The 2019 Australian Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) Championships had a date and location shift from Townsville to Redland Bay this year. Those riders who were targeting the race in May needed to cool their heels and wait until June, as Rats Cycling Club put up their hands to take on the title and build it into […]
First rides on Shimano XTR M9100
About 12 months ago, Shimano released a much-anticipated version of XTR – the new 12-speed M9100. It offered what so many people wanted – a wider range from Shimano, and they delivered with a 10-51 cassette. But they also delivered a 10-45 cassette, 4-pot XTR Trail brakes and a lighter Race brake, a new crank […]
Swiss Epic release their 2019 route
The Swiss Epic is the European cousin in the global Epic Series, and under that larger umbrella it has taken a slightly different shape. The Flow category is gone, and the 6 day race is now 5 days, with no opening prologue. But while those changes were already in effect in 2018, the big change […]
Malevil Cup attracts World Champs and Olympians
The 20th edition of the legendary Malevil Cup – UCI MTB marathon series will take place on 8 June 2019. Routes going through the forests of the Lusatian and Zittau Mountains will host mountain bikers from all over the world. At this moment bikers from many European countries but also from United Arab Emirates are […]
First rides on the 2020 Norco Revolver
The Norco Revolver FS has been the bike of choice for the MarathonMTB.com Team since 2016. After we finished racing on Bianchi mountain bikes when they were no longer available in Australia, we needed a bike that climbed well, was light, and easy to service. The Norco Revolver 29 FS was all those things, with […]
Schurter and Forster claw back time at the Cape Epic
Crashes in both the leading teams at the Absa Cape Epic could not unseat either from the top of the overall standings, but the top men did have their lead more than halved during Thursday’s 43km Time Trial stage at Oak Valley. Minor crashes for Annika Langvad from Investec-songo-Specialized, the leading Women’s category team, and […]
Cannondale Factory Racing take Cape Epic lead
Much speculation had been made around a clean-sweep of wins for the men’s Scott-SRAM MTB-Racing and women’s Investec-songo-Specialized pairs ahead of Stage 3’s 107km out-and-back loop from Oak Valley Estate in Elgin; but this is the Absa Cape Epic and it’s not often that a story can be concluded prior to the crossing of the […]
Bike Check: Nino Schurter’s Scott Spark for the 2019 Cape Epic
Nino Schurter is lining up for his 6th Cape Epic, and after a less than ideal race in 2018, he will be out to make amends in 2019. A last minute change sees the flying Swiss racing with Lars Forster, not Andri Frischknecht. Andri was struggling with some health issues at the team camp in […]
Remembering why at The Willo
Everyone in the MTB community looks forward to The Willo. It’s a cool track, it’s close to home for lots of us, and it’s a chance to stop and remember a really, really great person. James Williamson was the guy at races who always had time to stop and say hi, and smile, and chat, […]
Sheppard and Ward double up at Macpac Motatapu
Mountain bike power couple Samara Sheppard and Kyle Ward took out the women’s and men’s mountain bike races at the prestigious Macpac Motatapu today, riding to impressive victories in near perfect conditions from Glendhu Bay to Arrowtown. The pair have been together for three years, with Ward also coaching New Zealand Commonwealth Games rep Sheppard, […]