The film is the life story of three-time world champion surfer Andy Irons who died at age 32 from a heart attack with the secondary cause being an acute mixture of drugs. Andy and brother Bruce came from humble beginnings on the small Hawaiian island of Kauai.

Brandon Semenuk’s winning 2016 Red Bull Rampage run took just a little more than one minute and nine seconds for him to complete, top to bottom.

Most of the time our messages to you usually revolve around ripping descents and blasting berms, this one comes to you with deeper thought and words of heavier meaning. Last December, the mountain bike community lost an incredible person when Buddy Newman, graphic designer for WTB, passed away in a car accident.

Only two weeks after launching his first autobiography, Danny is already adding to his legacy with his next unreal two-wheeled expedition. Unique from anything he’s released before, Danny jumps on his Santa Cruz 5010 CC this time and takes mountain biking to another level.

We’re thrilled to announce Connor Fearon has signed a two year extension of his contract. The young Australian gravity shredder has been piloting a Kona since 2010 and will continue to race his Operator DH machine through the end of 2018.

Do you know Danny MacAskill? No, let’s rephrase that. Do you really know Danny MacAskill?

IRONMAN announced today it has reached an agreement to acquire the highly regarded Cape Epic® mountain bike race in South Africa. In addition to operating The Motatapu and The Pioneer multiple stage mountain bike races in New Zealand, the purchase of Cape Epic marks IRONMAN’s biggest step into the mountain biking market, as they aim to grow this race format substantially across the globe.

David Cachon show us what was once the most dangerous path in the world is now just amazing.

What a thriller in Lenzerheide! Danny Hart (GBR) wrote history in front of thousands of spectators, when he crossed the finish line just a split second ahead of Aaron Gwin (USA).

5 Special Stages and 4 uplifts in the hearth of the Dolomites, with the last PS, known as the 'Show', that finishes in town, straight in the middle of the paddock area. Free practice will open on Sunday 19th, while the definitive race tracks will be confirmed by Saturday 25th.

“With celebrating our 10th anniversary this year we are thrilled to be partnering with such an innovative company as Pearl Izumi, and also one that holds the same philosophy of quality and customer satisfaction that we at BC Bike Race do,” says BC Bike Race President, Dean Payne.

A five-day trip-of-a-lifetime to see the Crankworx World Tour wrap in Whistler awaits the lucky fan who can assemble the winning team in the Crankworx Les Gets Fantasy Contest.

The brand new online fantasy sports contest will run from June 16 to 19, during Crankworx Les Gets, at fantasy.crankworx.com.

It was time for the Enduro Series to get back to the North-Est of France - the second cradle of Enduro discipline.

Years ago when I first started skateboarding, knee pads were the size of small countries. I still have a pair of Pro Designed pads while designed for vert, are large enough that my cat can hide inside them. Those days, designers followed the mantra that more is better.

While skiers and snowboarders are still enjoying spring snow on Blackcomb Mountain, mountain bikers are gearing up to hit the dirt in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park, which opens for the season on Friday, May 20.

The first two FMB wildcards of the season have been awarded to Ryan Nyquist and Diego Caverzasi. Due to the fact that they were the best placed athletes at the FMB Gold Events Swatch Rocket Air and FISE Montpellier, who have not yet qualified for the Diamond Series stop at Crankworx Les Gets, both riders will be competing at the FMB Diamond Event in France on June 18th.

This is an account of what happens whenever you practise both climbing and MTB while trying to reach the biggest colony of griffon vultures in Europe.

There's no question that carbon fiber makes the fastest, lightest bicycle frames. But what happens to a prototype carbon product that never makes it to your local shop or a frame that was crashed in the Tour de France?

Sleep now because on May 20 the Whistler Mountain Bike Park will open to riders for the 2016 season. Early Bird pricing is available now until June 10 on Unlimited, Ten Day, Five Day, Twilight and Top Of The World passes, offering riders the chance to save up to $106 on their 2016 Whistler Mountain Bike Park passes. Those who purchase passes before May 22 will also receive bonus offers, including bonus days and bonus buddy days.

Crankworx will open registration for its Crankworx Les Gets Downhill presented by iXS today in the town where Fabien Barel created history.

