I’d like to know who can line up on a start line with no trepidation. Surely it can only be the over-confident, or misinformed? Starting the inaugural edition of The Pioneer in Christchurch today with a 37km Prologue, I was wondering which one I was. Lining up with Huw Brassington, a Welsh outdoor athlete, I […]
Archives for January 2016
Costa Blanca Bike Race stage 3 – The queen stage
Costa Blanca Bike Race stage 3, the queen stage. The stats of 78km’s and 2776 meters of ascent don’t tell the story. Forget easy fireroad alpine miles, this was as rough as you’ve ever seen. I’ve seen downhill World Cups on easier trails. I never thought I’d ride more technical trails that Beskidy Trophy until […]
Who could win The Pioneer?
Tomorrow, mountain bikers from around the world will tackle the first edition of The Pioneer, an adventurous seven day mountain bike stage race from Christchurch to Queenstown on New Zealand’s South Island. For many the inaugural Pioneer mountain bike stage race is a step into the unknown, and that includes many of the elite riders who […]
Costa Blanca Bike Race Stage 2
In stark contrast to yesterday’s start today was pretty cold but the racing was still red hot. There are some seriously quick cross country riders here honing their form and collecting some UCI points for their Olympic qualification. Jirka Novák and Sebastian, plus Yana Belomoina and Margot Moschetti, both CST Superior Brentjens teams started the […]
Costa Blanca Bike Race Stage 1
Golden beaches and warm blue skies, the start of Costa Blanca Bike Race stage 1 could have been a dream of any cyclist. After a short dash through the streets of Benidorm the international field of athletes were treated to a fantastic route with some truly amazing singletrack. Sadly after 30km of the route course […]
Fairview Attakwas Extreme – a pictorial review
South Africa lead the way in National XCM Series’ having a well publicised and well-attended series each year. Given South Africa’s pull on European MTB professionals for summer training – the racing is pretty hot, literally and figuratively. And the Fairview Attakwas Extreme was no exception. Zoon Cronje just sent through his highlights from the […]
The Pioneer: Celebrating routine
Cycling, or success in cycling, is about routine. Your training routine is assisted by your recovery routine, married to your nutrition routine, and of course your off the bike fitness routine. Your bike itself has a maintenance routine, and there’s a good chance that events and races you take part in have their own routine. What you […]
Costa Blanca Bike Race 2016 Preview
This week the European season begins at Costa Blanca Bike Race, its the first UCI stage race of the season and therefore has attracted a strong calibre of entries. Many riders are hunting for UCI points to qualify for the Olympics before the May deadline. The event is a pair’s event which always makes things […]
Turner Bikes sponsor Mountain Trax – Vauxhall Cycling Team
After a search last year, Mountain Trax – Vauxhall Cycling Team have found a new bike sponsor with Turner Bikes. Ben Thomas, Team Manager and British XCM Champ, was justifiably excited about the partnership. “When I first contacted Turner Bikes founder David Turner there was an immediate interest and understanding between us. David understood the […]
McConnell and Henderson back up in Pemberton
After the third C1 ranked round of the Subaru MTBA National Series in Pemberton yesterday, racers backed up for the C2 ranked round four today, on a different course at Pemberton Mountain Bike Park in South Western Australia. But McConnell and Henderson still fought to the top step. Henderson shoots late In last year’s double […]