by Appenninica MTB | May 29, 2019 | Uncategorized
Wheelsets are such an important part of our mountain bikes. They can enhance the performance – both in terms of speed and traction- they make for a great look, but they can also cause disastrous crashes if they fail.
9th Wave is a company owned and operated by riders. They don’t follow trends but they rather seek what works best by testing their products in the toughest competitions around (including MTB stage races).
Bike mag test winners and champions in strength and durability, 9th Wave carbon wheels add a touch of class to any high-end bike. The Dutch visionary company lead by Peter Wouters and Guido de Jong is often at some of the coolest events around Europe. They are kindly and enthusiastically supporting the first edition – with a long term plan – of Appenninica MTB Parmigiano Reggiano, our stage race that will take place in the summer of 2019.
Their first priorities since the start were quality, honesty and always stay innovative. 9th Wave strives for quality on all fronts: from products to service, from delivery times and post-sales service.
“Honesty means to us: don’t sell or tell nonsense and being able to look at yourself proudly in the mirror every day. And innovation is for us to continue to think outside the box and pay attention to every tiny detail of products. (Feel free to ask any of us. You will notice that in each product by 9th Wave a lot of invisible small “smart” details are processed.) – 9th Wave”
9th Wave will be more than just a Technical Sponsor.
The collaboration will include co-promotion between the two brands and some important benefits for the riders: mechanical service (official mechanical service at the race), spare wheelsets at the neutral mechanical aid station, a generous discount for all registered riders (not available to the general public).
So, stay tuned for more details and for the orange 9th Wave van at the Appenninica MTB Parmigiano Reggiano race village. An email will follow specifically about the partnership and therefore make sure to register to the newsletter on our website.
Peter Wouters of 9th Wave is a veteran of MTB stage races
by Appenninica MTB | May 28, 2019 | Highlights
Confirmed the presence at the start of the Italian stage race of Marzio Deho, Italian MTB legend and one of the few bikers who have raced in every corner of the world.
Any Italian mountain bike enthusiast has heard of Marzio Deho at least once. A true legend that began competing in the early 1990s and has never stopped since. He has collected the beauty of almost 350 career victories, but above all he has raced in every corner of the world, from Europe to Asia, from South America to Africa.
His specialty is the long distances races, in his palmares there are 1 Italian marathon championship and numerous national team jerseys, he won prestigious races like the Dolomiti Superbike and the Roc D’Azur.
The stage races are his love, he has won twice the Mongolia Bike Race, the Himalaya Highest mtb race and also the TransRockies, a tough stage race in British Columbia.
The desire to race and ride has never diminished and in 2019 he decided to compete again in something new and for this reason will be the first edition of the Appeninica MTB Stage Race Parmigiano Reggiano.
We took the opportunity to have a chat with Marzio and let us explain his point of view on Appenninica (and on its possible future), on stage races and on how to approach one of them.
Photo credit Pianetamountainbike.it
– Why did you choose to participate in Appenninica MTB Stage Race Parmigiano Reggiano and what do you think makes it different from other Italian stage races?
Marzio: The stage races have always thrilled me, since I started practicing Mtb, I immediately tried also this type of races. In Italy a real stage race currently does not exist and one comparable to the more famous stage races around the world there has never been. So I see Appenninica as finally the stage race that was missing in Italy.
– For an 8-day stage race, do you think the couple formula or the solo is better?
Marzio: There is no better or worse, both solo and team competitions are good. In my opinion, every event must stand out with its own identity, or compete in team or individually. The Cape Epic teaches, born in couple continues to be so, then there are many other less famous 4-stage or one-week individual competitions (Andalucia bike Race or Volcat, Ruta de Los Conquistadores or Crocodile Trophy) or just in team (Brasil ride, Portugal Mtb or Epic Israel).
– You have competed practically all over the world, what do you expect from the Emilian Apennines? Is it an area you know?
– From the way they talked about it is a competition that they want to make known outside national borders and grow at good levels, to do this the Apennines is a good area because it presents a big variety of terrains ideal for a stage race. I know the areas but not very well, I’ve been there several times but I’ve competed very little in those region. I am very curious to discover the stages that I certainly expect hard and beautiful, with nothing less as races in the Alps.
– With which bike will you be running and what will be your basic kit for the individual stages?
– I don’t know exactly how much technical and what the stages will be like, but I think I’ll compete with my front Olympia F1. As in all stage races, a minimum of kits for your mechanical assistance is a good thing: take a multitool with chaintool and all the material needed for repair a puncture.
– Appenninica4, the reduced formula of the Apennines, do you think is the right gateway to a stage race for those who have never done it before?
– It can be a good starting point, but I believe that the race must find its identity, understand if it wants to be a 7-day race in team or on 4 days alone, the event must give the same emotions to all the participants and this first edition could be the one that will make Appenninica MTB Stage Race Parmigiano Reggiano understand its true nature.
– What are your suggestions for an amateur who at the Appenninica MTB Stage Race Parmigiano Reggiano will make his debut in a stage race?
– Definitely get prepared with a good amount of training, especially a lot of hours in the legs. In the race knowing how to administer himself well without burning-out or going over strength limits in the first few days, otherwise, you can pay it in the following stages.
