Olympic XC Race

bigdawg

are spectators allowed do you know??

njee20

The journos didn't actually get to ride the course yesterday. I very nearly took the day off work, glad I didn't now!

jamescw

Er, yes we did - and I've got the video footage to prove it. It'll go up on the site later today.

bigdawg

does anyone know if theres gonig to be any way to ride the course - people from all overthe uk are riding and I live on top of the bloody thing!

njee20

I apologise, sure I read on the STW thread that they didn't actually get to ride it!

xcwanabe

http://www.xcracer.com/2012-Olympic-MTB-XC-Course-Head-Cam-Report.html

Head cam footage and ticket details for thr test event 31 jul 10

Looks all right to me, got my accommodation, time off work, sorted.

bigdawg

fortunately only live down the road - I ride the downs every weekend - the course looks good but they could have created a harder course using the natural terrain..

njee20

That would have looked as good on TV? That's half the issue!

bigdawg

would have looked good, but some bits would have had probs getting a camera too...

njee20

So wouldn't be great for spectators either?

bigdawg

youd get spectators in there but I was thinking more trees blocking the signals of hte cameras..

njee20

Aye, and the views of the spectators, the advantage of this is that virtually the whole course is visible from any of a number of points, makes it far more interesting, will probably make for closer racing too.

Thewaylander

A few of my friends who race DH saw some video of the course last week there comments made me laugh.

"whats the point you might as well ride a cannal path..."

had to laugh, Njee not my comment by the way I just find it funny that from my point of veiw and the riders I know this format is least representative of the sport on the whole. and that this is the part that represents it at the Olympics

njee20

That's a difficult one though isn't it, what is representative of the 'general MTB community' is not competitive, and riding around, stopping and chatting every 5 minutes then going to the pub isn't really worthy of an Olympic sport!

It's certainly not representative of DH racers, but it is of XC. I do agree that DH has as much place as XC in the Olympics, I suspect it's to do with needing more infrastructure for a DH race, uplifts, a big hill etc. 4X would be good, but I suspect it's too similar to the BMX to the laypeople.

It's a bit like saying the football isn't representative of going for a kickabout in the park with your mates.

I've not seen the course, so I'm not going to comment on it specifically, but I think it's a little daft to compare it to a canal path.

Thewaylander

To be honest football cricket n all are really different than biking, most people who love watching football are so fat and unfit if they ever did kick a ball they have a heart attack :P

But i do get what you mean, I just think out of all the discaplines its the leats representative. But then I don't feel Mtbing really is an olympic sport, its been expanded way to much over the years but thats a matter of opinion of course.

njee20

most people who love watching football are so fat and unfit if they ever did kick a ball they have a heart attack

Like plenty of mountain bikers would if they did an XC race!? :-)

I'd say of the racing disciplines it's most representative, riding up and down the hills for a couple of hours is more akin to what most people do than DH, 4X or trials, the issue is that most people just don't see mountain biking as competitive, which is in essence what you're saying!

Thewaylander

Not really most of us ride up because there is no choice, we use ski lifts all day like infrance if we could

And i think Football/cricket/Rugby are very different because you missed my point there, most people who watch competetive biking ride a mountain bike, they have a certain amount of fitness even if it's low.

The people i know who watch the sports mentioned above i know have little or nothing to do with the sport other that watching a team on tv

i think biking can be competetive, i race against my friends all the time down sections, but we never race on a climb as we don't care about that its just getting to the top for us. I don't think any of the other formats really represent the sport very clearly either, which is what i think the olympics is all about. so I'd prefer if we didn't have an olympic bike event but again it's opinion and people see different sides of the sport depending how they approach it.

VWsurfbum

So has anyone ridden it or know of anyone who's ridden it?
My mate is convinced its open already??

ollie51

I managed to get a lap in today! There were a number of pros who'd come for a spin after the world cup round. Cannondale, Rabobank, rocky mountain, GB squad, Italy and trek subaru (Emily Batty included and yes I got a picture) were all present, a couple didn't take the A lines, which was surprising but when we went to ride them our selves we understood why. it's way too technical for an xc course for me but then again this is the olympics. It'll be great to watch though.

streako

Watching XC racing rather than downhilling is a bit like comparing the 26 mile marathon to the 100metres.
Its never going to be quite as thrilling, but, especially if you compete yourself, then you will enjoy it and appreciate the effort and skill of the riders.

cloudynights

can't hellp but think that this xc course is a total waste of time, and not a good advertisement for mountain biking in this country, of all the places to pick it really is a joke my 10 year old son rides harder stuff than this, could have picked so many great places either in wales, scotland or the north of england . it seems like its a joke to some of our american friends too http://www.fattirefarm.com/blog/news/ol ... course-uk/

ollie51

cloudynights wrote:

can't hellp but think that this xc course is a total waste of time, and not a good advertisement for mountain biking in this country, of all the places to pick it really is a joke my 10 year old son rides harder stuff than this, could have picked so many great places either in wales, scotland or the north of england . it seems like its a joke to some of our american friends too http://www.fattirefarm.com/blog/news/ol ... course-uk/

I'd be very surprised if your 10 year old son can ride that, even if he took the 'C' lines. I've ridden it and it's harder than anything the xc trails wales can throw at you by a long, long way.

