MTB News & Racing Round-up, April 2, 2010

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Date published:

April 2, 2010, 21:03

Edited by Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor

Welcome to our regular roundup of what's happening in mountain biking. Feel free to send feedback, news, & releases to mtb@cyclingnews.com and results, reports & photos to cyclingnews@cyclingnews.com.

• Ride the Divide movie premiers in Vail

  

  Article published:

  April 2, 2010, 20:55

  By:

  Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor

  Mountain bike film to be screened publicly for first time

  Ride the Divide, a film about racing 2,700 miles off-road along the North American Continental Divide, will premier this weekend at the Vail Film Festival in Vail, Colorado. The movie will be screened for the first time publicly on Friday, April 2 at 8:10 pm and then again on Saturday, April 3 at 7:30 pm.

  The film weaves the story of three characters' experiences with Rocky Mountain beauty and small-town culture as they attempt to pedal from Banff, Canada, to a small, dusty crossing on the Mexican border. It is a Mike Dion film, directed by Hunter Weeks.

  The Great Divide Mountain Bike Route is the longest off-pavement cycling route. It's highlighted by long dirt roads and jeep trails that wend their way through forgotten passes of the Continental Divide. The Route travels through Canadian Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, and Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico in the United States. By Route's end, a through-rider will climb nearly 200,000 feet of vertical - equivalent to summiting Mount Everest from sea-level seven times.

  Divide racers must not only be conditioned to endure weeks of consecutive 16-plus hour days in the saddle, they need to bring other skills to the trail. The Route is unmarked and circuitous, requiring navigational acumen. It travels through remote backcountry. Intervals between services are frequently 100-plus miles and demand calculated food/water resupply plans. Riders must also find shelter each night or bivouac trailside and deal with constantly changing - sometimes extreme - weather conditions.

  The movie will also be screened in Monterey, California in mid-April and will return to Colorado (other venues) in May. For more information, visit www.ridethedividemovie.com.

• Moseley, Minnaar among international riders expected for US Pro GRT opener

  

  Article published:

  April 2, 2010, 18:11

  By:

  Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor

  American gravity national series drawing top talent to Port Angeles

  The opening round of the US Pro Gravity Tour (US Pro GRT) is drawing a top-quality field of downhillers. Stop number one of the five-race national series is set for Port Angeles, Washington on April, 24-25, just one week after many of the sport's stars will be racing at California's Sea Otter Classic.

  Trek World Racing is sending a full roster of international talent including Tracy Moseley of Great Britain, Andrew Neethling of South Africa, Justin Leov of New Zealand, and new signing Neko Mulally of Pennsylvania.

  Veteran Jared Rando of Australia will lead the charge for Giant along with his new teammates for 2010: Brit Danny Hart and American Duncan Riffle.

  Yeti Fox racing is bringing its World Cup podium finisher Aaron Gwin as well as Joey Schusler and Chris Boice, and Greg Minnaar (Santa Cruz Syndicate) and Bryn Atkinson, Jill Kintner and Lars Sternberg (all Transition Racing) will also be competing.

  The race will be run on non-ski area trails at Dry Hill, three miles outside of Port Angeles.

  For more information, visit www.progrt.com/portangeles2010.htm.

• Pickering to host opening night activities at Dalby World Cup

  

  Article published:

  April 2, 2010, 15:12

  By:

  Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor

  Urban four cross-style cross country race will entertain spectators

  The Pickering town centre, British Cycling and its partners will host the opening of the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike Cross Country World Cup weekend with an evening of racing and free entertainment in the heart of North Yorkshire on Friday, April 23.
  
  The evening will kick off at 6:00 pm with the Pro Sprint Eliminator, a race format combining the gladiatorial excitement of four cross racing with the all round skills of cross country, in an urban setting that will bring the sport of mountain biking close to the general public.
  
  Riders in the opening time trial round will have to be one of the quickest 32 men or 16 women to make it into the eliminator phase. There they will face off in groups of four, having to finish in the top two in each subsequent round to qualify for the final where a big cash prize awaits the final overall winner.
  
  Some of Yorkshire's household names will also be braving the course in a special "celebrity" race before the final round of the Pro Sprint Eliminator.
  
  The carefully designed, one-kilometre circuit will test riders to the limit and pose a number of challenging obstacles as they fly through a resident's back garden, over a set of steep steps and flowerbeds whilst manoeuvring their way in between lampposts. Riders will also enjoy a moment of quiet on route as they pass through Pickering cemetery.
  
