The summer is slowly but surely approaching in the Northern Hemisphere. Not only does this mean longer daylight hours, receding snow from the high alpine trails, and the Marathon season – it also means there are a lot of Stage Races on the horizon. Mountain Bike Stage Racing seems to occur almost year round now, with such a strong scene in South Africa, like the current joBerg2c, and of course the ABSA Cape Epic – plus many more great races. The Stage Race scene is growing in Australia as well, with the Ingerreke Commercial MTB Enduro kicking off in two weeks, and of course races like the Crocodile Trophy and the redesigned Terra Australis, and plenty of other new ones.
However, when you mention a Mountain Bike Stage Race, most people will think of the big one in Europe.The Craft Bike TransAlp. Coming into its 15th iteration, this race is somewhat of a benchmark for racers to compare other events.
“Is The Cape Epic harder than TransAlp?”
“Is there more single track then TransAlp?”
“How do the climbs compare to TransAlp?”
“Do you get to eat as much watermelon as you do at TransAlp?”
Stage 3 - CRAFT BIKE TRANSALP powered by NISSAN 2011 - things got real. Photo: Delius Klasing
These are all typical questions – and some of them a bit too subjective to answer. So why not find out for yourself? There are about twenty team spots left for the 15th edition. The race starts on 14th July in Oberammergau, Germany. From there, it traverses across the alps for over 600km, taking in a whopping 20 000m of climbing. You can find more details on the website, and enter online.
This race is an experience, traversing one mountain range, but a variety of different cultures. If you have the means… you should check it out.
There are so many Stage Races to do through the middle of the year – look at our Calendar to view some of the best