Rio BMX and MTB **spoilers**

TheBigBean
TheBigBean Posts: 20,511
edited August 2016 in Pro race
I'd post something useful, but I don't really know anything about the events. I thought they needed their own thread now.

BMX and MTB

Wednesday August 17

17:30-17:45 – live women’s BMX seeding run
18:34-19:22 – live men’s BMX seeding run

Thursday August 18

17:30-18:18 – live men’s BMX quarter-finals

Friday August 19

17:30-17:54 – live women;s BMX semi-finals
17:38-18:02 – live men’s BMX semi-finals
19:00-19:05 – live women’s BMX final
19:10-19:15 – live men’s BMX final

Saturday August 20

16:30-18:15 – live women’s cross country mountain biking

Sunday August 21

16:30-18:15 – live men’s cross country mountain biking
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Comments

  • FocusZing
    FocusZing Posts: 4,373
    "Liam Phillips seemed destined to be a BMX champion. Father Pete, a former national coach in the sport, helped to found a local BMX club and renovate a track in his hometown of Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, while Phillips first rode a bike at the age of five and raced against his sister Charlie from an early age.

    It is probably no surprise, therefore, that since making his Olympic Games debut in Beijing, at the age of just 19, Phillips has won 11 gold medals at UCI BMX World Championships and UCI BMX Supercross World Cup events."

    https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/gbcyc ... aVffG8j.99
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    Who have GB got in these events? I've never really followed either and only know of Phillips and Reade who has now gone back to track racing.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    Liam Phillips is our only medal chance - and it's a very good one but BMX can be a bun fight.

    British Cycling's attitude to MTB is atrocious so I think we ve only qualified one man, Grant Ferguson, who to be fair to him, is nt going to win and would be over the moon with a top-10
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 20,511
    Mountain bike

    Men’s cross-country (1) – Grant Ferguson
    Women’s cross-country (0) – Did not qualify

    BMX

    Men’s BMX (2) – Liam Phillips, Kyle Evans
    Women’s BMX (0) – Did not qualify

    I asked on some other thread about the absence of a male GB mountain biker and someone gave a helpful reply. Can't remember what it was though.
  • alanp23
    alanp23 Posts: 696
    ddraver wrote:
    Liam Phillips is our only medal chance - and it's a very good one but BMX can be a bun fight.

    British Cycling's attitude to MTB is atrocious so I think we ve only qualified one man, Grant Ferguson, who to be fair to him, is nt going to win and would be over the moon with a top-10

    Is MTB the one Sagan is riding in?

    (I'm assuming its not the BMX, but then who know??)
    Top Ten finisher - PTP Tour of Britain 2016
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 20,511
    I'm mostly supporting Sagan though, and he's not even in Team My Man.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    ^^Yes

    Essentially GB did tn qualify a woman (and really only qualified a man by fluke) becasue they won't pay to send people to races where points are collected. You'll remember Evie Richards who dominated the U23 CX World Champs back in March? She rides XCO for a career, but has to ride for a continental team because there is no support, coaching or anything from BC.

    Any British success in any form of MTB is acheived in spite of BC, not becasue of it

    (and breathe)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • kleinstroker
    kleinstroker Posts: 2,133
    Wasn't the MTB course on fire yesterday?

    Rio-fire.course.jpg
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 20,511
    From before
    PuttyKnees wrote:
    TheBigBean wrote:
    Does the UK not have a mountain biker?

    It has an excellent one in Grant Ferguson (possibly top 5 result but more likely top 10), a really good one in Annie Last, but she has been injured almost continuously since London and one up and coming possible world champion in Evie Richards. The problem is that GB didn't accumulate sufficient points to automatically quality, some say because BC sent riders compete in road races instead of points hunting. It's caused a massive uproar. If there is a place available, then I'd expect them to send Grant, and then if another comes up I'm not sure because they didn't pick Annie Last for the XCO World Champs and I'm not sure Richards has UCI points as she is a u23.
  • Richmond Racer 2
    Richmond Racer 2 Posts: 4,698
    edited August 2016
    ddraver wrote:
    ^^Yes

    Essentially GB did tn qualify a woman (and really only qualified a man by fluke) becasue they won't pay to send people to races where points are collected. You'll remember Evie Richards who dominated the U23 CX World Champs back in March? She rides XCO for a career, but has to ride for a continental team because there is no support, coaching or anything from BC.

