Rob\u2019s Stone King Rally<\/h4>\n- The course:<\/strong> Arvieux, France to Bordighera, Italy. Six days, 24 timed stages, 262km of pedalling with over 8,000m of climbing and 20,300m of descending.<\/li>\n
- The horse:<\/strong> 2023 Santa Cruz Megatower<\/a> with a custom build.<\/li>\n
- The goal:<\/strong> Mainly to just survive, soak in the experience and enjoy being back in the mountains after too long away.<\/li>\n<\/ul>
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Introducing the Stone King Rally Vol.1<\/h2>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> It\u2019s hard to focus on the trail with scenery like this surrounding you.<\/span><\/figcaption> Sven Martin<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nThe Stone King Rally is a multi-day, multi-stage race that starts in the French Alps and works its way down to the Mediterranean coast in northern Italy.<\/p>\n
That might well sound familiar, and for good reason. That\u2019s because the organisers of the Stone King Rally \u2013 Ash Smith and his wife, Melissa Munro \u2013 were the brains behind the Trans-Provence \u2013 the famous race that followed a similar format and ran from 2009 to 2019.<\/p>\n
While many worried that\u2019d be it for races of this nature in this spectacular region, they shouldn\u2019t have. Thankfully, the couple decided to create a new event that claims to encapsulate much of what Trans-Provence was about, but in their words, \u201cpush the boundaries and take mountain biking to new places, both physically and metaphorically\u201d.<\/p>\n
Starting in Arvieux, France, racers tackle the 262km (though the total distance is around 430km with shuttles included) all the way down to Bordighera, Italy. This is over the course of six days and 24 timed stages, all of which are raced blind (as in unsighted, not blindfolded). By the time they reach the beach, it\u2019s the fastest overall across the stages that\u2019ll produce a winner.<\/p>\n
Sounds amazing, right? However, when Ash said he wanted to test the riders physically, he wasn\u2019t kidding. While pedalling those 262km, riders are faced with over 8,000m of climbing (on and off the bike) as well as 20,300m of descent. At times, they\u2019ll be skirting up around 3,000m of elevation, where the oxygen is thin and the terrain\u2026 rather terrifying.<\/p>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> The ride summary of one of the shorter days in the hills. The biggest day of the Stone King Rally saw some of us out on the bike for close to 13 hours.<\/span><\/figcaption> Sven Martin<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nThe trails vary massively over the course of the week, taking in high-speed Alpine pastures and technical, steep wooded singletrack, as well as bike-destroying boulder fields. There\u2019s a good measure of super-tight, massively awkward hairpins to navigate, some of which come with a good dose of exposure off to the side. It\u2019s terrain like this that the area is famed for and something that takes time and patience to master.<\/p>\n
Riders carry kit for the day (tools, spares and clothing), including as much food and water as they think they\u2019ll need. There\u2019s a food stop provided part-way through, which helps keep everyone going.<\/p>\n
When it comes to accommodation, there\u2019s a nice little two-person tent provided for each rider. It might not sound glamorous, but it\u2019s this that helps to make the event work.<\/p>\n
Every day, the Stone King staff help shift each tent, the event village and the rider\u2019s luggage on to the next campsite. It\u2019s an incredible feat of logistics when you consider just how awkward high mountain roads can be and a testament to the planning and team involved that everything arrives ahead of the riders each day.<\/p>\n
When the racers do finally show up after a long day in the saddle, dinner and beer is almost nearly always ready and waiting for them. This is repeated for the six days until you can finally dip your battered sweaty body into the Med after rolling through the finish of the final stage.<\/p>\n
There is some technical support provided, which is a massive help, especially if things really go wrong. This year, SRAM partnered the event and was present and ready to fix just about any problem its mechanics could.<\/p>\n