Bontrager has unveiled all-new Line XXX MTB wheels in addition to the new Drop Line dropper post, 35mm Line Pro bars and stems, Line Pro flat pedals, and updated tread patterns and sizes for the beloved XR4 and SE4 MTB tires at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, CA.

A decade has gone by since the BC Bike Race began and with it dozens of communities, hundreds of trails, and thousands of kilometers of hand-built singletrack. But most importantly countless smiles, hugs, and celebrations have led us to our ten-year anniversary.

Late yesterday Whistler Blackcomb released some information about what they envision the next step in development on Blackcomb mountain would be. 

And boy is it a dozey. 

$345 million spent on a variety of buildings, all weather activities, new lift & two new accommodation developments. 

After many near wins, Tomas LEMOINE (FRA) finally has his first Crankworx gold medal, and five-time pump track queen Jill KINTNER (USA) her redemption, after an epic Rotorua Pump Track Challenge presented by RockShox at Crankworx Rotorua Friday night.

In a world first for sporting events, the Absa Cape Epic will include a mountain biker riding with the pro peloton who will deliver 360-degree immersive video during the 8-day stage race when it takes place in the Western Cape in March 2016.

In a different category...

There are many races within the bigger Absa Cape Epic race. Most obvious are those for the yellow zebra-striped Men's category jersey and the orange version for Women.

Then there are the special jerseys – Absa African and Exxaro – and those striving for a top 50, top 100 or top half of the field finish. And, of course, riders involved in personal duels against their friends (or enemies, perhaps?).

But few match the intensity of the fight for the blue (Masters), purple (Grand Masters) and green (Mixed) jerseys.

Consider this: in 2015 the winners of the Masters category, for a team in which both riders are over 40-years-old, placed a remarkable 16th overall after a hotly-contested race. At times they were mixing it with the elite professionals.

And the first Grand Masters – both riders over 50 – came home in 29th position overall.

Swedish slopestyle athlete Max Fredriksson begins his 2016 season with new partners and a good result from the first FMB World Tour event of the year. For the foreseeable future, the young slopestyle rider from Järfälla, Sweden will be supported by NS Bikes, Monster Energy, Alpinestars, TSG, Oakley and Novatec. Helping him navigate the waters of the professional mountain bike world is the Munich based sports marketing and communication agency, rasoulution. With a solid 4th place already in the bag from White Style in Leogang, Max's season has started well.

Intense Cycles announced its 2016 Factory Race Team last night at an exclusive event they hosted for select members of the media, industry, friends and family at the Hotel Laguna in Laguna Beach, CA.

The new roster includes returning team members, Jack Moir (Australia) and Luca Cometti (USA) and adds former Palmer Project junior phenom, Nik Nestoroff (USA) and top World Cup rider Dean Lucas (Australia).

Bontrager will be the official tire supplier of the Andes Pacifico Enduro Race taking place in Chile, February 9th through the 13th. All participants will receive one of Bontrager's durable Super Enduro (SE) mountain bike tires as part of the registration package, to help them combat the rugged conditions that await them on the ancestral trails of Chile. Four-time Downhill and Enduro World Champion, Tracey Moseley, will also be taking on this challenging course. Well-known adventure sports photographer, Sam Needham, will be taking over Bontrager's Instagram account, @ridebontrager, to offer an inside look at Andes Pacifico.

"Having spent a good few days testing and having fun with Transition, it has been so refreshing to see how passionate and involved they are with our sport. I strongly believe that FMD and Transition are an amazing match and together can make big steps in the right direction. They are eager to help us develop as a team and do anything they can to help, which is such a positive feeling going into the season. Let the journey begin!"

- Tahnée Seagrave / Transition Factory Racing

BC Bike Race the 'Ultimate Singletrack Experience' and Kazimirski Law Corporation are giving away one entry to the 2016 BC Bike Race, currently 'SOLD OUT'.

The Kazlaw Community Foundation is providing one spot at the BC Bike Race 2016 for someone who 'makes mountain biking happen in his or her community.'

A new event title, new destination, and new format: following the huge success of the Snow Epic 2015 in Engelberg (SUI), the innovative fatbike event is now be held at Gstaad (SUI) under the name of Snow Bike Festival. From January 22 to 24, 2016, participants are enjoying 3 days of fatbike action with stage races, Eliminator Night Race, Fun Ride and partys as well as a Fat Bike & Mountain Bike EXPO with many popular exhibitors.

