GoLefty!!

cant see why the winning amatuer team can't win an upgraded entry to the following years event., the runnrs up some zooshy EVOC bike luggage and the third place a gift voucher to the tune of a R1000-00 to spend at Woolies or with one of the other sponsors

@mackie correct, you need to finish on the bike you started since the number board cannot be removed during the stage

would be great to have a amateur and/or weekend warrior categories

thanks you kind sir

it s a bit of inner tube stretched between the lowers arch and the crown to stop mud building up around the fork arch and clogging up the seals

Not that a S-strike is to mtb what a P1 is too the supercar. No comparison really it breaks down way too often but theres no shortage of willing participants to belong to that flock of sheep. A P1 speaks for itself, all out performance car, finances no restriction. an S-strike is closer to 911GT-3. lOts of them about, all driven by people who don;t know how to drive and they break down often (or burst into flame - make sure you get yours with oven gloves) Gimme a Morewood, PYGA or Momsen for the Epic anyday.

for Joe Soap, aluminium is the way to go. In fact, a Morewood Zula 650 with RockShox RS-1 and XT components to race ready and less than half the cost of stupid carbon fibre bikes. For some okes buying a CF MTB is like buying a McLaren P1 and not knowing how to drive it faster than 120. All show boating.

I really wish he would ride it to win it. Without the weather leveling things the racing would far less exciting

Like I said, Rovals are crap. Buy at you own risk. The construction is dirt cheap

going cheap, voetstoets

Nino needs a competitive partner. Philip just isn't there yet. Scott should have sent two teams. Spec Roval wheels are light and fragile and the tyres they're using are those silly lighteweight versions too. Strnage though that other brands aren't having as many similar problems

as jy dom is moet jy betaal

GOod points on SA being the mecca of marathon mtb yet we don;t dominate. We definately don't have the culture yet but the heart is there.

really crap luck for Centurion-Vaude!! damn!

Hope so. They're not in yet. Last riders have just left WP2

Roel Poelissen's tram is on 650B

Ride editor is still out there and plodding along at 9km/hr according to Tracker (if its accurate). Going to the be a long day for them!

Absalon (although not a marathon rider per se he is hanging up the XC end of this season), Lakata, Dahle Flessja, Spitz

whats or thats?

food poisoning?

Since 2010 Suss, Langvad, and Bingham have been at the top of the ladies Marathon. The only two missing are Dahle-Flessja and Spitz. I think the ladies race certainly has the worlds best in it.

Urs had form last year. The Epic is the first race in the season and maybe its just too early for him to really want to perform. I recall Alban Lakata is also one of the top marathon racers but he never really performed in March... Makes one wonder if the Epic is maybe too early in the year to attract all the top racers in top form. It would be great to see all the heavy hitters gathered on the start line.

Make no mistake the man is one of the very mountain bikers over the last 10years. His consistency at the marathon is almost boring (he is swiss afterall). But lets face it, he and Rabon are still the favourites and everyone else are just there to nip at the heels. The other teams don't seem to have taken it as seriously as Sauser. I'm keen to see how centurion-vaude get on over the rest of the week.

Perhaps, just frustrating to not see any of the action live like you do with the TDF. Probably an unrealisticexpectation but I would have thought it would have advanced to this by now

Road racing and MTB are so different that moving from one to the other requires a long period of adaptation. It took Miguel Martinez 2 years to adapt to road cycling and he never achieved the same success as he did on a MTB. Thus far Cadel Evens is the most successfull cyclist across both disciplines having won the World Cups (XC) in 1998 and 1999 (3rd in 1997) and also having won the TDF. (although that came 12 years after his MTB success) Success in one discipline does not guarantee success in the other