Many of you will be familiar with Cory Wallace – the Canadian woodsman who fells trees in the Yukon in winter, and races his bikes in the summer. The Kona factory rider has been on the up for a long time, increasing the calibre of his wins from year to year. In 2014 alone, Wallace […]
Athlete of the Month: James Downing
In a new series of feature interviews, we caught up with fast man James Downing, from Canberra, to talk food, riding, going sideways, and how he managed to score the biggest win of his career at the Flight Centre Epic. Name: James Downing Age: 40 Team: Cannondale-Sugoi Factory Racing Team (athlete and manager) Started Racing: […]
Goal-Setting for Marathon MTB Racing
Many of us compete in the same marathons again and again, trying to improve our performance each year (or maybe just beat our mates). That’s where some systematic goal setting comes in handy, if you’re looking for motivation to succeed. Most of us don’t bother setting goals properly because, as marathon racers, we’re already intrinsically-motivated, […]
Busting the Crocodile Trophy’s biggest myths
Over the years, like all the most challenging events in the world, the Crocodile Trophy has accumulated a lot of myths about it. It’s nothing but dry desert roads. You won’t get a shower. You might get bitten by a snake. At least two of these are myths. Now let’s bust some more. The Croc […]
Ben Thomas: Racing Mixed with Sally Bigham and the PRO experience
Last month Imogen Smith interviewed Sally Bigham (Topeak-Ergon Racing Team) about the announcement she had made via social media. She would be racing the 2014 Craft Bike Transalp as a mixed pair, but with no assistance from her male team mate. As Bigham pointed out, she wanted to ride over the Alps herself, as her […]
Ucka UCI marathon – the sales pitch
Sometimes a report is all about the racing action – the struggle for the lead, the sprint finish, the mechanical and human dramas. But on this occasion I find myself wanting to write something of a sales pitch. This is a race that has it all – amazing scenery, post-race swimming in the sea, superb […]
Preparation: Two Aussies get ready for Sudety MTB Challenge
Sudety Mountain Bike Challenge (tagline ‘no bullshit, no compromise’) starts with a prologue around Stronie Slaskie today. and Mike Blewitt and I will be racing it for Team Subaru-MarathonMTB.com in a mixed pair. Stronie Slaskie, in the picturesque Sudety mountains in Poland, is 16,000 kilometres from Sydney – so we thought it best to bring […]
Stage 7 Transalp 2014: 62.73km and 2325hm
The final day of a multiday race such as Transalp is never as easy as the guidebook depicts and our stage 7 was equally as tough as any of the 6 stages we had completed prior. On paper the stage looked simple… 62.7km with a mere 2300hm from Trento to Riva Del Garda… an uphill […]
Journeys through Bohemia
I think the beauty of mountain biking lies beyond the cool equipment, the buzz of railing singletrack, the euphoria of twisty alpine climbs, the relief of cleaning a section you always baulk at and even the perverse joy of having funny tan lines. For me, adventure and travel are at the heart of what I […]
Have you tried Crocodile?
The Crocodile Trophy is no small undertaking. While it isn’t a three week race anymore, the 20th anniversary edition is still 9 days of racing. Not everyone can manage that, without enough time to plan or train. The Croc is actually a lot more achievable than many people think – but the Cairns MTB club […]