Australia is a vast country, where great distances can need to be covered to travel between cities. Australia is also a country with highly a centralised population, most notably in the South East corner of the country. The size of the country and the spread of our population dictates transport and utilities infrastructure – and […]
What is it about the Cape to Cape MTB Race?
Australian mountain bikers like the challenge of a stage race. The proof is there multiple times each year, when keen Australian mountain bikers head to South Africa, or Canada, or the USA, or Western Europe, to pursue a riding holiday that focuses on a challenging stage race. This isn’t something that only elite racers do […]
Transalp. The Devil is in the Details
Racing Transalp was a race all the time, not just between the start gun and the finish line. We had a saying, the race isn’t over until you’re in the shower, and it’s fair to say that some of our most gruelling moments came when we tried to find hotels, or negotiate with Italian receptionists, […]
Matt Page’s Blog: Iron Bike Stages 6 and 7
Stage 6: 90km. 4100m ascent. Maximum time limit: 12hrs. Time taken: 7hrs 06min Today I slept through my alarm for the first time, tiredness has reached a new level and writing this at 6pm I feel like crashing out, but with just 2 days left I hope I can keep things together. Despite sleeping at 1000m it was still […]
Kaufmann, Kaess, Bigham, Loevset winners at Transalp
Riva del Garda, Italy, July 20, 2013 – 2012 Transalp winners Alban Lakata (AUT) and Robert Mennen (GER) have wrapped up the 2013 Craft BIKE Transalp powered by Sigma with their first stage win at the eight-day stage race across the Alps. Team Topeak Ergon Racing, who finished as second in the overall ranking of […]
When Transalp becomes Italian
The Craft Bike Transalp follows a highly traditional route from southern Germany to Riva del Garda in Italy. Although the Stage 6 town of Crespano di Grappa was the 45th Stage Town in the races history, the differences each year are primarily between an easterly route like this year through the Dolomites, or westerly through […]
Transalp: Not touring, Racing
Approaching an international mountain bike stage race, it’s nice to come in feeling fit and strong. But it pays to set your expectations too. Coming into the Craft Bike Transalp 8 day race from Mittenwald to Riva del Garda, Imogen Smith and I set our goal as top 10 on the general classification by the […]
Riding Transpyr: Mediterranean to Atlantic via the odd mountain or two.
With the very generous support of MarathonMTB.com, Mike Blewitt and the organisers of the Transpyr, Kim and I are in Roses putting the finishing touches to our preparation for departure tomorrow. We have 9 days to pedal 820kms across the Pyrenees to our destination of San Sebastian on the Atlantic ocean. This evening, before our […]