The Swiss mountain bike superstar Jolanda Neff has just won her first Elite Women’s XCO World Title, with a commanding display of technical ability, fitness and race tactics in Cairns, Australia. Although Neff won the XCM World Championships in 2016, this is her first elite title in XCO, which is her main discipline. She’s just […]
3Epic – 2018 Marathon MTB World Championships preview
In 2018 the World Cross-country Mountain Bike Marathon Championships head back to Italy, to a mountainous course in the Dolomites – running alongside the 3Epic event. The 2017 edition has proven to be an excellent preview for the organisers, racers and fans. Italian Samuele Porro (Team Trek Selle San Marco) just won the 2017 edition of the […]
Stromlo school
Related Event: Shimano MTB GP Round Five
Since finishing my PhD earlier this year I’ve gone back to tutoring. Sixty per cent of the academic workforce in Australia is casual, an issue that I’m probably not going to explore in a blog about mountain biking, but one that I thought I’d mention in case you’ve ever wondered why I never seem to […]
Beukes brothers on top!
It was a family affair as brothers Matthys and Gerrie Beukes won their respective age categories at the third round of the Madibaz XCO Series at Nelson Mandela University in George on Sunday. Matthys, who finished third at the SA National MTB Championships last month, said he woke without plans of racing but the enticing […]
Reflections on the Grand Raid
Related Event: Grand Raid
Grand Raid BCVS is arguably the biggest one day classic in mountain bike marathon racing. It’s an event I’ve always wanted to compete in, 125km from Verbier to Grimentz with over 5000m of ascent through the beautiful Swiss mountains. This year was the event’s 28th edition. I don’t get nervous about too many races but […]
Mongolia Bike Challenge stages 5 and 6: Legends crowned!
Related Event: Mongolia Bike Challenge
With an incessant, pounding rain in the Nomad ger camp in Mongolia the night before stage 5 much of the bunch were feeling apprehensive about this shorter but very difficult stage. The rain added an extra element of stress to what was already shaping up to be a brutal and decisive stage in this years […]
The Redback time trial – Stage 3
Related Event: The Redback
I woke this morning on day two of The Redback in Alice Springs to what I thought was a truck reversing into my hotel room. Turns out the wind had blown up overnight and was roaring through the courtyard of the Mercure, shaking the ghost gums and kicking up sand. It brought cooler weather, with […]
Mongolia Bike Challenge stages 3 & 4. Into the Wilderness!
Related Event: Mongolia Bike Challenge
Stages 3 and 4 of Mongolia Bike Challenge 2017 have now been run and won. With plenty of drama taking place over the past 2 days we now have a change in leadership for both the women’s and the men’s category. I last wrote reporting on the ‘queen stage’ of this year’s race, however now […]
Beers and Hammond secure Trans Baviaans
Matt Beers and Tim Hammond of Spot Africa Ryder Red E held off a late challenge from Team Bianchi to take overall victory at the 14th edition of the Trans Baviaans Mountain Bike Race which finished in Jefferys Bay this weekend. The 230 kilometre non-stop race from Willowmore in the Karoo to Jeffreys Bay on the […]
Mongolia Bike Challenge Stage 2 – Steppe Suffering
Related Event: Mongolia Bike Challenge
Stage 2 of the Mongolia Bike Challenge for 2017 was dubbed the ‘Queen stage’ for this year’s edition. Indicating that it is regarded as the most difficult of the race. Upon conversation with riders everyone fully agrees that they hope dearly there is no stage more difficult than today! Day two in Mongolia Many broken […]