The ‘Rumble in the Jungle 2016’ riders and their bikes
Hardtails, fullys and fat bikes took the start, and we’d have rated a lightweight 120 mm-travel full suspension rig as the ultimate bike for ‘Rumble in the Jungle.’ Most riders rode tubeless but carried a spare tube. For tire choice, it’s wiser to put puncture resistance over weight. Almost every rider had cleats with platform pedals. Although there are feed stations with fluid, it’s necessary to carry a drinking bladder or two bottles on your bike. All the riders were carrying tools (multi-tool, tire levers, CO2 pump). Aside from the four Sri Lankan military athletes who relied on route markings, all of the other participants had a GPS to help with navigation.
Before you arrive in Sri Lanka it’s definitely a good idea to make sure your bike is in perfect working order. There are four big and well equipped bike shops in Colombo, but replacements parts are pretty much like you’d expect from a developing country.
Pro rider Yuki Ikeda from Topeak-Ergon Racing Team won the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ on board his Canyon LX CF 29 Team. The negative stem and sloping saddle are the distinctive features.Hannah Barnes was the fastest woman on board her Specialized S-Works ERA.Britain’s San Kapil was riding one of the race’s two fat bikes, and his was a prototype from the outdoor brand Alpkit known as Sonder Vir Fortis.The other fat bike belonged to Albert Kistra, who runs a B&B in Japan where he guides mountain bike rides for his guests. He’d built up his fat bike himself using a Dengfu FM 190 frame from China, Lauf Carbonara forks from Iceland and even the rider was a Dutch export. For the race he’d mounted 29er plus-size Vittoria Bomboloni tires.Zoltan Keller from Budapest had mounted SRAM XX1 parts on his 26″ Canyon Nerve CF and added his Garmin Edge 800 and Edge 520 to the bars.Dane Nugara from Negombo is a military athlete in the Sri Lankan air force and national road cycling champion. He’d borrowed the Giant one day before the race and it was one size too small for him.AAlin Maharjan hails from Kathmandu in Nepal, where he works in his parent’s restaurant when he isn’t guiding mountain bike tours. He rode a hardtail from the Russian brand FORMAT. The carbon frame was made in China and he’d switched the drivetrain from 2×10 to 1×10 (32t and 10-40 cassette).It was Eric Coomer’s second time riding the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’, and he’s a regular multi-day stage racer. His next goal is to ride the EWS in Aspen. On his Felt Edict 29er he had upped the front travel from 100 mm to 120 mm.Eduard Pages from Spain was riding a ProFlex bike, which is a brand that’s set to return to the market in September as Eduard takes over the role of importer. His hardtail was kitted out with some beautiful carbon parts from ProFlex and the zero maintenance Lauf forks.Paul Cooper from the UK was riding the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ for the second time on his Pivot 429 SL. In November he’ll be riding Nepal’s Yak Attack too.An old-school mountain biker from the UK, Jason Miles had gone for 640 mm bars on his sponsored Santa Cruz.With start number 2, Ajay Pandit Chhetri from Nepal ended up finishing in an apt second place on his TORQ Performance Products-sponsored Whyte 20-C bike with Race King 2.2 Protection from Continental.rTyler McMahon has ridden Yak Attack four times, the world’s highest altitude mountain bike race but this was his first time at ‘Rumble in the Jungle’. He chose to ride his Giant Anthem Aluxx SL Fluidform 27.5″.Once Liteville, always Liteville. Sebastian Pitzschke from Dresden had selected a Liteville 301 MK5 from 2007. When it came to tire choice, him and his mate Felix Stroscher had chosen weight over robustness and although they came away puncture-free they both suffered sidewall rips.
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As the proud father of Robin and Max-Philip, Manne has been there from the start and is the wise elder of the editorial team. He won his first cycling race in elementary school at a school sports day. After less successful attempts at football, he found his passion for cycling via endurance racing in 1989! The world of racing still consumes him and no one in the team knows the EWS pros better than Manne. As a former head analyst of a state agency, he knows how to do proper research and finds exclusive news that no one else has. He supports his sons in day-to-day business dealings as the authorised signatory for 41 Publishing – viva la familia!
