Category
Adventure and Travel
The joy of exploring by bicycling.
Beijing Biking – Part 1: Order in the chaos
Having been in Beijing for about 2 months I have learned a lot about what biking can be like in a city. Here it’s a chaos that you couldn’t imagine until you experience it. And for everyone who is involved in the fight between bikes and cars, it is a perfect place to get some […]
Surviving a snowstorm in Nepal on a bike
I had a sinking feeling that if we tried to sleep under this tree; we’d never get up in the morning. Certainly a grave thought, but one that signaled the flip from a bike expedition in Nepal to an unexpected fight for survival in the Himalaya’s most lethal autumn snowstorm in living memory. We’d started […]
Lesotho Sky Diaries: Day 6 – Roma to Ramabanta
Friday was the final chapter of my 2014 Lesotho Sky adventure. Already it had been an incredible experience and unlike any stage race I’ve taken part in to date. The terrain was at times brutal and unforgiving, but the routes and settings so inspiring and rewarding. Having mostly taken part in “mainstream” multi-day events with […]
Lesotho Sky Diaries: Day 5 – Malealea to Roma
It’s the morning of day 5 the longest stage in the 2014 Lesotho Sky at 89 kilometers. Also a moving day we’re up a little earlier to pack and load bags for transit to the next camp in Roma. With my stomach doing a few somersaults and a pounding headache I’m a little apprehensive about […]
Lesotho Sky Diaries: Day 4 – Malealea loop
Some slight rain overnight and overcast conditions on Day 4 had us donning a few additional layers on the start line. The stage started from the new camp at Malealea lodge where we’d been treated to some t-bone steaks which would rival any top end steak house. Photo: Cherie Vale / Lesotho Sky After a […]
Lesotho Sky Diaries: Day 3 – Ramabanta to Malealea
Waking up on day 3 I could feel some aches setting in. Perhaps from yesterday’s tumble or maybe just tent life, but nothing a warm cup of coffee won’t cure. First though, it’s time to check on my bike. It had spent the night at the mechanics in an effort to de-skew my derailleur hanger. […]
Lesotho Sky Diaries: Day 1 – The Total Time Trial
With the various political goings on there was a little apprehension heading across the border for my first Lesotho Sky. While the organising team and other locals had given assurances that the media was making a meal of things, you’re still never quite sure until you are there. Needless to say aside from a few […]
Trail revamp at Rhodes Memorial, Table Mountain
Mountain bike trails, many of us live for these sculptured tracks of dirt. But where do they come from? Who’s building them? And why don’t we know? While I won’t be going into why many South African mountain bikers can’t answer these fundamental questions, I will be pointing out who’s responsible for the most recent […]
Race Report: 2014 RE:CM Knysna 200
The RE:CM Knysna 200 held this past weekend not only saw some incredible riding and great results from the pros, but also showed off 200 km of some of the best mountain biking routes in the country. Nothing like a bright chilly morning to start off a race day. I was very fortunate to pick […]
Epic Insider: A little more rain and the smell of home on Stage 7
So the final day of the Epic had arrived and so had the rain again, however this didn’t do much to dampen the mood on the start line. Image credit: Kelvin Trautman/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS The rule for the day was to keep it tidy and upright. We started in C once again at 7:10 and we […]
Epic Insider: Fatigued mind, body, and a bloodied elbow on Stage 6
Its getting a little harder to wake up each morning now as fatigue on body and mind is setting in, it was around 12 degrees this morning too which made it even more difficult. Image credit: Gary Perkin/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS The start this morning was staggered in 15 minute intervals to allow for increased gaps on […]
Epic Insider: Hallucinations atop Groenlandberg on Stage 5
It seemed like everyone was on go slow on this misty morning as we entered chute C again today. We were one of three teams ready for the day to start and the move to Elgin. Image credit: Greg Beadle/Cape Epic/SPORTZPICS We headed out on the same short hill and district road as yesterday and […]