Racing Transalp was a race all the time, not just between the start gun and the finish line. We had a saying, the race isn’t over until you’re in the shower, and it’s fair to say that some of our most gruelling moments came when we tried to find hotels, or negotiate with Italian receptionists, […]
Newy Cogheads: Riding for Heart Kids Challenge
This is the transcript of the discussion between Bill Smith and Andrew Gresham, who started the Newy Cogheads, based in Newcastle NSW Australia. They run a series of group rides around Newcastle, NSW, Australia – and are raising money for the Heart Kids Challenge. Like any group of riders, they are just keen to get […]
Taking your dog to the trails
I am now training with a training mate that smashes me on every steep climb, flies past me on the very technical sections and just stays on my wheel on every descent. And that’s not just because I’m in not such a great shape… She’s pretty fast, loves shredding the trail and jumps way higher […]
Kowalski Classic – a course preview
Myself and Kyle Ward (Rockstar Racing) were lucky enough to get an invite from Alan, of the famed Kowalski Brothers Trailworks crew, to head into East Kowen forest for a preview the trails they’ve just built for the Kowalski Classic Marathon, and also to sample the first 50km of this year’s course – and after […]
Rifle Butts MTB Park Mansfield
After a few weeks of cold and wet weather in Melbourne, it was nice to finally go on a Saturday training ride under clear skies and a beautiful 15 degrees. While the ski and snowboard fanatics of Victoria get their rush on the slopes of Mt Buller, I went to the nearby town of Mansfield […]
How to taper for big races
It’s one of the great mysteries of training and racing: how to turn up on race day with the perfect blend of enough of the right kind of training in the legs, but also enough freshness to be absolutely pinging? Disclaimer first – I’m not going to attempt too much sports science. My history degree […]
Jane Nuessli: As one door closes, another opens.
Jane Nuessli has been racing mountain bikes since the turn of the century, making her way to the upper echelons of the sport in Europe. Her palmares is full of top-level results including wins in the Grand Raid Cristalp, the National Park bike marathon and a fine 7th place in last year’s muddy XCM World […]
2013 Marathon World Championships Preview: Part 2
Where The XCM Worlds changes location every year, and is attached to another successful marathon. This creates variety – but except for a running in Norway, all the other years have been pretty close to one another! As was suggested in Part one though, most top Marathon racers are around the European alpine regions. And so, […]
2013 Marathon World Championships Preview: Part 1
Part One: Who? It is now just a week away from the 2013 UCI Marathon Mountain Bike World Championships (XCM Worlds to be more succinct). The XCM Worlds differ a little from any other Marathon, as this is when racers are representing their nation. Their colours are that of their country, not of their trade […]
A handy guide to cheering
It does rather depend on where in the world you are. Head to the cycling heartlands of Italy, Spain, Belgium & France, and increasingly Germany & Austria, and you can guarantee that any bike race that goes through a town will be greeted with encouragement of some description. Local kids, crudely painted (and sometimes crudely designed!) banners, […]