Vitus Bikes Gravity Enduro Ireland Round 2
Wednesday, June 24, 2015 at 5:39PM Ireland's Enduro crazy mountain bikers descended upon Ballinastoe Mountain Bike Trails in County Wicklow last weekend for the second round of the Vitus Gravity Enduro Ireland Series. Given the fairly tale weekend that was the Emerald Enduro, Enduro World Series Round 2 the previous months, it's no great surprise that the event filled up months in advance. The lucky 400 riders were treated to dry, dusty trails all weekend long with only the odd passing shower to keep the dust down. The total route distance was 28km with 1000 meters of climbing and 5 timed downhill stages, giving a racing time of 20 minutes for the fastest riders, more like 25 for mere mortals!
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Of course the beauty of Enduro is in the format, easy on the way up and fast on the way down. Riders are not timed on the uphill liaison sections between the stages, giving time to catch up with friends and relive their last run! Once riders reach the top and catch their breath it's down to the business end of the racing. The timed stages can be anything between 2 to 10 minutes of all out speed, power and amazing technical control on the steepest and most challenging terrain available. Enduro really is the perfect balance between a social mountain bike ride and a serious competition.
Riders are divided into categories based on their ages, with a separate category for women. There's also the Pro Men category which isn't limited by age but rather ability. It's often said that a podium position at an Irish Gravity Enduro event is a really high achievement, especially given the recent dominance of the Irish riders on the International scene. Greg Callaghan is currently lying second overall in the World Series after a win at Round 2 and a third place finish in Round 3. In fact last weekends Gravity Enduro Ireland event clashed with the UEC European Enduro Championships, where Team Biking.ie rider Killian Callaghan finished in second place in the Junior category, an incredible achievement given his recent switch to the discipline.
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This weekend we saw the return to racing of Dan Wolfe following a nasty elbow injury just before the Emerald Enduro earlier in May. True to his reputation, Dan posted the fastest time of the day ahead of fellow Vitus Team rider Colin Ross. Third place went to another Vitus rider, Team Biking.ie's Piaras Griffin.
A clean sweep for series sponsors Vitus Bikes, Brand Manager Simon Cordner said, "This is a massive day for everyone on the Vitus team and we're delighted for all our riders and the crew behind this. Race results don't lie and we are very proud to have the fastest bike on the weekend".
Leah Maunsell did just about enough to win the womens category despite a disastrous stage 4. Second place went to Orla Mc Clean followed closely by Shona D'Arcy one minute back.
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The 14 to 18 class was won convincingly by David Conroy, who's time would place him 9th overall on the day. Rory O'Kelly and Peter Davison finished second and third respectively. The 19 to 29 class was a much closer battle with Biking.ie's own Garreth Davis pipping Scott Wallace to first place by just over one second. Stephen McCormack rounded out the podium in third place. Local man Howie Miller posted the fastest time in the 30 to 34 class and 8th overall on the day. Surely a statement that he is looking to make the move to Pro Men next season. Some 26 seconds a drift was Colm Bradley followed by Damien Daly.
Jamie Whelan made it two wins from two races in the 35 to 39 class with a 10 second gap back to Sean Herlihy and Andy Yoong. Hugh Arthur took the win in the 40 to 49 class and like Whelan is unbeaten so far this season. Second place was taken by mister consistent Joules Dormer and third went to Ken Somerville. The 50 plus class was a clear cut affair with Gary Ennis some 30 seconds ahead of Richie Byrne and Aidan Barry.
The next round of the series heads to the mountain biking mecca that is Djouce Woods on the 25th and 26th of July. For more information in the series visit www.gravityenduro.ie.
Race Results http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2015/GravityEnduro.ie-R2-Ballinasto/
Enduro, Enduro Ireland Round 2, Vitus Bikes |
Offseason Time Warp to Kiwi Carnage in the Rotorua Forest
Monday, April 27, 2015 at 10:05AM (Words by Justin Leov)
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I often find the offseason comes and goes really fast! This year even more so with an earlier round landing in our home land for once!
The offseason was a time warp blur for me. I had a lot going on as usual. Tory, Luca and I jumped straight into moving towns from Christchurch to Blenheim. This is where mountain biking first started for me as I grew up in The Malborough Regine, so this really is coming home! I had a lot of work finishing our house with a few weeks off the bike, and these turned into long days on the tools.
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With the house finished we moved in just before Christmas and my next challenge was to get stuck into recovering the knee and wrist injuries I was carrying through the latter part of the 2014 season. With the help of the All Blacks doctor and my coach we were able to figure out what was going on and put to work a plan to correct my weaknesses in the muscles which were contributing to these injuries. Back into the training and some work to be done!
