I’ve recently returned from Italy. Two days of riding in the baking olive groves and orange bushes surrounding Finale Ligure. Monaco buzzed and fizzled up the coast preparing for it’s annual Grand Prix and campsites bulged with a load of Germans who were there for a bank holiday. Or something.

You’ll be able to read my full synopsis on the extremely impressive E*Thirteen TRS-R range of products on this very website and in MBUK soon. In the meantime, here are some things I learnt whilst being in Italy…

1. There’s always time for espresso

My first draught of back in England franchise coffee was like sipping battery acid from a hedgehog’s scrotum. In Italy, coffee is sacrosanct and no matter where you are, or how remote the bar/restaurant is, the coffee will be better than anything in the UK. All you coffee snobs, fashionistas and bearded chancers take note – no matter how many ‘o’s you stick after it, coffee is better in Italy.

2. Let’s chat it out

Everything in Italy takes longer, mainly because there’s chatting to be done. The upshot of this chat will be that something practical needs to take place (i.e. lubing a chain, adjusting a brake), which will then warrant a further chat. The result of said secondary chat is then usually that whatever it is can be done later. Unless it’s ‘have another coffee’ (see above).

3. Driving

Driving in Italy is more akin to a state-sanctioned motor race. Non-Italian entrants are frowned upon/gesticulated at and ANY vehicle can stop safely from 100kmh in around about 6ft of space.

4. The Euros put us to shame

By ‘us’ I mean the bike journos. You’ve two days of riding? Probably best ride for a day then spend the second typing it all up by the pool. The Brits? Oh, they’re off riding again. Idiots.

5.  Panacotta can kill

IF you were to suck a panacotta off a plate in a oner in a racing scenario, it’s thick consistency can prompt choking. If this happens, simply smack yourself on the back of the head, aiming your mouth towards a plate, and the now saliva-coated lump of dessert will simply bounce out good as new.

6. Their robots are light years ahead of ours

Bomb disposal? Lunar exploration? No, the Italians have a robot which, completely unassisted, cleans swimming pools. Sounds trivial – isn’t. In it goes, looking like a couple of shoe boxes lashed together and just gets on with the task in hand – motoring about, cleaning the bottom of the pool. The future. Now.

To celebrate MBUK’s 25th anniversary, we asked cartoonist Jo Burt to create and extra special double-page edition of everyone’s favourite mountain biking sheep, Mint Sauce.

So that’s exactly what he did, and you can see the result in MBUK 291, which is in the shops now.

Mint’s been around almost as long as MBUK has, but have you ever wondered how he gets from an idea Jo’s head to the the pages of the magazine? Now you can find out by having a watch of the video below!

In other exciting news, you will also be able to win the original artwork from MBUK 291′s Mint Sauce. We’ll let you know how soon!

Cardinham Woods in Bodmin, Cornwall, have some brand new trails, which have opened in time for summer. They’re looking good to us!

Cornwall’s newest trail center ridin by the westcoastmountainbiking.com crew

Jake shares his thoughts on NS Bikes’ latest full sus offering

NS Bikes have been making top notch hardtails for years, but have only recently long cracked into the full suspension market.

The NS Soda Air is their fun-loving, all-mountain slash freeride slash all-out fun shredder.

It’s equipped with air suspension and comes in at a good weight considering its lunatic intentions and good value price.

With up to 177mm (7in) travel out back and 170mm (6.7in) travel up front, the NS is ready to rip.

Check out what we thought in the full First Ride review in MBUK 290, on sale 3 May, and check the video out for some eye-candy and some footage of the bike on the hill…

 The idea to go and ride some bikes on Skye began life as nothing more than an excuse to go and trawl some distilleries. Like a crew of half-rate vikings, we’d batter down the doors of various bastions of fire water and sip, sample and guzzle our way through some of Scotland’s finest malts before attempting to ride some of it’s rarest trails.

That shifted though when I started researching the riding on Skye. GoWhere’s Andy McKenna was a massive help and it soon became clear that Scotland should be the real star of the feature. The hunt was on for ‘epic’.

I drove to Andy’s house in Innerleithen where we also met up with Neil Donoghue who was a last minute addition to the trip. For those of you who’ve never driven to Skye, it’s a LONG way to go from pretty much anywhere but the drive was pretty scenic and the usual van banter was in good flow.

You can read all about the journey and the riding in the magazine of course but here are some things I learnt whilst on the trip…

1. Reversing on to a ferry is tricky

A long wheelbase VW Transporter filled with bikes, kit and three gobby blokes all willing you to get it as wrong as wrong gets is a difficult machine to back down a stupidly steep ramp on to a very small ferry. Getting it on there in a oner was one of the great achievements of my life so far.

2.  Whiskey is actually quite nice

My early experiences of whiskey pretty much consisted of Jim MacDonald in Corrie and drinking Jack Danials and Coke to try and look half-civilised at weddings. When presented with a 10 year-old malt then after a full days riding I was worried I’d pull a ‘Dear God that’s horrible’ face and mortally offend the nice wee woman from Talisker. As it turned out, I got all the flavours she was on about and learnt to embrace the warming whiskey burn. Buoyed by the experience, I even bought a bottle. Which I’ve yet to revisit.

