2012 Olympic MTB course
Comments
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Surely you mean the better technical rider will do better in Wales? The fittest rider should win wherever (unless they really can't ride a bike!)
I'd personally contend that myself anyway. I live in the South East, race all over the place, I'm crap technically, the last race I won was in fact the NPS at CyB. There's more climbing in the Nat Champs course near East Grinstead than the World Cup at Dalby too.
It's largely irrelevant, at WC level the same guys tend to win anyway, which suggests the particulars of the course don't matter! My money's on Schurter for the win.0 -
No, FITNESS as being, Fit For Purpose, not fitness as any other type.
With S.East England, it's the SPEED that will show thro, as well as some skill, but,
In Wales, it's ALL types of Skill, Speed, Technique, Bike Handling, Strength, Stamina...Balls!
Also, I thought the new course in Yorkshire was UCI ready, as they used it for a series race.0 -
FFS what is everybody getting wound up about?
None of us know, yet, what the course will look like, or the features it will contain.
They are building it from scratch, and you can do a lot of damage to a "field" with a JCB in half a day.
I'm not pretending to know what the IOC standard for an XC MTB course is... It might turn out good, it might turn out shyte. We'll have to sit back and see.0 -
Again, I used the Coedy forest as an example of how a trail centre layout could be adapted, because I know that forest better than anywhere. :roll:njee20 wrote:But you like CyB? Racing at CyB was rather dull, there are far far far more interesting courses!njee20 wrote:You should definitely come to the Olympics, you can tell Julian Absalon how to ride his bike, as he's just a roadie! Actually, you should show some of those roadies how to do it. Fabien Cancellara, what an mincing embarrassment he is to the sport!
Gladly. I will say with almost utter confidence that I am a better technical rider than most of the XC racing snakes.
I'm not one to blow my own trumpet on riding ability, but I have a serious grudge against these fat tyred roadies getting all the funding, whilst our most talented technical riders are left completely in the dark.0 -
Yep, Yee gotta point.
I know 5 - 8 very good riders, who as Jnrs were overlooked by the WCU coz they liked, XC, Jumps, DH, 4 X and other off-road stuff.
They were all very fit, fast, skilled and enthusiastic, for THEIR type of riding.
They were more or less FORCED into Track, Road etc.
Not the BEST place to show of their hard earned technical skills.
At the International Level: Quite a few Mtb riders have done really well on the Road...
Not many Road riders have done really well in Mtb.0 -
yeehaamcgee wrote:No, Idon't race XC. You know why?
cause the courses tend to be as boring as listening to paint dry
this....
if the sport is called 'mountain biking', why would you hold it in one of the flattest parts of the UK....why not call it 'field riding'.............
I mean...the round of the TdF in the UK didn't attract any KoM points did it?Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.
H.G. Wells.0 -
njee20 wrote:! Actually, you should show some of those roadies how to do it. Fabien Cancellara, what an mincing embarrassment he is to the sport!
if you believe what you read over in the pro race section...you just have to take loads of EPO!njee20 wrote:I've just noticed I'm the only English person on this thread, that probably explains a lot!
why? are you racist?Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.
H.G. Wells.0 -
njee20 wrote:I just think people misunderstand what the aim is, it is not to provide an event which showcases the best riding in the UK. The WC at Fort Bill is smaller than the Olympics will be sadly.
Sure the whole olympics is bigger than a WC at fort bill...but the mountain biking on its own...about the same size i'd wager.
Surely the point is to showcase the talent of the competitors...and the best, fittest, most technically gifted who has worked the hardest should win......
You can't show all of those things on a carpet.
I hope they make a good job of the track...and that they leave it it there for the public to ride...
I hope its interesting to watch and make good racing...however...i don't think it will.Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.
H.G. Wells.0 -
My thoughts exactly.cee wrote:I hope they make a good job of the track...and that they leave it it there for the public to ride...
I hope its interesting to watch and make good racing...however...i don't think it will.
no point in mindlessly defending or berating it really it without seeing the finished thing I guess.0 -
Gladly. I will say with almost utter confidence that I am a better technical rider than most of the XC racing snakes.
