The now iconic Dirty Warrny was held over the weekend, a 250km grind over dirt roads and trails between Geelong and Warrnambool in Victoria. Traversing the Otway ranges, the race also features close to 3800m of elevation gain. The race takes most riders over ten hours to complete. This was my first time competing in […]
Michelin-Beard and Bloor triumphant at inaugural Shimano Gravel Muster around Alice Springs
Australia’s first gravel stage race, the Shimano Gravel Muster Stage Race, took place in the Red Centre from Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th August 2024. The unique event mixed the experience that Rapid Ascent has of running stage races in the area, the boom in gravel riding, and a fun mix of racing and social stages – […]
Shimano launch Trail Born trail initiative
Shimano have just announced their Trail Born initiative, which aims to increase and susatin a range of mountain bike trails around the world. This includes donating $USD1 million per year for the next decade, but it also covers working closely on trail projects and advocacy groups both locally and globally. Given trails typically cost $USD15-80k […]
Australian team selected for 2024 UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships
Today, AusCycling announced that six riders have been selected for the 2024 Cross Country Marathon (XCM) Mountain Bike World Championship in Snowshoe, USA. The AusCycling National Selection Panel today confirmed the riders who will compete at the championships in September. The team consists of 3 men and 3 women, one of the larger teams fielded […]
Taking on the Shimano Gravel Muster in Alice Springs
Earlier this year Australian event promoters Rapid Ascent announced a new race in an ancient place; the Shimano Gravel Muster. As long-time hosts of the popular mountain bike stage race in Alice Springs known as The Redback, the event crew decided to bring their expertise in events to something new for Australia – a multi-day […]
What bike for Sunday Creek Classic?
The Sunday Creek Classic is a young event in Queensland, and 2024 will see the 3rd edition held on May 25 from Kenilworth. Like a classic marathon, the event starts and finishes in the one spot, and like a quality rural event in Australia, that spot is the local showground. The course covers about 120km […]
Tips for racing the Appenninica MTB Stage Race
Photos: The Outdoor Lab The Appenninica MTB Stage Race celebrated its 5th edition in September 2023, with many riders returning for another epic mountain bike experience in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy. From the outset I was attracted to this mountain bike stage race as it focussed not just on the riding experience, but […]
Henderson and Lane-Welsh snare 2024 Otway Odyssey victories
On a day for the history books, the Otway Odyssey delivered another epic race of high quality, hard racing on Saturday 24 February, 2024 at the 18th edition of the event in Forrest, Victoria. The early starts saw the elite women onto the 100km course first, with a truly formidable line up. With World Cup star […]
Top Australian talent ready for Otway Odyssey
If you want a proving ground in the Australian endurance mountain biking scene, there’s no higher bar than a win, or even a podium, at the Otway Odyssey. The 18th edition of the Otway Odyssey MTB Marathon will take place on February 24, with the Great Otway Gravel Grind running on February 25. Event organisers […]
2024 Cape Epic route
The ABSA Cape Epic is the brute of the marathon stage race game. Plenty of events will claim to be the hardest, some claim the best trails, some claim the best event services – but there is no escaping the fact that the Cape Epic is the biggest of the bunch. As we have published […]