Trek Factory Racing is proud to announce the addition of two immense talents in the mountain bike world, Katy Winton and Casey Brown. Both will join the Enduro contingent of Trek Factory Racing, with Katy Winton taking on the full Enduro World Series circuit and Casey running a multi-disciplinary schedule of Enduro and Gravity events.

Yesterday the news came out that the Lappiere Gravity team will now be called the Specialized Gravity team.  While this is great new for everyone in it, as Specialized picked up a whole team to represent them at the world cup level, including the current World Champion and Whistler's own Finn Iles, I really think the more interesting story is that Specialized feels that there is better value in the Gravity team than Aaron Gwin. 

Pavla Havlikova and Northwave opened the new year with a brilliant overall success, conquered at EKZ Cross Tour, a prestigious Swiss cyclocross challenge. Saturday January 2nd, in the last of fifth round, in Meilen, the 32-year-old from Czech consolidated the overall leadership, placing second in the Elite Women Race behind Italian Eva Lechner (Luna Chix Pro Team). The Austrian youngster Nadja Heigl (Focus XC Team) completed the day's podium.

Aaron joined Specialized for the 2013 season, and although it was a rough year in terms of race results, in many ways it was still a near perfect match-up; Aaron, being multi-time USA DH National Champion and the fastest American downhill racer to come along in at least a decade, and Specialized, a US-based brand dedicated to the pursuit of creating the fastest race bikes and equipment.

Nadine Rieder is a new, dynamic testimonial for the Italian resort, which is renowned worldwide for its cycling opportunities. The 26-year-old woman's prime focus is mountain biking but she enjoys road cycling and its training benefits ahead of the 2016 season. Around Bormio, Nadine can take full advantage of the high passes such as the Stelvio, the Gavia and Mortirolo, as well as mountain bike trails in the Stelvio National Park and the Bormio wellness facilities which include the three thermal spas QC Terme Bagni Nuovi, Bagni Vecchi and Bormio Terme. Together these opportunities and infrastructure create the ideal environment for athlete training and regeneration.

Absa Cape Epic legend Christoph Sauser will be riding with Stellenbosch's Sipho Madolo in the 2016 Absa Cape Epic.

The five-time Absa Cape Epic winner, now retired from the professional ranks, has been one of the world's foremost mountain bikers for nearly two decades now.

25-year-old Madolo comes from humble Khayamandi and became a protégé of Sauser when they met at the multiple world champion's songo.info charity project in the township.

As the 2016 Drop and Roll Tour dates are being booked, Danny MacAskill and his Drop and Roll team have released what is by far the most ambitious Drop and Roll production to date. Conceptualized and developed during countless hours of travelling between shows, This Is Drop and Roll was always going to be something just a little different.

FMB Factory Team Rankings - how does it work? Factory teams must register a minimum of 2 athletes. Each athlete can contribute a maximum of 3 results and the final team score is the total of the best six results. The Trek C3 Project comprised of Brandon Semenuk, Brett Rheeder and Tom Van Steenbergen proved to be unstoppable.

Sick tricks and fast lines - the Bikepark Leogang and the Saalfelden Leogang region celebrate the end of an exciting 2015 season. Szymon Godziek opened the season with a flawless run at White Style in January. Aaron Gwin made history with his 'chainless' victory at the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup in the summer. Crowd pleaser Antoine Bizet triumphed at the 10th edition of 26TRIX. In July one of the most renowned MTB stage races – the Craft BIKE Transalp – stopped in Saalfelden Leogang. And the golden autumn months began with the Biketember Festival.

Trek and Trek Factory Racing announced today the creation of a marquee World Cup-level Downhill racing program for the 2016 season. The new team will take on the full UCI World Cup series as well as select regional Red Bull events. Joining Trek Factory Racing Downhill for its inaugural season will be Rachel Atherton (UK), Gee Atherton (UK), Dan Atherton (UK), and Taylor Vernon (UK).

After a one-year break, the series that is the national reference for enduro returns to the scene.

Rumours within the industry got louder and louder during the last weeks and now they have been confirmed: in 2016 the Superenduro Series will kick off again.

