Medvés Kör // The First One

I like when I have things ticked off the bucket list. Here is another one! We have been planning to ride the well known and popular Medvés Kör for about a year and finally we managed to get it done yesterday. The route is more popular in endurance runners and hikers circles but there are many mountain bikers also who has done it. It is a 63 km long route with 1413 m total elevation along the way. Savage climbs, stunning views and generaly a lovely spot on Earth. What else do we need, hah?! :) 

All packed up for the day

Two of my good mates and training buddies Gyuszi and Józsi teamed up with me for the spin. We know each other well and we are on the same fittness and skill level also, so the team work was not a question. 

5 am in the morning at my place

Yep, we are good to hit the road

We could enjoy some savage views on the way

We hit the route 21 at about 6 am and after a not too long drive we have arrived to Somoskóújfalu where the start / finish area is. The route starts from the Vargánya Vendégház. After we got there we have checked in with the owner & organizer and wasted no time, we got ourselves ready for the ride.  

Where the fun begins

Lets do this! :) 

As the whole route is based on QR code scan-in system we have scanned in at the start point and we hit the first climb. The feeling of the Medvés Kör has hit us straight away: the great trails, the nice mountains and the general feeling of pushing your bike to the checkpoint, scan in and keep going until you get to the next one. Brilliant! 

Bit of a rest until our good friend Józsi scanned our QR codes in

A good bit of the route is in Slovakia. After the first (shorter loop) was done we got to the boarder and crossed it. The real fun begins on the other side I'd say. 

Welcome :) 

With one leg in Hungary and in Slovakia with the other

The first loop is good also but the second one is much more challenging. The climbs are harder, there's lot more work to put in. By the time we got to this point we managed to get the hang of finding the QR checkpoints and things got a bit smoother indeed. Climb after climb, descent after descent, turn after turn. We got closer and closer to the finish. After the last bit of effort we hit the very last descent that leads straight back to the finish. Scanned in annnndddd we have finished! 

The data of the ride

At the finish with the stunning looking medals

Yep, the Medvés Kör is done & dusted. We have finished with 5 hours and 30 minutes total time (including QR scanning, looking around and a bit of a wrong turn also) and with 4 hours and 10 minutes clear riding time. The plan was to get it done under 4 hours, so I guess I'm happy as we are just a tad bit over the target. :) 

The final verdict:

The Medvés Kör is definitely a must have route for any mountain biker who likes the challenge! The QR scan in system is a great idea and a good way to complete the route although it could be a bit tricky to find the chekpoints and not to get lost. We have used the .gxp file that can be donwloaded from their official website. It was a massive help for sure!! 

The location is beautiful and the trails are awesome too. The organizer is very nice and helpful also. There is also a great accomodation available for those who would prefer to stay over night. 

... for all info necessary visit the official site here: 

http://medveskor.hu/

So, what I'm sure about is that we will be back soon to do it again and since we know the route and what to expect already the goal is to do a proper good time on the Medvés Kör! bring it on! :) 

Duna Maraton 2018 // Race report

Another race - another round of the series is done & dusted. After more than 15 years I was able to line up at the start line of one of the oldest MTB XC Marathon race in Hungary called Duna Maraton. The last time I was taking part of this race was back in 2001...man, it was a loooong time ago, wasn't it?! But lets see how my race day went on Sunday!

The race venue was in Esztergom, the stunning looking city just right next to the Danube. The place is about 90 km away from my town, so after a not too long drive we got there. 

On the way...

After the quick registration I got the first shock of the day as the "start pack" was pretty much an empty plastic bag with few leaflets and a gel...well a T-shirt would of been nice but it didn't happen... maybe next year though... 

Anyway! I got myself ready to roll. I was super hyped as the brand new team kit just dropped a few days before the race. The fresh design, the new kit and the fact that I was representing my team with the new kit was giving me an extra lift indeed. 

Ready to race! 

Got to the start/finish area and luckily I managed to get pretty close up front at the start. 3...2...1... GO!!! Off we went into the narrow streets of Esztergom with police escort for the fist few kilometers.

After we left the city we got the first dose of nice off-road trails of the local mountains. The course was a lovely mix of long and steady climbs, proper steep stingers with some technical and mega-fast descents. The conditions were brilliant also, the course was pretty much completely dry. 

Bend after bend, climb after climb and descent after descent. Oh! And some stairs also!

Bitta fun at the end of the race just before we got to the finish

After the action packed racing I crossed the finish line and finished this years Duna Maraton. I was still buzzing when I got back to the car to get changed! :) 

Massive smile on the face - it is the sign of a great race :) 

Time to wash all the dust off the throat

I've had a great day on the bike today. I finished the 30 km race with 700 m elevation gain under 1 hour and 30 minutes. This put me into 17th place in Masters 1 category. I'm happy with this result but I'll be aimning for better at the next race!


