Nelson Trees on Building The Mountain Races

Most people in the bikepacking world know Nelson Trees as the mind behind the Silk Road Mountain Race—a race that has become legendary for its beauty, difficulty, and unpredictability. But before he was designing some of the most talked-about routes in ultra cycling, Nelson was a mountaineer, a Deliveroo rider, and someone who once rode a homemade carbon tandem from Shanghai to Paris.In this episode, he shares about his path to founding The Mountain Races: a series of fixed-route, unsupported events that now span Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Greece, and soon, Türkiye. He shares about his first experiences with bikepack racing at the Transcontinental Race and how that event inspired the Silk Road Mountain Race, what it actually takes to build a good race route, and the power of experiences where the outcome isn’t guaranteed. Nelson shares stories from the early editions of SRMR—including a bull trampling a rider’s bike—and offers a sneak peek at the newest addition to the series: Taurus Mountain Race, coming in 2026.Mentioned in this episode:Silk Road Mountain RaceAtlas Mountain RaceHellenic Mountain RaceTaurus Mountain Race (coming 2026)Transcontinental RaceHighland Trail 550Mike Hall Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Follow Mel on Instagram: @melwwebbFollow Detours on Instagram: @detourscyclingFollow Albion on Instagram: @albion.cyclingUse code DETOURS15 to get 15% off your next order from AlbionIf you enjoy listening please consider pledging your support to sustain producing this show: https://buymeacoffee.com/detourspodcast