Photo by Zoon Cronje

With loads of Support from Management, sponsors and many many days just looking at his Ghost Bike the time came to build for and exciting 4^th quarter of the year and before Max knew is he was ready to tackle to MTN Series Race held at Hilton in Kwazulu Natal and to top it off he was one of the pre race favourites next Stander and Adrien dawning the series leader jersey to prove it.

Max Know tells how it all went down…

“Round #7 of the National Ultra Marathon series saw a very strong elite field gather at Hilton college to shoot it out for the honour of being crowned the champion of the dirt festival. I had high hopes going into the event as last year’s winner by over 8 minutes and being awarded the series leader jersey on the day. I had decided to ride my Ghost 26” mountain bike as I felt it would really suit the course which was considered very hilly and tough, a real mountain bike route.”

“All the big players of mountain biking were present and one couldn’t help but feel like u were are on the start grid of an international event. Mountain biker riders in Africa have really lifted their game thanks to companies like Advendurance and series sponsors like MTN and Nissan for getting involved and hosting world class events on our front door steps.”

“The race started out at a pretty steady pace and soon a lead group formed that would have the honours of fighting for the top step of the podium box on the day. The new route really was a great success in my eyes, I took time to enjoy being out there in the forests of Hilton, so many fond memories from my early days of racing are from those areas and it was very special being there doing what I love to do.”

Anyway back to the race, a large group was staying together without anyone showing any sign of cracking or weakness. Going up the King of the Mountain climb a few gaps emerged and I was forced to ride my own rhythm as I tried to save my one leg which was struggling with a bit of cramp. After a while it eased up again and I settled into the fastest pace I could maintain and tried to claw back some time.”

“I fought back and passed some of the other riders and found myself chasing Burry and Adrien up the last climb of the race. I did however not manage to bridge the gap back up to them and crossed the line in third spot with Burry Stander getting the win and Adrien claiming silver.”

“I was happy to put my feet back on the podium box and a good sign for me heading into the last round of the national series in two weeks when we all gather to trot around the mighty Parys.”

Photo by Zoon Cronje

“Till then there is still some work to be done.”

Look out for Team GHOST –DOITNOW, coming to Win a race near you soon…..”

Official Race Results: http://www.spectrumsport.co.za

The Team of Advendurance yet again displayed their professionalism by organising a world class event.

Max Knox of Team GHOST-DOITNOW comments below….

“It is never easy to write a race report when things don’t go your way, however this past weekend was the 6th round of the national marathon series and for me personally I was super motivated but I didn’t get the result I wanted.  That is mountain bike racing and there can only be one winner after all.”

“My equipment stood up to the test excellently and my back up crew and support from friends, fans and sponsors was wonderful! After all is said and done that is the greatest feeling knowing there are many people out there that are routing and supporting for you.”

“Anyway, back to the racing….I crossed the KOM sprint in third position and from there on out a large group formed with about 8 riders in it.”

“The pace was pretty easy and we ticked off the kilometres slowly with no real fireworks to speak of.

At the 75 km mark we hit a large hill and my legs were not there to support my heart and the leading five riders gapped me.”

“I tried to keep it as steady as possible and get to the finish in one piece, during the ride i felt very isolated as I saw no-one in front of me and no one behind me. I rolled across the line in 6^th place and noticeably tired…”

“Not the result I wanted however I will get another chance next weekend to do what I love most and that is racing my bike and you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll be there to give it full gas and fight hard!!”

“Till then happy trails Max…”

Look out for Team GHOST –DOITNOW, coming to Win a race near you soon…..”

Official Race Results: http://www.spectrumsport.co.za

“Well after a weekends break it was back to the action……”

“Sun city has always been a good race and I was pretty excited to be back there racing again. In the past the race has always been very flat and had two very fast loops, this year the race changed to one loop of 45kms and would include a lot more single track and I was looking forward to seeing what the organizers had in store for us.

“On route and at the event we spotted a few GHOST Bikes that looked very clean and hungry for action….”

”A good field of pro mountain bikers where there with a larger than normal addition of road professionals coming to see if they could claim the top spot on the day….

