In a year where bike racing fell off the calendar due to a global pandemic it was amazing that the MTB circus was travelling to Turkey for the UCI MTB World Marathon Championships. It was only three weeks before that I finally committed to attend as I waited to see what travel restrictions would be […]
BeMC Marathon – A yearly pilgrimage
My love affair with the Belgian Ardennes continues, it hasn’t always been a kind relationship, so many times this place has inspired and then demolished dreams. Each May we make our pilgrimage to the area to battle around these beautiful hills, it’s a trip I’ve been making for around six years for marathon races and […]
Snow Challenges Velo Vert Festival
The weather forecasters were right, the snow falls Friday night and as we stand on the start line of the latest UCI World Marathon Series race it’s a high probability that heavy snow will restart soon after the gun fires. We launch over the timing belt before slowing as our tyres crunch through the snowy […]
Racing During a Global Pandemic – O Tour Bike Marathon
It’s been eleven months since I spent two weeks travelling around France and Spain to three different bike races, now finally it was time to release my competitive spirit once again! In March this year we spent three weeks training in Gran Canaria ahead of the start of the season in April, with those races […]
UCI Podiums to Virtual Podiums
Every year we seek improvements, as an individual, a businessman or woman, or as an athlete. This year the world looks like nothing we’ve seen before but that’s no reason to stop seeking progress. When chasing UCI Podiums isn’t an option there are ways to chase that racing buzz elsewhere.
Zwift Haute Route Watopia 3 Day
This past weekend I should have been in France racing the first event on my 2020 calendar, instead my calendar looks like a young childs notepad with random crosses for cancellations and arrows for postponements. Roc Laissagais which would have been the first European 2020 round of the UCI World Marathon Series was going to […]
3 Ways To Improve Your Winter Training
Skills and technique Long endurance rides can be boring, especially when completing such rides on a regular basis with no social group rides to join. Make your endurance rides more productive or add some structured intensity to your winter training by working on your skills and techniques. Mountain bikers could complete offroad intervals to develop […]
My Top 5 Favourite Events of 2019
This year I raced less, trained more and it seemed to work, my fitness was higher than ever and the race results were pretty sensational! In previous years I’ve had double the amount of race days, all the travelling, packing, race stress is tiring and eventually it’s a struggle to maintain the same motivation. This […]
LaTramun, bike racing heaven?
LaTramun based in Girona Spain has grown a reputation as the singletrack marathon, the course starts up a stinking great big road climb before continuing onto a steep gravel and rock ascent. From there the fun begins with a 60+ kilometre ribbon of singletrack, some trails you’d whoop for joy, others you’d weep for how […]
Party Time at Ruta Patena BTT
I came to Ruta Paterna to win my first UCI World Marathon Series round but this is mountain biking, anything can happen. Within the first 15km I suffered 2 mechanical issues, I could have given up and not finished the race or left Spain disappointed. Instead I leave Spain with satisfaction having recovered to still […]