Rapid Ascent

Shortly after their wins at the 2021 Otway Odyssey we conducted a live interview with Dan and Bec McConnell at the Forrest Brewery on Saturday afternoon - and here is a recording of that fascinating discussion.

Hosted by Adam Kelsall, their conversation starts with how they started on bikes, and expands to include like details on their racing highs and lows overseas, how they celebrate World Cup podiums as well as how their Odyssey victories unfolded and so much more. This is a very honest and insightful interview into the lives of Australia’s best mountain bikers.

You’ll also learn if they both rode the ‘Sandy Climb’ at the 90km point… did they or didn’t they?!

We thank Dan, Bec and host Adam for their time and attention.

(The audio quality for this is 8/10 but it is WELL WORTH tolerating in order to hear what they have to say. This was originally filmed on a Gopro and the video version is here: https://youtu.be/6SeC_lnYY-g).

Make sure you tune into the final episode of the Rapid Ascent podcast with your host Ben Hucker and special guests Sam Maffett and John Jacoby. Sam is the General Manager of Rapid Ascent and John was the founder of the company in 2004. 

They have some important updates for participants doing Rapid Ascent events in 2020. They also share some of their thoughts on the current situation with COVID-19. Be sure to tune in right to the end of the episode for their practical tips on staying fit and healthy and training for events in light of the current circumstances too. 

It's also farewell from your host Ben Hucker who started the Rapid Ascent podcast in April 2019 but will be finishing up with Rapid Ascent on Tuesday 31 March due to the Corona pandemic. 12 episodes later and nearly 10,000 downloads it's been a blast, to say the least.

Ben says a "big thanks to everyone who has supported the show and tuned in to listen. It's been so much fun hosting the podcast and chatting with elite athletes from all over Australia and hearing peoples feedback at events and online. If the stars align then maybe there'll be some more episodes in the future but it's a big farewell and thank you for now. Stay safe out there!"

Here's episode 12 of the Rapid Ascent podcast with your host Ben Hucker and guests, John Jacoby & Sam Maffett.

We're very excited to announce pro multisport triathlete, Ben Allen, as our guest for Episode 11 of the Rapid Ascent podcast. We've had some ultra runners, adventure racers and mountain bikers to date but Ben is our first pro (off-road) triathlete.

Ben has more than a decade of racing experience specialising in the non-drafting format of Triathlon, from 70.3 Ironman, Long Distance, and the XTERRA World Off-Road Triathlon Tour.

He popped up on our radar last year when he blitzed the rest of the field at the final Augusta Adventure Fest in November... by a stretch! He's also won the X-Adventure Long course title and competed at the Otway Odyssey a couple of weeks ago.

Hear all about the nasty injury that put a halt to Ben's promising career as a professional rugby league player and his switch to a life of elite endurance. 

Tune in and let us know what you think. Here's episode 11 of the Rapid Ascent podcast with guest, Benny Allen, and your host, Ben Hucker.

Brendan Johnston has cemented himself as the most consistently high performing mountain biker in marathon XC events all over Australia in recent years.

Here's Episode 10 of the Rapid Ascent podcast with your host, Ben Hucker, and guest, Brendan Johnston.

From windy Wellington to sunny Wollongong, Samara Sheppard had her sights firmly set on Tokyo 2020. Her Olympic dreams have been shattered though. Changes to the Olympic selection policy made it almost impossible for Samara to qualify.

Find out how she still manages to keep a big smile on her face though and hear about her new plans for the 2022 UCI Road World Championships. All the action will be taking place in her adopted hometown of Wollongong, New South Wales.

Sheppard was born in Clyde in the South Island of New Zealand. She suffered a series of injuries as a runner which led her to move into cycling as an alternative sport and relocated to Australia in 2016.

Tune in to gain a deep insight into the challenges of racing abroad as a self-funded privateer and the mindset of female athlete in a male dominated sport.

Samara also talks about her time representing New Zealand at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast where she finished ninth out of twelve competitors in the women's cross-country competition.

Here's Episode 9 of the Rapid Ascent podcast with your host, Ben Hucker, and guest, Samara Sheppard.

We're super pumped to announce Kellie Emmerson as our guest for Episode #8 of the Rapid Ascent podcast.

Kellie's a 3x Australian long-distance trail running champ, a PhD Student, Ultra Trail World Tour Runner, a Neurological Occupational Therapist and in-demand Running Coach.

Oh and she's won the Surf Coast Century x3 times! But the best thing of all? She remains a humble, down to earth girl who counts her running achievements as incidental to a life of adventure.

Tune in to hear Kellie's inspiring story in Episode 8 of the Rapid Ascent podcast with your host Ben Hucker.

He's got a ready smile, an infectious laugh and one of the most engaging personalities of anyone in the pro mountain bike ranks. He's also been described as the "Riders Rider" by the mountain bike fraternity. Meet GIANT sponsored rider Josh Carlson.

In the 1990s, Deanna Blegg was a super-fit 24-year-old. But she soon became a super-sick 24-year-old. She lost 20 kilograms in six weeks. She had constant fevers, sweats, nausea, and swollen glands. She could barely stand without passing out.

A round of antibiotics had no effect. So she went back to the doctor who gave her the bad news... she was HIV-positive.

Just two years later, HIV developed into AIDS—a process Deanna had been told would take 10 years. Her doctors gave her six months to live. 

Tuner in to hear what happened next and her remarkable entry into the world of adventure racing with Rapid Ascent.

Paul van der Ploeg has cemented himself as a force to be reckoned with in mountain biking over the past several years. Not only on the Australian mountain bike circuit, but also in Europe and around the world.

Find out what Paul's response was to that in Episode 5 of the Rapid Ascent podcast...

He's a father of four and runs a local gym in Geelong with his wife. But he's also a Guinness World Record holder and just completed 535 consecutive half marathons in June 2019.