The race got off to a very mild start and a huge group was together as we hit the first single-track after approx 10km, Philip Buys entered the single track first, myself in second place and Marc Bass in third.”

”The first single track was a little swampy and gaps formed between the first few riders, coming out the single-track Philip had a gap on me and Marc. The next 20km was super flat, sandy and fast, the time gaps remained the same and having the leader in my sights and Marc close behind there was not much room for error..”

”This is the way the race stayed and being such a quick race we popped out on the finish before you could guess who won…..”

“Congrats to Philip and Marc on a good race, I secured a well deserved 2^nd place for my efforts and enjoyed the valley of the waves afterwards tremendously…..”

“This weekend the racing resumes at the 6th MTN National Ultra marathon in Wellington.”

“Sun city was a nice prelude to get the leg speed up and test the equipment, I’m excited and looking forward to the next battle, till then happy days Max”

Look out for Team GHOST –DOITNOW, coming to Win a race near you soon…..

Official Race Results: http://www.spectrumsport.co.za

“The Vori-berg series happens every second Saturday of the month, and since the start of the series a year ago has grown into one of the favourite races on the calendar.  The race is only 12 km from where I stay, so I consider myself  a local and as a result have to  keep the title close to home.”

“The race consists of allot of winding single-track and I decided to go hard from the start to get into the lead as soon as possible and try and keep it that way.  It worked perfectly, I maintained my lead throughout the 60km race without ever seeing one of my rivals.”

“A very happy me crossed the finish line in first place with Mene Oliver in 2nd.”

“My Ghost handled perfectly and I am really impressed by the new Conti tyre, X-King Protection.”

“After a long drought from the podium I am happy to finally get onto the top spot again.”

Look out for Team GHOST –DOITNOW, coming to Win a race near you soon…..

Official Race Results: http://www.waterpoint.co.za/

Max Knox tells it how it is below….

“After an interesting weekend and a great run of form I arrived in Johannesburg full of hope for the second round of the Nissan Trailseeker series held at Teak Place.”

“On Friday I did not have such a fantastic day as I had a huge spill in the rocks on some of the track and I decided to  pack it up for the day and was super keen to try get the recovery process underway so that  I could still fight the good fight on Saturday, but like they say loss of blood and a few roasties never ever stopped any mountain biker and would also show all that have speculated that I am a machine that I am human and that I do bleed.”

“All the big players were in attendance, I knew that I would need to have my A game and wits about me as i would yet again be racing against teams with full compliments of riders.

The race which played out a little weirdly and must have caused some confusion for the general public watching as during the race, through no fault of the organizers the top 20 riders where sent on the wrong route but more about that later…..”

“A fast start saw a selection of the top riders gathering at the front, a few guys tried to get away but nothing really stuck till about 20 km when myself, Adrien and Jacques managed to force a gap on the chasing riders, not knowing we had missed a loop the racing was still flat out and in one of the technical sections I had managed to gap Jacques but knew I still had Adrien to contend with.”

“Adrien who is a true fighter when it comes to racing hard chased me up the KOM climb so I pushed it really hard and claimed King of the Mountain. On the next rough downhill I put the Ghost the test and pushed it to the limit in an effort to get a gap and that is where the difference came in!”

“Thank you bike, it saved my skin on the day as I know Adrien is super power in the sprint and over the last few kilometres I managed to keep the gap at 20 seconds to the finish.”

“Afterwards the officials sorted out he results in a professional manner and all the relevant riders where rewarded race positions and points for the series. I was super stoked to have pulled out victory number two in the series and after all was said and done I doubt I would have been able to manage it without all my super sponsors and supporters who were there to make my life easy and job painless!”

“Thank you, that victory was for you guys!”

“To everyone else thanks for been there and cheering see you soon!”

Knox comments, “As a company Advendurance has lifted the profile of mountain bike racing into a mainstream sport and without people like them running events riders like us would be out of work!

They put huge effort into the events and even though there was a small hiccup the guys pulled through, Thank you Tim, Fritz and Wessel.”

