Reef to Reef is finally here! There’s been a fair bit of excitement about this event and it’s understandable. Not often do you get the chance to 1. Race in Cairns in the dead of winter, and 2. Race in a pair in Australia, or even 3. Attend an event in its inaugural year. The […]
After the dust has settled – Looking back on The Pioneer
Related Event: The Pioneer
It has now been a month since the now well known stage race, The Pioneer, has been run and won. I thought with the exhaustion and pain of the event now settled, it would be a good time to reflect on what I really experienced and witnessed during one of the most gruelling events I […]
The Pioneer stage 7- One last push to Queenstown
Related Event: The Pioneer
Riders took joy at crossing the finish line after 7 days of exhausting, stunning, character building and painful mountain bike miles across the Southern Alps of New Zealand in The Pioneer stage race today. On the menu for the final stage was far from a cruisey parade into town. Although the stage profile suggested 59km […]
The Pioneer Day 5- Queen stage tests all riders
Related Event: The Pioneer
The Pioneer MTB stage race has now reached Lake Hawea close to Wanaka, New Zealand. The riders have now have close to 450km in their legs and some serious tales of struggle, suffering, spectacle, disappointment and victory up their sleeves. Today’s stage was suggested to be the ‘Queen Stage’ of this tour with 112km and […]
The Pioneer stage 3 report- Weather BOMB!
Related Event: The PioneerThe Pioneer - 3 Day Traverse
After a scorching day 2 with many riders experiencing sunburn and heat exhaustion, in typical New Zealand style the weather for day 3 took a severe turn for the worse. With wind chill temperatures of well below zero and gale force winds expected on the planned route the organisers took the very smart decision to […]
The Pioneer Day 2 report- The reality sets in.
Related Event: The Pioneer
After a relatively tame first day in Christchurch for the 2017 Pioneer stage race yesterday, today was when the real business got underway for the hardy competitor’s of this truly epic race. A pleasant 8am roll out from the polite town of Geraldine began relatively conservatively with a moderate pace across the first 15km of […]
The Pioneer Day 1- Roadies charge away as the epic climbing begins!
Related Event: The Pioneer
Day 1 of the 2017 Pioneer stage race in New Zealand began in the newly built Christchurch Adventure Park this morning with a 21km time trial. For some teams this was their first meeting for others it was time to hone those tactics they have been discussing for months of preparation. The weather was perfect […]
My first PAIRS race
Related Event: The Pioneer
This weekend I am pretty gee’d to be heading to the EPIC Pioneer mountain bike stage race in New Zealand. Apart from seeming to be a spectacular event this race marks a MTB racing milestone for myself. I have been tying numbers to the handlebars of my mountain bike since the year 2000, however this will be […]
Sally Bigham’s Transalp mission: self-powered women
In an interview with Sally Bigham who will be racing Transalp 2014 in a mixed pair, unassisted, Subaru-MarathonMTB.com racer Imogen Smith delves into the integrity of pushing and towing in mixed pairs racing, and reflects on her own experience at Transalp last year. When Sally Bigham announced on Facebook a couple of days ago that […]
Pairs racing rocks – are we missing out in Australia?
If you’re reading this it means you have a bit of spare time and if you have a bit of spare time you’re probably not at the Cape Epic. The world’s most exciting, prestigious, and demanding mountain bike race is on now. Eight days, 718km, climbing 14,850m. Television crews, helicopters, pasta parties. You’re missing out […]