the event itself was by far the best I’ve ever participated in. Riders from all continents, amazing crew who knew you by name, breathtaking route. Very roadie friendly, mostly just jeep tracks through open mongolian steppe. You get to camp with a bunch of likeminded people, the start list is really small so it’s easy to get to know everyone you race with.
I can’t recommend this event enough - it’s seems a little pricy at first glance but considering all the logistics involved and the fact food and accommodation is included, it’s actually a steal at 2499 for 6 days of racing. I think there are still a few early bird entries at 2000 for next year, if you’re looking for a really cool goal for next year I don’t think there’s anything better. I’m honestly puzzled why it just doesn’t sell out in one day, I’ve participated in plenty of events that had a participant lottery and were not half as good as MBC.
For those interested, here’s a link to the playlist with a short summary of each stage:
Sorry for replying to myself but if anyone’s interested in the event here’s a longer vid by the guy who won the race, it shows the general vibe pretty well!
