I’ve never done the Otway Odyssey – weird, because it’s one of Australia’s best-known races. There’s just always been some clash that’s kept me away in the past, so this year was my first go. A few aspects of the race sounded pretty interesting to me: It’s known for its longclimbs, crazy good singletrack, and […]
Riding through history at the Convict 100
Here in Australia, we don’t have the amount of historical paths and routes that fall into everyday use like some parts of the world. While we still have plenty of examples where indigenous routes of travel have become major traffic corridors, we don’t have quite the same connection with the lived history. We don’t have […]
The rider behind the Mitas 4 Islands MTB Race
The Mitas 4 Islands MTB Race has been quick to find fans around the world. And what’s not to like? The 4-day mountain bike stage race explores trails on four islands in Croatia, with the racers transported by boats. It’s a pairs race that is early in the season – offering great trails, good racing […]
Everything you need to know about the Appenninica Stage Race
There’s a new kid on the block in the world of mountain bike stage races. This new 8 day stage race is held within the beautiful Emilia Romagna region in Italy. Running from 20-27 July, the race will cover 550km and 20000m of climbing. If you are familiar with other major mountain bike stage races […]
“That’s one of my hardest days on the bike” – midweek at The Pioneer
Today’s stage from Alexandra to Bannockburn looked a little innocuous on paper. 79km, with a couple of big climbs – but all farm track. That’s over 20km shorter than Stage 2, but similar climbing, but no singletrack – so it should be faster. And I think for many people, they probably liked it. And deep […]
The Cape Epic route for 2019
The Cape Epic has released the route for 2019, and as you would expect from the world’s most high profile mountain bike stage race, it is really going to deliver a huge challenge for those who atake the start. With a prologue on the iconic slopes of Table Mountain’s National Park through to trails on […]
Tour de Timor stage 5: Vaz and Ricardo wrap up emphatic GC victories
The final stage of the Tour de Timor finished on the tropical shores of the beautiful Timor Sea after another tough and elevation heavy 90km stage from the mid week camp in mountain village of Aileu. Now riders can relax in the comfort of their accommodation in the capital city Dili after a week of […]
Livigno Training Camp: Day Seven
What the hell just happened? How did an 8 day stay in Livigno just about come to an end? It seems like so recently that we arrived in Livigno, anticipating epic rides, amazing food, crazy Italians, thin air and mountain scenery. For the most part – Livigno delivered. While we didn’t have seven days of […]
Livigno Training Camp: Day Five
Sitting here on an early Saturday evening, I just realised this is the longest I have spent in Livigno at one time. While in 2013 I came and visited for about 4 nights, headed off to race Dolomiti Superbike, then came back again for another four or five nights, this would be the longest consecutive […]
Have you met Ben May?
Words: Andrew Handyside. Photos: Melissa May The XCM World Championships are nearly upon us and, as any responsible national governing body would do, MTBA have named their athletes who will pull on the green and gold to represent us against the finest the world has to offer. As you know, kitting up for the lads […]