Roc round TWO! So whats it like racing a World Cup? Well firstly its surprisingly very similar to every other race you will probably do and I must admit in many respects a lot less dramatic than many races that form part of your normal marathon season. Reason being the UCI Marathon Series sort of […]
Riding the Trails of Afan
Trails! Where would I be without Afan? The Southern Welsh gem of continuous trails, immense views and epic food are all within a reasonable drive away from London. It’s a long enough trip to feel you deserve it, yet close enough to be completely viable as a total immersive escape from the city. Now donʼt […]
Keep calm, carry on! Roc Laissagais 2013
There’s nothing like a little disaster to get the blood pumping! Like madly trying to recover an unshipped chain just as the group you were clinging to drops the hammer I’m in scramble mode. OOOOOOH its race time! As you may be aware my unofficial DS is Will Hayter. Will has most recently decided to […]
Stu Spies Blog: Diets for Cycling
I’ve always been a bit care free when it came to food, I would eat whatever took my fancy and basically I would maintain pretty good health and what could be reasonably considered a healthy weight. My mom was raised during a war and food rationing, it’s fair to say after that experience she took […]
Stu Spies’ Blog: Tell me about your commute
Do you spend way too much time getting to a place you loathe, to deal with people you tolerate for a fee that is adequate? I do. Well I do and I don’t. I feel my chosen place of work affords me three very, very good things. One, money. Like it or loathe it, for […]
Stu Spies: Remembering Burry Stander
I don’t know what to say, you start the year pumped and ready then the news of Burry’s death makes its way into your world. Gutted doesn’t quite fully cover it, this was an incredible athlete ripped away from his family and friends and his army of admirers, cruelly, brutally. Road traffic accidents, road rage […]
Stu Spies’ Blog: Cross is Boss
In 2012, South African born, London-based bike racer Stuart Spies made UCI Marathon Mountain Bike World Championship qualification a top priority – as long as life allowed it. Starting in South Africa, and ending in Switzerland, he raced many of the UCI Marathon Series to attempt to qualify. He fell short, but is now looking […]
Stu Spies Blog: Rebuild
Iʼm not the first, I wonʼt be the last, and this may be the first of many, but in the space of a week my world was blown apart with, quite literally life-altering news, word came from home my Dad was severely ill. Tickets booked, cursing that I have to wait four days for a […]
Stu Spies: Using your Angry Words
As luck would have it this past weekend saw not one but three intrepid MarathonMTB.com’ers take on the Roc Laissagais, a race with a name so unfathomable for my sledgehammer African linguistics that it boiled down to, ‘The Roc’ and so it shall remain! Heavens above, having basically hit the ground running from four solid […]
Sabie Ultra: ‘This is the last climb right?’
‘This is the last climb right?’ Aaah… there is nothing quite like feeling one zillionth better than a fellow downed comrade. He’s German rider, Simon Gegenheimer, and his head is now firmly fastened to the cold flowing water pouring out the waterpoint 3 tanker. ‘Erm, I hope so, but I’m guessing no’ came my slightly […]