On March 22 this year Christoph Sauser and Jaroslav Kulhavy punched the air as they crossed the Absa Cape Epic Grand Finale finish line at Meerendal to win the world's premier mountain bike stage race.

It's official. Darren Berrecloth, one of the seminal names in freeriding, now rides for Canyon. If there's anyone out there who needs no introduction, it's Darren. As part of the Canyon Factory Freeride Team, the Claw will add experience to the setup unmatched by anybody else on the circuit.

Production Privee, the bicycle and component maker from Andorra, have announced today they will offer a limited number of their Mini CG Balance Bikes to US customers.The bikes will be offered consumer direct via the newly launched US website and fulfilled from their US warehouse to facilitate timely and cost effective shipping.

For the riders on the western side of the Atlantic you might not have heard of Whyte Bikes before, although the brand was started almost 15 years ago.  The name sake of the brand Jon Whyte, whom was previously an engineer for the Benetton F1 team started off designing bikes for Marin in the 90's, but decided to branch off and build his own brand.

Day two is a wrap here in Vegas and I though I would share some of the stuff that you see when cruising up and down the aisles.

If I had to sum up interbike day one, it would be the birth of the fat ride.  High volume tires have hit the mainstream and seem to be on offer from almost everyone.  From kids fat 20" bikes to 27.5"+ bikes, wheels & tires, the large volume segment has hit the ground and is steam rollering over everything. 

Interbike is underway.  If you aren't up to speed on what Interbike is, it is the North American tradeshow for all things bikes.  From Asian manufacturers, to European Chamois manufacturers and everything inbetween.  And there are some doozy things in between. 

After two years of development, the time has come: Continental is presenting the final production model of the new enduro racing tire "Der Baron 2.4 Projekt" at Eurobike. They have been designed in collaboration with top enduro athletes and trail riders. The fruits of their knowledge and experience have already been successfully tested during races.

Known for his street trials riding and recreationally competing in the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup – nineteen year old Fabio Wibmer has successfully finished a major project in his home region East Tyrol, Austria. As part of the existing Adventurepark Osttirol, the special bike trials center took more than 18 months to complete but the result was worth the wait. The very unique and specially designed Trials Bike Park in the Austrian municipality Ainet is now open for eager riders to develop their skills. To celebrate the opening, Danny MacAskill and his Drop and Roll team came to surprise their team colleague Fabio.

In confirmation of the speed he's had all year, Brook MacDonald threw down a classic 'Bulldog' run on the steep and root strewn track in Italy at the final round of the 2015 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. After dislocating his knee in training the day before, there was doubt about his ability to race, yet a strong showing in yesterday's qualifiers for a 10th place showed he had gas in the tank and was ready for a strong final result.

Competition began on March 25, traveled to three continents, and required no small amount of dedication — and on Sunday, August 16, 2015, Anneke Beerten was crowned Queen of Crankworx. To win the title, and the $25,000 check that came with it, the 33-year-old enduro specialist from the Netherlands amassed more points than any other woman — and made more podium appearances than any other Crankworx competitor.

The final showdown: Red Bull TV wraps up the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup season in Val di Sole
16 races across eight countries are now behind us. Red Bull TV has trotted the globe capturing the sweat and tears (of joy), thrilling action and dramatic moments. Now the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup presented by Shimano will come to an end in Val di Sole (ITA) on 22 and 23 August 2015. (Almost) nothing has been decided yet – it is tit-for- tat and wheel-to-wheel for the last time.

The top 20 riders in the finals, down from 120, absolutely threw down on Crabapple Hits early Thursday afternoon. Casey BROWN (CAN) and Andreu LACONDEGUY (ESP) were named the 2015 Official Whip-Off World Champions, making Brown the owner of the women's division.

After nearly four years of development, we're proud to launch the Maiden. With the freedom to design on an extended schedule, it represents the cutting edge of our technology. Its all-carbon frame was designed from the ground up to perform at the highest levels of World Cup racing, bike park blasting, and big mountain freeriding.

