A 100ker as a female racer brings with it some different tactics to those you sometimes hear about from the Elite Blokes. Longer race times mean different nutrition plans and a longer recovery period, smaller bikes often allow less space for biddons, a thinner rider density makes for multiple individual time trials and, while most guys are pretty complimentary out on the track, every now and then, someone says something ridiculous.Continue reading “Briars Highland Fling”
Author Archives: Kath Bicknell
MarathonMTB.com Affiliation
If you are already a regular reader of the MarthonMTB.com site, you’ll notice that race reports from this site are now being shared with a wider audience through their site. With a focus predominantly on marathon and stage racing, and the lifestyle that comes with repeat assaults on these challenging events, I like the way the MarathonMTB crew bring a personal sense of cohesion to the broad, international marathon racing scene. Their calendar is a one-stop place for planning international riding adventures, and the regular articles on long races from around the world bring excitement to your computer screen whether you’ve just returned from an off-bike adventure, or you just feel like reading about one from your lounge room.
In the short term, this means that the stories I write after events can be shared with a much wider audience, which is great news for sponsors, and, alongside the magazine work I do, is an exciting way for me to share thoughts that come from my research in a form that’s readily accessible to mountain bikers. I’m also hoping to team up for travel or racing with some members of the MarathonMTB.com race team to add and extra dose of logistical ease and pre-race excitement to adventures near and far. In the longer term, I’m looking forward to seeing the site continue to evolve in response to a healthy readership and a thriving race scene and, quite frankly, feel very flattered to be involved.
Gong Ride
Cyclists are notoriously underwhelmed about their current level of fitness. This surprises me, especially given how much easier I find it to climb stairs, or double time it on foot, compared to many non-athletic mates. Still, if you keep your ears open at any bike event before the gun goes off, the number of people whinging about their lack of pre-race fitness is remarkable. It seems as though many bikers are only satisfied with their form in retrospect: “I was flying that day.” “I wish I was as quick now as I was this time last year.” “If only I could find my form again.” For me, my favourite thing about the Sydney to Gong ride, is the way it makes so many people, 10,000 in fact, reflect on what they can do with the bodies they have now.Continue reading “Gong Ride”
Western Sydney Club Champs
I had a feeling, coming into this race, that I was going to have some kind of big mechanical. I don’t get that feeling very often, so I decided – employing almost no logic at all – that said mechanical would be a double flat and packed an extra tube.
The race began and nearing the end of the first piece of singletrack (which I was riding particularly badly, turns out those new brakes are quite powerful) I said to Amy Bardsley-Smith, “I’m hoping that by the end of this race, I’ll know my new bike.” About a heart beat later I got to know it very well indeed. The chain had wrapped around the crank arm three times.Continue reading “Western Sydney Club Champs”
Merida 96 Carbon Team-D
“It’s just like my old bike. But newer. And with more green.” Or so I thought. A couple of changes in set up, engineering and equipment also mean the Merida 96 Carbon Team bike is lighter, faster and seems to float more over technical trails. It rewards playful, aggressive riding, and if you stall half way up a technical climb, it appears to let you take a breath, put in another pedal stroke and continue on as planned. It’s like cheating, really.Continue reading “Merida 96 Carbon Team-D”
Kath Bicknell 