Why we need to distinguish between Fire Road Racing & Mountain Biking

I haven’t done an xc race in years, so I don’t know how technical the courses are these days. The courses I have seen on tv and pretty poor, for the most part.

Has xc racing become road riding, off-road or are there tough xc courses? I appreciate the very top xc riders, absalon et al are hugely skilled, but are they the exception?

Never heard of fire road racing in the UK, the races i’ve done have all had stuff more technical than just fire roads but nothing so technical that most people with a bit of riding experience wouldn’t be happy riding.

I thought there was a move this year to make the world cup xc courses more technical, it’s hard to judge on TV and top riders make technical stuff look pretty easy but the ones I’ve watched had some pretty technical stuff. The Olympic course also seemed pretty tech to me with gap jumps and rock gardens but maybe that didn’t always come across on the TV. The Dalby course last year also had some pretty technical bits especially if you’re riding them at race speed.

Also not sure I subscribe to the idea that all roadies are crap bike handlers, the ones that I know that actually race on the road are all pretty decent bike handlers.

sounds like the usual i am crap, not because i have no fitness, because i am ubber gnarl, it can’t be my fault so it must be the courses are too easy type article.

it is XC racing, the average course won’t be the most extreme because it plays to the audience and ability of those competing. If you go to world cup level then courses get harder.

Has xc racing become road riding, off-road or are there tough xc courses? I appreciate the very top xc riders, absalon et al are hugely skilled, but are they the exception?

I think what has happened is that people who think they are ‘mountain bikers’ forgot that it should also include some physical effort, and what was a sport is now a leisure activity, ‘Pony trekking by bike’ in the words of a chap who doesn’t come here anymore.

All mountain, free ride, etc are all about the tech with none of the grunt. Best not to forget that all the top mountain bikers in the UK when the sport kicked off were also roadies and cyclocrossers.

All mountain, free ride, etc are all about the tech with none of the grunt.

God it’s so gound to hear some sarcasms some times to times.

I have just started road riding to help recover from a knee injury. Going round corners at any sort of decent speed on those skinny tyres is scary. Especially in the wet!
Give me MTB wheels and tyres for cornering anyday.

LOL, that doesn’t read exactly how you want it to read juan, but I understand what you mean.

…And I think you understand what I meant too… 😀

Article seems to lack uk relevance?

He’s not referring to xc racing, but to something along the lines of gravel road racing, which seems to be a newish niche, or off-road brevets.

Bikejames
I’d like to make a couple of points – first, I hope that we can agree that World Cup XC pros who race on WC courses are outliers in the argument – they are great riders in more than one area. I also don’t recall anyone saying that real XC racing isn’t mountain biking. I think what most of us are lamenting is that Fire Road Racing has become mistaken for real XC riding and racing.

All mountain, free ride, etc are all about the tech with none of the grunt. Best not to forget that all the top mountain bikers in the UK when the sport kicked off were also roadies and cyclocrossers.

Isn’t that because most MTB races were not that technical to begin with? Didn’t Chris askrigg win a hill climbing event so as well as being extremely skilled is super fit.

I thought the article was interesting to but racing does not appeal to me. Too many people and not enough adventure. I am fit as to get to the downhill you usually have to bike up even if you enjoy the way down.

but I understand what you mean

Do you? Really?

Oui.

I admire anyones ability to get het up about such a short and obviously divisive article.

I think the author comes across as a complete penis. WGAS if people want to race on fireroads and call it mountain biking? How on earth does that detract from his enjoyment of the ‘sport’!?

njee, I think the point of the article is pretty clear if you read it without prejudice.