In his latest short film, Still A Race, supported by Schwalbe UK, Markus Stitz documents the experience of racing an unsupported bikepacking ultra through Norway’s breathtaking landscapes. The 10-minute documentary, filmed at the 2024 edition of Mother North, is now available to watch for free on YouTube.
Mother North is an unsupported bikepacking race across the rugged terrain of Norway, starting and finishing in Lillehammer. The route takes riders across three of the country’s most iconic gravel cycling routes: Mjølkevegen, Rallarvegen, and Grimsdalsvegen.
Stitz is no stranger to ultraracing. He has finished the Highland Trail 550 three times, as well as the Silk Road Mountain Race and the Atlas Mountain Race. In 2021, he documented Mark Beaumont’s win at GBDURO, travelling solely by bike and public transport. This time, he took the concept further by documenting his own race—carrying all filming equipment on the bike—finishing Mother North in 5 days, 5 hours and 55 minutes, in 28th position.
“My bike riding has changed,” says Stitz. “I think we change as a person—we get older, we make experiences, we enrich our world—and of course that changes how we see things. For me it was important that if I go back to racing, I want to share the experience. I want to inspire other people to do the same.”
He continues: “It is still a race. I love having that focus and the structure of a set time frame, being out there with a group of people, really racing against yourself rather than anyone else. A lot of people follow these events through dotwatching and get inspired by that. If I can document my own race and bring it closer to people in this way, that’s much more valuable to me now than simply posting a finishing time.”
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Still A Race forms part of Stitz’s ongoing work exploring landscapes and human resilience through cycling, combining storytelling, photography and film to capture places at their most raw. More information about Markus’ work can be found at markusstitz.com. Further details about Mother North are available at mother-north.com.