The race takes over the town of La Roche en Ardenne which is overlooked by the medieval castle and surrounding Ardenne hills. The spectacular surroundings add to the drama of the race and buzz around the town during race week.
BeMC Marathon – A yearly pilgrimage
My love affair with the Belgian Ardennes continues, it hasn’t always been a kind relationship, so many times this place has inspired and then demolished dreams. Each May we make our pilgrimage to the area to battle around these beautiful hills, it’s a trip I’ve been making for around six years for marathon races and […]
My Top 5 Favourite Events of 2019
This year I raced less, trained more and it seemed to work, my fitness was higher than ever and the race results were pretty sensational! In previous years I’ve had double the amount of race days, all the travelling, packing, race stress is tiring and eventually it’s a struggle to maintain the same motivation. This […]
Racing bikes in the beautiful Ardennes – Belgian Mountainbike Challenge 2019
Belgian Mountainbike Challenge has become a yearly highlight for me and many other enthusiastic racers. The Ardennes are undeniably beautiful, a rolling range of green wooded hills hold a plethora of rooty and rocky descents. Whilst spectacular it can be a cruel place for a bike race with super steep climbs, the worst being the […]
Beer and trails at Belgian Mountainbike Challenge
Related Event: Belgian Mountainbike Challenge
With its sawtooth route profile Belgian Mountainbike Challenge (BeMC) is known as one of the toughest events on the calendar. The UCI S1 stage race over 3 days takes place in the beautiful Ardennes region starting in the host town of La Roche en Ardenne. The event attracts many top mountain bike pro’s and lots […]
Belgian Mountainbike Challenge – Lessons Learnt In Battle
Related Event: Belgian Mountainbike Challenge
As a cycling coach I find myself recommending events to clients, one of my coaching riders, Matt, joined me at Belgian Mountainbike Challenge, the event was part of the programme we put together to prepare him for Transalps. So here are his thoughts on the BEMC event and what it’s been like preparing for this […]
Belgian Mountainbike Challenge – The Battle of La Roche Part 1
Related Event: Belgian Mountainbike Challenge
Belgian Mountainbike Challenge is billed as the toughest bike race in the Benelux but I was left wondering if it’s actually the toughest in the World!? The Ardennes is a famous location for road racing and has a rich history of mountain bike racing with the town of Houffalize hosting the UCI MTB World Cup […]
Belgian Mountain Bike Challenge 2016 – Magic In The Ardennes
Related Event: Belgian Mountain Bike Challenge
The Belgium Mountain Bike Challenge might only be 3 days but it’s impossible not to get wrapped up in it. Eat, race, eat, sleep, repeat. The post race depression quickly kicks in as reality strikes. No sooner had we finished the final 6 hour stage we were on the road driving the 8 hours back […]