Joel Wenham rode from northern Greece to Ionian Sea and placed among the top finishers
A well-known local cyclist has returned home after his first race in Europe.
The Sault’s Joel Wenham competed in the 2026 Hellenic Mountain Race in Greece from May 23 to 30.
His adventure involved cycling across rugged, mountainous terrain that most visitors to Greece don’t see.
“There was an application process. You needed to show you had some mountaineering and self-sufficiency experience,” Wenham told SooToday.
“The organizers wanted to make sure that you knew you weren’t getting yourself in over your head because those areas are pretty remote.”
After arriving in Athens, he took a train to Katerini and rode 150 km to the start of the race at Agios Athanasios in the northern Greek region of Macedonia.
The race was a winding course of 922 km and took him to the finish line at Nafpaktos on the coast of the Ionian Sea.
Though mentally prepared for mountainous terrain, the trek was an eye-opener for him.
“What really amazed me was the elevation. I didn’t realize how mountainous Greece is. People always think of Greece as these beautiful islands, but the mountains of Greece are something else,” Wenham said.
His starting point at Agios Athanasios was a ski village.
“It was a lot of climbing, and then over a snow pass.
“I looked around, and I was kind of in the clouds. I couldn’t see a thing. There was no trail to follow. I just had to follow my GPS that had the course track on it.”
He said he slid down areas of snow and had to find his way through the mist.
“I remember thinking ‘welcome to the mountains,’” Wenham said with a laugh.
He had to carry his bike through some areas.
“I was kind of scrambling up this 10 km trail that took me hours and hours to get up.”
The race had other dangers.
“I was climbing over these rocks and roots and I looked down and there was a sheer drop to the left of me. If I hadn’t had my wits about me, one wrong move would’ve sent me tumbling down the side of the mountain,” Wenham said.
He braved cold weather, snow, rain and thunder along the way.
Though equipped with a GPS if he got in deep trouble and despite the presence of some checkpoints along the course, Wenham was often alone.
“It’s a fully self-supported race where you have to take care of everything by your own wits and your own power. You couldn’t have somebody following you in a van. I made sure my pack was full of snacks, candy, chocolate bars, any kind of fuel that I needed.”
He carried bottled water but there were spigots available along the route that provided him with water from natural springs.
Wenham took one memorable spill during his journey.
“It caught me by surprise.”
“I was having a great day, just riding down this gravel road at about 30 or 40 kilometres an hour and a rock caught my front wheel and I took a tumble. It shook me up a little bit. Helmets are definitely important and my helmet saved me from a head injury.”
His shoulder was scraped and bloodied and his bike sustained a few broken bits, but he was able to repair his cycle and carry on.
In addition to those challenges, Wenham encountered wild animals during the race.
“They have wild mountain dogs in Greece.”
“One day, over a six-hour period I counted 40 dogs. Some of them I outran, some of them I had to intimidate a bit. Some of them are not threatening, others are a bit territorial,” Wenham said.
Out of 196 competitors from around the world, Wenham finished the race 10th overall.
He was one of 10 Canadians in the rugged competition.
He completed the race on May 27 with a time of four days, nine hours and 16 minutes with only 11 hours of sleep.
“I had my friends, my family and my wife Katie waiting there to cheer me on at the finish line. It was a really good feeling.”
He’s brought back many memories with him.
“The Greek landscape, people and culture are amazing and picturesque. It was challenging, rewarding and an overall great experience.
“My feelings during the race went from the highest of highs, riding through beautiful mountain ranges with the wind at my back, to the lowest of lows, slogging through muddy terrain in a thunderstorm.”
Wenham is no stranger to extreme bike races.
He completed the 4,418 km Tour Divide race that began in Banff, Alberta and finished in Antelope Wells, New Mexico in 2023.
“The Divide was so mentally tough, it was so long, but I think Greece was tougher terrain. It was steeper terrain,” Wenham said.
The ride was either up or down in Greece, he said. There were no flat spots.
“The downs were so steep and so fast that I actually had to change my brake pads on both my brakes because I wore them out from just braking so hard.
It was quite remote, he said.
“It was tough, one of the toughest terrains I’ve done, but it was relatively short compared to other races. I was able to get through Greece in four days compared to 20 days for the Divide.”
Wenham said he’s investigating options for his next extreme cycling race, such as competitions in Canada as well as the Trans Balkan Race that winds through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Montenegro.
“Every time I do one of these races, I learn more about myself and grow as a human being,” Wenham said.
“It conditions me to go through life with a positive mental attitude as well as getting to travel and see the world and see what different cultures are like.”
Wenham said it’s good to be home.
“I’m really happy to live in the Sault. The whole cycling community in the Sault is awesome.”