If I had a totem animal for the last couple of weeks it would be a horse. Too much fun to choose from each day meant I had been sleeping while standing up. The end of the year seems to have that effect on people and looking around at the Awaba edition of the SRAM […]
Sacrifice and Devotion: How Much?
The following rider diary has been provided by ‘PT’ Brock. Part time employment, full time cycling aspirant. The end of the year is a great time for reflection. We all have thoughts and queiries, both personal and universal, bound to the simple question. How much? I recall reading an article a close friend had written […]
Pick One!
This Rider Diary has been provided by Stuart Spies – who will be riding for the UK based MarathonMTB.com-Repaack Team in 2012 Our sport is strange, I left Johannesburg roughly 10 years ago in no small part to chasing a bit of, well I guess you’d call it a dream. More maybe chasing the romance […]
European Marathon Epics: Rolling History
Cycling is steeped in history. There are characters that have developed the sport in the public conscious in recent times and past. Races themselves carry the competitive history of the sport, and create the characters that let our sport continue and prosper. Although you can have a race anywhere – some iconic regions or specific […]
To Hell and Back
120km over two days. Walk in the park would one think. Not quite. 12 November saw me and another 300+ of riders set off on the 2 day To Hell and Back MTB race in South Africa’s Swartberg mountains. The race involved cycling 60km into the Gamkaskloof valley (also known as ‘The Hell’) where […]
The Long Road Ahead
Seasons are a funny thing. Just like each hemisphere follows the same patter, but six months apart, for climatic and fashion changes – cyclists are seasonal too. More than the recreational cyclist who dusts off their bike in Spring – Mountain Bikers follow different seasons around the globe, depending on their focus and locality. As […]
Kath Bicknell: Fully Flung
A 100ker as a female racer brings with it some different tactics to those you sometimes hear about from the Elite Blokes. Longer race times mean different nutrition plans and a longer recovery period, smaller bikes often allow less space for biddons, a thinner rider density makes for multiple individual time trials and, while most […]
Andy Blair – Highland Fling Preview
The following has been provided by Swell-Redshift racer Andy BlairWith winning form from the Cape to Cape Stage Race, strong local knowledge, and a desire to win – he has some unique insights into this weekends Briar’s Highland Fling. His knowledge of the field and various riders strengths and weaknesses is unsurpassed. The real insurance […]
Will Hayter’s blog: getting ready for winter
Two weeks ago, in mid-October, I competed in an enduro MTB race – the Ritchey Oktoberfest, in Bristol in south-west England. At the end the race, I got off my bike and put it straight in the car, still as clean as when I got onto it eight hours earlier. In some countries, that might […]
The Gong Ride – raising money and raising form
Cyclists are notoriously underwhelmed about their current level of fitness. This surprises me, especially given how much easier I find it to climb stairs, or double time it on foot, compared to many non-athletic mates. Still, if you keep your ears open at any bike event before the gun goes off, the number of people […]