What is “History”? How far back do you have to go for something to be considered historic? How do you “Make History”? Have you ever looked back on a piece of Mountain Bike film from the early 1990’s and chuckled at the lack of suspension, inadequate helmets or skinny bars? You don’t have to look back too far in our sport’s short history to see some kooky fashion, or bike geometry trends change. Though short in geologic terms the history of MTB has been fun to observe and be a part of. I remember riding Blackcomb in the summer of 1992 on a fully rigid bike with a Girvin Flex Stem in a foam helmet with a spandex shower cap over it, drifting corners at speeds way too fast for the bike’s capabilities.

With the dust settling on the second stop of the Crankworx World Tour, Whistler is ready for the big show.

Home at last and ready to break new ground in the sport, Crankworx Whistler will see the crowning of the first King and Queen of the Crankworx World Tour, and one athlete will attempt the ultimate feat, winning every event of the year in his discipline to take the Triple Crown of Slopestyle.

Livigno is expanding: as of last week the Italian bike resort has three new trails on its extensive bike map. On Thursday, a new route was opened in Val Minor, an important link between Livigno and Switzerland. On Saturday, Livigno's longterm testimonial Hans Rey and friend, Danny MacAskill took the chance to test the two new flow trails located on the Carosello 3000 mountain.

Aaron Gwin stole the show in Leogang after winning the Men Elite race, with no chain! Rachel Atherton also had a fantastic day, winning her first ever World Cup in Leogang. This unbelievable day of racing rounds off the 2015 Out of Bounds Festival in Saalfelden Leogang. Watch Aaron Gwin's amazing run and more race highlights here: <http://win.gs/CrazyChainlessRun">win.gs/CrazyChainlessRun

What can visitors expect from this year's edition of 26TRIX? Well, if history is anything to go by, then off-the-chart rotations and aerial maneuvers. Celebrating the tenth edition of this contest, former champions will return to Bikepark Leogang. Mixing up the pack is BMX legend Ryan Nyquist. The BMX dirt and park rider will swap in his 20" trick machine for a 26" mountain bike and will ride with the top dawgs.

On Sunday May 31 two members of the Whistler Cycling Club were killed by a driver that crossed the centre line on a highway north of Pemberton. The passenger in the vehicle was also pronounced dead.

The day started off innocently when Kelly Blunden & Ross Chafe picked up a third rider and set forth riding from Whistler to Joffre Lakes up on the Duffey Lake Road. A long ride, but not out of the ordinary for this group of three.

Crankworx and Whistler Blackcomb will celebrate the creative spirit and storytelling culture of mountain biking for the fourth year with Dirt Diaries.

Six mountain bike athletes have been invited to assemble a team of riders and videographers to produce a video showcasing their passion for their sport. Intended to inspire others to get on a bike and ride, the four to six-minute videos will be created over the next two months and be screened on Tuesday, Aug. 11 on the main stage in Whistler Olympic Plaza during Crankworx Whistler.

The Whistler Mountain Bike Park will open for the 2015 season two weeks ahead of schedule on Saturday, May 2. With skiing and snowboarding still going strong in the Whistler Blackcomb alpine with a 182cm base, low snow levels in the valley have allowed trail crews to get to work on the lower section of the Bike Park to prepare the Fitzsimmons Zone for an early opening.

2015 addition of Bell Built campaign is nearing vote time.  There are three different regions, West, Central & East with three finalists in each region.  Voting opens on April 13th, with one grand prize per region to be won. 

AFter a long off season always comes the fun.  As soon as the tream was back together we felt like Finale Ligure was yesterday.  How exciting it is to be in New Zealand for the first race of the season?  None of us has ever traveled so far!  The happiness of being back together was soon joined with a huge willingness to grab our bikes and smash the soft dirt of Rotorua's jungel for practice.

In 2014 the new kid on the block, Nicholi Rogatkin from Boston (USA), created ripples in the FMB World Tour scene – this year, he is pre-qualified for the FMB Diamond Series and ready to make waves. Riding with the support of new partners, in 2015 we could be witness to another rider joining the ranks of the top dawgs on the scene.

South Africans Philip Buys and Matthys Beukes notched up the first South African win in the 2015 Absa Cape Epic after an audacious early break on Wednesday's rugged 111km Stage 4.

The looped route – starting and finishing in Worcester – included some back-breaking climbs and rocky surfaces, giving rise to many tyre problems throughout the field. The sun also made conditions difficult for some of the backmarkers.

The women's race of the 92km Stage 2 of the Absa Cape Epic came to a dramatic conclusion late in the day at the Oak Valley Wine Estate race village.

