The hub for marathon mountain biking
Stage races come and stage races go. Each promises something different: the Croc Trophy takes you to the wildest Australian outback. Transalp over the most magnificent passes. The Cape Epic offers the ultimate physical challenge. The Perskindol Swiss Epic has a lot going for it, but its point of difference, I’ve quickly realised, is quality. Everything, […]
Anyone who rides knows that racing isn’t just about competition: It’s about packing your bike up, getting on a plane or hitting the road. It’s an excuse to have a bit of an adventure and travel somewhere new. Of all the places to race in Australia, Alice Springs is the most distinctive. With cobalt skies, […]
There’s nothing like mountain biking and a world class event to showcase your region to the world. But what about if you mixed golf and mountain biking? The Garden Route town of George will be transformed into a significant mountain biking destination with the introduction of the Tour of Homewood, a new three-day mountain bike […]
Every now and then you buy something you really probably shouldn’t. A race-cut set of high-end kit you’ll only fit into after three back-to-back stage races. Shoes. Online. A saddle called the ‘Speedneedle’. Second-hand wheels. A saddle called the ‘Speedneedle’. At 97 grams, Tune’s endurance model Speedneedle isn’t the lightest saddle on the market, but […]
Well it’s over! As usual I’m left with a mixture of relief that there’s an end to the pain and inability to finish my muesli each morning, and sadness that the adventure is over. Stage races are like that. I’ve heard the only cure for post-stage-race blues is to plan another one, so at least […]
Just because it’s the desert doesn’t mean its flat, and Alice Springs has one tough climb on its western edge: Anzac Hill. It’s not very long – only a few hundred metres of sealed road, but the gradient boots up to about 26%, and averages about 12%. Stage 2 of ICME, yesterday evening, had us […]
I didn’t expect to come away from watching the Cairns UCI MTB World Cup with anything other than a feeling of inadequacy. I was there with a green media pass around my neck to report for Australian Mountain Bike magazine on how XC racers are dealing with the increasing ‘gnarliness’ of World Cup tracks – […]
Stage racing offers a lot to people who choose to pursue some of the World’s best Mountain Bike Stage Races. It is difficult to share the entirety of the experience, but there are some things that are easy to relate to: our five senses. Many of these will relate directly to Marathon Mountain Biking too, […]
South African Burry Stander and his Swiss teammate, Christoph Sauser (36One-Songo-Specialized) tightened their grip on the 2012 ABSA Cape Epic on Thursday when they won the 105km Stage 4 and extended their overall lead. The dust-coated teammates cruised across the finish line with broad grins in a time of four hours 42 minutes 49 seconds, […]
South African Burry Stander and his Swiss teammate Christoph Sauser of the 36One-Songo-Specialized team appear set to successfully defend their ABSA Cape Epic title after winning Stage 3 on Wednesday, the 2012 edition’s queen stage over 143km from Robertson to Caledon. Stander and Sauser were hardly troubled in the race’s longest stage and rode away […]
