Recently on Cyclingnews.com |
 Giro finale Photo ©: Bettini |
MTB index page for all MTB content
MTB News & racing round-up for October 13, 2005Edited by Steve Medcroft Welcome to our regular round-up of what's happening in the dirt. Feel free to send feedback, news and gossip to mtb@cyclingnews.com Soul searching in the Arizona desert:By Steve Medcroft Looking for a mountain-bike challenge this weekend? Although much of the MTB world has pakced away their bikes and gone into hibernation for the winter, there is still plenty of action to be had around the world. The only choice you have to make is how far you want to travel and how long you want to ride. For the ultimate test, you could give the multi-stage Crocodile Trophy a try. Held in the North Queensland , the race starts October 18 th and runs through October 30th. The 1,400-kilometer course takes riders from Townsville, across the mountains of Paluma, Blencoe Falls and Ravenshoe, over the dusty dry outback of lower Cape York to the coast at Cooktown and ends at the upscale Four Mile Beach in Port Douglas. If you're U.S.-based, the slightly shorter 24-Hours of Moab still has space for teams and solo riders. From noon Saturday the 14 th to noon Sunday, you could roam the famous Behind-the-Rocks area of mounatin-biking nirvana with 1,500 other mountain bikers on a challenging course complete with barely rideable climbs, sandy downhill's, couch-sized drops and a screaming descent into the start/finish tent. But if you're looking for something that's both epic yet fits within one riding day, consider the Soul Ride. Created by Tucson mountain biker Todd Sadow five years ago, the Soul Ride offers 100, 50, 30 and 10-mile rides. Held on the mountain trails, river beds, fire roads and open desert around Oracle, Arizona (about thirty miles outside of Tucson ), the full-length Soul Ride is a leg-breaking 100 mile test of a rider's will to finish. There is no shade from temperatures that can still run over the 100-degree mark on the course's extended climbs. Speaking of the climbs; after the pre-dawn start, the race runs straight up part of nearby Galiuro Mountains before descending through a valley and winding back up, at one point, a twenty-mile extended grind of a climb. Sadow says inspiration for the event came “after a super long ride with a good friend in some mountains south of Tucson .” Twenty-eight year old Sadow says his group rode from early in the morning until well after dark and he had an epiphany while standing in a convenience store (trying to choose between a thousand shiny ways to refuel his absolutely spent body). “I remember feeling, well, high,” he said. “High from the endorphins. High from the whole experience.” With course lengths to test any kind of rider, the Soul Ride is Sadow's way of giving others access to the same post-ride feelings he was experiencing. “The average person does ten to fifteen miles on a mountain bike when they ride. Some guys do forty on a weekend. Whatever you do, we wanted to offer a way for everyone to have a big ride.” The point? “You learn a lot about yourself on a big ride.” For the most hardy, the 100-mile ride starts before dawn. “We require lights and start at 4a.m.,” Sadow says. “We want people to experience the joy of riding the Arizona desert at night; but to do it on fresh legs. And we think there's nothing more ridiculous than experiencing a sunrise over the Galiuro Mountains .” The course is timed so riders experience that sunrise while climbing the route's first major climb, some fourteen miles long. he Soul Ride, which is dedicated to ultra-mountain biker Mike Curiak (who holds the MTB Great Divide Race record at 16 days, 57 minutes and will be attending this year's race/ride) is a long day for any rider. To be safe, anyone who signs up for the 100-mile event must make a checkpoint at fifty-nine miles by noon or they will be redirected to the finish by course marshals. Visit www.epicrides.com for more information. Wisconsin Off Road Series finaleBrian Matter - WORS
The Wisconsin Off Road mountain bike racing Series came to a close this past wekend in Sheboygan, Wisonsin. With $30,000 in prizes, including $1700 for first place in the Pro men's race, a free car giveaway from Van Horn Hyundai of Sheboygan (won by 15 year old Mitch Gant), holeshot primes, hill-climb primes, a live band, and thousands of mountain bikers. Tristan Schouten and Sara Kylander Johnson (both of Trek Midwest) won the pro races. Jeff Hall (Salsa Cycles) and Kim Eppen won the overall Series overalls. See the complete race report, results and photos here. Mont 24-Hour by the numbersBy John Stevenson This past weekend, Australia's national capital Canberra played host to the Mont Australia 24-Hour Mountain Bike Championship, believed to be the biggest 24-hour race in the world in terms of total participation. The growth of endurance mountain