Hey, I'm back!! // Just a quick update

Well, it has been a while since my last post...shame on me I need to admit! After the racing season I just did what I always do: doing my thing without much of a commitment and enjoy life as much as I can! :) Here I have a few shots of what I've been up to lately. 

Done some nice autumn riding...

... and also a savage night spin!

Visited nice places up in the mountains...

...and at the Danube also! Stunning! 

And most importantly spent some quality time with my kids...:)

So, life is going great and I can say that I'm recharged and ready to do some work! In fairness I'm already doing as I started my winter training about 2 weeks ago. I'm back on the bike and I'm back running also. 

The motivation is there, I have a few goals for next year, so roll on 2019!!! Bring it on!!!

Mátra Maraton // Race report

Finally! I managed to put a good race together, the kind that makes me feel that everything has came together like it should have been! But lets go from the beginning. 

I was really looking forward this years Mátra Maraton as the event was fully & completely renewed. Including new location, new start/finish area, brand spanking race course and the whole jazz altogether! 

Well, I've pretty much dropped my jaw straight after we arrived to the race centre at Mátraszentistván. Stunning spot it is, absolutely mind blowing!!

"Lets do this!"

As I was in a great mood and also put in a good training week I was dying to get ready and line up at the start line. But before all that we all lined up for a nice team photo:

Great bunch of lads here at MátraBiker :) 

I was pretty lucky to get to the start area nice & early so I managed to start from the 3rd row. The field was led out to the course and after the slow start the game was on! I mean ON! I felt great on the bike and the legs were turning well also. So everything was on one card straight from the start and the strategy was to go flat out and not to look back. 

The course was something else! It was simply brilliant: bone dry trails with a tad bit of mud here and there, loads of roots and even more rocks. And some climbs...I mean some proper climbs! Steep ones that put the hurt on! :) 

In action

The race was going my way and at about 30 km mark I still felt proper speed in the system so I decided to gamble a bit and it worked. I managed to cross the finish line with the best result of this season! 

I finished 38 km race with 1000 m elevation just a tad bit over 2 hours. This was enough to get the 12th place out of the more than 80 Masters 1 riders. Am I happy with the result?! Sure I am!! 

  

Shortly after the finish with a massive smile on my head. The target for the season was to get into the top 15 in Masters 1. I was knocking on the door already but last Sunday I finally managed to open that door. This 12th place is good for me, it is pretty much as good as it could get this year. :) 

Yep, it's time to get cleaned up and get some rest 

And what can I say about this year's Mátra Maraton? It... was ... freakin'... PERFECT! Massive thanks to the organizers and everyone involved for putting such a great race and great day together for us. The location is stunning and the course was savage! It was easily one of the best XCM race that I've done in the last 18 years! Hats off! 

Something different

#dustasfarasyoucansee :)

#summersunset

Bükk Maraton // Race Report

I'm just back home from this year's Bükk Maraton. Today was kind of a special day for me as the event is a part of my racing past since the beginning: I was there at the very first Bükk Maraton 17 years ago! So, needless to say that I was really looking forward today! 

The alarm went off at 4:20 am this morning... ouch... After a quick brekfast I was on the way to pick up the lads to travel to the venue together. 

The faithful Peugeot is jam packed :) 

After a nice drive on the quiet country roads we got to Felsőtárkány where the race venue was. We got there early to pick up the start pack but even at the early hour the place was buzzing: tents, music and all the good stuff you need at a MTB race. 

My start time was at 10:00 am sharp so after a short prep I was ready to roll. I luckily managed to meet up with my club mates for a quick shot before the race. 

Team Mátra Biker: great bunch of mountan bikers indeed  

About 30 minutes before the start we were already waiting at the field where the start / finish area was. At this point I already knew that we all going to have a brutal day on the bike. The weather is pretty savage lately with 30-34 degrees. Due to the heat we have heat alert for a few days now. So, there was I, melting away in the middle of this field in the stop splitting sun and I was thinking about the good aul' irish weather... with some cold wind and a light rain. Then I had to fall back to the freakin' reality as we shot off like a bunch of mad men. 

On the first long climb (photo credit: Zsolt Juhász)

The pace after the start was hurting me... it was hurting me bad especially 'cause I also had difficulty cooping with the heat. And after about 10 km into the race I started to feel good and picked up the rythm nicely. The climbs were alright and the descents were fast... until something happened...

... I've had a mechanical at about half of the race. Don't know why but the rear brake got stuck on me. I stopped to check but there was not much to do, it simply got stock. The pads were rubbing against the disc all the time slowing me down pretty badly. At first I had a massive amount of motivation burning in me, so I've tried to coop with the situation. But I soon had to realize that it wasn't gonna happen. From that point I just settled down and started my long and painful journey to the finish with my bloody rear brake on. I cycled 20 km like so...

Almost done... (phot credit: Tibor Molnár) 

But like everything in life this "fun filled" 20 km also came to an end when I crossed the finish line. Yep, it was over thank God! :) 

What a nice finisher medal! 

After an ok start my race turned out to be a suffer fest.... I finished the 38 km race with 800 m elevation gain with 1 hour and 51 minutes racing time. I picked up the 28th place out of the 79 Masters 1 field. Considering the situation I'm super happy with this result!! :)   

The overall experience of the day was good I have to say. Sure, my race was doomed from the half of it but still: the event was very well run, the organizers were nice & helpful, the start pack was nice with a cool T-shirt and a lovely finisher medal at the end. The course signs were clear and the feeding station was also good. Oh, and the pasta is also worth a word: it was a life saver after the race!

Massive thanks Nagy SE for putting this great day together for us! I also need to say a massive thanks for sorting the results out so fast! See you in 2019!!  

The Shed // Chapter 2

"Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get..."  

I guess the famous quote is more than true in my current situation. In the last 2 months a lot has happened: getting devorced, sold the house and moved into a new flat. As a result I had to say good bye to the loved MTB HQ of mine...The Shed that I have been working on for a few years and spent countless fun filled hours in...

But the end of something always allows way to a beginning of something else, something new. So here we go, I'm introducing the new (and much smaller) version of The Shed. We are talking about a stunning 2,25 squaremeter here. It's freakin' tiny but it has all what I need. Sure there will be no room for grill / burger parties like we had before but it is a lovely drop of MTB heaven on the 2nd floor. A place where I can carry out all my repairs on the bike but most importantly I can feel the vibe of the old Shed every time I walk in! And now this is all I want! :) 

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