So, did I have a good race? Did I have a good time? I sure did my freinds. We have seen a brilliandt XCM course and a very well run event. The atmosphere was great and the competition was savage. What else can we ask for?

Thanks for everything, see you next year! 

...stay tuned, more photos still to come

Mátra Biker Team Kit 2018

Yep, it's here ladies and gentleman! And it looks absolutely stunning! I was waiting for the new Mátra Biker kit to arrive like hell and now I can say it was well worth to wait for: savage looking design and lovely material with a very nice finish! Well done! And the timing was also perfect as I can wear the new kit on the Duna Maraton this Sunday! Bring it on! :) 

Szilvásvárad Maraton 2018 // Race report

Finally my racing season for 2018 has kicked off today with the Specialized Szilvásvárad Maraton. Now, make no mistake, it wasn't the usual "lets-ride-some-maraton-race" type thing. Today was a savage day on the bike. The kind that you are happy to get over with... But lets go from the beginning!

I got up at 5 am sharp to jump into my clothes, get my massive porridge brekfast in with a beautifully strong espresso coffee and to be on the way to the race venue.

All packed up from the night before

RTG (with a bit of a Giro d'Italia feeling)

On the way I picked up my training buddy and all time good friend Gyuszi and after a not too long drive we arrived to our destiantion at Szilvásvárad. After doing the usual bit-of-this and bit-of-that routine the time has finally arrived. It was go time my friends! :) 

Ready to roll

Rolling into the start area 

3...2...1...GO!!!! Off we went to hit the trails of the Short Course of the race. The first 15 km was pretty much continous uphill that I loved. There was my chance to gain some ground...and it did work, it did work well...until...

... things started to get a bit rough (photo credit: Zsolt Juhász)

... the sky has opened up and a proper thunderstorm hit us and it did hit us badly. The temperature dropped drastically and the rain was very-very heavy. A little later some hail arrived also just to be sure we don't get to the finish easily. 

Yep, the party was gooooood... :) (photo credit: Zeve Photography)

I was soo cold that I was cramping all over the place (luckily not the legs though) and I didn't see much either. The last descent supposed to be fun to roll into the finish but it was rather challenging with massive puddles and deep mud that I got into my eyes in every damn turn. 

The only thing that managed to pull me out of the misery was the loudness of the Start / Finish area. I knew I was close. Just few more corners and there I was. I crossed the finish line! 

A lonely warrior type finish...but to be honest I was happy to see the line

Soaking wet and cold as hell but still with a smile! :) 

I've had a hard day on the bike and an ok race I guess. I finished the 39 km race with 760 m elevation gain under 1 hour and 54 minutes. This was enough to get the 21st place in the Masters 1 field. I was aiming for better result indeed but this is how the cookie crumbles. 

The best tool for the job: the faithful Trek was outstanding today

The mud is good for your skin. That's what they say anyway! ;)

After we finished with all the cleaning and packing there was nothing else to do but to head back home. On the way we stopped for a quick lunch and for some of these bad boys:

The reward after the hard day #yumm-yumm

All in all I had a good day. The event was well run, the course was great and it was absolutely priceless to be racing again! Especially with my new team Mátra Biker KSC, it was great to meet the lads for the first time. Although I didn't have a chance to wear the team kit yet but it was still great to represent my new team! Huge thanks to Gyuszi for washing the bike after the race while I was getting life into myseld and to Jani for picking up my start pack the day before, so I could avoid all the queueing this morning! You rock lads! :)

So, the season is rollin' now, stay tuned until the next race!

note: stay tuned more photos still to come...

2016 Trek Superfly 7 // The first 1000 km

Yep, I just got the first 1000 km on the 2016 Trek Superfly 7, so I think it's time to put together a post about my thoughts on this machine. First of all I need to say that (and I'm confident to say so) I'm on probably one of the best bikes I ever had. I can only imagine what it would be to run a carbon frame & some savage high spec combo! 

Since I got the bike back in early February I managed to ride it on many different trails and in a wide range of weather conditions also. All I can say that I'm freakin' loving it! But lets see some details now:

Pros:

• the cable casings are well sealed thanks to the internal cable routing and as a result I'm still running the original gear cable on the back
• both wheels are nice and strong, they are running true & smooth although I hit some hard stuff once or twice
• the FOX 32 is simply brilliant, as smooth as it can be
• the bolt-through axles are easy to work with and they do keep things stiff

Cons:

• the Bontrager tyres are a tad bit too soft, they do wear out fast I'm afraid
• the sealed bearings are gone already in the rear hub 

So, after this 1000 km I'm truly impressed: Trek wanted to give us a savage XC weapon and they nailed it sooooo well! It is fast, light, reliable and gives me massive smile each time I hit the tails on it. The 2018 racing season will kick off in 3 weeks time and I can't wait to see how the Superfly will perform under proper pressure! Bring it on!