Although finishing the day in a blistering time of 4:37.31.1, Team RECM Specialized's Ariane Kleinhans and Annika Langvad had to wait until the very end of the day to hear their race fate, this after they took an unintentional detour close to the finish line and in doing so cut almost 5km off their race distance.

As the popularity of enduro racing continues to grow, so too does the North American Enduro Tour, with new stops in California, Colorado and a new race date for Whistler.

The 2015 tour has added the Northstar Enduro, a race held in Northstar California Resort in the California Enduro Series, and the Enduro X at Steamboat, a race held in Steamboat Springs, Colorado from the Enduro X Series.

In 2009 the Absa Cape Epic Prologue was staged across the face of Table Mountain, in the Table Mountain National Park, but in the days before the event a fire swept across the slopes and much of the course.

After a few nervous days the organisers were, however, able to stage what became known as the "Dash through the Ash" as they had planned.

The invites are out for the first Slopestyle event of the Crankworx World Tour, launching the quest to secure the Triple Crown of Slopestyle in its inaugural year.

The coveted Triple Crown has been created to recognize the perfect trifecta of athletic performance, a win at every round of the Crankworx Slopestyle Series. Only 20 top athletes, and three alternates, will have the opportunity to compete for the new title.

Danny MacAskill's wild ride on the Isle of Skye went viral on YouTube and has rewarded him with a second nomination for the Laureus World Action Sportsperson of the Year Award. In just two weeks after the release of the Scotsman's latest video clip "The Ridge", it quickly reached over 20 million views and now sits at over 30 million views. In an interview Danny MacAskill admits: "I never had any expectations of those kind of figures."

It all began when Tomas Lemoine, in his zebra pants, stood on the podium at Swatch Prime Line Munich. His podium result at the FMB World Tour Gold Event opened doors to the season's big FMB Diamond Events. He later finished sixth at the Bearclaw Invitational (CAN) and Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler (CAN). Back in Europe, as the youngest rider in the field, he travelled to Nuremberg for Red Bull District Ride. His performance was just shy of a top ten result amongst the world's best athletes.

Last year was the debut of the FMB Diamond Series, comprising of the five biggest events around the world. Brandon Semenuk took his third FMB World Championship title last year, but riders like Brett Rheeder, Anthony Messere and Thomas Genon were close behind. Now, a new season is on the horizon and it's time for the 2015 battle to commence.

Another cycling superstar has joined the Northwave family: Cedric Gracia is not only an extraordinary athlete in offroad's disciplines on the World stage, in Downhill and now in Enduro, but also represents an exceptional icon thanks to the unconventional style that made him so popular among thousands and thousands of fans all over the World.

What's better than having three of the most exciting slopestyle talents in the business riding together? Having four of them is what. More is always better and the Canyon Factory Freeride Team (CFFT) is excited to welcome new rider Tomas Lemoine into the ranks for 2015.

As of Feb 8th, 2015 Uncle Dick's will be selling consumer direct at wholesale pricing. This means a 3 ounce tin of Uncle Dick's Bead Slip sells for $10.50 plus shipping to you the buyer instead of the lofty $20.99. Brush bags, as UD likes to call them will also sell at the discounted pricing. "In our first year, distributors were the focus and we only picked up a handful of distributors in the US Market. With marginal sales growth and a host of end-users turned off by the high over the counter retail price it's a good time to go direct," stated Rich Travis, founder of Uncle Dicks Bike Shop.

Dealer Service Centers, love the product because it's a behind the counter product intended to help them get tire service out the door, fast. The product is rarely sold over the counter in the retail setting. Shops can continue to buy from distributors or uncledicksbikeshop.com and end-users can now buy direct. A host of bike businesses have been going direct for years. "I think this is going to increase sales and end-user interaction 2 fold, both of which will enhance my abilities to follow customer needs and grow the business," says Rich.

If you are new to Uncle Dick's Products it's designed to assist bicycle mechanics with tough tire installations. Such as seating beads and slipping a stubborn tire over a rim. The product allows quick and much safer tire installations for fat bikes and tubeless systems as well. Time is money for everyone so having a tin of bead slip at your bench is money and time made. Just whip the slip with a brush and apply to tire where needed.