cloudynights

ollie51 wrote:

cloudynights wrote:

can't hellp but think that this xc course is a total waste of time, and not a good advertisement for mountain biking in this country, of all the places to pick it really is a joke my 10 year old son rides harder stuff than this, could have picked so many great places either in wales, scotland or the north of england . it seems like its a joke to some of our american friends too http://www.fattirefarm.com/blog/news/ol ... course-uk/

I'd be very surprised if your 10 year old son can ride that, even if he took the 'C' lines. I've ridden it and it's harder than anything the xc trails wales can throw at you by a long, long way.

northeners are tough harder than xc trails in wales you say, now i do find that surprising

cloudynights

ollie51 wrote:

cloudynights wrote:

can't hellp but think that this xc course is a total waste of time, and not a good advertisement for mountain biking in this country, of all the places to pick it really is a joke my 10 year old son rides harder stuff than this, could have picked so many great places either in wales, scotland or the north of england . it seems like its a joke to some of our american friends too http://www.fattirefarm.com/blog/news/ol ... course-uk/

I'd be very surprised if your 10 year old son can ride that, even if he took the 'C' lines. I've ridden it and it's harder than anything the xc trails wales can throw at you by a long, long way.

just noticed your location, say no more

VWsurfbum

cloudynights wrote:

ollie51 wrote:

cloudynights wrote:

can't hellp but think that this xc course is a total waste of time, and not a good advertisement for mountain biking in this country, of all the places to pick it really is a joke my 10 year old son rides harder stuff than this, could have picked so many great places either in wales, scotland or the north of england . it seems like its a joke to some of our american friends too http://www.fattirefarm.com/blog/news/ol ... course-uk/

I'd be very surprised if your 10 year old son can ride that, even if he took the 'C' lines. I've ridden it and it's harder than anything the xc trails wales can throw at you by a long, long way.

just noticed your location, say no more

So your questioning someones first hand experiance of riding the course, over what a website says? Yes i know i'm local to the site(ish) but its no flat cycle path, anyone trying to ride that course on a bike they just bought from halfords will be eaten up and spat out!
The video's and photo's of the course dont do it justice, but that said i still think Dalby would of been the better choice.

njee20

could have picked so many great places either in wales, scotland or the north of england

Really? Again? Are we gonna trawl this out every month until the Games? It's the London Olympics, not the Wales, Scotland or North of England Olympics.

Dalby is in the middle of nowhere, a very long way from transport links etc, you also can't have routes designated for use by the 'Olympic family' as there's one road in and out, which is in contravention of the IOC requirements. They're not gonna spend millions on such a minority sport anyway - the IOC have very stringent rules to be adhered to.

northeners are tough harder than xc trails in wales you say, now i do find that surprising

Why? Have you ridden it? No, you've seen some photos. :roll:

If your son is so epic I look forward to seeing him competing in the 2020 Olympics, I hope you've got tickets, he can tell Absalon and Schurter where they're going wrong.

Thewaylander

be interested to ride it,

Watching the videos and seeing pictures i've been trying to stop myself laughing myself of my chair in the office, Wel'll see i guess.

70m alltitude isn't gonna make it a grueller though in terms of testing peopls fitness. I mean i know guys from Reading who do 30-40 mile rides round where they live, but when they come to over here, there look ruined after 18KM because they aren't used to the climb, So this one can not be a really evil fitness challenge at least.

njee20

One long climb makes for an incredibly dull race, it's a procession. Lots of smaller climbs makes far more interesting racing.

IMO the climbing is no tougher physically in one go anyway (away from racing - using your example), you just settle in and get on with it - which is what happens in the race, much more likely to attack smaller climbs.

Edit: and you don't need climbs to make a race tough - even the flattest races are a good test of fitness.

VWsurfbum

Thewaylander
Although i understand where your coming from (its no mountain) it has some very long albeit not very steep, but long, which will require a very good level of fitness, for say an olimpic athlete.
I too can ride for miles round here and may struggle when i get to wales, but then fitness comes in all shapes and sizes.

ollie51

cloudynights wrote:

ollie51 wrote:

cloudynights wrote:

can't hellp but think that this xc course is a total waste of time, and not a good advertisement for mountain biking in this country, of all the places to pick it really is a joke my 10 year old son rides harder stuff than this, could have picked so many great places either in wales, scotland or the north of england . it seems like its a joke to some of our american friends too http://www.fattirefarm.com/blog/news/ol ... course-uk/

I'd be very surprised if your 10 year old son can ride that, even if he took the 'C' lines. I've ridden it and it's harder than anything the xc trails wales can throw at you by a long, long way.

just noticed your location, say no more

I spend a good 4-6 weeks in Wales a year, mostly 15 minutes from cwm carn/afan dependent upon location. Need I say more? Yes essex is incredibly flat but we have do have Danbury, which has my favourite piece of singletrack I've ever ridden.

Yes the climbs aren't exactly long however they do have an element of technicality and there's no where to rest on the course at all. And I totally agree with Njee, numerous climbs do make it more interesting but some riders, typically the 'old skool' build riders will beg to differ as this doesn't suit them although it's the format that's coming about for said reasons.