Surprised no one has posted this (if they have i couldn't find it, sorry!)

Biekradar – Mountain biker wins road race on his hardtail

Seems a little too amazing.. didn't realise how many times the word whyte was mentioned until reading the last comment:

Am I cynical or is this the kind of publicity money can't buy?

It just seems a bit weird that he discovers a road race in Botswana and subsequently wins it on his WHYTE 19 mountain bike.

Just count the Whyte 19 name checks in that story as well.

Maybe I'm just jaded but I don't think it all adds up.

Would love to believe it though

He's sponsored so he will say it in every breath..

I would… It's a great product!

He is coated in Whyte on his clothes too. I suspect this was a well planned publicity stunt.

"Find a road race in the middle of nowhere with no real competition to speak of, get one of our guys down there and lock his god-damn forks out."

Maybe the pro rider was Richie McCoy 😈

"my big knobbly tyres buzzing as the pace was wound up."

why hasn't he been signed by a pro team? if he can beat Saffa pros on a mountain bike with fat tyres then he must be a-m-azing.

unless its:

a) a load of bollocks.
b) the roads are so bad you need a mountain bike.
c) the Africans were on home made wooden velocipedes.
d) a load of bollocks.

I dunno, Luke's Facebook status from the other week:

Luke Smith Won a road race in Botswana today – on my mtb with knobblies!! It properly upset the pro roadie in second. Another interview for Botswana TV though 🙂
02 August at 15:06 · Comment · Like

He be rather quick to say the least, you're talking about someone with an elite licence over here, why couldn't he win a 4th cat race over there or something? Still a damn god effort!

Hustler? Nob!

reminds me of a story in one of the asides in Broan Lopez' skills book. He hustled a couple of bike couriers or rickshaw pedallers out of $200 (they didn't know who he was) then bragged about it. Any respect lost. What a tool.

I've won a road race on an mtb as well, but that was a b grade mid-week crit and I had narrow slicks on… Seems unlikely if it was any decent road pro. That said, they look like minimally knobbed tyres, pump em up to 90, if he's naturally a lot stronger than anyone else in the race then why not. Said he won it in a sprint as well.

He's not really an MTBer is he?
No baggies, no peak on helmet, no Camelbak, and he aint fat! 😉

No race number on his back either.
You'd think if it really happened as they say there would be better pictures. Shame there's no picture of him in the race, or on the podium.

It's a local race in Botswana, it's not the bloody Tour! He said he got an interview on Botswanan TV mind.

why hasn't he been signed by a pro team

He rides for Whyte, as a pro…

Luke's a good bloke, I just don't really see why you'd bother to make that up, just because he's quicker than folk on here 😉

Surely a pup stunt. Good show though.

I am struggling to believe this guy managed to keep up for 75k with a gearing as low as 44-11. The road bikes would be running at least 52-11. Especially in the final sprint, it makes no sense.

How do you know what ratios they're all running!? I think it's perfectly feasible, I doubt anyone paid him much attention, so he probably got quite a nice headstart, the sprint's only going to be a few seconds anyway.

Course he could keep up, sitting on wheels helps no end. Road races are not ridden at full belt on the 53-12, theres a lot of pace change. Given that it was only 75k would help. We often go out in groups with riders on mtb's and road bikes, theres not normally anyone dropped until the end. Give the guy a break.

yeah, because club runs are just like proper races with professional riders and bunch sprints 🙄

There are usually bunch sprints in club runs! As mt said though, you don't tend to ride a road race at 50mph, of course a decent mountain biker could just sit in, like I say, I doubt they were paying him much attention, so I imagine he got lucky in the sprint!

cynic-al – Member

reminds me of a story in one of the asides in Broan Lopez' skills book. He hustled a couple of bike couriers or rickshaw pedallers out of $200 (they didn't know who he was) then bragged about it. Any respect lost. What a tool.

Not exactly how the story goes:

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=uSBG1nQoppsC&pg=PA40&lpg=PA40&dq=brian+lopes+rickshaw+race&source=bl&ots=Fxd3RQRS_s&sig=ZxyoIZiQ49OHhwGiGMA-U85EgyM&hl=en&ei=1DKBSoTsJIeL-Qa6yKW2Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false

It was before he was a pro racer, and it was on a borrowed bike. So apart from completely missing the point, I see what you are on about 🙄

leggyblonde – You aint been out with the "club runs" (as you incorrectly call them) in our area then have you. I can assure you that some rides are harder than raceday, in fact certain of the chain gangs might as well be a race. Theres been a few guys turned in a respectable times on MTB's in time trials and been well placed in road races. As for rides not having pro's or bunch sprints, you could not be more wrong.

Luke was out there for work he is a really nice bloke who is very strong on the bike. He was looking for rides to keep the training up. No stunt just a good rider Picture on the press release is one taken from a chap we both work with from a car as he drove past why he was out for a spin not from a race. Thats why no number boy done good why kick somebody because they did well. Yes he is lucky enough to be sponsored but thats because he is a good rider the two go hand in hand. That also means he has to mention the brand thats how it works.

what dalepoint said – what a weird bit of slagging off in this thread!