SKY TO SEA

PROBABLY THE BEST ENDURO RACE YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF... MOUNTAINOUS MAYHEM AND FUN IN TURKEY

- Andy Lloyd

HURTLING DOWN A STEEP, UNTRACKED SLOPE in soft spring snow, we could easily be in the High Alps of central Europe. But a glance up, away from the important task of not going over the bars, reveals the glistening Mediterranean Sea. We're not in France or Switzerland, but some 2,000km south-east of there, at 2,365m altitude on the Turkish Riviera.

Lap of the gods

Like many of the best adventures, this one came about by chance. My girlfriend is half Turkish and, on a trip to visit her family, I decided to find out what riding was available. Luckily for me, I happened across Aybars Sürücü in an online MTB forum. He's part of the team that organises the Sky to Sea enduro race, from the summit of Mount Olympos (not to be confused with Greece's Mt Olympus) to the tourist hotspot of Kemer and its stunning turquoise waters.

Details of the event were hard to come by, but I did ascertain the race is organised by the same crew who put on the Sea to Sky 'Hard Enduro', one of the toughest motorbike races in the world, which takes place on the same mountain. I was beyond excited, so set about assembling a group of riders, all hailing from South Wales, who'd fancy riding into the unknown with me.

Athletes' accommodation