Brendan Johnston and Samara Sheppard wrapped up the 2016 XCM National Series titles in style with dominant victories at the Kowalski Classic in Canberra today, Sunday October 16th 2017. Johnston is a dual national XCM Champion, and has made his mark on most of the major marathon races around Australia – including those that make […]
Cory Wallace: escaping to the Hero MTB Himalaya bike race
Cory Wallace has built a career on moving from one epic race to the next. The Kona Endurance Team rider has been on the move the last few months, from the Mongolia Bike Challenge, to the Tour of the Dragon, Tour De Timor and then the Hero MTB Himalaya… and he’s not done yet. Returning […]
Upskilling – skills courses for mountain biking
Apart from a few tears of joy, mountain bike racing only made me cry once this year. After our Australian XCM National Champs in Tasmania in April. I’d worked incredibly hard on my fitness for Nationals and thought the course, with a very long climb to be covered twice, would suit me perfectly. On race […]
Tour of the Dragon according to Cory Wallace
Bhutan is a mystical Kingdom about the size of Switzerland tucked into the Himalayas between the two giants of India and China. This stunning country has put Gross National Happiness (GNH) ahead of GNP (Gross National Product) which has created a culture in which the 750 000 residents live a peaceful lifestyle primarily based around […]
The marathon journey that is the Highland Fling
Related Event: Camelbak Highland Fling
When marathon races started developing in Australia about 15 years ago, they were very different to how they are today. The majority were point-to-point events, through farmland, country dirt roads, singletrack, quad bike trails and undeveloped animal trails. The mountain biking experience was raw, and riders often had to negotiate gates, creek crossings, and long […]
Buying the right bike for marathon and stage racing
What bike should I buy for marathon racing? Or, what bike should I buy for… *enter a massive stage race here*? These are not uncommon questions for bike shop staff, and one that we get sent via email or social media quite frequently. The range of bikes continues to expand, as does the type and […]
Evocities MTB series round 3: Tamworth
Related Event: Evocities MTB Series: Tamworth 5hr
The Evocities MTB series now in its 2nd year is setting a standard for well run, quality, fun yet competitive mountain bike events in Australia. The Evocities movement is designed to showcase the benefits of living in regional NSW to those who may be disenfranchised with Sydney’s high cost of living and chaotic traffic mess. […]
Mackay Mountain Marathon – a return to Eungella
Related Event: Mackay Mountain Marathon
Three years ago I was tempted north to the Mackay Mountain Marathon by Evan Corry, who I had met at the 2012 Crocodile Trophy. With the local club, and plenty of community support, he and many others had set up a marathon race on the range behind Mackay – based out of the tiny town […]
Transalp 2016: Scuol to Livigno
Related Event: Craft BIKE Transalp
Transalp Stage 3: 72.30km and 2598m of climbing Stage 3 takes us to familiar territory. Both times Chris has done the Transalp he has ridden from Scuol to Livigno and we have returned here for training camps/holidays for the last 3 years. We have come to know and love the trails around this beautiful part […]
Riding Lapierre’s new XR full-suspension bike
Last week, French manufacturer Lapierre released their updated cross-country full-suspension bike – the XR. They’ve billed it as the bike for the racer inside. The Lapierre XR has sat within the Lapierre mountain bike range for a few years, and was one of the first bikes in the line-up to use the e:i automatic suspension management […]