In the build up to the race, most of the talk has been of the unseasonably cold, wet weather sweeping Europe and whether it was likely that the 2000m roof of the race would even be accessible. Amongst the group of three of us travelling together from the UK, emails and texts were nervously exchanged […]
Archives for May 2013
Counting Down to Sella Ronda Hero 2013
Less than a month to go to the fourth running of the Südtirol Sellaronda HERO and this morning in the press conference at Bolzano many new features of and surrounding the event were introduced. Chris Hellman wrote an insightful report from last year, and with the inclement weather that Northern Italy has experienced this spring, […]
AlpenTour Packing – “What’s in the bag?”
In a bizarre, self-referential way, writing about packing for a stage race is very much like the activity itself- it can be difficult know where to begin! I’ve done a few of these crazy European raids now, snatched between busy times at work, and I still feel like a beginner. So, where to begin? Well, […]
Reviewed: Michelin Wild Race’R Tyres
Earlier this year I received a set of Michelin Wild Race’R tyres to fit up and review. And although I have used a wide variety of fast rolling treads over the past 15 years, the past 18 months have seen me settle on one tread pattern and tyre volume as my ‘go to’ tyre. So […]
Brownie Points Burner XCM – Marathon Racing in Taree
Three and a half hours North of Sydney, a dedicated crew of riders has been creating a network of trails rivalling Rotorua in its flow and grip. Set just outside of Taree, the amazing trails built by the Manning Great Lakes Tip Riders are finally receiving the publicity they deserve. Chocolate Foot recently held a […]
Sauser ready for revenge against Lakata
It is two weeks to go before one of the BIKE Four Peaks Stage Race. The European Marathon season is well and truly started, and the top racers have been racing for months on end since many of them began in January and February, either in the Gran Canaria or South Africa. Due to his […]
I got fondo’d at the Dirty Gran Fondo
As I wrote earlier in the Dirty Melbourne article, the Dirty Gran Fondo is an enduro (gran fondo) on the dirt roads (dirty) in and around Wandong, Victoria. Together with another 250 riders, teammate Mike Blewitt and I lined up for the second edition of this event. We arrived in Wandong around 6 am, […]
Geiggerig Dirty Gran Fondo – another format?
In the busy calendar of off road racing, it takes a lot for a race to stand out from the crowd. In Australia, we have a few big Marathon MTB races that are achieving ‘classic’ status, like the Kona Odyssey, Wombat 100, Convict 100, Flight Centre Epic and Highland Fling. Also, the Capital Punishment, Three […]
ICME Enduro MTB : Stage 7 : Rocky Racing Comes To An End
What a week it has been, rain, mud, rocks, and finally the sun came out for the final stage of the ICME. Very exiting racing in the men’s and the women’s fields was about to come to an end and although happy to give my legs a break, this week had gone way to fast! […]
ICME MTB Enduro Stage 5 and 6 : Fast and Furious
Stage 5 and 6 of the ICME endure was raced over the same course, a 25km fast technical loop over the stunningly positioned Golf Course of Alice Springs. The morning stage was an individual time trial where riders would leave the start 30 sec apart. Fast technical riding is not my strength and I struggled […]