Category Archives: Events

The Power of Tough

Team Green catching up before the race. L-R: Shane Taylor, Kath Bick, Gaye Camm. Photo: Adam McGrath.

Most riders I talked to about last weekend’s Australian MTB Marathon Champs described it as tough. The full length course took riders up to the top of Mt Stromlo six times, forced them to pedal their legs off on an extended fire road journey around the Western side of the park, demanded good technical skills for the great selection of singeltrack on offer, and threatened contenders with two degree start temps. But if it wasn’t tough, would it have been as fun?Continue reading “The Power of Tough”

Rock Volley

If I had to pick one event on the calendar that has all the ingredients of the best clost-to-home race around, the Rock Wallaby would be it.  It’s a techy, mountain biker’s course, it’s longer than an XC race but not as long as a marathon, I can sleep in my own bed the night before, and the Chocolate Foot event crew have race atmospheres dialed. There was only one problem. Having had too much fun in Alice Springs the week before the 2012 Rock Wallaby, I was still a little hammered. Racing tired turns even the nicest of people into whingers, so I stuck my hand up to volunteer instead.Continue reading “Rock Volley”

Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro – The Post Event Glow

Mike Blewitt attacks the hill climb – day one. Photo: Chris Turnbull.

Stage races aren’t cheap. There’s accommodation to book, flights to pay for and a race entry fee that covers the logistics of a full week. So despite dreaming about heading to one of these events one day, it’s easy to put it off in favour of other things.Continue reading “Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro – The Post Event Glow”

Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro – The During

Naomi Hansen races with the perfect blend of serious and not-too-serious. It’s obviously working quite well as she’s second on the GC. Photo: Nic Learmonth.

In addition to being blown away by simply being here, I’m also excited to have been given this opportunity in return for covering this event as part of a crew from Enduro Magazine.  Head over to the mag’s blogsite for some updates and images on the race so far, and look out for some more in-depth story telling on news stands later in the year.Continue reading “Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro – The During”

Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro – The Approach

One of the best parts of mountain bike racing is the places these events encourage people to visit.  The Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro (or ICME) starts this Monday and has seen an estimated 160 MTB tourists pack their bikes, jump on a plane and make the journey to Alice Springs. A strong crew of local riders is pumped about the event as well. It’s a long way to other races from here.Continue reading “Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro – The Approach”