At a stage race, your legs are pretty crucial. But I would make a case for digestion being pretty much up there with legs in terms of importance to your success. If your stomach packs up and stops doing its bit, life can very quickly become exceptionally uncomfortable. I was recently reminded of this through […]
Matt Duggan’s blog: Who’d of thought?
It’s safe to say I wasn’t expecting what occurred in the 2012 European and UK 24hr Solo MTB Championships this past weekend. I’d said since my mechanical episodesat the TwentyFour12 in 2011 that for my next 24 hour race I’d have two bikes set up identically as I didn’t want lack of equipment to hold […]
ABSA Cape Epic: A little bit crazy?
Related Event: ABSA Cape Epic
“One man’s crazy is another man’s adventure” Back to where it all began 10 days ago, in the back of the backie, time to reflect on the ABSA Cape Epic 2012. This is the first year I have arrived with a few days to spare before throwing myself into the daily ABSA Cape Epic routine. […]
Euro 2012 Begins – The Hurt Phase
Roc Laissagais: UCI Marathon Series, Round 2 As you race more you realise how many tiers there are in the sport of Marathon Mountain Biking. Most people will start at club level, with enduro’s, and hopefully get nurtured and supported there. From here, it depends on your locale – maybe you have a regional or […]
Kitting Up For The Weekend
One of the catch 22′s of mountain bike racing in Australia, is that sponsored riders are often riding around in poorer quality kit than enthusiast riders. The reasons for this are mostly due to factors like minimum order numbers, cost, manufacturing times and that the people who are doing the ordering aren’t necessarily the ones […]
ABSA Cape Epic 2012 – finished!
Related Event: ABSA Cape Epic
The ABSA Cape Epic 2012 is over for the Subaru-MarathonMTB.com Team. Unfortunately only half the team finished again, as last year – just the other half this time. Mike was there to welcome me over the finish line today though, like the good team-mate he is, despite his own disappointment at not being able to […]
ABSA Cape Epic: Pushing on
Related Event: ABSA Cape Epic
You heard from Mike yesterday that his knee pretty much gave up the ghost after a brutal few days. Hard stages at the ABSA Cape Epic, made harder by the conditions, and also by being raced aggressively. Go hard or go home, right? It was a tough call for Mike to make, but the right […]
ABSA Cape Epic: And then there was one
Related Event: ABSA Cape Epic
Stage Racing encompasses many ups and downs, and Stage 5 of the 2012 ABSA Cape Epic today showcased some of the downs, especially for the Subaru-MarathonMTB.com Team. The previous night in Caledon had been abysmal, by Cape Epic standards. Gale force winds combined with rain and cold temperatures to heavily dampen the camp, and then […]
G’day from the USA: South to east to west
Hello Legends!! It is nearly clicking over to 2 months USA time now for me and I sit here writing in an armchair with Starbucks complete with ‘creamer’ next to my portable computer, I feel as though I am absorbing many more traits of American culture day by day… Since I last wrote I have […]
ABSA Cape Epic: The toughest day?
Related Event: ABSA Cape Epic
It isn’t always the longest days with most climbing that are the hardest. That’s the main lesson from today. At “only” 105k and 2600m of climbing, it was shorter than the previous three stages, with a chunk less climbing and almost a third less distance than yesterday’s queen stage. It was also considerably cooler than […]