Fredericton mountain bikers take on 'relentless' 10-day race in the Balkans

While biking the Dinaric Alps in the Balkans might be a dream trip for some, it was a gruelling 10-day rush to the finish for two Fredericton men.

Joey Landine and Keenan Cook were the only two Canadians to take part in the Trans Balkan Race, which attracts mountain bikers from around the world.

With sustenance and gear on their backs, the pair began the 1,370 kilometre journey that ended a little over nine days later, placing 46th and 47th out the 53 who actually finished the race. There were 120 competitors at the start.

"It was incredible," said Landine.

"It seemed like every day, you know, we put in between 100 and 180 kilometres a day, and every day was just a totally different landscape. The mountains kept changing."

Landine is seen biking through the mountains of Bosnia-Herzegovina. (Submitted by Joey Landine)

The pair cycled through the beautiful terrain of southern Slovenia, into Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and finished in a small town in Montenegro. But the ride wasn't all stunning views and smooth sailing.

Cook said during races, the end is often bittersweet because you can't believe it's over already. But this one, he said, was "relentless, and crossing that line felt good."

Landine and Cook's bikes, clean and fully intact, at the very beginning of the race in Sezana, Slovenia, before mud and mechanical issues took hold. (Submitted by Joey Landine)

Landine said training was minimal for this event because of the local geography. He lives on Prince Edward Island right now, near Charlottetown, while doing his residency in family medicine — a province not exactly known for high-mountain terrain.

"We were joking about this en route because we were riding with a bunch of people who were, you know, putting in 200-300-kilometre rides for their training," said Landine.

"Keenan rode back and forth to work, which was a nice four- or 5-kilometre ride for him, and I was kind of doing the same."

Landine and Cook at the starting line. The first four days of the race were rainy. (Submitted by Joey Landine)

And because of the Canadian winters, a lot of the training happened indoors. Although the two did do a two-day, 150-kilometre ride through Fundy National Park to test their gear and get a feel for things.

Upon starting the race, Cook said the first four days were cold and miserable, with nearly constant rain.

But at that point, the two still assumed they would finish the 10-day course.

However, days later, when they hit the 1,200 kilometre mark near midnight, with only 180 kilometres to the finish line, they were caught in a muddy part of the terrain.

And then the worst happened. Landine's derailleur, the bike's gearing system, ripped in half.

"It was kind of a moment [that], probably for a lot of people, might have been the race ender, but because we were a team, we were allowed to share gear," Cook said.

This photo was taken moments after Landine's derailleur broke in the mud. (Submitted by Joey Landine)

At that point, Landine was hiking his bike up inclines and coasting down, until they arrived in a town at around 2:30 a.m. The two slept for a few hours and then got to work.

Cook currently works at the Radical Edge bike shop in Fredericton and Landine used to work there, so they both had an idea of what to do.

"When we got up, we basically set up our own miniature bike shop in a field in some rural Montenegro town and just went to work," said Landine.

Landine looks out over Kotor Bay in Montenegro. (Submitted by Joey Landine)

"It took about an hour and a half, and we had our drivetrains totally swapped over and ready to ride."

But through all of the challenges, from tight deadlines along the way to riding on only a few hours of sleep each night, Landine and Cook pressed on.

For Cook, his wife and kids were on his mind during the race.

"I had left my wife at home with my four-year-old and almost one-year-old, and she was kind of doing all the parenting duties on her own," he said.

Cook is seen here riding toward the finish line, overlooking Kotor Bay in Montenegro. (Submitted by Joey Landine)

Leaving her with the kids so he could accomplish this race left him knowing that he had to finish it for them.

Landine said the race also required the competitors required to have a constant GPS tracker switched on, which could be shared with loved ones back home.

He said the support from the Fredericton community and where he lives now on Prince Edward Island was huge.

"We had tons of people reaching out with support and saying, 'Keep going,' you know, 'We see you have a mountain coming up, keep climbing,' and just lots of support," said Landine.

"So we knew that … we were accountable to everyone watching us, so we had to finish."