Many of us who have taken to the sport of bike racing, be it in the discipline of road, track or any of the various mountain bike variations now available will likely always remember their first ever race. For most of us; from Julien Absalon to your regular club B grade racer this was likely a local […]
Escaping the Winter Wonderland
Around this time last year, I wrote an article on what training in winter looks like for those in the Northern Hemisphere. Not that I’ve had to endure such hardships, although it did get a little windy the other day. I spoke of skiing as one alternative to riding that could tick some pre-season goals […]
On patience
I turned 35 last week. This unwanted birthday coincided with a periodontal abscess, a round of tortuous self-interrogation about my lack of (ahem) job or even employment prospects, and inevitably pressing questions about when I was going to start a family. From my mother. Mostly for me, my birthday brought home a pretty unfortunate biological […]
BMC teams train together in Spain
Teams that train together, race well together. Maybe BMC is taking that a step further, pulling all their teams together for one training camp? BMC Switzerland and other partners of its professional racing teams met in Altea, Alicante this week for a joint team camp. The goal of the 3 day camp was not just to […]
The Off-season
The off-season can be paradoxical at times. One minute you’re glad to have some time off the bike to pursue other activities, like eating chocolate cake, and the next all you want to do is get back on the bike! After a long season skipping along to the, at times, monotonous beat of wake up […]
Perskindol Swiss Epic Rider Diary – the mind
Related Event: Perskindol Swiss Epic
When you stand on a start line and look around you one thing is always the same: everyone looks fitter, calmer, better dressed, and more prepared than you do. You can try numerous strategies to overcome your nerves: a friendly chat, a thousand-mile stare, some tweaks to your gear – but your heart will hammer […]
Perskindol Swiss Epic Rider Diary – the bike
Related Event: Perskindol Swiss Epic
The Perskindol Swiss Epic Official Race Book recommends that each competitor ride a full-suspension mountain bike with at least 120mm of front and rear travel and a dropper seatpost. I did an extra check and can confirm that this is not just for the Flow category (which is the ‘enduro’-style side of the race). Nope, […]
Perskindol Swiss Epic Rider Diary – getting prepped
Related Event: Perskindol Swiss Epic
I’ve been working in media for a while now, and I’ve learned that there’s a time for every kind of writing. There’s a time to explore ideas. There’s a time to discuss events. Then there’s a time to go deep inside and treat yourself in a bit of self-indulgent introspection. That time has come! That’s […]
Livigno – The Interlude
There isn’t much that hasn’t been written or said about the altitude training haven of Livigno. Sitting high in the Italian Alps, Livigno has become one of the most desired high altitude training locations in Europe. A desire built upon high alpine passes, flowing backcountry and bike park singletrack and, of course, Italian coffee! After […]
Riding the Norco Threshold Cyclocross bike
If you like riding and racing long distances, there’s a very good chance you’ve got a keen eye for cyclocross too. While a ‘cross race bike is a race tuned machine, other ‘cross bikes can also be great for long road miles on beaten up roads and forest trails. They are a brilliant tool for adventure […]