Red Bull 5000 Down

When it comes to mountain bike races, few are as crazy as the Red Bull 5000 Down, which took place in Whistler, British Columbia last weekend. The race begins with a mass start at the top, and all 250 riders in a mad dash to the finish line. Mix in some snow and fog, and you have all the conditions you need for wild event. Check out the video below for a glimpse of the fun.

Thanks to the Wend Blog for tipping me off to this. I'd never seen this race before. Crazy!

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TransRockies Mountain Bike Race Underway Too!

The Bull of Africa isn't the only event of note this week, as the TransRockies mountain bike race has also got underway yesterday, with 300 teams taking to the 550km course, set in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, with agonizing climbs and heart pounding drops across it's length.

This year's course consists of 7 stages, and began at Panorama Mountain Resort, in British Columbia, Canada and will end in Fernie, also in BC, on Saturday. On the official site, you'll find stage results and stage reports, as well as daily photo galleries with action from the trail. There is also some history on the race, links to some good resources on the web, and information on the race sponsors.

The TransRockies is one of the premiere mountain biking events anywhere in the world, and should be a blast to watch this week. I know I mentioned that the Leadville 100 is also one of the top mountain biking events, but the two are just completely different races. The length of the TransRockies changes the strategy of the race and demands more from the riders as it extends across a week of racing. Factor in the amount of vertical gain, the challenging technical aspects of the trail, and you have one amazing event.

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