I'm not one to blow my own trumpet on riding ability, but I have a serious grudge against these fat tyred roadies getting all the funding, whilst our most talented technical riders are left completely in the dark.
That is a very bold claim indeed!Quite a few Mtb riders have done really well on the Road...
Not many Road riders have done really well in Mtb.
The reason roadies don't transfer to MTB is because there's a lot more money on the road.I hope its interesting to watch and make good racing...however...i don't think it will.
It's XC racing, it's never gonna be that exciting to watch! It'll be a good race though.
FWIW the worst course I've ever raced on was in Wales, not 1" of singletrack in the whole course, up a gravel track, across a wet field, down a wet field, repeat. The next race in the series was one of the best courses I've ever raced on, maybe 10 miles away. The geographical location doesn't really bear any resemblance to the quality of the course!0 -
I think it's a bit too early for us to argue, since the course hasn't even been built yet.
Granted, my impression of what little I've seen of the Beijing course was that it looked ludicrously easy in terms of technicality and Dalby looks a fair bit more technical. At the same time I do think narrow trail centre singletrack doesn't necessarily make good racing chiefly because a 'roadie on knobblies' could still take the lead on the climbs and then hold more technical riders up on the descents (I know I've experienced that in the few races I've done).
I don't imagine the Olympic MTB needs much in the way of infrastructure either - there's going to be a very small field of racers out there (probably far less than at a WC round) and probably no more demand for spectator space or TV coverage.
I guess what I'm saying is I agree that MTB racing should be more technical and it should really test the skills of the best riders, but I can also see there needs to be consideration of TV requirements (this isn't the TDF - you can't use helicopter or motorbike coverage for forest singletrack) and the fact that the guys who race for a living don't want to be risking season ending crashes at every event...0 -
DHers do. 4x riders do. Motox racers do, as do F1 drivers, Rally drivers, superbikes/MotoGP and so on and so on.llamafarmer wrote:the guys who race for a living don't want to be risking season ending crashes at every event...0 -
Of course they risk crashes at every event, they're not being conservative on the descents.
The fact is that at World Cup level there's not a huge amount to choose between any of the top guys, they're all very very good bike riders. It's easy to plod around a trail centre on your 5" travel bike with 2.3" tyres, stopping at the top of the climbs to admire then view before doing the descent!
I'd genuinely be stunned if you were a better rider than Nino Schurter or Julian Absalon yeeha, and your insistence that you are just shows how little you do know about mountain bike racing.
Watch some of the videos of Dalby, flat out down all the descents, 95% of max HR, on a carbon hardtail with 100mm forks and 2.1" tyres, with another rider a foot infront and others right behind you. It's easy to be an armchair critic, don't see you in any World Cup (or even local) races!
To return your insult, you're an idiot.0 -
You have got to be kidding me. I have never seen an XC race, at any level, where anybody was riding anywhere near the limit on the descents. Same goes for any properly technical terrain, a lot of them actually get off and carry the bike FFS.0
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How many World Cup XC races have you seen?! We're still at the level of you being an idiot here. Do you genuinely think that people make a living as mountain bikers without being good riders technically!?0
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Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. A load of super fit mincers wobbling around.njee20 wrote:How many World Cup XC races have you seen?! We're still at the level of you being an idiot here. Do you genuinely think that people make a living as mountain bikers without being good riders technically!?
If I wanted to watch some talented riders, I'd watch something where bike handling skills are essential, like trials, dirt jumping, 4x or DH.
If I wanted to watch some roadies on nobbly tyres, I'd watch XC.0 -
yeehaamcgee wrote:
Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying. A load of super fit mincers wobbling around.njee20 wrote:How many World Cup XC races have you seen?! We're still at the level of you being an idiot here. Do you genuinely think that people make a living as mountain bikers without being good riders technically!?
If I wanted to watch some talented riders, I'd watch something where bike handling skills are essential, like trials, dirt jumping, 4x or DH.
If I wanted to watch some roadies on nobbly tyres, I'd watch XC.
lol well said... "world cup" xc is gash.0 -
Wow. That's one mighty chip on your shoulder there! So you could race World Cup level Elite XC racing if you wanted to? This surpasses your advice on chain fitting as the most idiotic thing you've said!0
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Well, here's my 2 pence worth...
