Some see the rolling hills of the Thuringian forest a nuisance to their transport routes but to many others the expanse of green in summer and white in winter is a playground of exploration waiting to be uncovered. I had little idea of what awaited me prior to arriving as to find it I searched […]
Packing spares for a mountain bike race in Europe
Packing your bike and worldly (mountain bike related) belongings up and heading off to a mountain bike race that is not so close to home is quite the adventure. Whether you are going interstate of overseas, you want to make sure you have the right spares and tools – but probably nothing you don’t require […]
Volcat GP to see 700 participants take to Catalan Hills this Easter
Related Event: Volcat GP
This Easter weekend, 25 – 27 March, the Spanish Catalan Hills will host the 3 day UCI category 2 Volcat GP. This year the town of Igualada will host all 3 stages making it logistically easier for participants. Whilst the Elite race competes for UCI points as individuals the open race is run as a […]
Algarve Bike Challenge Preview and Stage Race Catch Up
Related Event: Algarve Bike Challenge
This weekend Algarve Bike Challenge takes place, the event is a UCI category 2 marathon stage race taking place over 3 days. It’s the 4th year the event has taken place and I thought it was about time I checked it out. It will be my first visit to southern Portugal, the Algarve is known […]
Costa Blanca Bike Race Stage 4
Related Event: Costa Blanca Bike Race
Stage 4, the finale of Costa Blanca Bike Race 2016, a 7km timetrial. The route looked simple enough on paper but there was a great big dirty 300 meter ascent in the last 2km’s. There was talk of there being sections of 30 or 40 percent gradient, not possible we thought! On arriving to the […]
Costa Blanca Bike Race Stage 2
Related Event: Costa Blanca Bike Race
In stark contrast to yesterday’s start today was pretty cold but the racing was still red hot. There are some seriously quick cross country riders here honing their form and collecting some UCI points for their Olympic qualification. Jirka Novák and Sebastian, plus Yana Belomoina and Margot Moschetti, both CST Superior Brentjens teams started the […]
Tips for finding the right stage race partner
Undertaking a big paired stage race might be the highlight of your mountain biking year – but if you pair up with the wrong person, it might be a real low point. Just because you’re great friends with a rider, it doesn’t mean you will end up as a good team. Stage races exist around […]
REVIEWED: BOgear Spare Camel backpack
Backpacks can serve a variety of roles. At their most basic, a backpack is for hauling gear. Perhaps as little as what you need for a day at work or university. But perhaps it’s what you need to ride for a day, or hike to Everest Base Camp. A big sac with some adjustable straps […]
Mountain Biking in Livigno: Part One
Livigno is right up in the north of Italy, butting right up against Switzerland. They share a tunnel connection, a road pass, and at least three singletrack climbs over high passes that I know of. Of course, there are countless connections south into the Alta Valtellina region as well. For a number of years, I visited […]
Sonya Looney leaves Topeak Ergon to start her own project
Sonya Looney is a well-known professional ultra endurance athlete, who has traipsed across the globe and graced the podiums of the world’s stage race and 100 mile races over the last 4 years. Sonya has worked with sponsors as an individual athlete as well as managing the business aspects of running a team for 2015. Sonya Looney is the rider […]