bike racing over the last several years has led to events that generate some pretty staggering numbers and the Mont's 2,445 participants generated their own startling statistics. The course, a 19km loop of fire road and singletrack at Kowen Forest in the Australian Capital Territory, held up to 612 riders at any one time, according to the event's timing guru Russell Baker. Their average age was just over 34 and riders clocked up a total of 8,621 laps for a total distance over the race's 24 hours of 164,747km. That's equivalent to more than four times round the world. Finding somewhere for all those riders to stay is one of the biggest challenges for an event this size, and organising club Canberra Off-Road Cyclists carved out 190,000 square metres of campsites in the forest to provide accommodation for an estimated total of 6,500 people. As one of the commentators remarked, these events have become the Woodstock of mountain biking. Read the entire Mont 24-Hour race report and results here. 2006 UCI MTB calendar releasedThe UCI has released its MTB calendar for 2006, which features six downhill and cross country rounds, with the marathon discipline having five rounds. The Dutch Antilles hosts the first round, the tiny island off the coast of Venezuela offering idyllic conditions for racers coming out of the northern winter. There are three rounds where all three disciplines are competing, with the world championships to be held in the southern hemisphere for only the second time in 10 years. The town of Rotorua in New Zealand's North Island will host the world championships in a country that is renowned for its mountain biking and adventure activities. The calendar for 2006:
Global MTB racing round-up
Now that all World and National championships have been decided it's tempting to think that the mountain-bike season has come to a close. Don't be fooled. There is still plenty of racing happening around the world:
Walk-ups open until Friday at the 24-Hours of MoabGranny Gear Productions is presenting the tenth anniversary running of the largest and most prestigious 24-hour mountain bike race in the United States. Starting on Saturday October 15th, from noon until noon, participants will ride as members of a team, or in the grueling solo category. “This event is the crown jewel of the 24-hour racing season. When you come here, I guarantee you will have the most memorable race of your life,” states Laird Knight, President of Granny Gear Productions. “The team aspect is what really makes these events so cool. Working together with your buddies makes you ride what you might have run, and run what you might have walked. It's the ultimate motivator.And the solo riders? Well they're on a completely different planet.” Online registration is open until midnight (EST) on Wednesday, and walk-ups can register Thursday and Friday at the Moab Arts and Recreation Center (MARC). Funky Teams And Solo Masochists Hundreds of teams with names like the Smack Talkin' Jive Turkeys, Bikers Edge Gone Wild, and the Mammoth Mountain Mavens fill the pits and tread the trails of the epic 14.9 mile course in Moab, “Behind-the-Rocks.” The course is set in the enchanted red rock desert, featuring big-chainring descents, technical old jeep trail, and 1,360 feet of climbing per lap. Solo racers and teams will be racing for up to $16,000 in cash. Granny Gear, Niterider Technical Lighting Systems, Shimano, CamelBak, and Voler Apparel are providing over $100,000 in cash and prizes total for competitors at Moab. Click on the link below to see the prizes you'll take home in your category. For 2005, the Bureau of Land Management increased the number of riders that Granny Gear could allow to race. While there are about 400 teams and 70 solo riders signed up as of press time, there are limited slots still available. So if you are on the fence about coming out to Moab next weekend, come over to our side and get Behind-the-Rocks. We're ready for ya! There's a saying that you only regret the things in life that you don't do. “Come on out and have the time of your life,” continues Knight. "You'll take home memories you can share for years to come.” Pro MTB riders to Nebraska for fundraiser