  After the excitement of the pro and celebrity racing, there will be an opening ceremony for the Dalby World Cup, followed by an evening of festive activities including Morris dancers, a brass band and face painting for children. Pickering bars and restaurants will stay open late into the night to celebrate the arrival of the World Cup.
  
  Steve Peat, a Yorkshire legend and 2009 downhill World Champion, said, "I can't wait for the Dalby World Cup weekend. It's great to have some of the world's best cross country guys race on my doorstep and the Pro Sprint Eliminator is a fantastic warm up for spectators and riders ahead of the elite racing on Sunday."
  
  "Cross country is a thrilling sport and the Pro Sprint Eliminator will show off the riders skills to spectators in an atmosphere of fun and celebration in the spirit of the whole Dalby weekend," said British Cycling's Cycle Sport and Membership Director, Jonny Clay.
  
  British Cycling is working in close partnership with UK Sport, Welcome to Yorkshire, Yorkshire Forward and the Forestry Commission, with the support of a number of local partners including Ryedale District Council and North Yorkshire County Council, to deliver the Dalby World Cup.

  For more information, visit www.yorkshiremtbworldcup.co.uk.

• Milatz returns to racing

  

  Article published:

  April 1, 2010, 19:24

  By:

  Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor

  German recovers from broken nose

  After a horror start to the season, Moritz Milatz returned to racing action this past weekend at the Racer Bikes Cup in Buchs, Switzerland, where he finished eighth.

  While racing the Maremma Cup in early March, the German Multivan Merida mountain bike rider crashed and sustained serious facial injuries. Surgery on his broken nose and the subsequent recovery forced him to take a break from training and competition and before the start of the Swiss event, Milatz wasn't sure how he would handle the physical and mental aspects of the race.

  He took a controlled approach to the start, given that the course was wet after heavy rains overnight, and then he bridged up to the lead group of 10 on lap two. He continued to work his way up, earning two more places before the end of the race.

  "For me the race went perfectly. In particular, given the backlog in my training after the crash, I could go out at my own pace and not at the pace of the top riders."

  "This race was very important to me. Now I know that I'm back to my 'old' self and can attack again."

  Milatz has been training with his coach in Switzerland. He will race next at the next round of the Racer Bikes Cup in Lugano / Tesserete on April 11. A week later, he'll contest the opening race of the German Bundesliga series in Münsingen and then he'll head to the opening World Cup in Dalby in the United Kingdom.

• Fletcher checks out Dalby World Cup course

  

  Article published:

  April 1, 2010, 14:29

  By:

  Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor

  British Under 23 rider ready to race the best

  With the opening round of the UCI cross country mountain bike World Cup less than one month away, some of Britain's top young riders are getting a chance to preview their home World Cup course in Dalby in the United Kingdom. Current Under 23 British National Champion David Fletcher is among those training on the course throughout this week. Fletcher and the others are working on general fitness as well as specific technical skills as they familiarize themselves with the track before the big day, April 25.

  "It's a good course. It's an all around course with some climbs with some flats and some technical bits. It'll suit the power riders and the climbers because the climbs are quite steep in areas," said Fletcher to Cyclingnews. "There are some nice technical sections with drops, too."

  Fletcher raced in Dalby on a similar course for a British National Series round in 2009. "We did a camp before the race last year, too, but this is the first time I've come back to the course since then."

  The 21-year-old Fletcher, who is a member of the 100% ME team, predicted that the race will split up quickly, with riders finding themselves in ones and twos, due to the hard nature of the course. "It's a fast course from the start - especially to get into the first singletrack section," he said.

  The young rider, who finished third after Oli Beckingsale (Giant) and Lee Williams (Team Wiggle) in last weekend's British National Series opener at Sherwood Pines, is a part of British Cycling's Olympic Academy program. Fletcher explained that he cramped during last weekend's race and attributed the experience to a general lack of racing in his legs given the time of year. Prior to Sherwood Pines, he'd done only two races, both in Israel.

  "We get help from nutritionists and mechanics," said Fletcher about some of the support he receives at the training camp as an Olympic Academy athlete.

  "During the winter, we also went to Manchester where the velodrome is and trained and lived there for four months. At races, we get help with getting fed bottles and we get bikes and equipment. We get a lot of support. It's everything that we need to stay healthy and do our best."

  Before being picked up by the Olympic Academy program, he was part of the Olympic Development program. "The Development Program is more about getting riders to the standard where they can compete in general races. The Academy is more toward bringing you on toward the podium finishes and focusing on medals in Olympic Games."

