The Independent on Saturday

Last chance to stretch those racing legs

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AS we meander toward the end of 2017 (aren't you already sick of the Chrismas music blaring from the tinny speakers in shops), there are still a precious few races for the racing snakes to test their legs.

This weekend sees the penultimat­e "real" mountain bike event of the season in KZN. After the Lake Eland Quattro Classic on Sunday, there is only a niche stage race, the Legacy Tour in Kamberg, followed by the Eston Christmas Classic (which is anything but a classic – it is however low-key fun for a good cause on good trails), and then the final MTB race of the year in KZN, the Stihl Sharks Trail. So, if you are still raring for a race, best you head to Lake Eland this weekend and then Shongweni next month.

The photo on the right is of Carson Storch in action during the filming of Red Bull's North of Nightfall. The film, shot on Axel Heiberg Island off Canada, looks like a spectacula­r feature film on riding in one of the most remote places in the world. The Red Bull blurb reads as follows: "Hidden amongst the glaciers high in the arctic circle are mountain bike lines too incredible to ignore. Harsh temperatur­es, volatile weather, and nine-month winters have left the area void of human life. Each summer, this frozen landscape flourishes under endless daylight, revealing a spectacula­r ecosystem. Darren Berrecloth, Carson Storch, Cam Zink and Tom van Steenberge­n embarked on an expedition to the top of the world to explore this terra incognita. In doing so, they discover a changing environmen­t steeped in history along with challengin­g terrain unlike anything ridden to date." The picture on the right is my favourite from a small gallery of pics posted by Red Bull, while the inset, of Berrecloth climbing to the starting point for another spectacula­r descent, was named as the Red Bull Photo of the Month for October. Both photos were taken by Red Bull's Blake Jorgenson For these and more pics and a teaser of the video go to OnYourBike.bike

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TIM WHITFIELD

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