The Pioneer - 7 days in New Zealand, a beautiful country that makes for a brutal test

There were times that I actually thought I would be better off sat at my desk at work……luckily hindsight is a wonderful thing and I can now say that the time I spent in New Zealand’s South Island, racing the inaugural Pioneer stage race, with friends and newly made friends, in an amazing environment, and enjoying the hospitality and culture was full of unforgettable moments and enjoyment.

C-Bear Bottom Bracket Product Review

Being an avid MTB'r, and someone who takes pride in their bikes and equipment, I was looking for a more reliable and longer life replacement for my bikes bearings and bottom brackets. Training and racing MTB in all types of conditions, from mud, rain, rivers to dry, dust, and sandstone based environments seem to take a heavy toll on my bearings and bottom brackets in particular. Even with my bike being serviced and cleaned regularly I was using 2-3 bottom brackets a season, not to mention the creaking that becomes evident as they approach the end of their useful life.

2015 Highland Fling (Graham)

Well today was the final round of the Maverick Series and my last race for the year. Having already wrapped up the Maverick Series in the vets age group at the Epic, the aim for today was to try and get the overall series win. The only rider that could beat me was not on the entry list but I was suspicious of a late entry so just assumed he was there. I was leading the overall series but the series was based on 'best of 3' and I had already done 3 races where he had only done 2.

2015 Kowalski Classic (David)

Super race at the Kowalski Classic yesterday. A huge mental effort to take on so much single trail and pretty happy to finish 2nd in Grand Masters.

I was really looking forward to this event after having possibly my best ride to date at the race last year only to have a ripped sidewall near the finish and also to follow up from victory at the Convict last month. Lead up was good but also a little unsettled after a bump on my dodgy arm during the week.

2015 Flight Centre Epic (Graham)

The aim for today was to secure a maverick series win with one round still to go (they take best of three)

Leading up I have had quite a few months break since my last race and relocated to Brisbane in the process so hadn't had a lot of time on the bike. I had only got back into training for around 5 weeks but even then only 2-3 hours a week so wasn't expecting miracles today.

2015 Convict 100 (Michael)

Hard to believe that this was my 6th time racing the Convict, where does the time go!
Just prior to the original date of this race I spent 2 weeks in Europe, snowboarding and belatedly celebrating my 40th birthday. That 2 weeks, as enjoyable as it was, had set me back in terms of training and readiness for the original date and so I wasn’t unhappy when the event was cancelled due to the storms that we had at the time.

Euro Adventure - Dolomiti Superbike

My first weekend away has been an eventful one. I have managed to MTB across three countries (Germany, Italy, and Austria) in 2 days which in itself has been pretty amazing.

Leaving Bavaria, Germany on Friday night had us arriving just in time for registration for the Dolomiti Superbike in the Trentino region of Italy. The panoramic vistas of the region have to been seen to be believed and we were to be blessed with perfect weather (28 degrees and sunny) for the race.

Euro Adventure

After a relatively quiet start to 2015, I find myself heading to Europe to compete in Bike Transalp (bike-transalp.de). Transalp is the Euro version of the Cape Epic, with riders challenged with 7 days MTB's across the European alps. Starting in Ruhpolding, Germany, through Austria, the Dolomites and finishing in the beautiful Riva del Garda.

2015 James Williamson Enduro (Michael)

The family and friends of James Williamson, who sadly passed away whilst competing in the Cape Epic, have been the driving force behind this event since it’s inception, and they must be given credit for doing a wonderful job. I have race the Willo nearly every year since it was first organised, sadly missing out last year as my car didn't make it to Wingello so had to turn for home before making the start line. I had an added incentive this year as it was the day I turned 40, and was racing in the highly competitive Masters category.

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