My training has been strong this offseason but it was touch and go if I would be able to even race in Rotorua when 2 weeks out I crashed while out on a training ride and tore my calf muscle. This is a painful injury and it came at the worst possible time in terms of where I needed to be coming in. Skipping the NZ Enduro event to focus on physiotherapy and recovery was all about getting strong enough to be able to race the opening round of the EWS! These are the type of things that do happen in our sport and managing them is something I've had plenty of practice with during my career of racing.
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Looking toward EWS #1 and building up a fresh rig for the season I decided to ride my old trusty 29er. This year I have stepped up to the 160mm fork up front (up from the 150mm that I ran last year). With a little time on the bike I felt ready and rearing to go!
Course maps were released which I really liked the look of but with the forecasted weather I knew this race would be a tough one and that it had the potential to take out a few people. It's always gutting to see your fellow racers with injuries and when the current Enduro world champ and good friend of mine Jared Graves announced he would be sitting out the race due to an injury he sustained at home I was really disappointed for him, and also for the race to not have his presence. See you in Ireland buddy!
I woke up on race day feeling excited, being a home race I had my wife, son and coach all trackside and I was pumped for the event. We had our most technical and dangerous stages first up so I had a plan to ride it smooth and try to keep the wheels on the ground.
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I started my day messy but with no crashes and a 4th place stage. With short liaison stages there wasn't time to muck around so straight onto stage 2 and a more flat out and go stage. I nailed this stage and felt happy to have a good feeling on the bike. I ended up winning this stage but I wouldn't find this out until after the race (a bloody good surprise!) with another "pin it" stage coming up my consistency was there and I rode clean. 4th stage of the day and this would be a physical one. I was just pipped by Jerome and I knew he had been training like I had in the offseason! Now it was time for a sketchy stage, stage 5. A short stage but deadly roots and commit or die type sections. I had nailed this stage in training every time but I had respect for it; it could bite on any run. Unfortunately my luck ran out this stage and I hit the deck, knocking my head hard enough to put my full face to good use. I knocked my visor back up and re-adjusted my goggles, as perfect vision is key in a fast sport. With a final whack to my brake levers I could then finish the stage. With two stages remaining I knew I needed clean runs now to make back some time. Stage 6 was a DH stage and I knew that would be a good one to ride clean. I managed to piece together a solid run. Now to get back to the pits before the final stage which was going to be in front of the Crankworx crowd and live on TV. This stage had a good mix, super tech up top and easy to crash, then wide open on the DH track with space to let it go, then a pedal in the middle which would spin your gear out and some good sized gaps. Leaving the pits I forgot to tighten my pedals and as soon as I got on the hill I remembered but being the last stage I didn't take any tools with me. With the TV broadcast we would be held some extra time before dropping in and the light was starting to fade especially in the dark wooded section right off the start this was only going to add to the already tech woods!
Dropping in I struggled in the first corner or two. I had my game face on but it required a settled approach so I backed it off just a little bit. Hitting my lines I got out of the first woods clean and set out to attack the DH part of the course. Boosting the upper jumps felt like my DH days and I had the 29er humming. With clean riding I was making up time but my cleats were loose enough to be giving me a few wild moments. Coming into the finish line I was trying to hit a gap I knew only a few people were clearing but I had to pull the pin when I lost my foot out of the pedal and nearly threw myself away. Finishing in 3rd for the final stage I was surprised to see I had finished 4th overall but only 1 second from Wyn Masters who had bagged himself his first ever EWS podium.
I was stoked to see how close the racing was, it was a battle not just with the times but with the conditions and the terrain. Surviving was a good feeling!
With round one in the books I’ll now be working hard for the next round in Ireland. There’s plenty to do with planning and training but I'm totally happy to have begun the season once again. See you out there!
;)
Photos by Ale Di Lullo
2015 EWS, Enduro, Justin Leov, Rotorua |
Pivot Cycles Unveils New Mach 429SL
Friday, December 12, 2014 at 9:40AM ;)
Pivot Cycles unveils the new half-pound lighter Mach 429SL Carbon with Shimano Di2 compatibility.
Mach 429SL Carbon Features
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The half pound lighter Pivot Mach 429SL Carbon is the bike that you need when the course tests both your engine size and your handling skills. Dominate in any event with the newest version of our award winning 100mm 29er – a perfect combination of incredible racing efficiency and trail-worthy technical prowess. The space age chassis drops over 1/2lb (226g) via the use of leading-edge carbon fiber and our proprietary hollow-core, internal-mandrel process. This coveted production technology enables us to create best-in-class frames with the “lighter, stiffer, stronger” qualities that put the Mach 429SL Carbon at the top of the list. To achieve a huge reduction in weight and an increase in frame stiffness, our engineers looked for every possible advantage via optimizing the composite materials and lay-up structure in the 429’s huge, box-section downtube and bottom bracket area. From the tapered head tube to the highly-specific oversize rear triangle tube sections, nothing was left untouched when we made the Mach 429SL Carbon frame the lightest 29er chassis – with the best power transfer – available today.
