Start each week with an easy read about the history and highlights of our sport's venues, races, people and various other gems!

Here goes...

 

This season was the first time Albstadt, a town in the Swalbian Alb region Germany, was used as a World Cup venue. However, the town has a rich history of, and close connection with, mountain biking. 

Way back in 1995 Albstadt played host to the inaugural LBS Bike-Marathon, one of the first marathons in Germany. The 86km race is still going strong today, with amazing four people-deep crowds lining the climbs all along the route.

Albstadt is also home to the Gonso Albstadt MTB Classic, an event that started in 2005 and was the precursor - in terms of the course and elite riders- to the World Cup race. The International MTB-Bundesliga also helped to build the profile of cross-country racing in this area, with Sabine Spitz and Julien Absalon among the riders to visit. 

In 2008 the Gonso Albstadt MTB Classic hosted the European Marathon Championships, and in 2009 the Sparkasse TRANS Zollernalb three day stage race.

Unsurprisingly then, come 2013 none of the locals seemed fazed by 676 athletes from 40 different countries taking over their town. In fact, it appeared that the entire town came out to populate the track-side. Under 23 German rider Markus Shulte-Luenzum raised the crowd to their full horn-blowing, flag-waving and loud cheering potential with an emphatic victory. 

Spitz said "If I could, I would like pack the Albstadt crowd into a bus, taking it with me everywhere I race!"

The World Cup returns to Albstadt next year.

For more about Albstadt you can take a look at my report from the World Cup XCE and XCO races - http://www.xcracer.com/World-Cup-XCE-Round-1-2013-Albstadt-Germany-Report.html and http://www.xcracer.com/XC-World-Cup-Albstadt-and-Nove-Mesto-Report-2013.html

---

 

Burry Stander was tragically killed when he was struck by a taxi whilst out riding in South Africa on 3rd January 2013, aged 25. 

He was an amazing young talent from South Africa who looked set to establish himself as a real challenge to the supremacy of Nino Schurter, Julien Absalon and Jaroslav Kulhavy, and who few would have betted against to become a future World and Olympic Champion.

Burry was a proud South African and wore his multiple National Champions jersies with evident relish. He also won the South African stage race Absa Cape Epic, along with his Partner Christoph Sauser, in 2011 and 2012. In 2013 the race was run in his memory with his Specialized team mates, Sauser and Kulhavy, racing to the win under his name. 

At 25 Burry was already a double Olympian - fifteenth in Beijing and fifth in London. Burry won the overall World Cup series for U23 in 2008, the U23 World Championships in Australia in 2009 - a year that saw him finish on Elite World Cup podiums,even winning in Champery - and from there his results just kept coming. 

At the Pietermaritzberg World Championships this year the Burry Stander Memorial Garden was unveiled in front of his family, friends, colleagues and supporters, and his memory was far from forgotten as many of his fellow elite riders acknowledge his passing by looking skyward as they crossed the finish line.

He is remembered as a cycling legend, Olympian and gentleman.

#rideforburry

---

 

Codham Park in Essex has been a venue for the Mud, Sweat and Gears Eastern MTB series since 2009, and has proved to be a favourite among the riders.  

It is private land, owned and lived on by three related families. 

Jason Peters is the man with a plan! Each race course at Codham has been the result of his ideas and graft. The family business - something involving groundwork - facilitates some pretty epic trail building. Rock gardens have appeared over the years, new sections of singletrack in the woods, some jumps and the piece de resistannce, the national standard BMX track. Yes, that's right, these families have a full scale BMX track, in their back garden!

In 2014 Codham Park will host the opening round of the British Cycling XC Series. With this in mind, Jason is already aboard his digger in a bid to create an even more exciting and technically challenging course for the entrants. This, plus a BMX track, looks to set the season off with a bang. And probably a few crashes...

---

Also check out: ABC - DEF - GHI

Advertise your business/event here »