
Hellenic: The First 1,000 Kilometers on the New Geo Chumba Sendero
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Hellenic: The First 1,000 Kilometers on the New Geo Chumba Sendero
written and photographed by Eric House
Editor's Note: In this latest addition to the Buffet, Eric House shares a postcard from the 2025 Hellenic Mountain Race in Greece. If you have an epic ride report or story you'd like to share on The Buffet reach out to Zach at southcitystitchworks@gmail.com. Let's go!
This Sendero was hand-built in Austin, Texas, in May 2025, picked up on the 13th, built and tuned on the 17th by Race Ready Repair Bike Shop in Conroe, Texas, and packed in a box on the 18th to fly to Greece. The first ride for this frame, of all places for this Texan, was around town in Athens (not Georgia) for a few miles, which spelt for some good soaking up of the street art, scenting of delicious foods, and drinking in the culture. We then hopped on a train and headed north to Lamia.

The first “real” ride was 100 miles of small villages, cappuccinos, and cold beer, leading to the start of the Hellenic Mountain Race in Kalambaka, home of the Meteora UNESCO World Heritage site. Quite the place.
With a plan to do some longform touring directly after Hellenic, the rig’s full set of South City Stitchworks custom bags was fully packed and loaded for a three-month European tour, stuffed to the brim and weighing close to 80 lbs. It felt as comfortable as fresh sheets on a soft bed and the scent of a lover. It handled as smoothly as a seasoned mare and descended trails with complete confidence. This short tour sparked so much excitement to pull off the touring gear and set it into race mode. (Gear list at the end.)

Hellenic Mountain Race
A 550-mile mountain bike race with over 90,000 feet of elevation—this would be the most climbing per mile I’d ever experienced, nearly double my previous record, on a single speed, no less. If you know Nelson Trees’ events, you know you’ll be traveling along some of the most beautiful, remote, and sometimes chaotic, busted trails available.
My general mentality going into this race was to enjoy the place, people, and food while going as fast as my legs could take me. This plan was slightly derailed in the first few miles when a small group of us missed a chunk of singletrack. I didn’t notice the mistake until about 10 or 15 miles in, when the lead men’s group passed me with puzzled looks on their faces (*lol*). At that point, I had to decide: keep pushing forward and get an asterisk next to my name, or backtrack and complete the missing miles. In such a long race, losing a couple of hours was worth finishing the entire course. It was the right thing to do, despite burning energy and time, but the upside was getting odd looks and questions from nearly 200 riders as I traversed backward on the route. Let’s call that a small victory.

The next couple of days were spent catching and regaining positions while burning matches and disregarding sleep. From DFL to somewhere in the low hundreds (out of 200 riders total), I was pushing pedals with purpose. By the beginning of Day 2—about 150 miles in—I decided to fast-tour the rest of the route. Though my heart, mind, and body wanted to keep racing, external factors convinced me to embrace the tour aspect of the event. I knew I wouldn’t podium, had nothing to prove, and didn’t want to compromise anyone else’s chance to stand on the box at the finishers’ party.
Shifting my mindset and setting a more relaxed pace, I had the privilege of experiencing the other riders, locals, and landscape in greater detail. I pushed hard, riding and hiking through Greece’s incredible wilderness and villages, then chilled harder by visiting with locals, eating way too much, and bathing in clear, cool mountain waters. It was lovely. There are countless anecdotes and unforgettable moments from this style of riding. I wish I had the time and energy to write them all out… but I do not (*lol*). What I do have time and energy to say is that the sweet Sendero and SCSW bags worked in a symbiotic relationship to provide pure riding bliss.

I was invited into several homes, with Greeks urging me to *eat more, stay longer, drink another cappuccino, eat more, stay the night.* I bathed and swam in rivers and streams alongside like-minded riders seeking the same vibes.
Though this change in strategy delayed my finish time, I still gained positions and am proud of my performance. Knowing my body, bike, and mind could have finished faster, placing in the top 25% (final results pending) on a stiff-geared (32x18) singlespeed felt like a real achievement—for me and the singlespeed community. I finished around 4 a.m., with a total time of **5 days, 10 hours, and 28 minutes.**
At the finish line, I was greeted by a gracious volunteer who stamped my brevet card and the angelic Mother Teresa reincarnate, Rob. Serendipitously, Rob had food, a hot shower, and a soft bed ready at the race hotel when my other plans fell through.
The true reward wasn’t the after-party, rider meal, or podium ceremony. It was the beach hangs, coffee chats, and gelato consumed with the incredible people I met along the way. The memories and experiences will stay with me forever.

Post-race, I traveled from Nafpaktos to Patras, where my touring journey truly began. Now, as I head to France, this bikepacking machine (dubbed "Freddo Chumbaccino" after the delicious Greek iced coffee) has covered nearly 2,000 km, through Greek mountains and villages, the olive and grape farms of central Italy, and up the Mediterranean coast. I’ll likely write more about my solo Italian tour when inspiration strikes and time allows.
The Gear:
Bike: Chumba Sendero Steel 2025
Bags: SCSW custom frame bag, top tube bag, a "Love Handles" rear rack harness, 2 Big Lebarski feed bags, and a handle bar harness and dry bag system
Build: custom built by Race Ready Repair Bikes in Conroe, TX
Gearing: 32(oval)x18 single speed @absoluteblack
Rack & rack pack: Elkhorn & Atlas Pack from Old Man Mountain
Bars: Custom Doom Bars Ti 810mm with fat paw grips & Cane Creek bar ends
Dynamo & light system: Klite lights
Tyres: Pirelli 2.4 Scorpions
Fork: Rock Shock Sid Ultimate Pro 120mm
Sleep system: Outdoor bivy and Big Agnes sleeping bag
