You know what’s involved, sweating, swearing, a swirling stomach tempting to eject breakfast with each passing second. The indoor trainer is a choice for some but a necessity for others at times when the outside can be even more hostile! So it’s raining outside, you only have time for an hour ride before you need […]
Archives for May 2016
Port to Port Stage 4 – Ward and Sheppard hold on for victory
Related Event: Port to Port MTB
Having done some of the world’s toughest marathon stage races, I often underestimate how hard what I think of as ‘mini stage races’ can be. Sure, you’re not on the bike for five or six hours a day, and you’re typically only racing for three or four days, but the pacing is different – racing […]
Port to Port Stage 3: Cooranbong trails
Related Event: Port to Port MTB
Featured image thanks to Flow and Port to Port Stage 3 of the 2016 Port to Port rolled out under drizzly skies, as the wall of dark cloud that greeted riders as they drove to Cooranbong turned to rain for about 10 minutes either side of the start. It was never heavy, and it wasn’t short […]
Port to Port Stage 2 – Ward and Sheppard extend their leads
This morning Mike and I arrived at the race start rather early. Having thought the gun would be going off at 8am, we arrived at 7, only to find that we were wrong, and would have to wait until 9. This would have been fine, except it was arctically cold and windy. We found a […]
Port to Port Stage 1 – Ward and Sheppard on top
Related Event: Port to Port MTB
Port to Port is back and bigger than ever. Now in its third year, and now boasting a field of about 600, riders set off on the traditional sandblasting stage one today from the gorgeous marina in Nelsons Bay, dolphins playing in the water beside us. The first stage of Port to Port is always […]
Bianchi’s new Methanol CV displayed in Albstadt
On 21st May, Bianchi displayed their new Methanol CV mountain bike in Albstadt ahead of the 2nd round of the World Cup. The Methanol CV extends their Countervail technology to the MTB world. The new frame has been optimised to assist with shock control – something many modern hardtails are doing. BMC, Trek, Canyon, Focus and more […]
Merida launch new Big.Nine and Big.Seven
On Friday before the World Cup in Albstadt, Merida unveiled the new hardtails they have been developing. While it was no secret that Merida had a new racing bike in the works, given Jose Hermida has been racing on a ‘camouflaged’ version so far this year – we just didn’t know the specifications, save for […]
Women’s only multi-day MTB event announced
News has come that a women’s only mountain bike stage race will be run this August. With the breadth and depth of mountain bike stage races in South Africa, it should come as no surprise that the initiative can be found there. The inaugural Evox Tour de Femme, a ladies-only multi-day mountain bike experience, will […]
Belgian Mountain Bike Challenge 2016 – Magic In The Ardennes
Related Event: Belgian Mountain Bike Challenge
The Belgium Mountain Bike Challenge might only be 3 days but it’s impossible not to get wrapped up in it. Eat, race, eat, sleep, repeat. The post race depression quickly kicks in as reality strikes. No sooner had we finished the final 6 hour stage we were on the road driving the 8 hours back […]
Jacks Ridge XXX – fast and furious
Jacks Ridge XXX, in northern NSW’s coastal town of Nambucca, has been steadily increasing in popularity year after year. The lap-based marathon takes in almost all of Nambucca’s Jacks Ridge trail network, a 13.5km loop repeated 8 times for a total of 108km race distance (or 90km if, like me, you have a GPS unit that prefers to […]