And just like that the off-season is well and truly over and bike racing has kicked off for the new season. This year will not only see us continue racing our alternative calendar, but we’re expanding the off-road races and events we’ll be attending. We’ll stick with some of our favorites from last year, and 2020 will see us venture to new continents, to continue competing, exploring and meeting new people. Listed below are just some of the races and events where you’ll see the team line-up this year, but keep your eyes peeled as we’ll release more in the coming months.
Cape Epic
The Tour de France of mountain-biking
Epic is the right word to describe this eight-day off-road stage race that takes riders over some of South Africa’s most rugged terrain. Its 647-kilometre route includes over 15,000 metres of climbing. Fitness will only get riders so far though. Technical single track through fynbos and orchards, red-sand alpine trails, and speedy descents over jagged rocks will push even the best mountain-bikers’ skills to the limit. Racers compete in teams of two and have to stick together to ensure each other’s safety in the wild.
Dirty Kanza
The world’s premier gravel event
The first bike races were singular tests of pluck, self-reliance, and endurance. The sport returns to its swashbuckling roots at the Dirty Kanza gravel race. The guys will take to the start with thousands and thousands of amateur riders at the historic Granada Theatre in Emporia, rural Kansas. For 200 miles, they’ll face the elements unsupported. Heat, wind, rain, mud, dust—they will have to conquer everything that the Flint Hills can throw at them. Winning will require an effort not unlike the efforts made by cycling’s first great champions. So will finishing.
Leadboat
The Leadville 100 and SBT GRVL Black—back to back
The Leadville 100 is about the most prestigious mountain-bike marathon that there is. It takes riders across 100 miles of lung-bursting, eye-popping terrain, high in the Colorado Rockies. Since that didn’t sound hard enough, the next day the guys will take on the STMBT GRVL Black, a 144-mile gravel race through the hilly countryside around Steamboat Springs, which is home to the most beautiful unpaved roads out there.
Brasil Ride
A tropical discovery
In October, we will head to Brazil for the Maratona dos Descobrimentos, or Marathon of Discovery, a 75-km off-road race with plenty of climbing. The guys will have lots to discover when they are there. Brazil’s Atlantic coast is famous for its beaches, rainforests, cliffs, and coral reefs, while lush mountains jut up inland. The guys will also get to see if their mountain-bike skills are up to scratch to compete with the world’s best dirt racers.
