Two for Two.

Sofiane Sehili & Justinas Leveika Kick Off Their Ultra Seasons in Style.

Photos by @fotografamos

With the ultra race calendar really kicking off, HUNT Beyond athletes have been starting their race seasons in earnest. Stalwarts of both the bikepacking scene and HUNT Beyond - both Sofiane Sehili and Justinas Leveika - have been in action and taking early wins.

Flying birds in Portugal

Sofiane Sehili endured a disappointing start to the year with a mechanical and scratch at the Atlas Mountain Race in February so was keen to make amends ahead of his bigger goals later in the year. By taking on "Gravel Birds" - a short, 750km gravel ultra based in Southern Portugal - Sofiane hoped to banish some of the disappointment from the AMR.

"After a disappointing end to my Atlas mountain race, I came to Portugal in search of redemption. But I found much more than that. A wild and empty gravel paradise that amazed as much as it presented me with a challenge. A chaotic schedule kept me from lining up with optimal fitness, so I relied on consistency to build my win. I stayed patient and late in the night I was able to open up a gap that I then solidified. Now I just have a couple weeks to recover and get ready for my next race: Trans Balkan. A 1500km mountain bike epic that I'm very excited about. "

Sofiane took the win in 41 hours & 9 minutes.

Bring on the Balkans

Further West in the Balkans, Justinas Leveika began his year with the Accursed race - a 1600km fixed route off road race passing through Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Kosovo. The Current Tour Divide champion and FKT holder took the lead after only 25km and gradually built it throughout the race. Bad weather conditions meant for some tough cold days in the mountains with snow on some higher elevations, however Justinas showed his usual consistency and resilience to take the win by over 12 hours in a time of 5 days, 13 hours and 45 minutes.

Both Justinas and Sofiane will be back in action in a matter of weeks at the Trans Balkan Race, a 1400km mountain bike race across the Balkans starting in Sezaqna in Slovenia and finishing in Kotor Bay, Montenegro. We can’t wait to see these two ultra racing champions go head to head!