Michal Ozogan

Reports from bikepacking races

This is the list of races I have attended. Not everything below was an official race. For bikepacking events, it’s more about who thinks it’s the race. On the contrary, when it is a race I usually just fight against myself. And you could say fight for saving a few days of job holiday.

A man with a beard and glasses, wearing a cycling helmet with a headlamp mounted on it, takes a selfie. He is wearing a dark jacket with a grey fleece collar. Behind him, a foggy, unpaved road winds up a mountain, with a faint warning sign visible on the right. Red text overlays the image, stating "SILK ROAD MOUNTAIN RACE" at the top and "I CROSSED BITTERLY COLD RIVERS" at the bottom.

Silk Road Mountain Race 2025

When I kept reading in so many places that the Silk Road Mountain Race is the toughest MTB race in the world, I took it more as marketing hype than reality. Only once I got there did I have to bow down to that claim and admit it’s true. I found myself in so many brutal situations that it was downright uncomfortable. I got exactly what I’d been asking for. Read more

A close-up shot of a grinning, dirty male cyclist, with a beard and dark, disheveled hair, wearing a red cycling jersey. In the background, out of focus, is the front wheel and part of the frame of a mountain bike with a water bottle attached. Red text overlays the image: "HELLENIC MOUNTAIN RACE" across the top, and "DOGS WANTED TO BITE MY ASS" at the bottom.

Hellenic Mountain Race 2025

A race where you don’t count kilometres, but vertical metres. With 27,000 meters of climbing, it is one of the vertical kings of bikepacking races. Not only did I have to deal with aggressive dogs, but I rode through rain, mud and storms. It was so warm in places that I could barely ride, but at night I couldn’t avoid freezing temperatures. Read more

Promotional image for the Atlas Mountain Race bikepacking event. A cyclist wearing a helmet and red backpack rides a dirt road through an arid desert landscape with rocky mountains under a clear blue sky. Red banner at top reads “ATLAS MOUNTAIN RACE”; bold red text at bottom states “ENDLESS DESERTS AND MOUTH ON FIRE”.

Atlas Mountain Race 2025

It was my first time on the African continent, and I wanted to celebrate it with a competition. The Atlas Mountain Race is a prestigious, international bikepacking race that traverses remote Berber settlements of the Anti-Atlas. As the sun burned through the day, I cycled across the rocky roads trying to catch up to the top 10. Despite bitter crises, I never thought of quitting. Read more

An eye-level shot captures a serene mountain lake with dark green water, surrounded by a dense forest of tall, dark green pine trees. Patches of snow cling to the hillside and the ground beside a dirt road that winds along the lakeshore to the right. The sky above is overcast with light gray clouds. A red banner in the upper left corner reads "TOUR DIVIDE," while text at the bottom in a bold, red font with a white outline declares "FREEZING RAIN IN MOUNTAINS THE UNSUCCESSFUL STORY."

Tour Divide 2024

Tour Divide is the grand-grandfather of all bikepacking races. I have heard a lot of stories about what can happen on the route. I came to Canada with a great sense of humility. Riding trough vast and remote areas will be a big challenge. But before the race started I found myself in much bigger trouble. Read more

A snow-dusted forest floor with scattered autumn leaves, leading to a path through tall, bare trees. In the background, a house with a yellow wall is partially visible.

Preparation for Tour Divide 2024, The Why

Let’s make this official. If nothing goes wrong I will be standing at 2024 in Banff to start this epic journey—Tour Divide. But one just not simply race through the entire US without training. My attempt will need a lot of preparations because my goals aren’t prudent. Read more

A cyclist wearing a white helmet, orange vest, black long-sleeve top, olive green shorts, and cycling shoes stands on a dirt path with a fully loaded red bikepacking bike. The bike has large tires, pink and silver water bottles, and gear bags. Behind them, a white sign reading “BohemiaDivide” with a bird logo is visible among green trees and grass, indicating a bikepacking trip stop.

Bohemia Divide 2023 🥈

Bohemia Divide is a race with a tradition that ends the bikepacking season in the Czech Republic. Not that you couldn’t ride your bike anytime you want, but this is the last time that a large group of bikers will ride through the country day and night in pursuit of finding every bit of mental power in their head. It stretches from south to north of Bohemia and riders will traverse distance of 800 kilometres. Read more

A man stands with a loaded bikepacking bicycle in a sunny urban plaza. Behind him is a tall statue of a figure holding a sword, with modern buildings and trees in the background. Text overlays read “HOPE 1000” (top left, red banner) and “GHOSTS TRIED TO STOP ME THEY FAILED” (bold red letters at the bottom).

Hope 1000

| 💬 4 comments

Hope 1000 is a 1000km long event in Switzerland. Every participant must climb 30′000 metres of elevation. I took part in the 8th edition, which was influenced by a massive heatwave, which pinned me down at massive uphills. It was really hard to embrace the struggle and find the “why” am I doing this. Read more

A male bikepacker in a red shirt, black shorts, and white socks rides a dark red mountain bike with bikepacking bags on a dirt road. He wears a white helmet with a camera mounted on it and sunglasses. He is gesturing with his left hand. The scene is set in a mountainous landscape with rolling green hills, fields, and dense forests under a clear blue sky.

West Carpathian Challenge 2022 🥇️

Slovakia is great. I fell in love with a country at the 1000 Miles race, and that’s why I’d like to experience all unsupported races that are held there. It’s necessary to bear in mind that forests here are a bear territory, and there are no movement restrictions at night to prevent encounters. Read more

A lone bikepacker, wearing a white helmet, sunglasses, a white and orange cycling jersey, black shorts, and white calf-length socks, rides a black and red mountain bike with a yellow water bottle across a grassy, slightly rutted track. A black saddlebag and a small bag near the handlebars are visible. In the background, rolling green hills covered with forests and scattered villages stretch under a light grey, overcast sky. To the left, a stack of wooden planks and fence posts sits on a higher part of the hill.

Carpatia Divide 2019

In 2019 Carpatia Divide was my second big event of the year and my first race abroad. Poland is a neighbour country and the language is similar, but I had a difficult time understanding the locals. As always it was harder than I expected. It didn’t rain, but the route was muddy and the terrain so hard I had to walk a lot. Read more

A cyclist in a bright yellow jacket, helmet, and sunglasses rides through a black inflatable archway that says "CRAFT" on a grassy field. The archway has white circular patterns on its legs. Two black vertical flags with "CRAFT" written on them in white are positioned on either side of the arch. The background shows a sunset sky with hues of orange and purple near the horizon, and dark hills in the distance. The overall scene appears to be an outdoor event or race at dawn or dusk.

1000 Miles Adventure 2015

1000 Miles Adventure is a very well known Czech bikepacking race. A few hundreds people are at the starting line every year and all places are sold out in a few minutes. Don’t be mistaken, it’s not easy. You have to go from the most eastern village in Slovakia to the most western village in Czechia. You won’t see many flat roads on the way as it follows rough mountain bike trails with insane gradients. Read more