David George and Kevin Evans threw down the gauntlet in their first appearance at the nine-day Old Mutual joBerg2c as the serious mountain bike racing got underway on Saturday. The Nedbank 360Life duo set a blistering pace on the 93km second stage from Frankfort to Reitz in the Free State to cross the line first […]
Archives for April 2012
Kappius Components Evolution Carbon Hub – First Look
History has been marked by occurrences that have shifted current thinking, or current habits. Natural disasters have prompted changes in building regulations. Large scale warfare has resulted in sanctions on entire countries. A deteriorating environment has pushed governments to limit vehicle emissions. Acts of terrorism have resulted in more frequent removal of your belt and […]
From the Little Ring to the 5 Rings
It has been 3 months now of settling into life as a cyclist here in the USA, as I alluded to in my last pen piece the old dog body was a little worse for wear. With some awesome help from the team doctor here, the blood tests revealed low levels across the board. A […]
joBerg2c favourites off to cautious start
Nico Bell and Gawie Combrinck set the pace on a day when most of the pre-race favourites erred on the side of caution as the third Old Mutual joBerg2c got underway with a neutral stage on Freedom Day. The Transact pair clocked 4:21:52 as they crossed the line first on the 115km ride between Heidelberg […]
The Convict 100 – for a 9-5 slave
Twelve months is a long time off the bike but it’s amazing how fast the time flies. It felt like a month or so ago that I rolled across the line at the 2011 Capital Punishment to end a 2-month, 5-race marathon and enduro MTB fest. Fitness was severely deteriorating then following a dramatic lifestyle […]
Jumping back in the saddle for JoBerg2C
After eating my body-weight in Easter eggs and only two short rides I’m happy to report I’m nicely recovered from that other rather large multi-stage mountain bike race near Cape Town. And I’m already itching for the next adventure. Thankfully, it’s just around the corner… It starts this Friday, to be exact. The Old Mutual […]
Epic Events: ‘The Trophy’
Something outstanding, some unheard-of event ought to be placed in Europe and so, the initiator; the mastermind of the race, Martin Huber put forward the idea and made it happen within brief time: the (Salzkammergut) Trophy was born! Back then in 1998, 30 starters longing for the brutality of 210km on one day, lined up […]
Slowing down – the way to race fast
On the cusp of my Marathon Mountain Bike racing debut, I’m at a total loss – power vs flow – how do I incorporate the two? It is growing frustrating, I’ve found that any effort to maximise the strength & endurance advantage – owing to my roadie prowess – leads to nothing short of disaster. […]
XCM One – Done.
The first installment of the 2012 XCM Series, brought to us by Cyclenation and Real Insurance, was a fantastically well-run event and a perfect introduction to the most anticipated marathon season Australia has to offer. The Wombat 100 by Maximum Adventure took in the singletrack in the Woodend & Cammeray Waters regions, cleverly linked together […]
The perfect brew
Currently, I have an accelerating enthusiasm for coffee. Black coffee, to be a little more specific, black and extremely short, often in the form of a double [triple?] and forever shy or ANY sugar, raw or otherwise. Great coffee is a rarity, even in a city as large and ‘cultured’ as Sydney. It takes a […]