Ariane Kleinhans is under no illusions about the challenge that will confront her and partner Annika Langvad when they defend their Absa Cape Epic title next month: "We will definitely face the toughest competition ever at this year's Cape Epic," she said. The Swiss/Danish duo won in compelling fashion from Esther Süss of Switzerland and Briton Sally Bigham in 2014. This year Bigham will ride with Slovenian Blaza Klemencic and Süss with Belgian Alice Pirard.

Israel is a country which completely tore up any preconceptions I had about it before I visited. It showed me that the people there have a real love and feel for mountain biking. From the north of the country to the south, we found vibrant local bike shops stocked full of the latest kit. The government had recently closed a lot of mountain trails, making them mountain bike only with the country's best riders behind the project from the outset.It's an incredibly historic place and Jerusalem is one of the most captivating places I've ever visited. There was an incredible mix of religions, cultures, flavours and smells, the like of which I'd never experienced before.

Registration for the SRAM Canadian Open Enduro presented by Specialized opens 9 a.m. PST Wednesday, February 4 for those ready to crest the "Top of the World" in Whistler.

Riders signing on for 2015 will need all the energy of the Crankworx crowds to take on Whistler's rooty forest single-track and scree-marred alpine; however, the organizers are prepared to concede it will not be the "Crankzilla" of 2014, as athletes notoriously dubbed this race.

Western Spirit Cycling is bringing Outerbike to Whistler British Columbia June 4-7, 2015. Outerbike is a consumer bike demo event and everyone is invited to come ride the new bikes on Whistler's famous trails. Western Spirit has partnered with Whistler Blackcomb, Whistler Bike Guide, Whistler Trail Solutions, Bear Back Biking, Resort Municipality of Whistler, Tourism Whistler and the Whistler Off Road Cycling Association.

She might be the world's most-decorated women's mountain biker, but Norway's Gunn-Rita Dahle Flesjå is playing down her chances of a win in her debut Absa Cape Epic. "'Survive and enjoy' is the motto for Kathrin (Stirnemann, her partner in Team World Bicycle Relief) and I," said Dahle Flesjå. "We are approaching it as a great adventure ... and, of course, as experience for next year's participation in the Absa Cape Epic." Switzerland's Stirnemann, the cross country eliminator World Champion, revealed though that they do have some ambitions: "Our goal is to fight for a stage win. And I hope Gunn-Rita and I have a great adventure together."

The Belgian athletes are two of the favourites of the Elite and U23 races with Extreme Tech MTB Plus shoes

2014/2015 cyclocross season draws to a close, and Northwave's athletes are prepare to face World Championships' weekend that to be held in Tabor (Czech Republic), Saturday January 31st (Juniores and Women Elite races) and Sunday February 1st (Men Elite and U23 races).

His two victories at the Red Bull Rampage, his natural 'freeride' spirit and overall involvement in our sport seduced us. We are very proud to have him with us and we look forward to him lining up with our bikes at forthcoming events.

Niner Bikes is excited to announce the addition of Rebecca Rusch to our family. Rebecca needs no introduction to most of the cycling universe with national and world titles in whitewater rafting, adventure racing, orienteering, and cross-country skiing. Where those titles subside Rusch's cycling career keeps on rolling strong. National wins and record setting victories at ultra-endurance events like Leadville Trail 100 or the Dirty Kanza continue to bolster Rebecca's palmares.

The Giant Toa Enduro is shaping up to be a fascinating race with a field of competitors from all mountain biking race disciplines set to take on the course at Crankworx Rotorua.

Selling out in under three minutes, the event secured a new Enduro World Series registration record yesterday, with a rich field of New Zealanders and internationally-based amateurs set to join the professional riders for race day this March.

This year the Untamed African stage race takes place from 15 to 22 March 2015, and will once again take 1 200 riders through some of the Western Cape’s most unspoilt territory. The race commences with a prologue on Table Mountain, starting from the University of Cape Town, and finishing eight days later at Meerendal Wine Estate in Durbanville.

The countdown to the 2015 Enduro World Series is gathering pace – and this year a record number of teams will be fighting it out for the title.

Twenty nine official teams have been selected to compete for the coveted team world title – up from 24 last year. With new teams joining the series and some big changes to their rosters, the upcoming series looks set to be the most exciting to date.