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For those seeking the top of the line in components and compatibility, the Pivot Mach 429SL Carbon is only the second production mountain bike in the world to be fully Di2 integrated (the Pivot Mach 4 Carbon being the first). Featuring Pivot’s Cable Port System, internal routing for any component is easy to install and maintain via large, easy to access ports and interchangeable covers. Riders have the ability to switch between a variety of cable routing options, allowing for the cleanest possible installation of wires, batteries and cables. Rest easy knowing that no matter what components or gearing you choose, now or in the future, we have you covered. Our race-winning, trail-slaying Mach 429SL Carbon geometry is tried, tested and confidence-inspiring. On the uphill, you benefit from the latest in dw-link® suspension design with a Fox Float Kashima Factory shock, performance-tuned specifically for the Mach 429SL Carbon.
You can expect World Cup level efficiency provided by dw-link®’s anti-squat characteristics, instant acceleration and unparalleled climbing traction. Downhill, the 100mm of dw-link® suspension performs like a longer travel bike – an incredibly capable ride in technical terrain and ready for record-setting descents, enhanced by the precise feel of 12 x 142mm rear spacing and the rollover qualities of the 29 inch wheel. The Mach 4SL Carbon is designed to work with 100 to 120mm forks, allowing for perfect rider optimization – shorter for your cross country weapon, longer for the ultimate in trail-handling.
Our mountain bikes feature the PF92 bottom bracket. Collaboratively developed by our engineers and Shimano, this allows for wider pivots and better bearing support, both of which contribute to increased frame stiffness and strength. Other essential details include post mount disc brake mounts for easy set up and weight savings, direct mount front derailleur for perfect shifting, stealth dropper compatibility and Enduro Max cartridge bearings throughout. Our 429SL frame will accommodate two water bottles of any size and boasts updated graphics for a sleek, race-inspired look. We take quality and workmanship seriously at Pivot, and know that the details are what make a great rider experience. Every Pivot Cycles frame undergoes a 28 step assembly and quality control check to ensure that the only thing you need to think about is the ride.
29er, Enduro, Mach 429SL, Pivot Cycles |
Bike Odyssey An Epic MTB Race In The Mountains Of Greece
Friday, December 5, 2014 at 6:45AM Pindos, the largest mountain range in Greece, will host for the third consecutive year the toughest mtb race in Greece, “Bike Odyssey 2015”. From the village of Laista in Zagorohoria up to the historical city of Amfiklia, this race will be a cycling odyssey for the riders!
The race
The route has a total length of 600 km., 25,000 elevation gains and passes through 57 villages in mountainous Greece of unrivaled natural beauty and historical significance crossing thePindos Mountains. There are few sections covered with asphalt, several paths while the largest proportion of the race route is covered by soil.
The race consists of seven stages and a prologue and has eight villages-stations. The prologue is a circuit race and has as start and finish at the square of the first village-station. At next stages the race starts from the square of one village-station and ends to the square of the next village-station.
«Bike Odyssey» is a team race and open to all (adult) ages provided they know mountain biking and have very good physical condition. Participants must form teams of two members and must ride with their team partner at all times and must not separate more than the allowable limit of 2 minutes. The valid time for a team will be the time of the last of the two team members.
Each and every rider must wear an appropriate helmet throughout the whole race. Helmets must be constructed according to safety standards. Each Participant «Bike Odyssey» is expected to be equipped according to the requirements of an 8-day mountain bike race. Appropriate attire for any kind of weather and first aid kits are minimum necessary. We recommend that you take with you additional tools and spare parts. E-Bike (power assisted) is not allowed.
During race of mountain biking has predicted from the organization to be three water supply points for athletes at each stage but each athlete is required to carry the necessary food and water that will ensure the completion of the race.
Parallel Races
"Bike Odyssey" comes in three other versions for those who want to taste a little of magic of the 8-day version. There will be a three-day team race, «3-Day Odyssey», alongside the last 3 stages of 8-day Bike Odyssey. In addition the following one day races will take place: “Laista Circuit”, race in circuit form which will be held along with the prologue in Laista and daylong «1-Day Odyssey» to be held in parallel with the last stage. In the case of one day races, athletes can register as a unit.
Registrations
Open from 20/11/2014 to 31/12/2014. For registrations from 01/12/14-15/12/14 you get up to 20% discount depending the participation package. Register for 8-Day Bike Odyssey or 3-Day Bike Odyssey.
