For the seventh edition of the Cape Pioneer Trek mountain bike stage race in South Africa there will be significant changes, including a point-to-point format, a coastal start in Mossel Bay and back-to-back ascents of the formidable Swartberg Pass. Running from 18-24 October 2015, the Cape Pioneer Trek, which is a UCI-graded event, will cover a […]
McConnell and Henderson start the Subaru MTBA National Series with wins
The first round of the 2014–15 National MTB Series started with a bang at the You Yang’s MTB Park on Saturday. As always the first round was a whirlpool of intrigue. Questions were raised about the form of each rider. Who was going to be the strongest so early in the season? Dual Olympian Dan […]
Smith and Saw Champions of the 20th Crocodile Trophy
Imogen Smith and Greg Saw are the Elite Champions of the 2014 Crocodile Trophy. The 20th edition of the hardest mountain bike stage race in the world finished today at the breathtakingly beautiful Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas. The final stage was a time trial race from Weatherby Station via the infamous Bump Track […]
The Windy Croc – Skybury to Wetherby
Once you have been doing the one thing for a week you well and truly settle into a routine. Ride, eat, sleep, repeat. Ok, there’s more eating than that. But one of the beautiful things about stage racing is how normal it ends up feeling when you’re racing your bike. Everyone likes routine. Today was […]
Catching up on the Croc – Irvinebank to Skybury Coffee Plantation
So far the 20th Crocodile Trophy has been a little different to years past. Firstly, it’s a UCI sanctioned race, which means guaranteed prize money for elite riders – and a lot of ranking points on offer too. This has also brought a slight change to how the race is run – starts are prompt, […]
Croc Trophy Diary: Railing the Atherton Trails
Sitting down, in clean clothes, using free wifi. As the Croc gets into swing, scenes like these are getting rarer. It’s day three and we cruised from Lake Tinaroo to race at Atherton, another MTB mecca, this morning, where we’ll have a brief reprieve from the daily pack-up for two nights. Mike and I were […]
Saw takes emotional win on 2nd Stage of Croc Trophy
The true Crocodile Trophy starts on day 2, with a neutral start from the Esplanade in Cairns, before the race starts properly at the foot of the climb to Copperlode dam. It’s not an easy stage. In fact, I think I said numerous times today that it’s one of the hardest point to point mountain […]
Rybarik and Smith take leaders jerseys at Smithfield
The 20th Crocodile Trophy has begun! The iconic trails of Smithfield mountain bike park, just north of Cairns, held the first stage of the Crocodile Trophy today. The mud from the World Cup in April has dried, and the course was twisty, flowing, dry, dusty – and pretty long considering it was a short stage. […]
Australians to watch at the Crocodile Trophy
We’re on the cusp of the 20th Crocodile Trophy, and this year there are more Australians competing than ever before. From elite men and women, through to all age groups, there are strong Australian riders. Traditionally, it was easy to refer to ‘The Croc’ as a European race run for European racers. But over the […]
Bulls Defend Lead Against Flying Scott
It was battle royale on the first marathon stage of the 2014 Bridge Cape Pioneer Trek. There was no illusion of a more relaxed day to take in the scenery before tomorrow’s #swartbergshowdown. Speaking of scenery we passed the majestic Redstone Cliffs in the last quarter of the race in the dash towards Calitzdorp. They […]