Dispatch from Greece: Hellenic Mountain Race
Meaghan Hackinen sent us a dispatch from Greece, where she’s starting the Hellenic Mountain Race a few hours ago. Meaghan won last year’s Tour Divide, placed second in this year’s Atlas Mountain Race, and plans to become the first woman to complete all three Mountain Races (Atlas, Hellenic, Silk Road)—and she plans to do it in a single year. But speed and winning isn’t everything for Meaghan: To get to the start of the Hellenic Mountain Race, she’s toured from Athens to Kalambaka—just like she toured Morocco after the Atlas Mountain Race. Today Meaghan is sharing her goals, her philosophy and her bike set up for the big race in Greece. Thank you and good luck, Meaghan!
“Feel free to use what you find useful, and discard the rest!”
Route: The third edition of the Hellenic Mountain Race spans 883 kilometers with a staggering 27,800 meters of climbing (550 miles / 91,200 ft climbing). Greece is more than beaches and islands: The route will take us into the steep, forested Pindus Mountains, from the dramatic clifftop monasteries of Meteora (above) to the charming Venetian port town of Nafpaktos. Like all bikepacking races, we’ll be unsupported, and the clock won’t stop ticking until we arrive at the finish.
The route offers a blend of unpaved roads, tarmac, ancient stone pathways, and sections of singletrack. Along the way, riders will validate their progress at three checkpoints—Smolikas, Melissourgi, and Karpenisi—before tackling the final stretch over Diaselo Kaliakoudas Pass, where riders encountered snow during the first edition of the race in 2023.
The route emphasizes the dramatic landscapes of the Pindus Mountains, with riders transitioning from dense forests to high-altitude, barren peaks reminiscent of Kyrgyzstan. The race promises a challenging yet unforgettable journey through Greece’s rugged terrain, combining adventure, cultural landmarks, and natural beauty.
Bike: The Mountain Races are interesting from the equipment perspective: You see both mountain bikes and gravel bikes at the start. I’d define my usual style of bikepack racing as ‘Gravel Plus’: I love seeing how far a rigid bike with wider tires and drop bars can go. The Mountain Race series incorporates all of my previous adventure cycling experience and forces me to develop my skillset a step further: requiring adjustments in gear, training, and riding style to tackle the more rugged terrain. Being outside my comfort zone is scary, but it’s also liberating. I’m experimenting with new things—for instance, the Atlas Mountain Race was my first time using a suspension fork, and the Hellenic Mountain Race will my first race with flat bars. I feel there’s less internal pressure to achieve a specific outcome, since I don’t have past results to directly compare with.
I’m racing on my 2025 Salsa Cutthroat C Force CO AXS Transmission with a 10-52T cassette and a smaller 30T chainring to tackle the steep grades. Because of the climbing and more technical terrain, I’m using a front suspension and flat bars. This will be my first race on flat bars, and honestly, I’m not quite at home on them yet: My hands just can’t find a position that feels comfortable. I’ve added SQlabs inner bar ends and grips, and I guess I’m just hoping that, by the end of the race, flat bars and I will be friends—maybe?
Wheels: I opted for super-wide Light Bicycle WG44 carbon rims, laced with a SON generator hub in the front and a Hope Pro 5 rear hub. For tires, I’m sticking with 29” by 2.2” Rene Herse Fleecer Ridge tubeless tires with Endurance casing (with Rene Herse Supple Sealant), a tire capable enough to handle the mountain slopes and rip through the paved segments.
After 4,000+ km on three continents, including the Atlas Mountain Race, my old Fleecers (above) remained puncture-free and were performing great, but I like to start an ultra with fresh tires. To level up my comfort, I swapped out my seatpost for a Redshift Sports ShockStop PRO Race Suspension Seatpost. I’m also using the Tantalus heat-molded Reform saddle.
Bags: My bike is equipped with Apidura Backcountry Series packs: a long top tube pack for my electronics, hygiene items, and multi-tool; a 6L seatpost pack for my waterproof and warmer layers, plus SOL emergency bivy; a 4L full-frame pack for my water reservoir, first aid kit, and small clothing items; a 1L down tube pack for tools, repair kit, and spares; plus the new stem pack to stash my snacks. I’m also packing Apidura’s super-tiny 13L packable backpack for big resupply hauls.
Mountain Race Series Goals: My overarching goal this year is to complete all three events in the Mountain Race Series, which includes the Atlas Mountain Race in Morocco (February), Hellenic Mountain Race in Greece (May), and Silk Road Mountain Race in Kyrgyzstan (August). As someone with an untamable competitive streak, I’d like to finish well in the rankings—but more important than a fast finish is simply to finish. At present, there are eleven men and no other women slated to race the ‘Triple Nelson’—though there could still be some surprise contenders.
In addition to my goal of being the first woman to complete all three events, I’m also excited to contribute to the dynamic and growing women’s field in bikepacking: I hope my presence in the field inspires other women (and men) to compete at their best, and through my talks, recaps, and storytelling, I hope to encourage and support others—in particular, women—to embark on their own adventures, which could include bikepacking.
Philosophy: After focusing on North American events for the past few years, the Mountain Race Series offered a chance to take a big swing at something different. In addition to racing, each event also provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to a country I’ve never visited before and explore its culture and environment. I’ve book-ended each race with time to tour at a more leisurely pace and tune into the small joys of slow travel that get swept aside when every second counts. Over the past few days of touring in Greece, I bivvied in a meadow, stopped to soak in the Thermopyles hot springs, treated myself to a couple of 11:00 pm suppers (people eat late here!), and caught up on podcasts while I was in the saddle. Easy terrain, perfect weather, and just enough chances to stop for ice cream, iced coffee, or a plateful of food. Perfect!
Despite the varying terrain, climate, and bike configurations, a few certainties hold true across all events: the promise of incredible scenery, unknowable surprises, and the necessity to fully commit to each present moment.
More Information:
- Event website: https://www.themountainraces.cc/hellenic-mountain-race
- Tracking link: https://hmr25.maprogress.com/ (cap 101)