More information about the whole event in race’s official webpage:
http://www.bikeodyssey.eu/en/
2015 Bike Odyssey, AM, Enduro, Mountain Bike |
Smiles all around at the 2014 Biketember-Festival
Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at 10:32AM Saalfelden Leogang, Salzburger Land, Austria, September 23rd, 2014 – The debut of the Biketember Festival was a complete success with over 600 bikers attending this epic 2014 seasons end-off. Three great events were combined to create an exciting season finale for visitors and passionate mountain bikers in Saalfelden Leogang. Cheering spectators lined the tape down the “speedster” track for the final of the iXS European Downhill Cup and younger enthusiasts rocked the Scott Junior Trophy. The hometown crowd had many reasons to be proud as Austrians David Trummer (AUT – RRP Ghost) took the overall win in the SRAM Specialized Enduro Series with Manuel Gruber (AUT – Radon) in second.
The Biketember-Festival kicked off on Friday evening with the all time favorite whip off contest. Soon after, on Saturday morning the downhill bikers took to the track for their seeding runs in the hope of scoring a place in the last European race of the year. 300 riders from 25 nations had made their way to the finals of the iXS European Downhill Cup in Saalfelden Leogang. The finals were no walk in the park. Racers had to conquer the demanding „Speedster“ world cup course, which is 2,3km / 1.4 miles long with an altitude difference of 480m / 1575ft.
In the finals on Sunday, Zarja Cernilogar (CZE – GT Blackthorn) sealed the deal with a solid win in the elite women class. Her win in Bikepark Leogang resulted in her consecutive iXS European Downhill Cup overall victory. Alba Wunderlin (CH – Stüzrädli) and Alia Marcellini (IT – LeeCougan Dirty Factory) stood next to her on the podium in second and third.
In the elite men class one Austrian in particular showed great skill. At just 18 years of age, Andreas Kolb (Sports Nut DH Team) took 8th place. This was his first top 10 result in the elite category. Despite the close competition, Johannes Fischbach (GER – RPR Ghost) remained unbeatable. Following swiftly behind in second and third place was Robin Wallner (SWE – Team W-Racing) and Philip Atwill (GBR – RPR Ghost).
The first time, the iXS European Downhill Cup race in Saalfelden Leogang was covered live and if you missed the action, you can still watch the webcast replay on www.ixsdownhillcup.com/en. The high success of coverage is good news. In 2015 the entire iXS European Downhill Cup will be broadcasted live.
Over 220 riders turned out for the second SRAM Enduro Series edition in Saalfelden Leogang. This final race of the series was the ultimate stomping ground. The 55km track featured everything from roots, rocks and technical steps to flowy freeride sections. Pro class winner Tobias Reiser (GER – Focus Trail Team) finished the course in 33:48.15 minutes. Daniel Schemmel (AUT – Do-Biker Bruck) ended up second followed by Markus Reiser (GER – Focus Trail Team) ranked third. Despite an 8th place finish, the overall victory went to Fabian Scholz (GER – Focus Trail Team) here in Leogang.
The female pro class was dominated by Anneke Beerten from the Netherlands (NL – Specialized Racing), with 40:38.54 minutes, who took the overall win as well. In second and third were Birgit Baumann (AUT – Trek Gravity Girls) and Antje Kramer (GER – Giant Germany).
All information about the Specialized-SRAM Enduro Series can be found on www.enduroseries.net/en .
The third highlight, the Scott Junior Trophy was an event for children. Kids between 3 and 16 years of age could compete in different classes and were able to experience the thrills of racing first hand. They had to master distances between 250m / 820 ft. and 6km /3,7 miles around the Ritzensee. Aimed at promoting a friendly and fun competitive atmosphere, everyone was rewarded for their efforts and no one left empty handed.
Further information about the Scott Junior Trophy can be found on bike.saalfelden-leogang.com/en/events/2014/scott-junior-trophy.
At the end of an exciting weekend with amazing races and great side events, the Biketember festival put smiles on everyone’s faces. The event will return in 2015 on 18 – 20th September. However, the season is not yet over. Bikepark Leogang will hold a special Fan Weekend on 3rd-5th October to bring the season to an end. More information can be found on: bike.saalfelden-leogang.com/de/events/2014/fan-weekend.
For more information please visit: www.biketember.com
Further information about the Bikepark Leogang is available on:
bike.saalfelden-leogang.com/de/bikeparkleogang/ or on facebook:
www.facebook.com/Leogang.Bikepark?fref=ts
Further information about the region Saalfelden Leogang is available on: www.saalfelden-leogang.com/en/
AM, Biketember-Festival, Enduro, Festival |