3. Skye is beautiful

Like, genuinely, genuinely stunning. Everywhere around you seems to be hewn from a scene from Lord of the Rings. Similar (I’m guessing) to Megan Fox or a Jaguar E-Type Coupe, it’s incredibly difficult to describe such a perfect shape or form in words. Even if you’re sold on what I’ve managed to whittle down from a sea of adjectives in the article, go and visit Skye. I genuinely don’t think that Britain gets any more beautiful.

February is the most depressing month of the year. It’s still raining and January’s new year enthusiasm has faded away. So wouldn’t it be nice to have to something to look forward to?
A riding break in the Scottish Highlands, for example!

MBUK have teamed up with Progression Bikes and the Atholl Arms Hotel in Dunkeld to offer one lucky reader (and a friend) the chance to win a two-night stay in the Highlands with a day’s guided mountain biking. Bike hire is included, as is breakfast and dinner.

Like the sound of this? To be in with a chance of winning this prize, just answer this question:

In which town in Scotland are the Atholl Arms and Progression Bikes located?
A) Glasgow
B) Dunkeld
C) Edinburgh

To enter, text MBKSCOT, then a space, then your answer (A, B or C) to 87474, or enter online at www.futurecomps.co.uk/MBK287SCOT.

The prize can be taken up until 30 October 2013 and you have until 12 March 2013 to enter.

Small print: There will be one winner. Competition opens on 8 February 2013. Closing date is 12 March 2013. Prize must be taken by 30 October 2013. Accommodation is subject to availability. For full MBUK terms and conditions, see http://www.futurenet.com/futureonline/competitionrules.asp. Prize includes two nights’ accommodation with dinner, bed and breakfast for two people at the Atholl Arms Hotel, Dunkeld and one day’s guiding riding tour and bike hire with Progression Bikes. Transport to Dunkeld and other food and drinks are not included.

There’s all sorts of good stuff in MBUK 287. Here’s a few highlights…

Best buy full suspension bikes – which gives you the best performance at a bargain price?

First rides on the Ragley Marley, Scott Gambler 10 and Giant Anthem X 29er 1.

How to stay in control – be a pilot, not a passenger, with these skills and drills to keep you in charge on the trail.

New rides! Big Ride route around the Malvern Hills, and a Wrecking Crew ride around Kinlochleven.

Best holiday ever? Cal Jelley takes the ultimate tour of Northern California to ride the birthplaces of mountain biking!

Snow Patrol! Ric puts fat bikes to the test in the wintry Scottish Highlands.

The Coastal Crew – you’ll want their jobs once you’ve read our feature!

We meet the Coastal Crew – the mountain bikers, film-makers and photographers with the most enviable jobs in the world!

The plans for BikePark Wales are revealed – we’ve spoken to the developers and it’s looking amazing!

Awesome shots of the Athertons going massive on home turf!

15 sets of disc brakes tested – which are the superior stoppers?

Plus you get a free karabiner keyring and pull-out route maps!

MBUK 287 is in the shops now – or why not subscribe so you never miss an issue?

Fat bikes – just another fad? Ric finds out in the Highlands

Hannah Barnes shows the Wrecking Crew around her favourite Kinlochleven trails

Check out these videos of some the of the newest kit to hit the pages of MBUK. This month we’ve got the Intense Tracer 275, Garmin’s Edge 810, and the Urge Real Jet helmet.

Find out more about all of these products in MBUK 287, on sale 8 February.

It’s a stage race that takes place over nine days, and there are days where the distance is quite long – up to 135km – and other days that demand more than 2,000m of climbing, in hot, arid conditions.

Matt says: “The Croc will push your physical and mental limits, the extreme weather, deadly wildlife and harsh terrain might make it sound like hell on earth, but to complete The Croc gives you a feeling like no other. It is a chance to explore the real Outback, a place that few people will ever see, and you’ll gain new friends through all the hardship and adversity the race offers.”

Check out the video below – it certainly looks dusty!

Hannah Barnes is a rider and a racer from Fort William. She rides for MTBCut/Orange Mountain Bikes. Her first blog for MBUK is all about a recent riding trip to La Palma.

“I am sitting in a Deutsche Backerei und Konditorei on La Palma (Canary Islands) surrounded by friendly German hippies. My friend Steffi Marth comes here every winter. Each year she invites me to come and this year it was perfect to come out and escape snowy Scotland for a few weeks.

“There are lots of folk here as part of Atlantic Cycling – bike guides, photographers, pro riders and clients. Steffi is running a girls freeride camp for a week, so I am joining them for some of the days, then riding with the guys the rest of the time. They are all such a great group of girls, doing really cool jobs and hobbies back home – one races motocross, one is an architect, one’s a civil engineer – and they’re all lots of fun. It’s cool to randomly meet and ride with these girls, doing a shared passion on a small island in the middle of the Atlantic.

“La Palma itself is an amazing place to ride, such a variety of riding and little micro-climates on the island. If one side is raining, then just head to the sun on the other side! We shuttle up for about an hour to get some height, then enjoy epic descents.

“It is a unique place to ride. Within one ride we would be on the top of the mountain in the rain, in a rocky rooty jungle, back into the sun in a lava field, then a fast and flowy pine forest, on red earth and a moon like landscape, loose rocky walkers paths, and smooth, flowy river beds. The riding is pretty technical and physical, so it is definitely somewhere to easily spend a winter getting fast and fit!

“I love the chilled pace of life and swimming in the ocean after a long ride, the cheap and tasty seafood, dubious Spanish coffee, German bread, and the mix of great people! What is not to love?!”

All photos by Thomas Dietze – www.extreme-pics.de