Mud, Sweat and Gears 2012

bigdawg

no nothing - no what you mean- waiting to fill in this years calendar...!

ollie51

1st April - Tunstall
29th April - Hylands
13th May - Thetford - reg champs
3rd June - Codham
17th June - Venue TBC Matt was testing somewhere out today to see if it's suitable.

No Danbury - they struggled to get a course together and it was still very poor.

And there's quite a big change in format of the day.

It's something like this...

Morning: Ladies and Youth/Juvenile Races.
Just After: Little 'uns.
Mid-day: Elite/Expert/Sport/Juniors
Afternoon: Open/masters/vets etc.

So there's no more warrior, racer etc. it's much more simple this way.

VWsurfbum

All 2hr or a mix? Everyone set off at the same time or staggered?

ollie51

Staggered, all with their own length of times.

Open is pretty much what warriors was and sport is pretty much racers.

evo3ben

A few changes this year then. No Danbury and no Langdon Hills plus new race format and time changes. Looking forward to it!! 8) Any idea when the new site goes live?

bigdawg

dont forget langdon hills is a national race this year, so yes it is on, but I dont know what MS&G will have to do with it if anythnig at all...

Cant say Ill miss danbury - well I kinda will, but the last two years the course has been silly bumpy.. Wonder where the noew one is..?!?!

Hmm also any idea of start off times for the various cats..??!

C0LL0

Spoke to MSG Guy on Sunday at London Bike show at excel, New website goes live begining of February

ollie51

bigdawg wrote:

Hmm also any idea of start off times for the various cats..??

It'll be similar to nat series in 2011, possibly slightly different:

0930 Race 1. All Female categories and Juvenile/Youth Boys
1000 Go-Ride racing under 12s
1100 Go Ride Racing Under 16s
1130 Practice and Race 1 Presentation
1200 Race 2. Elite/Expert/Sport/Junior Men
1400 Race 2 Presentation
1430 Race 3. Master/Veteran/Grand Veteran/Super Veteran Men/Open
1630 Race 3 Presentation

VWsurfbum

ollie51 wrote:

bigdawg wrote:

Hmm also any idea of start off times for the various cats..??

It'll be similar to nat series in 2011, possibly slightly different:

0930 Race 1. All Female categories and Juvenile/Youth Boys
1000 Go-Ride racing under 12s
1100 Go Ride Racing Under 16s
1130 Practice and Race 1 Presentation
1200 Race 2. Elite/Expert/Sport/Junior Men
1400 Race 2 Presentation
1430 Race 3. Master/Veteran/Grand Veteran/Super Veteran Men/Open
1630 Race 3 Presentation

If that is the case you can pretty much write me out of it, unless i get a sex change or pretend i'm under 16:?

ollie51

It's not really that different to last year, race 2 is just the racers from last year and open is the 1 hour race for everyone else

VWsurfbum

ollie51 wrote:

It's not really that different to last year, race 2 is just the racers from last year and open is the 1 hour race for everyone else

Sorry my mistake, i thought it was 14:30.
Phew i can cancel the op now.

evo3ben

Does make sense to be honest rather that seperate races. so should be 80-100 mass start? Just hope the Racers dont get too annoyed with the slow guys in the 1 hour class.

bigdawg

no, bring the women back to our times - that was my one respite at 90 minutes following the the elite women round... 8)

C0LL0

bigdawg wrote:

no, bring the women back to our times - that was my one respite at 90 minutes following the the elite women round... 8)

You bad man :evil: :evil:

IhateDNS

evo3ben wrote:

Does make sense to be honest rather that seperate races. so should be 80-100 mass start? Just hope the Racers dont get too annoyed with the slow guys in the 1 hour class.

Just hope the Warrior don't get too p!ss off with the Racers pushing they way past.
I have I read right! Master/Veteran/Grand Veteran/Super Veteran Men/Open all starting at same time? Codham last year on first corner with ditch going to be a massive back log.

