2025 has been a bit of a quiet year for races whilst being a bit pre-occupied with hosting bike events as MTB Epics co-organiser. I was looking for a new challenge this year and had seen a few people mention MB Race in Megeve as one worth doing. I wanted something that scared me a bit and was out of my comfort zone. It’s billed as the toughest MTB race, I found out why….

We made the road trip down with fellow MTB Epics organiser Vince and mate Tim meeting Soph there in our lush scenic view apartment.

A quick warm up spin the day before then early to bed for the 4.45am alarm to make the 6am start time. Unfortunately the alarm went off and I’m not entirely sure I went to sleep at all, we’ve all had that dreaded feeling!

The start line was something to behold with a mix of 1000 riders taking on a range of distances from the 70km to 140km (though you can chose on the fly if you want).

Off we went up the first climb of MANY. Next time you go to a ski resort and stand in the valley looking up at all the tops of the lift stations then imagine spending a whole day riding up to the top of each and every one….

There was some sketchy riding even on the uphills! I was a bit concerned that the uphill water bars were providing a technical challenge for some riders suggesting the rooty trails in the woods might prove to be too much for many!

Sure enough when we eventually hit the first singletrack there was a queue as the speedy uphill riders with zero descending skills faffed at the mere sight of a root. Fortunately we would get to ride this lush section later in the race again without the crowds. The second descent was a lot more spicy with some enduro corner options cutting lines to allow overtaking of lots of riders (most walking) on the main trail. Loamy goodness all the way mixed with some alpine meadow singletrack was welcome but the frequent height loss on gravel roads was a bit sad at times after all that work. Having my front brake fade half way down the longest descents made things interesting and unwittingly warp speed! I must admit though the 0.0001 descending on tarmac roads was a welcome relief to increase the average speed.

Getting to my first planned station significantly later than anticipated whilst riding OK was a bit of a shock, suggesting we were in for a long day. The route frequently peaked over 1700m and those peaks were often reached by vertical gravel tracks that after the first few hours of battling them became more and more frequently a long, sweaty and gasping hike.

I started getting some really bad pain in my inner thighs which I couldn’t figure out but threatened to be a game ender if it carried on. Fortunately I managed to remember that a recent seatpost change might have set my saddle a bit high and sure enough after lowering it a bit the pain slowly eased. At this point I was starting to get the dreaded feeling of cramp and once we looped back to Megeve I was worried about spending the next 7 hours holding it off. A spectator saw me stretching at one point and gave me some sort of cramp tablet I was grateful for (will have to look that one up).

I met Soph briefly at a feed station before she flew past me on the climb on her way to second place overall in the ladies! I was in self preservation and survival mode now as it dawned on me why so many people don’t finish this event.

I eventually came across Tim who had been up front sitting in a meadow contemplating life just after the 100km point. Shortly after he declared he was quitting but then made a miraculous recovery to make the last cut off with a minute to spare!

The last 3 significant climbs became a bit of a torture fest and I began to really struggle at one point with my breathing whilst pushing up another wall of dirt. I couldn’t get my breath back and resorted to an everesting summit hike approach of 10 steps then stop to breath. It was really hot and I think the effort had taken its toll and my heart rate was really low for the relative effort. I wondered whether that might be game over as being short of breath isn’t a good sign. I eventually made it up to the top where there were some medics but I knew if I mentioned shortness of breath I might be strapped to a stretcher or something drastic! It was downhill for a while after that so I thought I’d see how I felt. A bit more food and water seemed to slowly get me back feeling a bit more normal. I had also had a lot of caffeine during the day through both in my bottles and through frequent red ambulances (coke) at the feed stations.

The prediction of the poor rider skills came to fruition with the majority of riders walking anything resembling a technical section. It was fun dodging the bodies at times but in the second half of the race it was much quieter and people were more than happy to move aside. Though by that stage I was riding cautiously.

The race has strict cut off times and in the time I had spent walking up the mountains stages I lost most of the buffer I had to the last cut off at 132km. I made it with 20 minutes to spare. Red Ambulance no 6 and as much food as I could stomach was quickly shovelled in for the last stretch. At this point there was a bit more banter amongst riders which was entirely lacking the rest of the day, with little or no chat being offered by others riders. Not quite sure why but maybe they are taking it too seriously relative to their mid pack status. Either way I missed the chats that usually carry me through these sorts of things. At least the views throughout were seriously epic to keep the distraction up. I did somehow manage to identify 3 other brits whilst riding, I think mostly they overheard me attempting to chat to the locals or else hear the whinges about riders blocking the track!

The last section was a bit more chilled with a lovely flowy descent which was welcome after some brutal arm pump inducing ones earlier. Rolling in at 8.25pm made for a 14 hour plus ride on what has to have been the hardest day on the bike I’ve ever done (the most time spent off it as well). It wasn’t quite so much jubilation as relief. It was ace to see Soph at the finish have smashed round and catch her podium presentation. Tim arrived in a bit later and the battle story telling began in earnest.

Pretty pleased and surprised I made it round given the circumstances. Past finishers (of which there aren’t many) get their name on a wall in the event village maybe to encourage you to go back and have a picture next to your name. I’m not sure that’s sufficient to get me back to do it again. Bike events are for riding not walking. We all know how it goes though and some of the trails were epic and will stick in the memory more than the climbing.