Words: Imogen Smith | Photos: Tim Bardsley-Smith It was an early start today, getting up at five am so I had enough time to remove the ‘murder plastic’ from the hotel windows (my DIY blackout solution, which BTW is amazing) and pack two bikes, two bike bags, two gear bags, and somehow, about fourteen other […]
Reef to Reef Stage 1 – Good vibes only
By: Imogen SmithPhotos: Tim Bardsley-Smith Today’s Stage 1 of Reef to Reef in gorgeous Cairns was a 17 kilometre time trial through Smithfield’s world class XC trails. I’m racing with long time partner Mike (and long time husband) in a return to doing what we love together after three years off. So how did it go? […]
Reef to Reef kicks off in Cairns on August 18
The 2022 Reef to Reef is here – returning to the tropical paradise of Cairns after a 2-year hiatus. Reef to Reef is the newest addition to the Epic Series of events in Australia, partnered with sister events such as Cape to Cape and Port to Port. Riders from across Australia and around the world […]
How to succeed at the Convict 100 MTB Marathon
The Convict 100 is probably the most distinctive mountain bike race in Australia. Despite having no singletrack, it manages to be technically challenging. Despite having no built features like gap jumps or north shore the trails are as badass as they come, being hand carved by thieves, bolters and lifers. It’s got zero pretension, not […]
Rwandan Epic doubles up in 2022
The Rwandan Epic recently ran in March, after two years of postponing and moving the first edition. Some of the winners including Karl Platt and Jean Eric Habimana have convinced the event team to not only move the event back to its original date in November, but also to add one more stage to race, […]
European XCM Championships to Lusatian Mountains in Czech Republic
For the second time in history, the Lusatian Mountains will welcome the best marathon bikers of Europe to compete in the Twentieth Anniversary MTB Marathon European Championships. In its first edition in 2012, the championship was dominated by Czech riders. Kristián Hynek became the European Champion, followed by Pavel Boudný at the second position. The […]
Cape Epic Stage Seven 2022
The Absa Cape Epic 2022 final stage delivered a day that saw the event’s history books rewritten as Speed Company Racing overcame a two minute and 45 second deficit to claim the yellow Men’s category leader jerseys and the overall title at Val de Vie Estate. The CM.com Women’s category saw Candice Lill and Mariske Strauss race to […]
Cape Epic Stage 6 2022
The penultimate stage of the 2022 Absa Cape Epic took place in what many consider is a trail paradise, Stellenbosch. The route featured 76km and some 2700m of climbing, taking in Idas Valley, Banhoek, and Jonkershoek. NinetyOne-songo-Specialized are unstoppable The NinetyOne-songo-Specialized team of Sofia Gómez Villafane and Haley Batten won their third stage in the CM.com Women’s category […]
Cape Epic Stage Five 2022
Stage Five of the 2022 Cape Epic took riders to Stellenbosch, one of the homes of mountain biking in South Africa. But it wasn’t without challenge (hey, it’s the Epic) as the iconic Rusty Gate climb was tackled right from the gun! NinetyOne-songo-Specialized strengthen lead Sofia Gómez Villafane and Haley Batten (NinetyOne-songo-Specialized) won Stage 5 […]
Cape Epic Stage Four 2022
Stage Four of the 2022 Cape Epic could be seen as offering respite for some. And sure, for riders down the rankings, the shorter stage would offer less time in the saddle. But for those racing for the general classification, it meant another day of hard pressure on the pedals. BMC back to the front […]