Look out for Team GHOST –DOITNOW, coming to Win a race near you soon

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Max Knox of Team GHOST-DOITNOW was privileged enough to race again on Sunday at the Walkerville MTB Classic and the event did not disappoint attracting the top MTB riders to compete in a 60km Mountain Race that would separate the men from the boys. Teams that had made the journey to the South of Johannesburg were Team RECM with two Riders, Phillip Buys of Garmin adidas, ASG event sponsors very own HB Kruger and Brandon Stewart of Itec Connect to name a few.

Max Knox of Team GHOST-DOITNOW comments below to give an insider’s perspective on how things went down

“Well After a Very wonderful Victory the day before at the Legend Gorge MTB Race in the Limpopo province I did not really know what to expect the next day at the ASG Walkerville MTB race.

I knew that a quality field had lined up all with fresh legs and after all the joy of the day before I was not expecting any wild fire works!”

“The start grid consisted of Pieter Seyffert, Team RECM all who are ex roadies and made the switch to mountain bike racing and as always they provide stiff competition, also on the line was Philip Buys, Brandon Stewart and H B Kruger…..”

“Having never raced at Walkerville race before I was a little unsure of the nature of the route but had heard good reports from past riders, I must say I was pleasantly surprised with how nicely it was all put together and the race looked like it was well represented by most of Johannesburg!”

“The race got underway and after about 5km I decided to put in a little surge in just to see how the legs where feeling after the race day before. They felt a little flat but I seemed to put the other riders under pressure so decided to wait for the first steep hill which was at apparently 7km in before I would try and thin out the lead group….

I rode a steady tempo to the top and split the field up as I had anticipated, racing at altitude in Johannesburg is always hard and knew the flat nature of the route would not suit a rider like me that likes the climbs, however I thought what the heck and kept a steady pace and made the chasers work hard to bring me back.”

“To my surprise the time gaps kept on growing, I kept a steady tempo through all the flat sections where I was sure a big group could work well together and close the gap.”

“The last 5 km I enjoyed easing into my own rhythm much to my delight knowing I was about to Win my second big race of the weekend, a really a great feeling!

Philip Buys and Brandon Stewart rounded out the podium about 5 minutes back on what was a super fast 60km race.”

“Congrats to all that took part and thank you guys for all the cheering and support along the route.

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“To everyone that made it possible and believed in me, Thank you..”

“Next on the agenda is round two of the Nissan series at Teak place in the Westrand next weekend!”

Till then happy trails and I’ll see you all at the Races Max

Official Race Results: http://www.spectrumsport.co.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=zPBITTTlRkg%3d&tabid=1802&mid=3641

Look out for Team GHOST – DOITNOW, coming to Win a race near you soon…..

Photos By Zoon Cronje

Knox Riding for Team Ghost-DOITNOW in a display of what some said was the most fantastic racing they have witnessed in the region was yet again crowned King of the Jungle when he beat his nearest rival and Rwandan Olympic hopeful by more than 11 minutes on the day.

Below Knox comments on the race….

“Well Friday saw me arrive at one of my old and happy hunting grounds, The legend Gorge Resort in the Waterburg mountains just north of Pretoria accompanied by my awesome back up crew and morale boosting team management we hit it hard and I was super pumped to test the form after being absent from racing the big guns in South African Mountain Biking for a couple of weeks now! ”

”Advendurance who would be organising and managing the race have a reputation for running world class events and I knew that they would not disappoint! We settled in nicely at the 5 Star accommodation complete with DSTV and LCD Television and prepared for Saturday, a 9 o clock start was a pleasant surprise and I was as ready as I could ever be. ”

”The start grid was packed with some of RSA top mountain bike teams, the full complement of the MTN squad was present and alert and I knew that it would be hard day out there.

Having raced this race before and won I had a rough idea in my head how I hoped the race would play out.”

”We set of at 9am and started what was at a nice steady tempo, as we hit the first major climb I made the tempo hard and was followed by my good friend Adrien who I knew was on good form weeks before his Olympic qualifying races abroad. Most of the race is run at above 2100 meters altitude and I thought this might count in my favour as I enjoy altitude.”

Photos By Zoon Cronje

”Over the top of the climb we started some very rocky descents and my Ghost Bike came into its own through this terrain as I managed to get that much needed gap over the rest of the field. From there on it was a steady tempo as I knew chasing back to me would be hard work for anyone.”