  Fletcher, who considers himself an all around kind of a rider, began racing at a young age. "I started when I was six at a local event at Sherwood Pines and from then, I just kept racing. I did the national series and national championships, though I took my time stepping up to race the national series, where I got a kicking. Later I did a few international races. Then I got into the Talent Team."

  His breakthrough performance came at the 2007 Junior World Championship cross country in Fort William, Scotland, where he won a bronze medal in the cross country.

  Fletcher had a good 2009 season, including spending some time on the road - something that seemed to help his endurance on his mountain bike. He raced the Tour of Ireland and much of the British calendar. "I was riding for the team. I wasn't there for the results," he said of his road experience. The year had begun with his becoming Under 23 cyclo-cross champion.

  Off road, he did well in the British National Points Series, finishing second in the first round and netting a few thirds and fifths. He was second in the national championship cross country race, too.

  "Mountain biking is my favorite discipline," he said. "I like to cyclo-cross, but it's more of a hobby in the winter to keep some racing going and to bring the power up. The road is for fitness, it's more about endurance."

  Fletcher is hoping for a solid performance in Dalby at the end of April. "I want to get UCI points and gradually work my way up," he said. "It's good to have a World Cup in Britain. Racing in front of the home crowd is amazing. Abroad, you don't get to see any of your fans. And compared to national series races, where a few hundred people show up, at World Cups a few thousand people come out to support you. The fans will be a big help."

  Racing on British turf in front of big crowds is an experience Fletcher hopes to repeat in 2012 at the Olympic Games in London. In the meantime, however, he's focused on realistic, short term goals. "I want to get in a good, solid season - top 10 at World Championships and top 20 or 30 at World Cups. I have awhile left yet in under 23, so it's important to chose goals that I can reach."

  "Every race I go to, I always try to win - obviously. I'll try to do the best I can," he said.

• Evans, Lakata consider future races together

  

  Article published:

  April 1, 2010, 13:15

  By:

  Cycling News

  Third place Cape Epic team happy with performance despite mechanicals

  Third placed Cape Epic mountain bike stage race finishers Kevin Evans and Alban Lakata (MTN-Energade) survived the gruelling eight-day race despite some bad luck and are already thinking of other opportunities to race together.

  "We were thoroughly tested, but we came out of the Epic as the best of friends. I always maintain that the Epic is a true test for any friendship. If you and your partner are still talking to one another after eight days of hard racing and severe suffering, it indicates a lasting friendship.

  "Naturally we would have liked to do better than third overall, but I am quite happy with the way things turned out. All in all we had a good Epic. We won a stage and had second and third placings in stages. In addition, we were one of only two teams to have worn the Epic's coveted yellow jersey.

  "Ours is surely a relationship on which we can build for the future. I would love to do another tour with Alban, perhaps the Trans-Alps."

  According to Evans their problems started during the last three days when they were racing in the Oakdale area. "Alban battled to breath properly. We are not sure why. According to Alban, the same thing happened to him the previous time he raced in the Oakdale area. Perhaps there is something in the air to which he is allergic or perhaps it is a sports-induced asthma.

  "All I know is that it is very difficult to be competitive when you cannot breath properly because that means that your muscles don't get enough oxygen.

  "Our worst day was definitely the seventh stage when we lost about 13 minutes to the Flückiger brothers, Lukas and Mathias. It was really important for us to defend our 3rd position, because it would have been a waste of all our efforts if we had finished fourth."

  The third stage was also one filled with drama for Evans and Lakata. "We had four punctures between the two of us," said Lakata. "As luck would have it, both of us punctured our back tyres during the last five kilometers, basically at the same time. At that time we were only two minutes behind the leaders. Even though David George and his teammate helped us out with 'CO2 bombs', luck was still not on our side. Within minutes our wheels were flat again. I decided to keep on riding with my flat tyre while Alban decided to take off his tyre and ride on the rim.

  "For the last two kilometers, we had to ride on tar and it was probably the heat of the tar that caused Alban's carbon rim to explode.

  "The moment that happened Alban said: 'This is it. It is race over.' I immediately responded: 'It is not race over yet. Get off your bike and run.' Alban started to run. If he did not do that, we certainly would have lost our third position overall."

  Evans also appreciated the time, early on during a stage, when Lakata punctured and Adrien Niyonshuti (MTN-Energade) stopped and gave his wheel to Evans to ensure that they did not lose too much time.

  "I think all of us can learn much from the German's Bulls. They enter two teams every year with just one goal and that is to win the Epic. It does not matter which team wins, as long as it is a Bulls team.

  "Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm, the overall winners, had only two serious problems during the whole Epic. Both times the other Bulls team was there to help them out to prevent them from losing too much time."