I've ridden with Oli Beckinsale and Zac Toogood, Oli Olympic/Comm Games XC rider, Zac was Nat XC champ at the time.
They were on hardtails, me on a full sus.
On the descents, I couldn't keep up with them. I'm not brilliant, but not a bad rider.
But, the DH boys are REEAALLLLY talented too, having been to watch em in Scotland.
Coached a few Nat DH riders too, but only on the Fitness side of things,
Strength, Speed, Stretching, Stamina...0 -
I know a number of XC riders to have ridden with top DH boys (Peaty et al) and said their fitness was pretty laughable.
Good explosive power, but not much else!
Still, comparing XC and DH is a bit like apples and oranges frankly! They're they best in the world at what they do, and to think the average chipper is better at any one key element of that is pretty stupid.0 -
No, I never said that. (and my advice on fitting the chain was fine, apart from my mind numbingly stupid mistake of forgetting that my chain tensioner was causing the issue, not the chain length).njee20 wrote:Wow. That's one mighty chip on your shoulder there! So you could race World Cup level Elite XC racing if you wanted to? This surpasses your advice on chain fitting as the most idiotic thing you've said!
I could not race Elite level XC, because I'm not fit enough. I don't care massively about fitness, I would rather get to the top in my own time, so I can blast the downs as fast as I can. I've been doing this for well over half my life, starting on a rigid, so don't give me the crap about "hardtail" riders.
You're just making retarded assumptions, because it appears YOU are the one with a massive chip on your shoulder.0 -
The only thing you need for world cup xc is fitness... mtb skill comes second.
Whereas mtb skill + control is more important for DH.
IMO.0 -
One of the "Principles of Fitness,"
SPECIFICITY, Which is really saying, To be a good Tennis player, play tennis, to be a good runner, run!
"Ain't Wocket Science", as Wossy would say.
So, the Cross Training thing is what I've done, taught for years, 38 plus, as there is some "crosssover" of types of fitness to some degree.
So...to be a good XC rider, it's stamina, power-to-weight, strength, speed endurance.
DH more like Strength, speed, skills/tactics, raw power etc.
Focussing on their "weaknesses" and consolidating their "strengths" makes a great deal of difference to an Average to a Great rider.0 -
You're just making retarded assumptions,
I'm not the one boasting that I'm better than pro athletes now though am I?0 -
Place is a Total joke it even has a castle that is not actually a castle
but one that is made up of many old castles, and the place is a Sh@t hole.
No idea why they never used Epping Forest naturaly perfect for XC riding
also requires no digging or work as trails are already there!
if you know the places to go
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Aston Hill !!! 30 min from London 5 min from Stoke Mandeville Olympic Village !!!! Hell they even named one of the Olympic Mascots after the place so why not use it a bit more ????0
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I made the mistake of watching the olympic XC last time, jesus what a load of crap. A bunch of fags mincing around what looked like a park, getting off and running DOWN the hills.0
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No idea why they never used Epping Forest naturaly perfect for XC riding
also requires no digging or work as trails are already there!
That's the problem though, they're not looking for somewhere with trails already there, they're purposely designing a course that fits their requirements exactly, just like they did at Athens and Beijing, and probably Atlanta. They're not using Hadleigh Farm because there are no pre-existing venues, it's because they can do exactly what they want with it.0 -
el loco pollo wrote:I made the mistake of watching the olympic XC last time, jesus what a load of crap. A bunch of fags mincing around what looked like a park, getting off and running DOWN the hills.
I have also seen this at World Cup and World Champs XC events...
see my earlier comment about them having to take 'nessie' out of the the XC loop at Fort Bill for the world cup a few years ago the riders complained it was too difficult.....then they built the World Champs 8.5km loop...its a fairly easy red route with very little in the way of technicality...it does have one of the most beastly climbs though.....
I don't have a full suss trail bike...I have a 140mm forked hardtail and a DH bike......
no stopping at the top of climbs for me!Whenever I see an adult on a bicycle, I believe in the future of the human race.
H.G. Wells.0
