Wow! Ok so that was part reality check and part amazing, the reality check coming right at the 75km mark when I realized there may actually be a dark art to racing as a mixed pair! The stage started with a slightly terrifying ‘neutralised’ section of 20km, this is generally meant to safely ferry riders […]
Is your life like this?
I promised myself I’d be packed, I’d be packed, prepped, primed, preened and perfectly prepared! All by WAY before my flight leaves right? Then why am I looking at a bike that is in 500 pieces, have a deadline driving me crazy and a presentation with a disagreeable client looming like a vulture ALL the […]
The Art of Crashing
Subaru-MarathonMTB.com Racer Stu Spies loves a road race – in fact he just loves racing. Stu checks in with his thoughts on crashing. Surely part of his build towards the 2014 Transalp? We don’t like to talk about it, sometimes we barely acknowledge its existence, but it is woven into the fabric of what we […]
Discovering MTB riding in Lermoos
I wouldn’t call myself the most travelled bike racer in the world, having only done two overseas trips so far. In 2012, I travelled to Europe for six months, racing from Belgium to Austria and England and a fair few others. It may sound weird but the only time I said to myself “wow I’m […]
Race Report: Giant Shorty 50km
The Giant Odyssey is known as one of the toughest marathon mountain bike races in Australia. With a reputation like that, it’s no surprise that many participants decided to enter the easier version of the race and take on the 50 km Shorty. The course of the Shorty is very different from the Odyssey but […]
Seb’s Diary: The Wombat 50km
Sorry about the delayed race report! Things have been a bit hectic lately, with an impending European racing trip and Cairns world cup within the next few weeks. Two weekends ago I set up a double race weekend with a Melbourne Northern Combine road race on the Saturday and the wombat 50km mountain bike race […]
Sebastian Jayne: The Dizzying heights of the Mt Buller XCO
I’ve been to the dizzying heights of Mt Buller three times before in my short career as a mountain bicyclist. The first time it rained and my clothes got dirty, the second time my bike exploded and the third time only my pedal exploded! Progress! (note: it didn’t actually explode it just broke). I was […]
AMB 100: Singletrack surfing at Mt Stromlo
When Rocky Trail Entertainment organisers Martin and Juliane announced that the AMB100 Marathon was going to be shortened by 25km for the 100km-ers and 35km for the 100-milers, some might have said this was going to be an ‘easy race’. But when temperatures that day hit 39 degrees on the unforgiving and shade-less singletrack of […]
Australian XCO National Round One: A Long Time Between Drinks
After what felt like a lifetime it was great to get back into some cross-country racing at the first national round in Adelaide. With a limited supply of XC races on the calendar through the winter it is hard to gauge how you are going compared to the rest of the field. Most of us […]
Training Camp: Reset for 2014
A little over a week ago, I wrote about heading to ‘Training Camp‘ in the NSW Snowy Mountains, basing out of Lake Crackenback Resort and Spa for 8 nights. While calling it a training camp was light hearted, it was about setting the right practices for the start of 2014. Ride, eat, sleep, repeat. Or […]