Photo credit: Bansko MTB
While Danny Macaskill’s footage on Youtube hits over 8.5million views (I just had to add this in – anyone, interested in bikes or not, must see it) we jet off to Bansko for the first ever Bansko mountain bike race – The Bansko Road to Nowhere.
The Road to Nowhere held two race events on Saturday 25th July and Sunday 26th July. It would be excellent to show photo upon photo of riders speeding through forests and across dusty tracks. But I was in fact racing, so I’ll give my first-hand experience of the race atmosphere and routes.
On the Saturday the sun was beating down on Bansko all day. Temperatures soared above 30 degrees which, having stared at English rain for days on end this summer, seemed another world away.
Competitors were crowded into shady patches outside the Holy Trinity Church – the centre of Bansko’s history, sitting upon the cobbled streets of the old part of town. We all sat in anticipation of the two lap loop which in total traveled 36km.
Once the starting gun was misfired, reloaded and eventually fired, we began. The route climbed from the Holy Trinity Church, up the winding mountain road into the evergreen forest at the base of the towering Pirin mountain (and were we glad to be off the seemingly endless, scorching tarmac road).
The forest was peaceful until the clattering of mountain bikes disturbed every forest-dwelling insect and mammal. After a gentle climb through the trees the downhill section began with natural berms and small rock drops, obscured beneath the dust, catching the odd rider out.
After the refreshing descent we clattered onto a wider but rockier track which led us down into town. Once in town it was back up the road and into the forest again. Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4. The route dived off a different track near the end to take us back to the park, where a final push took us to the finish – where all eyes of the timing guys (and gals) were on the sweaty, exhausted riders speeding to the finish, only to collapse.
26th July 2009: A 19km loop with fast singltrack through the forest, some technical climbs and a really enjoyable circuit. It’s called Perfect Day, aptly, since it was just that.
Again, we lined up outside the Holy Trinity. Again, the starting pistol misfired. One difference is that the clouds were gathered above and kept the temperature down slightly. Although partly exhausted from sprinting 36km the previous day, many riders were looking forward to the shorter loop of just 18km.
We shot off at a more relaxed pace than before, unfortunately with the knowledge that our old friend – the road section, which we had met twice the previous day – loomed ahead. However, once onto a lovely dusty mountain track we fell into our element, passing firstly over an old, wide wooden bridge; hardly noticing the rush of the Glasne river under our tyres.
The trail climbed through a forest section only to descend on a dusty track with stunning views. The trail then rose and dropped through many kilometers of woods – an excellent temperature due to the shade from the trees. Combined with breathtaking scenery and a spectacularly formed trail, the ride proved to be as good as it could possibly get.
Once out of the woods, the route was downhill all the way to the park in the centre of Bansko. This was where riders exerted their last reserves of energy on the long and enjoyable descent.
Racing again through the streets of Bansko, the race came to an end at the park. After following miles of tape, we’d reached the finish. All in all, the 2 days were fun, exhilerating and challenging. I’d like to thank the organisers and everyone who took part. Plus I’m looking forward to next year!
The trails we rode for the race were excellent. I strongly recommend heading out there with a bike. If you do, take a look at the mountain bike trail maps for Bansko.
You can view the results for the Dead dog race (25th July) and the Perfect Day race (26th July) as well as photos of the Bansko mountain bike race.
