Yesterday The Redback’s sixth and final stage took in 45 kilometres of desert trails, sand traps, and rock features. We lined up just south of the Telegraph Station, the town’s trail hub, and rolled up the bike path, at a neutral pace. I hoped to catch sight of the dingo munching on a dead kangaroo […]
The Redback rolls on – Stages 4 and 5
If you think of all the sports in all the world, from archery to zorb football, then divide all these sports into their different disciplines, so that gymnastics becomes parallel bars, pommel horse, the rings, beam, and so on, you’d have what – a couple thousand? I can lay these sports end to end on […]
Mongolia Bike Challenge stages 5 and 6: Legends crowned!
With an incessant, pounding rain in the Nomad ger camp in Mongolia the night before stage 5 much of the bunch were feeling apprehensive about this shorter but very difficult stage. The rain added an extra element of stress to what was already shaping up to be a brutal and decisive stage in this years […]
The Redback time trial – Stage 3
I woke this morning on day two of The Redback in Alice Springs to what I thought was a truck reversing into my hotel room. Turns out the wind had blown up overnight and was roaring through the courtyard of the Mercure, shaking the ghost gums and kicking up sand. It brought cooler weather, with […]
The Redback Returns
What’s my favourite thing about mountain bike stage racing, you ask. The camaraderie? Wrong! The epic scenery? Wrong! Visiting new places and experiencing new cultures? That’s great, but wrong! Nope, it’s the buffet breakfasts. So. The Redback got off to a good start for me when I hit the buffet at the Mercure Alice Springs […]
Mongolia Bike Challenge stages 3 & 4. Into the Wilderness!
Stages 3 and 4 of Mongolia Bike Challenge 2017 have now been run and won. With plenty of drama taking place over the past 2 days we now have a change in leadership for both the women’s and the men’s category. I last wrote reporting on the ‘queen stage’ of this year’s race, however now […]
Beers and Hammond secure Trans Baviaans
Matt Beers and Tim Hammond of Spot Africa Ryder Red E held off a late challenge from Team Bianchi to take overall victory at the 14th edition of the Trans Baviaans Mountain Bike Race which finished in Jefferys Bay this weekend. The 230 kilometre non-stop race from Willowmore in the Karoo to Jeffreys Bay on the […]
Mongolia Bike Challenge Stage 2 – Steppe Suffering
Stage 2 of the Mongolia Bike Challenge for 2017 was dubbed the ‘Queen stage’ for this year’s edition. Indicating that it is regarded as the most difficult of the race. Upon conversation with riders everyone fully agrees that they hope dearly there is no stage more difficult than today! Day two in Mongolia Many broken […]
Mongolia Bike Challenge Stage 1- Report. Out of Ulan Bator
After a preparation day in the Mongolian capital Ulan Bator riders for the 2017 Mongolia Bike Challenge were today greeted with the first day of racing in this 6 day stage race across the Mongolian steppe. This year marks the 8th running of the MBC and race director Willy Mulonia states this is shaping up […]
Centurion Vaude and Meerendal CBC win 2017 Transalp!
Daniel Geismayr and Hermann Pernsteiner have successfully kept hold to their BIKE Transalp powered by Sigma title. The Austrian champion and his fellow countryman mastered the 544.80 km and 17,987 metres of climbing featured in this years anniversary edition in a time of 22:43.02,2. The Austrian Centurion Vaude duo therefore became the fourth pair in […]