On 30 August 2020, the 5th edition of the KronplatzKing MTB Marathon, the mountain bike marathon starting in San Vigilio di Marebbe (1,200 m) and finishing at the summit of the Kronplatz (2,275 m), will take place. And with only three weeks to go, some of the world’s best including Tiago Ferreira (POR), Leonardo Paez […]
Training for the Start Line Jitters
The start of a mountain bike race wether it be XCM, XCO, enduro or even downhill is the peak of nerves, excitement, intensity and fear for all riders. Training for this element of a race is often the most complex. And it is not just from the perspective of intensity and training structure but also […]
Why it’s time to enter the next bike race.
The last bike race I did was the Arabian Epic Series Jordan Stage Race. I flew in and flew out, nursing a few niggles from a silly crash before leaving, which made it all a little uncomfortable on long haul flights! It was probably in the following weeks that I truly realised what an amazing […]
Dragon Trail MTB
Anyone can see that around Australia, the marathon scene is shrinking. Some of the classics keep fighting on, but the demand for single day 100km races is not what it used to be. And given the costs involved for a one day event it is understandable. Time off work, entry, accommodation, maybe airfares as well […]
Maxxis Wide Trail Aspen and Rekon Race
Maxxis has recently announced two new additions to their range of cross-country tyres. Anyone who has kept a close eye on the World Cup circuit (ok, in 2019) won’t be overly surprised that Maxxis has released Wide Trail (WT) versions of the Aspen and Rekon Race, in 2.4″ widths. The WT standard is optimised for […]
Sam Fox recaps XCO National Championships
In Australia, The Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA) XCO National Championships is the race that brings out all the big names. 2020 was no exception, with previous winners returning to defend their titles in Elite Men and Women, under 23 Men and Women, and other big names like Cam Ivory (2018 XCO, XCM, XCC champ), Brendan […]
Cape Epic 2020 Press conference
The race favourites for the Cape Epic gathered at a media conference ahead of the 2020 edition in South Africa.. The traditional Pre-Race Press Conference is characterised by empty platitudes and vague talk of wanting to do well. But Cannondale Factory Racing’s Manuel Fumic and Henrique Avancini turned convention on its head, declaring outright that they are going “all-in” […]
Cuthbert and Johnston win 10th edition of The Willo
The 10th James Williamson Memorial Enduro (aka The Willo) was held at Sparrow Hill on 1 March and a crowd of over 400 mountain bikers gathered to remember one of Australia’s most talented endurance racers, James ‘Willo’ Williamson. The 2020 titles went to Canberra locals: National Marathon Champion Brendan Johnston won the classic marathon distance […]
Epic Trail (and views) at Bike Buller
Bike Buller is a 3-day mountain bike festival at, you guessed it, Mt Buller. There’a plenty of XC action amongst the gravity events, and today the Epic Trail point-to-point let us loose on the alpine singletrack in the Victorian High Country. A flat is definitely a good way to let your race, and your tyre, […]
Swiss Epic 2020 route revealed
The 2020 Swiss Epic entries have been open for a while, and while the stage towns have been made public, the final route has just been revealed. Unlike some mountain bike stage races, the Swiss Epic changes its route drastically each year. While the challenge of finishing the Swiss Epic will be the same year […]