Racers found their rhythm today during the second stage of the 2012 Mongolia Bike Challenge presented by Orbea. Spirits were high this morning as the weather gods shone brightly on the Tuul River Camp.
MBC 2012 – Stage Two on Pinkbike
The day’s 120 kilometer course featured rolling grasslands with a number of significant climbs which led to epic green valleys dotted with nomadic herders and their ger (yurt) homesteads. A large front group was established early made up of 15 riders. The pack was whittled down to 8 riders by the 50 kilometer marker. This group included stage one winner, Cory Wallace and his Kona teammates Kris Sneddon and Barry Wicks, as well as Pau Zamora (Team Buff), Carter Hovey (Team MBC Racing p/b Orbea-SMP), Mongolian rider Tuguldur Tuulkhangai, and Razif Salleh and Marcel Hagener of Team Chiru-WTB.
Big sky on a big second day in Mongolia. Photo: Margus Riga
After the second rest stop at 90 kilometers, Wallace, Wicks, Sneddon, and Tuulkhangai were able to break away and get a significant gap on the rest of the field. In the end, it was the Mongolian rider, Tuulkhangai, who won the stage, followed by Wicks and Wallace. The sun is still shining at day’s end as athletes settle into camp life in the Undur Sant Uul Mountains.
Visit here for full results and Ryan Leech’s interview with 2011 MBC winner Cory Wallace.
Racing into the finish of stage 2. Photo: Margus Riga