Nebraska's official trail advocacy group "T.H.O.R." (Trails Have Our Respect) will host a fundraiser on Saturday, October 29, with Trek pro MTB riders Travis Brown and Cameron Chambers scheduled to attend. Now in its third year, the 2004 event raised $1000 and featured a Q&A with Keith Bontrager. Highgear Bike & Outdoor, the Lincoln Bicycle Company and Trek Bicycles will host the festivities, which begin at 4pm in Platte River State Park near Louisville, with a scheduled finishing time of midnight. Activities include a freeride jump demonstration, BBQ, Q&A with Brown and Chambers, plus a freeride video contest and 80's dance party. Individuals interested in entering the "Freeride Video Contest" should contact event organiser, John Lefler, Jr. Contest videos should be a maximum of 4-5 minutes in length and in VHS format. Jamie Goldman signs with Santa Cruz SyndicateSanta Cruz Bicycles is pleased to announce the addition of Jamie Goldman to the Santa Cruz Syndicate. Goldman will join the Syndicate to showcase his freeride and dirt jump abilities. He will cross over from the ranks of the Santa Cruz Free Agents to the factory team for 2006 through 2008, signing a three-year deal. The Syndicate is excited to have a long-term commitment and will pull out all the stops to help Goldman achieve his goals. Goldman will compete around the world in freeride and dirt jump competitions, as well as do filming trips. The Syndicate recognized his dedication to the sport and his hard work within it. He excelled in 2005 and his achievements have taken him to the next level. His 2005 highlights include winning the dirt jump comp at the Sea Otter Classic, placing 3 rd at the Bike Magazine Monster Park event, and placing first in the qualifier at Crankworx Slopestyle, to finish the final round in 6 th place. Goldman is a homegrown success story for Santa Cruz Bicycles. This 19-year old was born and raised in Santa Cruz, California , where he currently resides. He tells the story best when asked about his start at Santa Cruz Bicycles: “So, all my life I have lived in the same house here in beautiful Santa Cruz . I always rode bikes and I used to race BMX bikes when I was a wee laddy, but started rallying my BMX on the MTB trails around my house. When I was 12, it came time for me to earn some money. I asked my dad where he thought I should get a job. Being 12, it was either picking up dog poop for the neighbors and having a job or well, picking up dog poop for my parents and getting allowance. So, when I asked my dad, he said we could go toSanta Cruz Bicycles and see if I could do some work there. I was stoked! So we went there to see what the deal was and Rob Roskopp hired me right away. I mean, right then and there - my dad left me for the rest of the day. Rob handed me this humongous pile of mail. “These are all the people who want free stickers, you stick stickers in this envelope, stick the mail to address it on there, lick it, close it, run it through the postage machine and send it off,” said Rob. You would not believe how long I did that for, every day after school for probably 6 or 8 months. After the first day someone gave me a lifesaver, it was a letter licker. If I didn't have that I think I would have died! Seriously. I had that mailing stuff dialed. I thought I was the bomb, 12 years old, and a real job, what could be better? The mail to list was finally done, and Rob said “Well here's another never ending job for you, small parts for the bikes.” Oh man, I was freaking out! It was sweet. I moved up from small parts to kit building, then to stickering the frames. That was cool, but the stickers they had then were horrible and really tough to put on without getting messed up. I kept riding bikes and started going to contests and Rob finally came around and hired me to do something really fun; just go and ride my bike. I am really stoked! I have always ridden Santa Cruz bikes. I can't believe that one decision I made when I was 12 about not wanting to pick up dog poop decided what would become my life. I guess that's the way things work though. Living in Santa Cruz so close to the factory is awesome because I can go hassle everyone there anytime that I want to. I love to ride and surf and just be in this type of weather and environment, so Santa Cruz is the perfect place for me.” Nathan Rennie re-signs with the Santa Cruz Syndicate - for three yearsNathan Rennie has re-signed with the Santa Cruz Syndicate. Rennie will remain the cornerstone of the Syndicate's gravity program, as he has been for the last two years. Rennie, ranked third overall in the UCI World Cup Series, will continue to ride a Santa Cruz V-10 for the next three years. His schedule will be dominated by world class downhill and 4X events and will include the addition of select freeride events to add some sensation to his program. This versatile rider could possibly be the most talented bike rider in the world, and Santa Cruz Bicycles and the Syndicate are ecstatic to have Rennie remain on the team. The Syndicate will continue to give him the finest factory support available. "Nathan has shown us the most incredible talent in the past two years and keeping him on our team was of the highest priority," said Rob Roskopp, owner of Santa Cruz Bicycles. " He is a sensational, powerful rider. He has the ability to dominate. I'm certain the combination will continue to reap many podium results and wins. We're pleased to continue our relationship with him.
Previous News Next News (All rights reserved/Copyright Knapp Communications Pty Limited 2005) |
