The Epic Rides Series Whiskey Offroad features both amateur and professional events; with the pro riders required to participate in Friday Night’s downtown fat tire criterium format race in order to be eligible for the cash payout of Sunday’s marathon race. Friday’s crit is the perfect foil to the aptly named “epic” on Prescott Arizona’s […]
Racing the Wilderness: The West Coast Wilderness Trail
A few years ago, New Zealand’s (then) Prime Minister John Key was faced with an interesting dilemma: how to promote cycle tourism in a country with roads that barely fit two vehicles, let alone cyclists. The solution was a novel one: Te Ara Ahi, the Great New Zealand Cycle Trail. A network of off-road pathways, […]
Experiencing World Marathon Championship
Related Event: Hegau Bike Marathon
It’s always an experience racing World Championships and this year was no exception. On Thursday British Airways cancelled our flight, we were so close to not making it to the start line but flights rescheduled for Friday we were on route to my 5th Worlds. Over the years I’ve moved up from a starting position […]
Charging in Czech – Malevil Cup UCI Marathon
5 years ago Malevil Cup hosted European Marathon Championships and every year since has hosted a round of the UCI World Marathon Series attracting racers from all over Europe. It’s a championship worthy event with some amazing trails, kilometres upon kilometres of rooty singletrack and wider faster rocky tracks winding their way through the big […]
Polished Performance – Jelenia Gora Bike Maraton
Eastern Europe has an abundance of quality races such as Bike Maraton Jelenia Gora. MarathonMTB are big fans of the racing here, it’s about time the delights of racing in Poland and Czech Republic where better known. Bike Maraton have a series of 12 events with the Jelenia Gora round also holding UCI World Marathon Series […]
Sometimes, it’s all about the Scenery: the Contact Lake Hawea Epic
On moving to NZ, one of the first races I looked at was the Contact Energy Lake Hawea Epic. Promising a lap of a moraine lake in a glacial tarn, stunning alpine South Island scenery, multiple river crossings and access to normally inaccessible trails, it proved a tempting proposition. In its tenth year, the race […]
Easter in the Alice stage 3, A close call after a fast stage
Related Event: Easter in the Alice
The third and final day of the Lasseters Easter in the Alice MTB stage race took riders on a 40km stage of fast, flowy and smooth trails in stark contrast to yesterday’s rocky trails. With a short neutral section on sealed roads out of the historic Telegraph station riders then took at turn onto sandy […]
The Pioneer Stage 3: Leaders Consolidate as Zanella Conquers 4-Day-Traverse
There are so many landmark stages, so many ‘wow’ moments on the Pioneer Mountain Bike Stage Race that it is hard to single any out, but the climb over Ben Ohau must be in the conversation and it didn’t disappoint on today’s stage four of the race from Christchurch to Queenstown. The climb didn’t separate […]
Clear skies and trails for the finale at the Engadin Bike Giro
Related Event: Engadine Bike Giro
With tired legs from Stage 2 of the Engadin Bike Giro, I was happy to know today’s stage would be the final day. But at the same time, I knew that also meant it would be time to go home tomorrow, which wasn’t so appealing. On paper, Stage 3 looked much the same as Stage […]
JAH, man! José Antonio Hermida on Cairns and Rio
Multivan Merida XC rider and Spanish super star José Antonio Hermida (37) started his career in Australia, won the Olympic Silver medal in Athens 2004 and is now on his trail to Rio. We met him at the Multivan Merida team meet and greet prior to the World Cup in Albstadt, Germany – held in a castle. […]