The coveted stripey jersey, the symbol of a national champion, awarded only to the one who gives it their all and emerges as the best in the country. I’ve raced for that title, that jersey, and that honour many times. As an under-23 rider, I came close with a silver medal, and as a senior […] The post Newcastleton Trails Shine at the UK National Marathon Championships appeared first on MarathonMTB.com ..read more

Earlier in the year I had hoped to fit Raiders Gravel into my schedule, but initially it seemed impossible due to how busy the calendar already was. However when the National Gravel Championships were moved to coincide with this event I seized the opportunity to race this three day event. While I knew racing the […] The post A Journey Through Scotland’s Stunning Gravel Roads: Raiders Gravel appeared first on MarathonMTB.com ..read more

Australia’s first gravel stage race, the Shimano Gravel Muster Stage Race, took place in the Red Centre from Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th August 2024. The unique event mixed the experience that Rapid Ascent has of running stage races in the area, the boom in gravel riding, and a fun mix of racing and social stages – […] The post Michelin-Beard and Bloor triumphant at inaugural Shimano Gravel Muster around Alice Springs appeared first on MarathonMTB.com ..read more

Shimano have just announced their Trail Born initiative, which aims to increase and susatin a range of mountain bike trails around the world. This includes donating $USD1 million per year for the next decade, but it also covers working closely on trail projects and advocacy groups both locally and globally. Given trails typically cost $USD15-80k […] The post Shimano launch Trail Born trail initiative appeared first on MarathonMTB.com ..read more

Today, AusCycling announced that six riders have been selected for the 2024 Cross Country Marathon (XCM) Mountain Bike World Championship in Snowshoe, USA. The AusCycling National Selection Panel today confirmed the riders who will compete at the championships in September. The team consists of 3 men and 3 women, one of the larger teams fielded in the XCM World Championships bu Australia. Six-time marathon national champion Brendan Johnston will contest his second World Championships – however current women’s XCM National Champion Courtney Sherwell was omitted from the team. Sherwell has sugg ..read more

I’ve said it many times, but the Hotchillee Stone Circle was one of the best days on the bike last year. That says a lot, considering all the amazing events we get to travel to all over the world. Once again this year, the event came up top trumps. Everything from the route to the idyllic arena at Old Sarum to the slick organization and laid-back atmosphere makes this an event I would recommend to anyone. The event offers 220, 165, and 50 km distances, with the earliest start times between 4:30 and 5:30 AM—a truly eye-watering, coffee-needing, ridiculous time! With the 220 km event likely to ..read more

Earlier this year Australian event promoters Rapid Ascent announced a new race in an ancient place; the Shimano Gravel Muster. As long-time hosts of the popular mountain bike stage race in Alice Springs known as The Redback, the event crew decided to bring their expertise in events to something new for Australia – a multi-day gravel race. Rapid Ascent run one of the longest running gravel events in Australia, with the Great Otway Gravel Grind that takes place on the same weekend as the iconic Otway Odyssey in February. While that event has two distance options and some unique time out zones, t ..read more

On Friday, we embarked on a journey hundreds of miles north to the picturesque town of Gatehouse of Fleet in Scotland. This tiny, sleepy town is nestled among castles, rolling green hills, stony beaches, and the Irish Sea. However, the tranquility was about to be replaced with a burst of energy as the UCI Gravel World Series took over. To our delight, blue sunny skies and warm temperatures greeted us, leaving everyone scrambling for sun cream and ice cream! The UK isn’t typically known for hosting large offroad cycling events, which often forces us to travel overseas. However, this year we wer ..read more

The Sunday Creek Classic is a young event in Queensland, and 2024 will see the 3rd edition held on May 25 from Kenilworth. Like a classic marathon, the event starts and finishes in the one spot, and like a quality rural event in Australia, that spot is the local showground. The course covers about 120km and 3000m of climbing, taking you on a big loop out to Jimna, and back through the rainforest. On the start line you will see a near even split of mountain bikes and gravel bikes. On their event page, the event team state that the event is a gravel race, but one that may suit mountain bikes the ..read more

Photos: The Outdoor Lab The Appenninica MTB Stage Race celebrated its 5th edition in September 2023, with many riders returning for another epic mountain bike experience in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy. From the outset I was attracted to this mountain bike stage race as it focussed not just on the riding experience, but on the whole stage race experience. To me, that takes in not just the racing, but also the organisation, the location, the accommodation options, event vibe and the food. Having read what Scott Cornish and Gordon Wadsworth had written from previous visits, I knew it was a ..read more