A year with The Mountain Races

In 2025, Albion and Pertex joined together to support the Mountain Races, which are bucket list events for many ultra distance cyclists.

After a year of nail biting racing and life changing adventures for riders who took part, we caught up with race director Nelson Trees to reflect on the year and look ahead to the new year.

In 2026, the series will expand with the addition of a fourth race, taking riders into Türkiye’s Taurus Mountains for the first time.

Words by Nelson Trees

Across Atlas, Hellenic and Silk Road this year, the community that is central to everything we do, has grown again in a way that’s genuinely humbling. I’m incredibly grateful to get to be a small part of something that so many people care so deeply about.

At the sharp end the racing has been faster and more competitive than ever, with the level continuing to rise and it’s been inspiring to see more women on the start lines than at any point before. At the same time, despite the undeniable professionalisation of our sport, I don’t think we’re losing what makes it special. There is still that sense that we’re all taking on these massive challenges together, that we’re all part of the same experience, regardless of how fast we go. Racing for the right reasons and not taking ourselves too seriously is something that I’m very conscious of.

Behind the scenes, our team has done an incredible job sharing the story of these races, from the very front to the very back of the field. We’ve put a particular emphasis on showing that these races are accessible, that they don’t require superhuman abilities and that anyone who really wants to, can join us and have a crack at reaching that finish line. It’s been a real joy reading applications from riders who’ve followed along for years and finally decided to take the plunge and sign up themselves after hearing tales from riders like themselves.

None of this happens in isolation, and the support from our race partners has once again been outstanding. As we look ahead to our fourth race, Taurus in Turkey, it feels like it’s going to be a real reunion bringing together the bikepacking community and Mountain Race riders from across the years. I’m already excited to see how that story unfolds, and to take everything we’ve learned into 2026, doing it all bigger and better and seeing just how far we can take this.