Unable to attend personally this year edition due to other commitments, Kuai Sport Promotions has given us with great pleasure this amazing press release.Credit for photography to Nordic Ways.
The wild nature
Mongolian Myagmarsuren wins 8th Genghis Khan MTB Adventure
by Kuai Sports Promotions
Basaankhuu Myagmarsuren is the deserved winner of the 2014 Genghis Khan MTB Adventure, taking two out of three stages to earn a final advantage of 4'09" over his compatriot Bilguunjargal Erdenebat. The 23-year-old Mongolian seemed totally in control of proceedings during the 96km long final stage, and despite a crash early on in the stage did not succumb to the pressure. China's Hu Hao suffered an unfortunate puncture towards the end of the first stage, but comforted himself with a strong solo victory on day 2.
The peloton
Blistering heat made the long weekend tough for the roughly 400 mountainbikers - a new participation record - who began the race. Drama struck immediately for Russian outsider Ivan Brinko as he crashed in the tricky descent coming off the Nadamu Arena. As a whole, the two Mongolian teams CCN and Attila were not as strong as last year, but that did not prevent them from putting the hammer down straightaway. However, they found a great match in Hu Hao, riding for Team Specialized, and Canadian Fraser Young (Team Chiru-Magura). Even Team WTB ace and fast sprinter Daniel Carruthers was never far behind.
Hu Hao's puncture 9 km before the finish of stage 1 arguably was the key moment of the whole weekend, given that Fraser Young immediately stopped to help the Chinese rider and in so doing jeopardised his own chances for success. Young got the fair play prize, and Myagmarsuren, Batorskikh, Mendbayar and Erdenebat could settle among themselves who would become the successor of Altansukh Altanzul, the incredible raw talent from Ulanbaatar, who is pursuing a professional cycling career as of this year.
WTB rider
Myagmarsuren used his experience from 2013, when he finished third overall, and despite losing some time on day 2 seemed very much in control on the last day. The marathon stage remained closed for more than 60km and at some point even had the 45-year-old Frenchman Pierre-Arnaud Le Magnan (Team Chiru-Magura) in front of the 12-man-group: the first time a non-Asian rider led the Genghis Khan MTB race in four years. An attack by Hu Hao split the group up eventually, but he ran out of steam in the final kilometres and had to watch Myagmarsuren and Erdenebat contest the victory.
The start line
Heilongjiang's Wang Lidong (Team Chain Reaction Cycles.com) successfully defended his King of the Grasslands crown. Overall, the athlete from Daqing was 22 minutes faster over the three days MTB and the Grassland Marathon than second-placed Luo Jinyu.
The women's MTB race went to China's Wang Xueli, who every stage finished ahead of Veerle Buytaert of Belgium and Gao Yansu.
Men's final classification:
1. B. Myagmarsuren (MGL/Team Atilla) 202km in 7h11'43"
2. B. Erdenebat (MGL/Team CCN) 7:15:52
3. G. Batorshikh (MGL/Team CCN) 7:18:13
4. F. Young (CAN/Team Chiru-Magura) 7:20:33
5. D. Carruthers (NZL/Team WTB) 7:22:42
6. A. Chaklov (RUS/Team Chain Reaction Cycles) 7:23:36
7. H. Hao (CHN/Team Specialized) 7:26:04
8. M. Ulambayar (MGL/Team Attila) 7:28:51
9. B. Narankhuu (MGL/Team CCN) 7:34:27
10. L. Shibo (CHN/Team WTB) 7:38:32
All results can be found on the event website.
Registrations for the 2015 Genghis Khan MTB Adventure will open next week. Be quick as the event was sold out in April already this year.
Wild life
The SaddleDrunk Team would like to thanks Kris from Kuai Sport Promotions for this.
Be SaddleDrunk and Be Safe on the roads.