Vamos en España , 23rd March 2017 !!

Ciao a tutti,

In collaboration with PA Cyclism we have created a cycling package to Spain for March 2017. Those Spanish tour can be for Road Bikes or Mountain Bikes. There will be plenty of climbing this is why the area has been used copious times by the VUELTA.

Fresh water to keep you hydrated.

History on route.

The date for March trip is departure on 23rd of March 2017 and return on the 26th late evening.

3 Days of cycling + 3 Nights = 570€ plus flight

Every night amazing fresh food.

The prices above includes:

• Half Board accommodation in double room
• Great local Staff to make your wonderful trip amazing
• Daily Energy pack (gel + bars + powder)
• Transfer from & to Madrid Airport
• Daily Support Vehicle to transfer your luggage between hotels
• Full travel Insurance
• Free Cycling Jersey

Wild Nature

We have left the freedom to each individuals to book their own flights,given them the flexibility to stay longer or depart at different times.

If you are interested in joining us please email for more infos at ride@saddledrunk.com

Cycling in New Zealand

After copious number of enquiries about cycling in New Zealand,I have asked our friend Daniel Carruthers to tell us about riding in NZ.After a long spell in Asia, Daniel has returned to his motherland.Therefore with great honour I leave to Dan to tell us about that.

In recent years, New Zealand has been heavily promoting their NZ Cycle Trails to attract more overseas cyclists to visit and discover NZ by bicycle. If you have been considering New Zealand as a possible destination for your next cycling holiday, then make it happen: it will be an experience that you will never forget. Depending on what type of cyclist you are, there is something here for all levels of ability. If you are a road cyclist or mountain biker, there are a multitude of events to choose from!

Since re-locating to New Zealand last month after living in China for six years, I have taken part in the REV Cycle Race and also New Zealand’s longest standing MTB race, the Karapoti Classic  50km of rugged old school mountain biking through native NZ bush. In a couple of weeks I will take part in events here in Rotorua: The famous 24hr MOONRIDE, and the Rotorua to Taupo 100k Flyer.  Pretty much all year round you can find good cycling events to enter if that is what you would like to add on to your cycling holiday.

The REV 100

This was an event I had been wishing to take part in for a while. It’s not an easy one with 1500m of climbing packed into the 100km, with most climbs only going for 2-3 minutes so its an intense ride up and down on the NZ chip sealed roads, but the amazing countryside scenery and the numerous quiet narrow twisting roads make up for the demanding course. We even zoom by the world famous Hobbiton Tour site - The Shire! Definitely does look like scenes straight out of the Lord of the Rings. In fact, there are numerous Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie scene locations dotted all over New Zealand - you could really turn it into a Lord of the Rings cycling tour if you have the time. This event also has UCI 1.2 status, which is for the professional or elite riders and is a separate event to the 100km event I did.  I did not have a current UCI license, nor was I in shape to compete with the best cyclists in New Zealand! This event is always held in late February each year and there are a number of other events on at around the same time frame so multiple events could be done if racing is a priority of yours.  However, if you are here for cycle touring then discovering the seldom travelled on trails and roads can be researched on the New Zealand Cycle Trails website.  

Karapoti Classic

This is New Zealand’s most iconic, toughest and gnarliest race. Canadian mountain biker Cory Wallace, who races all over the world, remarked that it was a proper old school style track! If you ride mountain bikes and are up for a serious challenge, I recommend signing up for this 50km event. It traverses through the rugged Akatarawa Ranges (close to Wellington). This event was established in 1986 by the Kennett Brothers and is the longest standing MTB event in the Southern Hemisphere!  The course begins with a Le Man’s style start with hundreds of riders splashing their way across the river to begin the 6km ride up the Karapoti valley.  It is a fantastic course that challenges the very best of mountain bikers yet is still achievable for weekend warriors. The climbing in this race is so steep that you will need to grovel in the granny gear to get up and over. However, many riders got off to push as it was not any slower that way. I noticed on one of the steep climbs that there was a long unbroken line of riders, half of them pushing yet keeping the same pace as the ones riding!  I first did the Karapoti way back in 1994 as a fresh faced 19-year-old university student and was too chicken to race the 50k event so I downgraded to the 20k recreational event. It’s always been on the back of my mind to nail this 50km event: perhaps it was a 21-year-old dream of mine that was finally realized upon my return to NZ. Since I was coming back with some great fitness after some big training months in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I had high expectations that I would do well in the race by going under three hours and would glory in my name being added to the coveted SUB 3hr club. If you can achieve a time below 3hrs, it is a highly respectable achievement as more than 15,000 riders have raced the 50k but only 600 riders have ever gone below 3hrs over the 30 odd years since inception. 