If the racing aspect doesn\u2019t appeal, the Stone King Rally can still be ridden. There\u2019s the option to purchase a one-month Premium subscription to Komoot<\/a>, along with the full digital 2022 Stone King Rally guide, stickers, postcards and book for \u20ac79. How long you take and where you sleep is then down to you.<\/p>\nThere are cheaper options within the Stone King Rally<\/a> shop too, while the team intend to change the route every year.<\/p>\nThe chosen one<\/h2>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Santa Cruz has overhauled the Megatower for 2023, giving it more travel than the previous model, size-specific chainstay lengths and revisions to the geometry.<\/span><\/figcaption> Sven Martin<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nGetting so much concentrated bike time in extremely testing terrain seemed like the perfect opportunity to put some of the latest products through their paces.<\/p>\n
Considering the distance I\u2019d be covering, a part of me was wondering what sort of bike and just how much suspension travel<\/a> I\u2019d need to tackle such a race. I\u2019d ridden in the area we\u2019d be racing a few times, and while it\u2019s punishingly unforgiving in places, there\u2019s a lot of pedalling to be done, too.<\/p>\nAfter some deliberation, I decided that a full-on enduro bike<\/a> was the order of the day. I\u2019d rather have a bike burly enough to survive (and at times, potentially save me from my own lack of skill) rather than reap the efficiency rewards of a lighter steed, only for it to implode if the trail got really nasty.<\/p>\nAhead of the 2023 RockShox fork<\/a> and shock launch<\/a>, I got hold of a new Santa Cruz Megatower \u2013 with the help of SRAM \u2013 with the new dampers bolted to it.<\/p>\nI\u2019d ridden the previous version of the Megatower back in 2020<\/a> and got on with it just fine, but I wasn\u2019t blown away by how the suspension performed.<\/p>\n
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Introducing the Stone King Rally Vol.1<\/h2>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> It\u2019s hard to focus on the trail with scenery like this surrounding you.<\/span><\/figcaption> Sven Martin<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nThe Stone King Rally is a multi-day, multi-stage race that starts in the French Alps and works its way down to the Mediterranean coast in northern Italy.<\/p>\n
That might well sound familiar, and for good reason. That\u2019s because the organisers of the Stone King Rally \u2013 Ash Smith and his wife, Melissa Munro \u2013 were the brains behind the Trans-Provence \u2013 the famous race that followed a similar format and ran from 2009 to 2019.<\/p>\n
While many worried that\u2019d be it for races of this nature in this spectacular region, they shouldn\u2019t have. Thankfully, the couple decided to create a new event that claims to encapsulate much of what Trans-Provence was about, but in their words, \u201cpush the boundaries and take mountain biking to new places, both physically and metaphorically\u201d.<\/p>\n
Starting in Arvieux, France, racers tackle the 262km (though the total distance is around 430km with shuttles included) all the way down to Bordighera, Italy. This is over the course of six days and 24 timed stages, all of which are raced blind (as in unsighted, not blindfolded). By the time they reach the beach, it\u2019s the fastest overall across the stages that\u2019ll produce a winner.<\/p>\n
Sounds amazing, right? However, when Ash said he wanted to test the riders physically, he wasn\u2019t kidding. While pedalling those 262km, riders are faced with over 8,000m of climbing (on and off the bike) as well as 20,300m of descent. At times, they\u2019ll be skirting up around 3,000m of elevation, where the oxygen is thin and the terrain\u2026 rather terrifying.<\/p>\n
![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> The ride summary of one of the shorter days in the hills. The biggest day of the Stone King Rally saw some of us out on the bike for close to 13 hours.<\/span><\/figcaption> Sven Martin<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nThe trails vary massively over the course of the week, taking in high-speed Alpine pastures and technical, steep wooded singletrack, as well as bike-destroying boulder fields. There\u2019s a good measure of super-tight, massively awkward hairpins to navigate, some of which come with a good dose of exposure off to the side. It\u2019s terrain like this that the area is famed for and something that takes time and patience to master.<\/p>\n
Riders carry kit for the day (tools, spares and clothing), including as much food and water as they think they\u2019ll need. There\u2019s a food stop provided part-way through, which helps keep everyone going.<\/p>\n
When it comes to accommodation, there\u2019s a nice little two-person tent provided for each rider. It might not sound glamorous, but it\u2019s this that helps to make the event work.<\/p>\n
