Bahrain 31st in Fat Bike Race

Manama : Bahrain representative Mikel Calahorra finished an impressive 31st place in the Extreme Fat Bike competition which was held in Quebec, Canada. The event took place on February 25, featuring 120 participants from all over the world who competed in a 37km race under temperature of -16C at the start of the race.

Calahorra was sitting cushioning a place between 10th to 15th place and was putting maximum efforts to improve his position before cold rains showered the course and made it very complicated, especially to international cyclists who didn’t have an equal level of experience to the locals.  At this point, locals were able to open a gap with the internationals.

They went through the conditions as nothing was happening. Meanwhile, Mikel’s glasses got covered with a thick layer of ice that didn’t allow him to see; the track was slippery and with hard icy footprints of snow motorbikes and bikes that made him crash several times and lose positions and plenty of time.

The podium was dominated by local cyclists, while none of the internationals were able to get even close to them, showing how this challenge isn’t only about fitness, but about management of the conditions and very particular driving skills. Calahorra said, “After crossing the finish line, I must say that the best part of all this experience were the local people from Lac Saint Jean. Very welcoming, helpful and encouraging. Amazing group of volunteers that make the race possible and looked after our safety under those extreme conditions.”

He further added: “The experience was incredible and unique. A very nice challenge that each year is entirely different to the previous ones due to the weather conditions. The people of Lac Saint Jean also made me feel like home, and I’m very thankful to them”.