    Any British success in any form of MTB is acheived in spite of BC, not becasue of it

    (and breathe)


    So I just imagined all the U23 podiums and top 6 results she's been getting all year riding with the GB team, supported by BC's Simon Watts and all the BC support crew? Or the opportunities to build up her endurance by riding for the GB team at races like the Womens Tour of Yorkshire race?
  • delete
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    I'm sure Ffion James (Becky's sister) has been sent off to quite a few competitions with BC? Maybe Blazing can confirm.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    Where are all the others??

    People were asking why the french have as much money as BC but have less success on the track - one reason is because they actually fund cycling as a whole rather than just the more guanrenteed olympic medals. How you view that depends on a few things...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • ddraver wrote:
    Where are all the others??

    People were asking why the french have as much money as BC but have less success on the track - one reason is because they actually fund cycling as a whole rather than just the more guanrenteed olympic medals. How you view that depends on a few things...



    Yeah, that must be it

    @PeterCossins 'French coaching dir Jacquet admits to "problem of leadership, of management" in @lequipe . Says team sprint trio were a team in name only'
  • PuttyKnees
    PuttyKnees Posts: 381
    ddraver wrote:
    ^^Yes

    Essentially GB did tn qualify a woman (and really only qualified a man by fluke) becasue they won't pay to send people to races where points are collected. You'll remember Evie Richards who dominated the U23 CX World Champs back in March? She rides XCO for a career, but has to ride for a continental team because there is no support, coaching or anything from BC.

    Any British success in any form of MTB is acheived in spite of BC, not becasue of it

    (and breathe)


    This isn't quite true. Evie Richards is on the senior BC academy - she gets lots of support and has her own coach. She also has the support of Tracy Moseley. I could be wrong, but I don't think she rides for a continental team - I think she is part of 100% Me, the BC funded 'trade' team. Ffion James was on the same programme but I think has left to pursue an academic career. We also had Alice Barnes, but it looks like she'll head for road. In the Juniors we have some prospects, but difficult to know how that will pan out. On the male side, we have some excellent prospects - I think Fraser Claherty is one to watch over the next few years. Paton/Pearce etc, not sure about.

    MTB definitely suffers from neglect. I suspect that this is probably down to it having limited medal prospects and that in reality there's only ever going to be 1 (maybe 2) places at the Olympics, unlike the track where you need quite a substantial pool of riders. I guess whoever calls the shots at BC allocates funding accordingly. My view is though that if you want to have olympic riders, you have to create a competitive environment - it's no coincidence that the Swiss and French mtb teams are so successful when they have so many riders battling for places.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    ^^I did say one reason

    PFP and Julian Absalon seem to be a good team...
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • PuttyKnees wrote:
    ddraver wrote:
    ^^Yes

    Essentially GB did tn qualify a woman (and really only qualified a man by fluke) becasue they won't pay to send people to races where points are collected. You'll remember Evie Richards who dominated the U23 CX World Champs back in March? She rides XCO for a career, but has to ride for a continental team because there is no support, coaching or anything from BC.

    Any British success in any form of MTB is acheived in spite of BC, not becasue of it

    (and breathe)


    This isn't quite true. Evie Richards is on the senior BC academy - she gets lots of support and has her own coach. She also has the support of Tracy Moseley. I could be wrong, but I don't think she rides for a continental team - I think she is part of 100% Me, the BC funded 'trade' team. Ffion James was on the same programme but I think has left to pursue an academic career. We also had Alice Barnes, but it looks like she'll head for road. In the Juniors we have some prospects, but difficult to know how that will pan out. On the male side, we have some excellent prospects - I think Fraser Claherty is one to watch over the next few years. Paton/Pearce etc, not sure about.