Every day, the Stone King staff help shift each tent, the event village and the rider\u2019s luggage on to the next campsite. It\u2019s an incredible feat of logistics when you consider just how awkward high mountain roads can be and a testament to the planning and team involved that everything arrives ahead of the riders each day.<\/p>\n
When the racers do finally show up after a long day in the saddle, dinner and beer is almost nearly always ready and waiting for them. This is repeated for the six days until you can finally dip your battered sweaty body into the Med after rolling through the finish of the final stage.<\/p>\n
There is some technical support provided, which is a massive help, especially if things really go wrong. This year, SRAM partnered the event and was present and ready to fix just about any problem its mechanics could.<\/p>\n
If the racing aspect doesn\u2019t appeal, the Stone King Rally can still be ridden. There\u2019s the option to purchase a one-month Premium subscription to Komoot<\/a>, along with the full digital 2022 Stone King Rally guide, stickers, postcards and book for \u20ac79. How long you take and where you sleep is then down to you.<\/p>\nThere are cheaper options within the Stone King Rally<\/a> shop too, while the team intend to change the route every year.<\/p>\nThe chosen one<\/h2>\n ![\"""\"]( "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div> Santa Cruz has overhauled the Megatower for 2023, giving it more travel than the previous model, size-specific chainstay lengths and revisions to the geometry.<\/span><\/figcaption> Sven Martin<\/i><\/span><\/div>\nGetting so much concentrated bike time in extremely testing terrain seemed like the perfect opportunity to put some of the latest products through their paces.<\/p>\n
Considering the distance I\u2019d be covering, a part of me was wondering what sort of bike and just how much suspension travel<\/a> I\u2019d need to tackle such a race. I\u2019d ridden in the area we\u2019d be racing a few times, and while it\u2019s punishingly unforgiving in places, there\u2019s a lot of pedalling to be done, too.<\/p>\nAfter some deliberation, I decided that a full-on enduro bike<\/a> was the order of the day. I\u2019d rather have a bike burly enough to survive (and at times, potentially save me from my own lack of skill) rather than reap the efficiency rewards of a lighter steed, only for it to implode if the trail got really nasty.<\/p>\nAhead of the 2023 RockShox fork<\/a> and shock launch<\/a>, I got hold of a new Santa Cruz Megatower \u2013 with the help of SRAM \u2013 with the new dampers bolted to it.<\/p>\nI\u2019d ridden the previous version of the Megatower back in 2020<\/a> and got on with it just fine, but I wasn\u2019t blown away by how the suspension performed.<\/p>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/08\/Horse-for-the-course-Ride-shot1-fda8066.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>The Stone King Rally is a multi-day, multi-stage race that starts in the French Alps and works its way down to the Mediterranean coast in northern Italy.<\/p>\n
That might well sound familiar, and for good reason. That\u2019s because the organisers of the Stone King Rally \u2013 Ash Smith and his wife, Melissa Munro \u2013 were the brains behind the Trans-Provence \u2013 the famous race that followed a similar format and ran from 2009 to 2019.<\/p>\n
While many worried that\u2019d be it for races of this nature in this spectacular region, they shouldn\u2019t have. Thankfully, the couple decided to create a new event that claims to encapsulate much of what Trans-Provence was about, but in their words, \u201cpush the boundaries and take mountain biking to new places, both physically and metaphorically\u201d.<\/p>\n
Starting in Arvieux, France, racers tackle the 262km (though the total distance is around 430km with shuttles included) all the way down to Bordighera, Italy. This is over the course of six days and 24 timed stages, all of which are raced blind (as in unsighted, not blindfolded). By the time they reach the beach, it\u2019s the fastest overall across the stages that\u2019ll produce a winner.<\/p>\n
