Near the end of March four Revolutionaries set off to the far away coast of Capetown, South Africa to compete in the allegedly biggest MTB stage race in the world. Those adventurers were namely Duncan Murray and Ash Hayat as “the team in contention with the pros” and Carl Maroney and myself as “the team suffering somewhere around the top 100”. (Although to be fair, it was mostly me doing the suffering but more on that in due course!) And amazingly after eight days of riding together for an average of 6.5 hours per day Carl and I are still talking!   It has to be mentioned that just about everything about this race is EPIC. There’s an EPIC number of competitors (1200 = 600 teams), an EPIC amount of climbing (16,800m), an EPIC amount of hike-a-bike sections (so much that even the pros were complaining), an EPIC amount of time spent in the granny gear (not much faster than pushing but at least it meant you were still riding), EPIC scenery courtesy of the Western Cape region and last but not least an EPIC experience for everyone lucky enough to experience it. Additionally, the clockwork-like organization of the event … Continue reading →

  The Six Hours in the Saddle MTB Enduro in Beechworth is a classic. It was my first ever Enduro and one I gladly return to each year to catch up with other S.H.I.T.S fanatics. I have raced it in teams of 3, mixed pairs,male pairs and now Solo, well sort of, but more on that later. It is just a great day out riding and racing on a track that is pretty unique. Race day dawned with clear skies and a definite chill in the air. Each year I take more and more clothes to stay warm before,during and after. I was pleased to be riding solo as that would solve the staying warm “during” part. As we arrived we were discussing the need for puffy jackets as the outside temperature was only just nudging 4 degrees. A quick check of the event site quickly located The Fitzroy Revolution tents set up on prime real estate in the transition area. And there sat DC in a T-Shirt and vest finishing breakfast seemingly unaware that it was frickin cold !! Lots of Fitzroy Revolution Crew had made the trip up and everyone enjoyed a relaxed race prep helped by the 10am start. The only missing … Continue reading →

As the catchphrase points out, the ABSA Cape Epic is the Untamed African MTB Race. It certainly sounds exotic and exciting doesn’t it? Mountain bike racing in Africa! AFRICA!!! Well…South Africa…but that’s still exciting and dangerous, right? Johannesburg is one of the most dangerous cities in the world, right? Well, perhaps, but the race is held out of Cape Town, not Johannesburg. But Surely Cape Town is still dangerous and exciting, right? Well, perhaps, but the event basically tours around the world’s longest winery route in the hills near Cape Town so there really isn’t that much to be worried about – once you get used to the stench of rotting grape flesh and fertilizer. Well how do you explain this then? If you can look past the bad photography what you’ll see (if you squint hard and focus about a metre behind your computer monitor, touchscreen or recycled printout) is that the item in the middle, sandwiched between the chain lube and CO2 canister, is a can of pepper spray. Enquiring as to why this was being sold in a bike shop, the helpful sales clerk mumbled something about “needing it in South Africa”, then giggled awkwardly and added … Continue reading →

The Albury Wodonga Road champs. I have spent 6 of the last 8 month detraining due to a defective immune system and a nasty tropical bug I brought home from the Tour de Timor last September. The lovely warm summer we had in Mount Beauty was largely spent passed out on my sun lounge – so while my tan was looking pretty good, every ounce of bike fitness I once had disappeared. Now it is time to get fit again. The last 8 weeks have been spent carefully building up my weekly training to a somewhat reasonable volume and avoiding anyone with even the slightest sniffle. Much of this has been in the form of long solo rides with a fair bit of vertical, and as my times up all the climbs are falling and starting to resemble something respectable I thought it might be time to test this new fitness against others. The Albury-Wodonga cycling club held its Road Champs on Saturday and with a perfect weather forecast, I bit the bullet and renewed my road license. After about 2 minutes of racing I was regretting my casual approach to the event and wished I had of warmed up….. … Continue reading →