However, despite a good first half where I was riding in the top 30 in the expert/pro-elite category and on target for a great sub-3hr time, my legs just cramped up at the base of Dopers Climb and I had to stop for 10 minutes. I could not even walk. I finally did get going again, but had to stop an additional four times as I struggled to survive. It was a big mistake to ride with a Camelbak full of water and just relying on GU and bananas. I finally made the last river crossing just before the finish and rode straight into waist high water, my bike being completely submerged. I stumbled across and then road the final 200 meters, crossing the finish line with a time of 3hrs and 15mins. The GPS moving time was 2hrs 43. I will come back next year to chase the elusive sub 3hr time!  The winner did 2hrs 10 mins, which was one of the fastest times ever recorded. Anton Cooper from New Zealand (U23 MTB World Champion) holds the record time of 2hrs 7mins.

The Karapoti is definitely a bucket event to do should you plan to visit NZ with your mountain bike. 

If you do wish to plan for a MTB holiday in New Zealand, then check out www.ridenz.co,   an awesome website to  create your own itinerary for mountain bike riding in Central North Island. Rides can be filtered according to your ability level.

MTB photos credit :  marathon-photos.com

Thank you Daniel,for the great article.We all looking forward to receive more info from down under.

Happy Easter for the SD TEAM.

Genghis Khan MTB Adventure & Grassland Extreme Marathon 2014

Unable to attend personally this year edition due to other commitments, Kuai Sport Promotions has given us with great pleasure this amazing press release.Credit for photography to Nordic Ways.

The wild nature

Mongolian Myagmarsuren wins 8th Genghis Khan MTB Adventure

by Kuai Sports Promotions

Basaankhuu Myagmarsuren is the deserved winner of the 2014 Genghis Khan MTB Adventure, taking two out of three stages to earn a final advantage of 4'09" over his compatriot Bilguunjargal Erdenebat. The 23-year-old Mongolian seemed totally in control of proceedings during the 96km long final stage, and despite a crash early on in the stage did not succumb to the pressure. China's Hu Hao suffered an unfortunate puncture towards the end of the first stage, but comforted himself with a strong solo victory on day 2. 

The peloton

Blistering heat made the long weekend tough for the roughly 400 mountainbikers - a new participation record - who began the race. Drama struck immediately for Russian outsider Ivan Brinko as he crashed in the tricky descent coming off the Nadamu Arena. As a whole, the two Mongolian teams CCN and Attila were not  as strong as last year, but that did not prevent them from putting the hammer down straightaway. However, they found a great match in Hu Hao, riding for Team Specialized, and Canadian Fraser Young (Team Chiru-Magura). Even Team WTB ace and fast sprinter Daniel Carruthers was never far behind. 

Hu Hao's puncture 9 km before the finish of stage 1 arguably was the key moment of the whole weekend, given that Fraser Young immediately stopped to help the Chinese rider and in so doing jeopardised his own chances for success. Young got the fair play prize, and Myagmarsuren, Batorskikh, Mendbayar and Erdenebat could settle among themselves who would become the successor of Altansukh Altanzul, the incredible raw talent from Ulanbaatar, who is pursuing a professional cycling career as of this year. 

