25 years of the Malevil Cup MTB Marathon: A beer round establishes a traditional race

The Malevil in the Czech Republic, which attracts marathon professionals and amateurs of all levels, takes place on 1 June in the Lusatian Mountains with a good 1000 starters. The picturesque landscape and the attractiveness of the routes are legendary - we have also dedicated our own reports to the area outside of the Malevil Cup: Trail spot in the south-east of Saxony.

The Malevil routes offer the best of the Lusatian and Zittau mountains. They include a mixture of field and forest paths, steep climbs, descents full of stones and roots as well as fun natural single trails. Two main routes of 70 and 100 kilometres cross the Lusatian and Zittau mountains and also cross the border into Germany. For beginners, the 30 and 50 kilometre routes are on the marathon schedule.

>> TOP MTB region Lausitz: The 3 trail laps of the Malevil Marathon

The Malevil Cup traditionally starts on the square in Jablonné in Podještědí. The first attractive section comes in the first few kilometres through the Česká brána (Czech Gate) and the natural single trail to Hrádek nad Nisou. The highlight of the route comes after crossing the state border into the German part, towards the spa town of Oybin. This is followed by the challenge of the most difficult climb on the way to the summit of Hvozd Mountain. This is where the race is often decided. The passage around the dominant Luž peak is also challenging. From there, the route leads to the Malevil Resort in Heřmanice in Podještědí.

Malevil Cup 2024 - Categories

A total of 35 categories are listed for athletes at the Malevil Cup, including the popular PAIRS category, where you can share experiences and promote team spirit. The Gravel category on the 50-kilometre course will have its big premiere at the Malevil Cup this year. The race is traditionally listed in the UCI calendar with C1 status; it is part of the Marathon Man Europe series and now also the MTB Sachsen Cup.

As always, the Malevil Cup also attracts top marathon athletes. The entire Canyon Sidi team has registered for the 2024 event. Martin Stošek, Andreas Seewald and Marc Stutzmann will be at the start in Jablonné together with Stefanie Walter. Simon Stiebjahn, last year's winner, is also likely to be looking to defend his victory.

Glass medals for the winners come from the Czech Ajeto glassworks, which also produces the trophies for the Tour de France. They produce not far from the start in Jablonné.

Registration and further information on the Malevil Cup can be found at: malevilcup.cz

The history of the Malevil Cup - 25 years of MTB marathon races

The idea of organising our own mountain bike race was inspired by our participation in the iconic Czech marathon Král Šumavy in Klatovy, which had 3000 participants at the time, explains the sports and technical manager of the Malevil Cup, Tomáš Patrák.

Every good idea starts with a beer. We often met up with our good friend and the owner of the Malevil Resort in a pub after the bike tours - hence the name of the Malevil Cup Marathon. - Tomáš Patrák, sports and technical manager Malevil Cup

The real inspiration was the story of a little boy from the city. He loved cycling and skiing, but at the time he was confined to a wheelchair for a long time and had to learn to walk again after treatment. The Bier-Runde wanted to make him happy, and so the organisation and preparations took their course.

This is how a group of friends and family members started the Malevil Cup, which now has a 25-year tradition among MTB marathon races. The first edition took place on Sunday 7 May 2000 under the name "Lužická 50" (Lusatian 50). 510 participants took part in the 50-kilometre race through the Czech Republic and Germany. At that time, the Czech Republic was not yet part of the EU and the Schengen area and participants even had to show a valid passport in order to take part. The first winners in 2000 were Hana Pecherová and Petr Kordík.

Since the first edition, the route has always crossed German territory. Currently, more than 250 volunteers are involved in the organisation of the race - from both parts of the route - the Czech and the German (Saxon)! Much to the delight of co-organiser Tomáš Patrák.

Development of the number of participants in the Malevil Cup

• 2000 - 510 athletes took part in the first edition
• According to Tomáš, the best-attended years were 2017 (1273 participants) and 2019 (1320 participants)
• The long-term average is 1000 participants
• A total of 37 countries were represented over the past 24 editions
• 30% of the starting field usually consists of international competitors

The routes

• 2000: 1st edition - distance: 50 km
• 2001-2002: distances of 90 and 50 km
• 2003-2009: distances of 100 and 60 km
• 2010-2015: Routes of 100, 60 and 40 km
• 2016-2019: distances of 100, 65, 45 and 25 kilometres
• 2020 (Covid19 year): Distances: 90, 50 and 30 km (the 90 km course was ridden in 2 laps)
• 2021-2024: Routes: 100, 70, 50 and 30 km (premiere 2024 for the gravel category on the 50 km route

Significant events at the Malevil Cup

• 2012 + 2022 - European MTB Marathon Championships
• 2010 + 2013 - Championship of the Czech Republic in MTB Marathon
• The very first UCI MTB Marathon Series on Czech territory took place as part of the Malevil Cup in 2014
• 2014-2019 the Malevil Cup is part of the UCI MTB Marathon Series
• The Malevil Cup is currently listed in the UCI calendar in Cat. C1

Renowned participants

• The European marathon elite (Platt, Lakata, Hynek, Ferreira, Stošek, Seewald, Rabenstein and a few more)
• Ariane Lüthi - 5-time Cape Epic winner, 5-time Swiss XCM champion
• Catherine Williamson - Cape Epic winner 2013
• Jaroslav Kulhavý - Olympic champion in XCO, world champion, European champion in XCO+XCM, Cape Epic winner 2013
• Lukáš Bauer - cross-country skier; medallist at the Olympic Games and World Championships
• Veronika Vítková - biathlete; medallist at the Olympic Games and World Championships

Prospects and ambitions of the Malevil Cup for the coming years

We have not yet managed to reach the pinnacle in the organisation of MTB marathons - we have not yet hosted the Marathon World Championships. - Tomáš Patrák, sports and technical manager Malevil Cup

"Unfortunately, the UCI's conditions are currently unrealistic for us to fulfil," Tomáš Patrák continues. "However, our main goal is to have fun at the marathon, to make sure that the race is well organised and that the participants are happy about it. We are working hard to prepare a great race for the 25th edition of the Malevil Cup, which will take place on 1 June 2024. We are looking forward to the coming years," Tomáš said at the end of our conversation.