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Lachlan FKT Colorado Trail

A Few Thousand Hours: Lachlan’s Colorado Trail FKT

Taming the ‘beautiful beast’ known as the Colorado Trail is not an easy undertaking by any stretch of the imagination, even for seasoned riders. An average elevation of over 10,000 feet and huge sections of harsh, almost unrideable wilderness sections means the average time for completing the 537 mile route is between 15-20 days. But R&D Division rider Lachlan Morton is no average rider, and had his sights set on beating the current FKT (Fastest Known Time) of under 4 days. With only…

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Badlands Seb Breurer

20 Questions with: Seb Breuer

Seb Breuer might be a relative newcomer to the ultra-endurance racing game, but he’s rapidly making a name for himself as being one of the fastest on the circuit. After a disappointing Trans Continental Race earlier in the year, Seb gained redemption with a stunning win at the recent Badlands race, recording the fastest time ever for the course. As part of the Tailfin R&D Division, Seb has given us a huge amount of valuable feedback by using our latest…

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Silk Road Mountain Race Bike

Bike setup tips from the experts – Silk Road edition

Bike setup can be seen as a dark art, especially if you are heading into unfamiliar territories. How you set your bike up and the components you choose are critical to the success and enjoyment of your ride. This is almost exponential to the terrain and surfaces you are heading for. As expected, riding on smooth tarmac in well-populated countries has (traffic aside) fewer hazards and impacts on your bike and kit. but what if you’re heading to a mountainous…

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josh ibbett tour divide

10 Lessons learnt from the Tour Divide

Tailfin sat down with two of this year’s Tour Divide participants, R&D Division rider Josh Ibbett and 10th place finisher Daniel Connell, to discover the key lessons they learnt from riding the Divide. Whilst some apply directly to riding the Tour Divide, these insights are super useful for any rider looking to set out on their own personal challenge, from first-time multi-day trippers to seasoned riders wanting to take on the Divide themselves. The Tour Divide is synonymous with ultra-distance…

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How to set your bike up for an event like the Highland Trail 550

It might be ‘just’ 550 miles (885km) in total length but the Highland Trail 550 packs a punch far bigger than its size thanks to the incredible ruggedness of the terrain riders need to traverse. HT550 is based on a route devised by endurance mountain bike racer Alan Goldsmith as a training ride for the Colorado Trail Race, a longer endurance race he was training for. But instead of it being consigned to being a training loop for him and…

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Bringing the heat to Rwanda. A tale of two races

Tailfin equipment tested: Prototype top tube pack | Prototype frame pack Rwanda, the small country located in the heart of the African continent, is fast becoming one of the must-visit cycling destinations for endurance gravel racers, mountain bikers and bikepackers. 2022 has seen three events take place so far including the ever popular Race around Rwanda. R&D Division rider Josh Ibbett was our man on the ground for the latest two, The Rwanda Epic and RaR. Tailfin sat down with…

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How aerodynamic is your Bikepacking setup?

Wherever you look in the bike industry (especially the sections related to drop bars), one of the most commonly used buzz words is ‘aero’. The aerodynamic (or lack of) properties of a bike, component, accessory, or rider can have drastic effects on the experiences of riding a bike over any distance. The benefits of an aerodynamically optimised setup make sense for road racing or time trials but for bikepacking? Many of us are beginning to become aware that anything that…

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Fernwee Badlands

Breaking Badlands: an introduction to ultra-endurance racing

But Martijn had an itch to scratch; he had never participated in a ‘proper’ unsupported ultra-endurance race. One where the start and finish are dictated, along with the route and where the onus is on getting to the finish as fast as possible. Gaining entry into the 2021 edition of Transiberica’s Badlands race was just the start, though. It would be a journey into the unknown from a mental and physical point of view but also with regards to working…

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baroudeuse mountain race

August 2020: Europe’s toughest mountain race?

Relatively new to the self-supported, ultra-distance bike race scene are the La Baroudeuse races. With unpaved and paved options over distances ranging from 317km through to 2,850km, there’s something for every bike racer from the aspiring to the experienced. Meaning ‘adventurer’ or ‘fighter’ in English, La Baroudeuse is not for the faint-hearted. The rankings will be established at the end of the event and each finisher will be rewarded with a wooden sword, a symbol of freedom of the most mighty of Gladiators: the Rudius….

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