The hub for marathon mountain biking
It’s always a thrill when you get to visit somewhere as amazing as the Azores, the island of Sao Miguel has hosted a round of the UCI World Marathon Series since 2015. There is so much support for the event from the local community, these islands put a lot of effort into attracting tourists and […]
The 23rd Crocodile Trophy finished last Saturday, and as usual it was a test of the support crew, riders and their bikes. The 8 day race takes in a huge variety of terrain with about 13000m of climbing and over 600km of racing. I have done the Crocodile Trophy 3 times before, so have a […]
Last weekend saw the Southern Peaks race kickstart the Southern MTB Festival in Albany, Western Australia. The weather was unsure what it wanted to do on Saturday, but the riders who had ventured to Albany were not. Rain and sunshine greeted the Southern Peak riders with a diverse terrain as they embarked on the 37KM […]
2017 was the eighth edition of the Mongolia Bike Challenge which has now established itself as a ‘bucket list’ race for international mountain bike stage racers. What makes this race so epic? And why do athletes travel from far and wide to compete in such an obscure and remote part of the world? Having completed […]
Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) have just confirmed the dates and venues for the 2018 National XCM Series. Next year the series is trimmed down to five events, including the National Championship, in a bid to have more riders attend more of the series, according to MTBA CEO Shane Coppin. “We really hope this condensed series […]
The Snow Bike Festival has announced that it has once again received Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) accreditation and has been upgraded to a “Stage Race Class 1”, making it one of only 13 stage races worldwide to be classified this highly. This results in an increased prize purse and additional UCI points. The event will […]
The final day of the Crocodile Trophy arrived, and like any stage race it was greeted with a mix of enthusiasm and of dismay. Very few people would willingly spend another night under canvas, or using portaloos, even when the tents were spacious and the loos were clean. But still, when you realise that the […]
Every mountain bike stage race reaches a point where competitors would be happy for it to finish. Fatigue builds, the joy of camping wears thin, and everyone is ready for a day off. I went to bed after Stage 6 ready for the final stage, understanding that instead I would be waking to the penultimate […]
Day 6 of the 2017 Crocodile Trophy marks the start of our march towards the coast. For the past few years the Crocodile Trophy has ended at Port Douglas, instead of Cooktown, with a run from Wetherby Station down the Bump Track. This 2017 stage plan has us spend two nights at Wetherby Station, one […]
The benefit of finishing a stage of a marathon stage race at a coffee plantation and cafe, is that you start there again the next day. And as we are here at Skybury coffee for two nights, we come back again as well. So this morning the coffee machines were buzzing as riders in the […]
