At 72km, the second stage of the 2019 Cape to Cape would be one of the longest stages ever at the 4-day mountain bike race in Western Australia. Starting and finishing at Leeuwin Estate winery, the course would be less hilly than stage one, and likely to be super fast. But you may not have […]
The bikes that won XCM World Championships
In September, two new Cross Country Marathon (XCM) World Champions were crowned in Graechen, Switzerland. The demanding routes for men and women saw both riders arrive at the finish line solo – the course was truly decisive. But what bikes were the riders racing on to win the XCM World Championships? With Pauline Ferrand-Prevot racing […]
XCM World Champs- Back of the Pack race report
Team rider Justin Morris whom also lives with Type 1 diabetes reports on racing the UCI XCM World Championship from the perspective of last place on the starting grid.
Ferrand-Prevot and Paez win 2019 XCM World Championships
The 2019 UCI XCM World Championships started on a clear and crisp day in Graechen, Switzerland. Sitting in the canton of Valais, the area is known for wine, the Matterhorn, being the driest canton – and it should certainly be known for mountain biking. With men taking on a 91km race with about 3800m, the […]
Thoughts and Sensations of competing at a World Title
Close to 300 men and women will compete at the MTB marathon elite world championship this weekend here in Grachen, Switzerland. Some will be vying for the honour of spending the next 12months in the coveted rainbow jersey, a widely respected prize throughout the world of cycling. Others will be lining for the sheer experience […]
The Pros and Cons of Training on a Home Trainer for MTB Racing
With winter in full swing in the Southern Hemisphere and the bitter months not far awaiting those in the North, the use of the home trainer for cycling activity normally does or starts to consume more of our cycling time. This can be daunting for some whilst others relish the opportunity to get their training […]
Swiss Epic 2019 Stage 5
The final stage of the Swiss Epic, stage 5, took the race in full circle, back to Davos. Covering 64 kilometres and 2,350m of climbing, the stage promised no easy finale, with a number of challenging climbs. MarathonMTB.com’s day at the Swiss Epic With one day to go and over 6 minutes lead, Imogen and […]
Swiss Epic 2019 Stage 4
I know from experience that you can’t pack much more than 2,000m of climbing into 50km if you want to finish in the same place you start – so while today’s Swiss Epic stage looks mercifully short, it was bloody hard work, and that’s how it always stood out from the race route. Swiss Epic […]
Swiss Epic 2019 Stage 3
Every race has one, and today was the Swiss Epic’s Queen Stage. The most demanding, most emotional, hardest stage of the race. Today took in 80km and 2,200m of climbing, and while on paper this may look easier than other stages (think stage 1, with 3,000m climbing), the technicality of today’s trails, and the repeated, […]
Swiss Epic 2019 Stage 2
The Swiss Epic’s second stage presented us with a grand tour of St Moritz, the iconic ski town of luxury shops and private jets. So it was kindof a shame to see two hundred bikers tramp through reception in filthy gear yesterday and pretty much ruin the carpet at our lovely hotel, but nobody seemed […]