So, based on my attempts at punditry at last year’s world marathon champs, and now also for the British XCM champs this year, i shouldn’t give up my day job! In a race that saw many of the pre-race favourites sidelined or handicapped by punctures, navigational error or “technique failure” it was Neal Crampton who […]
Selkirk to host British XCM Champs
The scenic border town is to play host to the British Marathon Championships for the second year running, providing the participants with a second opportunity to have a crack at the first single-loop marathon champs course since the competition was first run in 2005. With the preceding week’s weather dominated by warm temperatures, light winds […]
“Water-assisted riding. My legs will like that” – AlpenTour Day 4
It’s not often that you hear of a mountain bike marathon cancelled because of the weather – unlike the soft roadies in the Giro d’Italia (pah, snow – we’ve had plenty of that), the decision to stop a stage before it starts is never taken lightly. Unfortunately, an epic amount of rain fell on […]
“A break in the weather” – AlpenTour Day 3
It was a relief to me, and I’m sure to everyone else, to wake this morning and not hear rain drumming on the hotel room window. In fact, a one-eye-open inspection through the crack in the curtains revealed an almost unbelievable sight – dry ground, and in the distance, a break in the clouds. […]
Interview with Helen Wyman, the most experienced newbie in the AlpenTour
It’s not every day that you get to hear a seven-time national champion, European champion and prolific winner of races on the road and off be so self-effacing as to admit that they’re not quite sure what they’re doing. But then Helen Wyman isn’t your average European champ either. MarathonMTB caught up with her at […]
“It’s good we’re getting the gondola down” – Alpentour Day 2
I don’t think I was alone in hoping, against all better judgement, that somehow this morning would dawn bright, sunny and clear, with a light wind to dry the trails and stop us from getting unduly sweaty. Alas, it was not to be, with consistent heavy rain, and cooler temperatures forecast, and that’s how it […]
Ice Cold in Austria – AlpenTour Day 1
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 […]
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, […]
Trying Something New…
Firstly, let me set out my stand. I’m a mountain bike racer; that’s what I do. I have sometimes succumbed to the lure of the asphalt for extended periods of time, especially when I lived in Cambridgeshire, and area of the UK not renowned for its off-road riding. Equally, now that I live in London […]
UCI Rule 1.2.019 – for Marathon Racers
“No licence holder may participate in an event that has not been included on a national, continental or world calendar or that has not been recognised by a national federation, a continental confederation or the UCI. A national federation may grant special exceptions for races or particular events run in its own country.” Rule 1.2.019, […]