Sounds amazing, right? However, when Ash said he wanted to test the riders physically, he wasn\u2019t kidding. While pedalling those 262km, riders are faced with over 8,000m of climbing (on and off the bike) as well as 20,300m of descent. At times, they\u2019ll be skirting up around 3,000m of elevation, where the oxygen is thin and the terrain\u2026 rather terrifying.<\/p>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/08\/Horse-for-the-course-Garmin-fd86003.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>The trails vary massively over the course of the week, taking in high-speed Alpine pastures and technical, steep wooded singletrack, as well as bike-destroying boulder fields. There\u2019s a good measure of super-tight, massively awkward hairpins to navigate, some of which come with a good dose of exposure off to the side. It\u2019s terrain like this that the area is famed for and something that takes time and patience to master.<\/p>\n
Riders carry kit for the day (tools, spares and clothing), including as much food and water as they think they\u2019ll need. There\u2019s a food stop provided part-way through, which helps keep everyone going.<\/p>\n
When it comes to accommodation, there\u2019s a nice little two-person tent provided for each rider. It might not sound glamorous, but it\u2019s this that helps to make the event work.<\/p>\n
Every day, the Stone King staff help shift each tent, the event village and the rider\u2019s luggage on to the next campsite. It\u2019s an incredible feat of logistics when you consider just how awkward high mountain roads can be and a testament to the planning and team involved that everything arrives ahead of the riders each day.<\/p>\n
When the racers do finally show up after a long day in the saddle, dinner and beer is almost nearly always ready and waiting for them. This is repeated for the six days until you can finally dip your battered sweaty body into the Med after rolling through the finish of the final stage.<\/p>\n
There is some technical support provided, which is a massive help, especially if things really go wrong. This year, SRAM partnered the event and was present and ready to fix just about any problem its mechanics could.<\/p>\n
If the racing aspect doesn\u2019t appeal, the Stone King Rally can still be ridden. There\u2019s the option to purchase a one-month Premium subscription to Komoot<\/a>, along with the full digital 2022 Stone King Rally guide, stickers, postcards and book for \u20ac79. How long you take and where you sleep is then down to you.<\/p>\n There are cheaper options within the Stone King Rally<\/a> shop too, while the team intend to change the route every year.<\/p>\n Getting so much concentrated bike time in extremely testing terrain seemed like the perfect opportunity to put some of the latest products through their paces.<\/p>\n Considering the distance I\u2019d be covering, a part of me was wondering what sort of bike and just how much suspension travel<\/a> I\u2019d need to tackle such a race. I\u2019d ridden in the area we\u2019d be racing a few times, and while it\u2019s punishingly unforgiving in places, there\u2019s a lot of pedalling to be done, too.<\/p>\n After some deliberation, I decided that a full-on enduro bike<\/a> was the order of the day. I\u2019d rather have a bike burly enough to survive (and at times, potentially save me from my own lack of skill) rather than reap the efficiency rewards of a lighter steed, only for it to implode if the trail got really nasty.<\/p>\n Ahead of the 2023 RockShox fork<\/a> and shock launch<\/a>, I got hold of a new Santa Cruz Megatower \u2013 with the help of SRAM \u2013 with the new dampers bolted to it.<\/p>\n I\u2019d ridden the previous version of the Megatower back in 2020<\/a> and got on with it just fine, but I wasn\u2019t blown away by how the suspension performed.<\/p>\nThe chosen one<\/h2>\n
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/08\/Horse-for-the-course-Santa-Cruz-Megatower-b3b166d.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/08\/Horse-for-the-course-Santa-Cruz-Megatower2-372ad54.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/08\/Horse-for-the-course-Fork-201a1f4.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/08\/Horse-for-the-course-Rear-shock-e4761a8.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/08\/Horse-for-the-course-Rear-shock2-2e9e55d.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>![\""Mountain\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/08\/Horse-for-the-course-tyres-Front-tyre1-c39b146.jpg?quality=90&resize=556%2C723"\" "\\"\"Horse\\"")
<\/picture><\/div> ![\""Mountain\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/08\/Horse-for-the-course-tyres-Front-tyre2-0b1d485.jpg?quality=90&resize=556%2C723"\" "\\"\"Horse\\"")
<\/picture><\/div> ![\""Mountain\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/21\/2022\/08\/Horse-for-the-course-tyres-Valve-cap1-045c0b0.jpg?quality=90&resize=556%2C723"\" "\\"\"Horse\\"")
<\/picture><\/div>