In the summer of 2016, a new European stage race was born, and this year the team at MarathonMTB.com couldn’t be more excited. Not since the Swiss Epic launched in 2014 has Europe hosted a new stage race with all the trimmings and all the ingredients for a truly epic experience: a journey through hidden […]
Who can win the 2017 Australian Marathon Championships?
The elite titles for Australia’s 2017 Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) Championship are set to be decided on 30th April. For this year, the XCM Champs have travelled north to Townsville, being run in conjunction with the Townsville MTB Festival for this year and 2018. Townsville is home of the Townsville Rockwheelers mountain bike club (one of […]
The Convict 100 – the marathon that doesn’t make sense
At the start of this year, we published a post outlining the ingredients that make for a great marathon MTB race. One of the stand out components is the route – it needs to be challenging and interesting, and you’d also expect there to be singletrack. So how come, the Convict 100 has no singletrack, and […]
Course preview: Australian XCM Championships in Townsville
Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to visit Townsville to take a look at the proposed course for the 2017 and 2018 Mountain Bike Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) Championship, which is to be held on the last weekend of April this year in conjunction with the Townsville Mtb Festival. When the venue was announced, I […]
Who to watch at the 2017 Absa Cape Epic
The start of the 2017 Absa Cape Epic is now just days away. Beyond the media machine that is counting down days, rolling out video grabs, and creating excitement via emotive images on Instagram – the best marathon and cross-country riders in the world are fine tuning their bikes, their legs and their kit bags […]
What to expect at Lasseters Easter in the Alice
The Lasseters Easter in the Alice is just a month away. In 2017 the 3 day stage race in Alice Springs has refined the iconic Central Australian bike race to 3 stages. All killer, no filler. With time to travel over the Easter long weekend, and race lengths meaning you’ll have the afternoon to yourself, […]
Elite ranks fill for the Otway Odyssey
The racing year is underway, with the first two national XCO rounds done, and the next two on the horizon. But it is the Otway Odyssey which kicks off the marathon racing season. One of the hardest, yet most scenic, marathon MTB races on the calendar, the Otway Odyssey always draws a crowd. And as […]
What to pack for The Pioneer – or other stage races
A couple of weeks ago I covered what you need to take as essentials for The Pioneer – things you’ll have on hand each day on the bike, either as mandatory equipment, or items that will help get you to the end of the race if things go pear shaped. But The Pioneer is a […]
Essential equipment for The Pioneer MTB stage race – on the bike.
Regular travellers say that packing the right things is easy, and others think that packing is an art form. I have never gone down the path of debating whether to roll or fold my clothes, or to pack only clothes in complementary shades, or to only take linen shirts – but I have put some […]
Cycling resolutions for the New Year
It’s a New Year, and any of our indescretions from the past 12 months can now be forgotten, or improved upon. While many consider that the start of a new years is just another day, it’s also a popular belief that it is a perfect time to start afresh, and forge into the coming 365 days […]