3rd June - Codham

Nice. 3rd time lucky :twisted: Two more day then I'll be a Vet :shock:

No Danbury

Good it was boring.

ollie51

IhateDNS wrote:

Just hope the Warrior don't get too p!ss off with the Racers pushing they way past.
I have I read right! Master/Veteran/Grand Veteran/Super Veteran Men/Open all starting at same time? Codham last year on first corner with ditch going to be a massive back log.

It's not really that different to last year, race 2 is just the racers from last year and open is the 1 hour race for everyone else

The warriors, or the open class doesn't race as the same time as the racers, or the sport, so they can't possibly get in each others way.

Can I just reiterate, the times I gave are taken from the british xc website, since Matt said the times for msg would be very similar to the format of the NPS from last year, they likely hood is that there will be differences.

Nice. 3rd time lucky Two more day then I'll be a Vet

It'll be whatever your age is on the 31/12/12 (see the world's not going to end) not on the day of each race...

So unlucky

bigdawg

it is I think the solution to problem I raised last year with the grand vets starting behind the rest of hte pack (ie them slower riders over when 'passing'!)

Didnt say anything about making the winners of categories go up to the next category too did he?!?!

VWsurfbum

bigdawg wrote:

Didnt say anything about making the winners of categories go up to the next category too did he?!?!

That would be good, but hard to enforce

IhateDNS

Thanks for move.

Why can't MSG use olympics track this year like in September would be good publicity for all side.
Is it down to cost?

ollie51

IhateDNS wrote:

Thanks for move.

Why can't MSG use olympics track this year like in September would be good publicity for all side.
Is it down to cost?

because, 90% of the people who race at msg don't have adequate technical skill to ride the olympic track, it would be a health and safety nightmare.

You still have to be a half decent rider to ride the C and B lines. There are very, very few riders in the country who can ride all the A lines, on a xc bike.

VWsurfbum

Interesting, you ridden it?

ollie51

yes, do not underestimate it, it is, very, very technical, much more technical than anything you could ride at a Welsh trail centre for example.

Just to give you an idea: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSSuIvgl ... er&list=UL

that's Ben Thomas, one of the country's best riding it, and he doesn't take all of the A lines, I took exactly the same lines as him (except where he skipped the rock garden, which I could ride, but I was so slow the B line was quicker).

I would be skeptical of holding a national there, only the elites and the technically adept riders could cope, there'd be lots of broken bones.

VWsurfbum

Thats probably the best video i've seen on the course, but it doesnt look technical as you say at all :?

ollie51

You have to ride it to understand how technically demanding the course is, then you'll understand. There's a reason it's an olympic mtb course. I thought exactly the same as you prior to riding it, afterwards I'd totally changed my mind.

VWsurfbum

fair enough, i watch the DH world cups and think i could ride that

ollie51

don't we all?

bigdawg

speaking to alastair before he departed he did say that the olympic course was pencilled in for 2013, presumably when they've dumbed down the course - Ill take it a step further and say in its current format it would be unrideable for most riders. Even the alternative routes have parts that will literally throw you off your bike...

as usual the video flattens out the course it is extremely hilly and technical, if go to 3 minutes in the video I actually thought that was a downhill section when I rode it and crashed twice going down it, without the rocks (which never used to be there) that is extremely difficult to climb its so steep.

stylish

I was under the impression that it was always going to be dumbed down after the olympics anyway, so it was more rideable for the average rider.

I hope we do get the opportunity to race there in 2013, although by then, i would imagine somebody somewhere will have woked out what they can make by charging to ride the course, and closing it on a weekend for a race will be a big no no.

Looking forward to seeing it when i go and watch the Mens Olympic race, much to my daughters disgust who wanted to see the Showjumping, (like i was ever going to rty for those tickets)............

C0LL0

Would be good to ride Hadleigh farm as a race even In dumbed down course, I could ride to the race, roll up just before the start after a long lie in already warmed up excellent idea

bigdawg

be a very rare race that you could actually ride to and ride home from...