WTB rider

Myagmarsuren used his experience from 2013, when he finished third overall, and despite losing some time on day 2 seemed very much in control on the last day. The marathon stage remained closed for more than 60km and at some point even had the 45-year-old Frenchman Pierre-Arnaud Le Magnan (Team Chiru-Magura) in front of  the 12-man-group: the first time a non-Asian rider led the Genghis Khan MTB race in four years. An attack by Hu Hao split the group up eventually, but he ran out of steam in the final kilometres and had to watch Myagmarsuren and Erdenebat contest the victory.

The start line

Heilongjiang's Wang Lidong (Team Chain Reaction Cycles.com) successfully defended his King of the Grasslands crown. Overall, the athlete from Daqing was 22 minutes faster over the three days MTB and the Grassland Marathon than second-placed Luo Jinyu.

The women's MTB race went to China's Wang Xueli, who every stage finished ahead of Veerle Buytaert of Belgium and Gao Yansu.

Men's final classification:

1. B. Myagmarsuren (MGL/Team Atilla) 202km in 7h11'43"

2. B. Erdenebat (MGL/Team CCN) 7:15:52

3. G. Batorshikh (MGL/Team CCN) 7:18:13

4. F. Young (CAN/Team Chiru-Magura) 7:20:33

5. D. Carruthers (NZL/Team WTB) 7:22:42

6. A. Chaklov (RUS/Team Chain Reaction Cycles) 7:23:36

7. H. Hao (CHN/Team Specialized) 7:26:04

8. M. Ulambayar (MGL/Team Attila) 7:28:51

9. B. Narankhuu (MGL/Team CCN) 7:34:27

10. L. Shibo (CHN/Team WTB) 7:38:32 

All results can be found on the event website.

Registrations for the 2015 Genghis Khan MTB Adventure will open next week. Be quick as the event was sold out in April already this year.

Wild life

The SaddleDrunk Team would like to thanks Kris from Kuai Sport Promotions for this.

Be SaddleDrunk and Be Safe on the roads.

Latest media release from WTB.

As UK and Italy ambassador for WTB and Freedom, SaddleDrunk is please to announce the following:

WTB and Freedom Merge to Form Wilderness Trail & Freedom

MILL VALLEY, CALIFORNIA – April 1, 2014 – Long standing mountain bike brand Wilderness Trail Bikes, known throughout the industry as WTB, announced today that it will be merging with its urban counterpart, Freedom.  Effective immediately, the two separate brands will form one, Wilderness Trail & Freedom, rebranded as WTF.

“We’ve asked for WTF for quite some time now,” elaborated Justin Kirkwood, WTF’s creative director.  “The ThickSlick tire’s overwhelming success is irrefutable.  Now under one roof, WTF will offer a staggering portfolio.  From 16 versions of the WTF ThickSlick to 11 different WTF Vigilantes spanning 26, 27.5, and 29”, WTF has augmented its reach.  The future is bright for WTF.”

All existing WTB and Freedom products will immediately transition to WTF products.  Tires will clearly display WTF lettering on sidewalls and saddles will also broadcast the new WTF acronym.  The wolf head logo will stay while the lettering will change to appropriately display the new brand, WTF.

About WTF

Founded in 1982, WTF was formed in the birthplace of mountain biking to design better bicycle products.  Through durable, affordable, and effective bicycle products as well as countless hours spent advocating on cycling’s behalf, WTF continues to promote bicycle usage as the way of the future.

Have a good day and Let's get SaddleDrunk.

SD

Yak Attack Nepal 2014 report from Cory Wallace

Hi all, I have managed to get in touch briefly with Cory Wallace from Nepal, reporting from Day 1 at the Yak Attack North Face 2014.A multi stage MTB event held in the beauty of the Himalayas.

Cory and I in Taiwan for the KOM 2013 last November.

This is what Cory had to say:

Day 1 we road across some terraces overlooking the Kathmandu valley. Later on we descended into a valley of chaos with Lose dogs, farm animals, people and cars everywhere. It was half bike race, half dodging the chaos. It is beautiful here racing below 7000 Meter mountains

A view of the track.

Scenery form the top.

Here at SaddleDrunk wish Cory a good luck during this amazing challenge.

I will keep you posted with more photos.