  Now the big question is whether Kevin Evans and Burry Stander (Specialized/Mr Price) would ever ride the Epic together to ensure that an all-South African team wins the Epic.

  If one looks at the Epic's results, Evans and Stander are the only two riders who were really able to take on the international riders.

  "I would love to ride with Burry because I think we would have a realistic chance of winning, but we ride for different sponsors with conflicting interests.

  "For it to happen, we would have to sit down with the sponsors and see if we could reach a working agreement."

  Evans is not sure whether or not he will be racing the Clarence Ultra-marathon on April 16, which is the next race in the MTN-Energade Series. "I will definitely take a break for a few days, forget about cycling and spend some quality time with my wife and daughter before I make a final decision.

  "If my sponsors want me to race, I will be on my bike."

• Blenkinsop back in action in time for Sea Otter

  

  Article published:

  March 31, 2010, 21:44

  By:

  Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor

  New Zealander recovered from broken wrist

  Sam Blenkinsop of Team Lapierre International has been recovering from injury and will be back in action in time to race the Sea Otter Classic April 16-18.

  The New Zealander broke his wrist while participating in the official practice for the second round of the New Zealand Downhill Mountain Bike Series in Dunedin in mid-January. The 21-year-old underwent surgery on his wrist after the crash.

  "Now that my wrist is totally healed, I know I'll be ready for the World Cup in Maribor in May. It's a huge relief," said Blenkinsop.

  The World Cup downhill season kicks off in Maribor, Slovenia, on May 15-16. Blekinsop finished out 2009 ranked seventh overall in the World Cup.

• Cordes, Speedy battled back to Cape Epic win after dehydration

  

  Article published:

  March 31, 2010, 12:38

  By:

  Cycling News

  Mixed team celebrated second overall win in two years

  Cape Epic mixed category winners Paul Cordes and Yolandé Speedy (MTN-Energade) proved throughout the race that you can't keep a good team down. This week, the pair has been basking in the afterglow of their second Cape Epic victory in three years.

  South Africa's Cape Epic mountain bike stage race is famous for its survival stories. There are, for example, many stories about riders taking a tumble while racing at high speed. This often leads to bones being broken or blood being donated involuntarily. Then there is the all too well-known race against time when trying to fix mechanical failures. Sometimes the Epic even turns into a running marathon when a rider has no other option but to run with his or her bicycle, or part of the bicycle, across the shoulders.

  In view of this, Cordes and Speedy had an amazing eight days of racing. They only had one puncture between the two of them and one serious health scare when Cordes dehydrated during the first stage. Of the eight stages, they won five and they were in the top-20 overall up until the seventh stage.

  According to Cordes, the only reason why they lost their top-20 placing was that they decided rather to play it safe over the last two days of racing.

  "It is stupid to take unnecessary risks when you are winning," Cordes said. In the end they finished 22nd overall, which is not bad considering that more than half of the teams that started the Epic did not finish.

  "The first stage was our worst. Yolandé and I started off strongly. It did not take us long to open a five-minute lead on the Swiss team, Bärti Bucher and Esther Süss. Our problems started when we arrived at one of the water stations and could not identify our bottles. The bottles were there, but we made the mistake of not marking them correctly so they could not be found.

  "Because I was worried about losing too much time, I said to Yolandé 'Let's ride to the next water station'. I reckoned that we could take this chance because we still had one bottle to share between the two of us.

  "When we got to the next water station, I tasted the water and it had a very funny taste. I did not want to take the risk of picking up a stomach bug, so we continued racing without taking any water with us. It turned out to be a huge mistake. I totally dehydrated and ended up 'blowing' completely, which led to us losing about eight minutes.

  "But the funny thing was that neither Yolandé nor I was really despondent about the way things turned out. Actually it served as an extra motivation. We realized that we could beat the Swiss team if we kept our cool. So from the next stage we started chipping away at their lead.

  "The fourth stage was the deciding moment. We were involved in quite a battle with the Swiss. Then, during the last 40 kilometres, Yolandé and I decided to really put down the hammer and we never looked back during the rest of the Epic. We managed to ride away from them and to open a useful gap."

  Cordes was full of praise for the role the MTN-Energade mechanics played in their victory. "The guys really put in long and hard hours to ensure that our bikes were in tiptop condition every day. That is the reason why we had no mechanical problems apart from the one puncture."

  After winning the last stage, Speedy said, "This is the first time that I've won the final stage and it's fantastic to win overall. I had goose bumps while coming in. It was great to see the crowds and enjoy their support."