The appointment with Marzio Deho and with Appenninica MTB Stage Race Parmigiano Reggiano is from 20 to 27 July 2019.
All information on www.appenninica-mtb.com
by Appenninica MTB | May 25, 2019 | Highlights
Melanie – Mel – tells us about her passions and how they come together. We loved to find out about her artistic side and therefore we asked her about her creations and racing in the Women category with Sophie Hemming (UK).
I am fairly new to throwing on a wheel having tried it for the first time a year ago. It is a fantastic process; I like both the processes of throwing a form and then turning the form to shape it. Once I got the hang of making a few small cylinders, I started making some pots with Puffins on for an exhibition based on the coast of West Wales. Puffins are a small bird native to the area, quite an interesting little sea bird.
I then made a few cups as Christmas presents painted to suit the individuals and this developed into making some cups as prizes at a local beach race where I set up a stand to sell a few “bike mugs”. Every cup I make is unique. The shape and size of the cup, the handle, the image to place on them and how the image is applied are all elements I am still exploring. Some of the images are painted on, others are in the techniques of Scraffito and inlay. I would like to develop the cups into pairs or small groups of four but still keep their unique character. I have no interest in mass production.
Why bikes?
It just seemed obvious, they are great, practical, take you to fantastic places and make you feel good. I would like to expand on the bike designs and include other cycling related images – places I go and things I see – often on a bike. I’ve also created some bike themed bowls that I will develop further.
For a few years mountain biking has taken over my creative time. Mountain biking is a fantastic sport but racing takes a lot of energy and focus. Last year I decided to make time to explore new skills such as throwing on the wheel, stone carving and bronze casting. Throwing grabbed me much more than I was expecting, I liked the immediacy, the challenge, the process– it takes a lot of focus so can be very relaxing. I like the fact it can be developed in so many ways and there is so much to explore. It has got me excited about making again. I want to continue combining painting and drawing on my ceramics and to develop my throwing skills.
This year I am excited to see where the ceramics goes but also to have a couple of races to aim for. It’s great to have Appenninica MTB Parmigiano Reggiano as a target. Part of the excitement for me is the opportunity to ride and race in new parts of the World and to take part in new events. I love riding in Italy and the Appenninica takes places in a part of Italy I have not raced before so I’m looking forward to experiencing what the area has to offer. It’s going to be an epic week and I’m looking forward to racing with Sophie for the first time as a team. We have ridden some pretty awesome trails together in Wales, Scotland, and Switzerland and soon we’ll be able to include Italy in this list. Hopefully, I can strike the right balance between throwing on one wheel and riding on two!
Our Team
We met when racing XC three years ago. We always have close battles, climbing and descending at similar speeds which will work well for stage racing as a team. We have ridden some pretty awesome trails together and have been talking about racing a stage race together for a couple of years now, but we have waited for the right time and race to appear. There doesn’t appear to be many stage races which are 8 days long and technical which is why Appenninica grabbed our attention.
I have been mountain biking for many years, first attracted to stage racing due to the places it took me and the challenge to aim for before focusing on XC for a few years.
Sophie is relatively new to mountain biking in comparison, but with a background playing Rugby for England she has adapted to the sport very quickly. Whilst I have competed in a Mountain biking World cup Sophie has competed in, and won, a different World Cup playing Rugby for England.
Sophie is not only a competitive athlete she is also a mother to Sam and has a demanding job as a vet, which she did alongside training and representing England at Rugby before moving onto her newer passion of mountain biking. My day job is as an Art teacher in a prison and I’m also developing my own range of ceramic pieces with a cycling theme.
by Appenninica MTB | May 8, 2019 | Highlights
Squirt Cycling Products is the official chain lubricant partner of Appenninica MTB Parmigiano Reggiano Stage Race.
Achieving your goal at a mountain bike race is as much about training hard, using the best equipment, getting your nutrition dialed in, and hopefully riding your dream bike, right? Yes, but that’s not all.
On a 7-day MTB stage race, as in the format of the Appenninica, you need to make sure your bike is clean and lubed properly every day. The chain and drivetrain are typically the dirtiest parts of your bike and if you don’t use the right lube, well, your bike performance will be impacted and, let’s face it, you will hate yourself when your chain comes off or brakes at a critical point during the race.
That’s why we are happy to partner with Squirt Cycling Products, a South African company. Their liquid lubricant has unique properties that make it ideal for use in any cycling condition. Squirt lube is a wax base, long lasting dry lube that does not contain harmful solvents, is 100% biodegradable and environmentally friendly. They also produce a concentrated biodegradable bike cleaner, a puncture sealant, and a long-lasting application for skin protection on endurance events.
Whichever is your ambition, know that Squirt products are tried, tested and trusted by the biggest names in the world of mountain biking such as Julien Absalon, Rudi Van Houts, Bart Brentjens, Alan Hatherly, Robyn de Groot, Ariane Luthi, and Mariske Strauss, Stefan Garlicki, Bradley Weiss or Johann Potgieter.
Squirt is involved in a number of activities to promote cycling, adventure racing, running and multi-sport around the world. They strive to produce products that are thoroughly tested and accepted by the cycling world as functional and of high quality.
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