”The course was really awesome to say the least and the trip up there was well worth the effort, at the speed I was going I unfortunately never got a chance to spot any of the Big Five, however I was focussed on the job at hand.”

“The last 15km was pretty testing with good sections well suited to my equipment I brought home the victory which I and the Team was really excited with!”

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Photos By Zoon Cronje

”A good sign of things to come for the upcoming races all over South Africa, a quick shower and awesome lunch in good company of the organizers and I had to shoot back to Johannesburg for my next day’s challenge, The Walkerville Classic!”

Photos By Zoon Cronje

“A big thanks the my sponsors and supporters for believing in me and keeping me going, without your help and encouragement none of it would be possible!”

Official Race Results: http://www.spectrumsport.co.za/Portals/29/ResultDoc/Legend_Gorge_MTB_20110716.pdf

Look out for Team GHOST –DOITNOW, coming to Win a race near you soon…..

Bell who was in very good form before he heads out for a International stint in the next week so it was game on from the start.

Knox gives us his version of the race below.

“Well after a super big week of training I decided to do one of my local 50km races, The Das Auto MTB Series 2011.

It is a very flat course which is what I need at the moment as I build up to goals of my season with Team Ghost-DIN. The pace was made hard by myself and Nico Bell co sponsor of the event and route designer, being a much taller and more power rider on a flat fast route  and I knew I was in for a race….

Brimming with confidence and moral boosting from the Ghost-DIN support crew I set off to not only win the race but set  new course record on the day, I had pictured the race coming down to a sprint and knew I was in with a 50/50 chance of the win.

I tried many times to drop Nico on the course but my legs where very stale after the big week on the bike and the 5 hours I did the day before, never the less I walked away with yet  another victory for my wonderful team and got in some good training.

I am looking forward to what is in store for us in the rest of the years racing, tomorrow I will be off for another few hours of solitude in the mountains on my bike.”

Knox took some time out after the race to give local fans some memorabilia of his races gone by showing he is one of the country’s best brand ambassadors and we are proud to be associated with him.

Look out for Team GHOST –DOITNOW, coming to Win a race near you soon…..

The Hazeldean race has always been a favourite due to its central location and fantastic single tracks, and this did not change as it attracted over 2000 riders and the riders found themselves enjoying even more mind-blowing, hand-built trails, exhilarating river crossings and fast farm roads.

Earlier in the Week speculations on who would win the season opener had many say that Max Knox of Team Ghost-DIN would not be able to use brute force to win this race, instead he would also have to outthink his competitors. This past weekend again Knox showed his class by not only outwitting three fully represented squads namely MTN with no less than 4 riders, Team RE:CM and lastly Team Garmin adidas with two hometown riders and one Namibian. He showed that his power is unmatched and that that not only is he able to outride them but also out think them and this shows that big things are to come for the remainder of the year as he takes an early lead in the series.

Max gives us a inside look into the race…

“Well after much preparation I finally found myself on the start line of a Nissan series opener race. I had heard a lot in the build up of what to expect on the day and knew a very fast and challenging day of racing was in store for all the pro riders.” Knox commented.

Photo Ballistic Bike Trading

“Having done many Advendurance events in the past I knew what to expect on that front, but was super impressed on the day with not only the fantastic effort and organisation of the race but with the amazing turn out on the day which did the organisers good justice and fair reward for all their hard effort.”

“The Ghost crew was out in full force in support of me as this is considered our home series and I was super motivated to do them proud and represent! I knew looking at the surrounding areas and the packed start grid with good pro’s the race would be a tactical affair at the beginning with all the flat sections.”

“I was very surprised with how well the course was put together and I would say fairly testing for even the brave as the weather did not play along on the day.”

“The racing was made hard at the start by Adrien (MTN) who set a cracking pace making team RE:CM and myself chase hard while his team mates got a chance to save energy for later in the race. At about the half way mark a 6 man lead group had formed with all the main teams represented who would eventually fill the podium spots later in the day…..”