It will forever be remembered as a dark day on the South African cycling calendar: 3 January 2013 - the date one of the sport's greatest talents was killed.

Today the Absa Cape Epic joins the mountain biking family in paying tribute to the great Burry Stander and reflecting on what might have been had fate not snuffed out the light and promise that shone from this young star.

"We've been loving enduro for more than 20 years! It started with the first MEGAVALANCHE in the 90's, we were partners with Georges EDWARDS, the famous organizer. It is a real story of passion that binds us with this sport.  With the Enduro World Series, this sport definitely got more professional, so it was important to us to be present through a perfectly organized structure.  We were naturally attracted to Cécile and Cédric team, because they are looking for a long-term partnership, and so do we. I also really appreciated Cécile's victory at the Whistler Enduro World Series. It is a place I love, and winning there is a sign of true talent!  There is also the fact that Cécile and Cédric are really close to Nico QUERE (They coach him). Together, they will form a great team.  I am really happy about this new partnership, which is already planned for 3 years." - Max COMMENCAL

We have to admit, we were hesitant about the fat bike trend that's taking the bike industry by storm (pun intended). There were definitely a few raised eyebrows in the office when we started designing and testing one.

Wade Simmons was an instant convert though; "everyone thinks they're so f*cking cool and serious, but It's really just about having fun on your bike anyway." And soon enough, the other guys stopped returning their test bikes on time.

Professional mountain bike athlete Mike Hopkins and Canada's Norco Bicycles will be parting ways for the 2015 season.

"On behalf of all of us at Norco Bicycles, we're thrilled to have worked with Mike Hopkins over the past several years," says Norco Marketing Manager Chris Cook. "Mike's commitment, professionalism and bike skills in front of and behind the camera have helped capture the sense of adventure and sharing amazing experiences that we all love about getting out on our bikes at Norco.

Since his breakthrough in 2009, the Scottish street trials rider has racked up over 150 million views on his online videos. The most recent video "The Ridge", filmed on his home island, the Isle of Skye reached over 20 million views in just 2 weeks, making it one of the most watched sporting videos ever on YouTube. For Danny, riding is about making the most of the natural surroundings. Jumping over benches, riding up trees, hopping over walls and down stairs comes naturally to him. However, there are some features that have to be especially made – one of these is the loop. Follow Danny on his journey to create the biggest loop he has ever ridden in this legacy clip: http://bit.ly/Cortana_Loop

Next year sees the UCI Elite Team, Trek World Racing, entering its 7th season on the World Cup circuit and will do so with 4 talented riders returning from 2014. World #9, Brook MacDonald clearly demonstrated that he has returned to form after his shoulder surgery by ending the 2014 season with a great 5th place at the World Championships as well as scoring 2 World Cup podiums in Leogang and Windham.

Amanda Batty is now my favourite women racer.  She has literally put her money on the line and offered up to $20,000 to pay race entry fees for first time female downhill racers. 

Norco Bicycles is thrilled to announce the creation of an all-new World Cup downhill race team in partnership with Todd Schumlick/PerformX: Norco Factory Racing. The team consists of Sam Blenkinsop, Harry Heath, Jack Iles, Magnus Manson and Team Owner/Manager Todd Schumlick of PerformX Racing. Norco Factory Racing athletes will compete in the 2015 UCI World Cup downhill circuit and select major events around the world.

Trailcraft Cycles was created to answer the need for a high performance, lightweight, 24-inch XC kids bicycle. With high end components mirroring those of mountain bikes two to three wheel sizes bigger, Trailcraft Cycles brings two options of both aluminum and titanium bicycles to the kids bike market. Nestled on the edge of the Rocky Mountains, Trailcraft Cycles was founded in Fort Collins, Colorado which is known for for its great riding and family friendly atmosphere.

Another remarkable year has come to an end in Saalfelden Leogang. A particular flat tire during the UCI Mountain Bike Downhill World Cup race in the Bikepark Leogang will go down in the history books and the action from White Style, the Out of Bounds Festival and the Biketember Festival will remain a season highlight for many visitors. Then of course, thousands of bikers decided to hit the trails in Leogang's bikepark - these adrenaline pumping moments will see them safely through the upcoming winter months.