    MTB definitely suffers from neglect. I suspect that this is probably down to it having limited medal prospects and that in reality there's only ever going to be 1 (maybe 2) places at the Olympics, unlike the track where you need quite a substantial pool of riders. I guess whoever calls the shots at BC allocates funding accordingly. My view is though that if you want to have olympic riders, you have to create a competitive environment - it's no coincidence that the Swiss and French mtb teams are so successful when they have so many riders battling for places.



    As you say, Putty, Evie Richards for BC's Academy team 100% ME, NOT a Conti team. BC now have MTB Academy programmes (male and female)
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    Why do they even have what basically amounts to a child's sport in the Olympics. They should ditch it in favour of more track events.
  • lostboysaint
    lostboysaint Posts: 4,250
    Garry H wrote:
    Why do they even have what basically amounts to a child's sport in the Olympics. They should ditch it in favour of more track events.


    Good trolling! It's called diversity, get over it. And rather than more track events why not MTB DH? Or Enduro?
    Trail fun - Transition Bandit
    Road - Wilier Izoard Centaur/Cube Agree C62 Disc
    Allround - Cotic Solaris
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    Becasue not everyone is as blinkered as you?
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    Garry H wrote:
    Why do they even have what basically amounts to a child's sport in the Olympics. They should ditch it in favour of more track events.


    Good trolling! It's called diversity, get over it. And rather than more track events why not MTB DH? Or Enduro?

    I'll give you that, either one of those two would be better.
  • PuttyKnees
    PuttyKnees Posts: 381
    I love BMX. It's so exciting to watch. I think the format suffers a bit because largely it's all done on the first sprint and corner and seems to be a bit random. Track sprints are better because it is more controlled (either in match sprint or by the derny) and tactics can win out, but it is what it is. We go down to our local bmx track/club for training sprint/power/technique that helps with other disciplines and the community is largely super friendly in a way that I'm not sure others are.

    If I were to make changes, I'd ditch half the track qualifiers and replace them something else. I'm pretty sure there was a qualifier for reducing 9 TP teams to 8 - a bit of waste of time really. Can either have some other track events like madison or scratch race, or expand other disciplines - MTB XCE for example. DH would be great, but I can't see it ever happening. Enduro - no, not TV worthy.
  • PuttyKnees
    PuttyKnees Posts: 381
    edited August 2016
    double oops
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    (not XCE though Putty, not that)

    ;)
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • PuttyKnees
    PuttyKnees Posts: 381
    4X!
  • lostboysaint
    lostboysaint Posts: 4,250
    PuttyKnees wrote:
    4X!

    But BMX is 4X on smaller bikes, so why bother? ;)
    Trail fun - Transition Bandit
    Road - Wilier Izoard Centaur/Cube Agree C62 Disc
    Allround - Cotic Solaris
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    I'd rather see Downhill in than BMX but I guess it's just personal choice. To me BMX always seems to have an over-reliance on luck, it's a bit like short track speed skating in that there's a high likelihood of the favourites taking each other out and someone who was lagging miles behind winning.
  • TheBigBean
    TheBigBean Posts: 20,511
    I'm looking forward to the mountain biking. Anyone who exclusively rides on the road is missing out.
  • Garry H wrote:
    Why do they even have what basically amounts to a child's sport in the Olympics. They should ditch it in favour of more track events.


    You're going to LOVE skateboarding in the Tokyo Games then
  • PuttyKnees
    PuttyKnees Posts: 381
    I'd like to see BMX remain - it's a great spectacle. It would be fantastic to find space for DH and CX somewhere in the olympic programme - both are great to watch. I love XCO, but it needs the front riders to stay together and create drama to be a good watch.