Photos by Zoon Cronje

“There were a few attempts from the guys with 2 riders on a team to split the bunch up but we all stuck together, at about the 50km mark I decided to put in a big effort to see if I could get a gap so that I could ride a steady rhythm over what I had heard was a tough last 20 km, I managed to squeeze out about 20 seconds initially and put my head down from there.”

“The bike handled really well through the last rough sections and I popped out at the finish area to win the first round of the series.”

“A really great feeling to win over such a strong field and in front of all the people who believed in me and came to support!”

“The 2^nd and 3^rd spot came down to a thrilling sprint finish about 1minute and 33 seconds behind me, this was between Waylon (RE:CM) and Adrien (MTN). “

Photos by Zoon Cronje

“A great race and I’m really excited to head into round 2 as the leader. Till then some good winter miles lay ahead of me with the Ghost Mankele avalanche coming up in 2 weeks which will shore to be another awesome weekend of mountain bike racing!”

1. 02:31:40 Knox Max (GHOST-DOITNOW)
2. 02:33:13 Woolcock Waylon (RE:CM)
3. 02:33:15 Niyonshuti Adrien (MTN)
4. 02:33:33 Macdonald Neil (RE:CM)
5. 02:34:34 Jacques Janse Van Rensburg (MTN)
6. 02:36:17 Holtzhausen Renier
7. 02:36:46 Keey Charles (MTN)
8. 02:37:21 Buys Philip (Garmin adidas)
9. 02:39:07 Kruger Hendrik (ASG)
10. 02:40:49 Johansen Ryan

Official Race Results on www.spectrumsport.co.za

Look out for Team GHOST –DOITNOW, coming to Win a race near you soon…..

This past weekend in Mpumalanga Max Knox showed his class and professionalism when he destroyed a very competitive field that had  some of the countries strongest mountain bike riders.

Max Knox tells us more…

“Well Saturday was a very special day for me, one of my personal favourite races of the year was being held in my back yard. After having to wait two years for another crack at the win (last year was not held due to clash of soccer world cup opening ceremony) I was ready and super motivated to make this one count. The First Ascent Big Induna Marathon with approx 120km of ground to cover that includes 3000 meters of climbing laid in wait for the well represented field.”

“I was really impressed with the extra effort that the organisers had put in this year to the race everything flowed smoothly during registration and the weather was beautiful. This set the scene for a great showdown between some of South Africa’s best riders.” Said Knox.

“The 70km race started with the 120km race which added an extra little element as it was giving some young stars there chance to shine against the pro riders. The first loop of Induna has always been very fast and flowing with some of the area’s finest trails all mixed together. The youngsters go really hard at the start, this saw a small lead group form, there were about 8 riders  at the head of the race namely Ben Melt Swanepoel (specialised), Pieter Seyffert, Charles Keey, Jacques Janse van Rensburg, Paul Cordes (all MTN), HB Kruger and lowveld rising star Lourens Luus, we were all together through the first tech zone at 40km, shortly after that I put in a surge in to see who had good legs on the day, I was surprised as the field split up real quick and I managed to ease out a gap. With 80km to go and 2200 meters of climbing left I knew it would not be any use riding in a group, so I just set about at my own steady pace and it seemed to work well as the time gaps increased. Starting the last loop I got a good time check and knew that barring any mechanicals or a stupid mistake I would be able to take home the big win. So from there on out I just tried to really savour the feeling of being out there in one of my favourite areas. “

“I can’t say enough about the way the course kept riders on the edge and concentrating, a really great mixture of everything that a mountain biker needs was on offer and definite must do for anybody wanting to have a great experience on and off the bike.”

“I think the fact that the route was really testing with plenty of corners, rough ups and downs it suited my Ghost 26 incher to perfection as the time gaps got bigger and I could keep a steady speed. Coming into the finish was really wonderful, to win in front of local supporters who have cheered for me through the years and making it even that much more sweeter was to win it for my new team GHOST-DOITNOW who had come out in full force to be there for me.”

“Anyway, I have two  weeks up and until the next big challenge, The Nissan series lies ahead and I cannot wait to get to start line”

Official Race Result here:

Look out for Team GHOST –DOITNOW, coming to Win a race near you soon…..