Nelson Trees on Building The Mountain Races
Most people in the bikepacking world know Nelson Trees as the mind behind the Silk Road Mountain Race—a race that has become legendary for its beauty, difficulty, and unpredictability. But before he was designing some of the most talked-about routes in ultra cycling, Nelson was a mountaineer, a Deliveroo rider, and someone who once rode a homemade carbon tandem from Shanghai to Paris.
In this episode, he shares about his path to founding The Mountain Races: a series of fixed-route, unsupported events that now span Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Greece, and soon, Türkiye. He shares about his first experiences with bikepack racing at the Transcontinental Race and how that event inspired the Silk Road Mountain Race, what it actually takes to build a good race route, and the power of experiences where the outcome isn’t guaranteed. Nelson shares stories from the early editions of SRMR—including a bull trampling a rider’s bike—and offers a sneak peek at the newest addition to the series: Taurus Mountain Race, coming in 2026.
Mentioned in this episode:
Silk Road Mountain RaceAtlas Mountain RaceHellenic Mountain RaceTaurus Mountain Race (coming 2026)Transcontinental RaceHighland Trail 550Mike HallHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Detours: Bikepacking, Ultra-Cycling and Adventures by Bike
Hosted by ultra endurance and adventure cyclist Mel Webb, Detours brings you stories from inside the world of bikepacking and ultra cycling, featuring racers, community members, race directors and more. This show is about celebrating the journey, and the detours along the way, as much as the destination. We're especially passionate about providing space for folks that identify as women to share their stories and hope to inspire more people to ride bikes.
Presented by Albion Cycling
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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