Pete Dodd at Stone King Rally

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Looking for an adventure this Summer...we've heard good things about the Stone King Rally. HB Ambassador, Pete Dodd, was lucky enough to join in the fun as 'Mountain Staff' at last year's event.

It was apparently Aristotle that first coined the phrase the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and this is certainly true of the Stone King Rally. This is a race, a point-to-point journey and a mountain bike ride, but somehow it is so much more than that. There’s also one thing that it certainly isn’t, and that’s a holiday!

I was fortunate enough to be asked to join the ‘Mountain Staff’ for the 2023 instalment of this prestigious event. This was the second part of a trilogy that followed in the footsteps of the successful Trans-Provence series, which introduced a new concept to the mountain biking world 14 years ago and inspired a number of similar events around the world (usually Trans-[insert country or region]).

The concept is simple enough: 90 riders start the ride in the French mountain village of Arvieux, and six days later they arrive in the Italian seaside town of Bordighera. Each day they cover between 35 and ~70 kilometres, which includes five timed stages. The riders move between the timed stages using a combination of pedal power (strictly no ebikes), hike-a-bike, van uplift and there was even a pair of chairlifts this year. It’s essentially six days of enduro racing, but that is paying the event a huge disservice.

All food, transportation and accommodation is provided, which creates a colossal logistical challenge for the organisers. Fortunately, the main man, Ash Smith, used to work in the Swiss rail industry, where presumably he learned a thing or two about planning and running complicated logistics operations. Each day the riders’ tents, sleeping bags, mats and luggage is packed away, transported and setup again at the next stop. The travelling circus that comprised the catering tent and equipment, mess tent, bar and so on seamlessly made its way along the French-Italian border, magically appearing like a home away from home to welcome the riders in with cold beer and piles of tasty food.

As part of the small Mountain Staff team we were responsible for ensuring the route marking was up to scratch, taping and timing the stages and helping the sweepers to clear the course at the end of each day. This meant setting off ahead of the racers every morning with a rucksack full of kit, adding arrow and tape markings where needed and then each of us would setup the timing equipment and check the racers through our stage. Once the racers had come through, we would tag along with the sweepers to strip it all back down, leaving tyre tracks as the only impact on this rugged landscape. As a result, we were always last back into camp in the evening.

Despite the long tough days, there were a few opportunities to sneak a coffee, pastry, gelato or even an Aperol. And it was incredible to see the excitement and enjoyment on the racers’ faces, riding these stunning trails for the first time. The route took us on a wild journey through steep cliffs, across barren mountain plateaus, through lush green meadows and postcard villages, and we were treated to inspiring views over the Mediterranean for some of it. I loved the spectrum of riders; we had professionals shoulder-to-shoulder with weekend warriors, many of whom had no interest in their result! The bonds formed between those living in close quarters for the week, supporting each other through lows and fist-bumping for the highs, were fascinating to watch and it was great to be part of these shared experiences.

This was, without doubt, one of the best things I have done on a bike, and to borrow the phrase coined by a lesser-known philosopher from the Mountain Staff: Some holiday!!