Now all this talk of walking/technical bits in xc races on the other thread got me thinking about the last gorrick, where the pack got to a reasonably technical bit (undulating, with short sharp up's/downs and roots needed right gear selection & decent bike weighting skills).

Basically some numpty in front got off to walk which meant the pack all ended up in a massive queue politely waiting. Is this normal? I was vaguely tempted to try and charge past lots of people on the outside (would have been space but would have been slightly off line)

Only my 4th race so not sure what's 'sportsmanlike' and what isn't…

Pedal like **** from the start to get to the narrow stuff before the pack is the general approach 🙂

If you are riding then anyone walking should get out of your way.

Back on the day, I was always told that a walking/running competitor had to get out of the way of a riding competitor.

TBH whilst xc racers are pretty nice guys, when in race mode they're animals.
Usually someone holding the field up like that would be bundled past. Perhaps not the case past the midfield racers, but certainly front runners would be hustling. When the fields jostling for position it's all elbows and rear mech/front wheel interfaces.
Though I doubt they would do anything to actually put the walker in danger.

There will always be novices that shoot off from the gun and die a thousand deaths 30 seconds later.

Yes I was midpack having started at the back ('fun' division too)

The 'walker' meant that other riders stalled on the steep bits too trying to go round them and had to get off. I was about 10-15 riders back so would have overtaken lots of guys who weren't 'walking' but just waiting for said walkers to get out of the way so they could get a clean run.

It didn't feel right to shoot past them all, it was a couple of mins wait till we got going again.

I've always tried to ride everything (out of style considerations/ stupidity) but its sometimes clear that I've held up the get-off, clear obstacle, cx re-mount type approaches, so theres not necessarily a hard and fast rule.

TBH I usually shout, along the lines of "get off the racing line"!

The leaders would have been long gone, otherwise you'd have heard the cursing.

b r, a little bird tells me you ask them first if they're Scottish, before telling them to "get off 'the English' racing line" 🙂

Surely no need to ask ?

I always just add – ".. scots bastard(s)" to anything I say to a stranger. Saves time in the long run, even though I live in southern england

There is this honourable mountainbiking rule that says everthing must be ridden, and sometimes you have to remind yourself that your racing and pootling through the off camber muddy slope in the granny ain't on.
Tis why Mr Sidi sells these.

Back in the day [goes all bleary eyed with nostalgia!], the thing I enjoyed most about XC racing was the aggression and elbow barging into corners. IMO if there's a clear line and you don't put other riders in too much danger then go for it!!

b r, a little bird tells me you ask them first if they're Scottish, before telling them to "get off 'the English' racing line"

TBH I usually put my best West Riding voice on, and suggest that the Shandy Drinkers should…

had that at bristol 12 a few years back, some tit got fairly near the front on the first stretch of singletrack and i was three riders back with the two in front of me making no attempt to pass so i dived the otherside of a tree and made those three places, boy, did he get stroppy, so i just told him to **** off and learn to ride faster. after that piece of singletrack is a long stretch of flat which i topped out on as i was on a singlespeed so he passed me grumbling something until the next open climb where i passed him with ease and smiled back at him a la lance to jan ullrich and i didn't see him again all lap.
it's a race, so long as you don't take somebody out or cheat any line is game and if everybody else wants to queue leave 'em to it.

It's still like that muffin-man. I got sent flying on the first bend of a local xc by a five foot nothing lass dressed in pink lycra.
Rollerball anyone?

head down keep pedaling there is always a way past, whether they like it or not its a RACE

One of my best pals put me head first into a tree about 500yds from the finish of an sxc at drumlanrig. It was fair play, i would have done it to him given the oppertunity

It is a race! If you can find a way round them then take taht route. Then again it was the 'fun' category so I'd expect a more relaxed approach.

I'd suggest getting to the front of your 'pen' at the start and get off the line as quickly as possible. And get out of the 'fun' group, move up and the racing will get faster/better

If there's a blockage due to a slower rider, just wait your turn unless you are coming round to lap the group of riders in question, in which case riding round them might be possible. If you're competing against the people who are also queueing, it's not very sporting to gain an advantage in a situation like you described TBH.

GB

Surely anyone walking has the duty to get out of the way of anyone riding? They should not be walking on the racing line.

If it's within the tapes and you haven't caused another racer to stall/be pushed off line then it's legal.

I had the same at the start of a race years ago, it got to a narrow gate into some woodland from the field and everyone (me included) was queuing up when I guy leapt off his bike, jumped the log at ne side, got on again and rode off. It was within the marked course, no-one was barged out of the way therefore fully legal.

General etiquette dictates that if you're forced to walk for whatever reason you get off the racing line immediately.

I went fo 'the quicker line' around a bunch of people queuing thorugh an off camber section that someone had come off.

Ran straight into a thick branch just out of my eye line and knocked myself out. 😕

If there's a blockage due to a slower rider, just wait your turn

terribly british.

it's a race for gods sake, do you think micheal schumacher won seven titles by waiting in line?

So….it sounds like most think it would have been fair game? I would have made at least 10 places and then had to cut in front of one of the waiting guys and then attempt to get past the walkers.

Personally if some one had done it to me I would have thought 'wker' but then again it is a race…

Next race I'll try to get somewhere near the start line, as it was I was late and only got to the line a few mins before the actual start.

So – is it just a matter of shoving your way to the front of the start line? There didn't seem to be any protocol on who started where.

So – again is it just a matter of shoving your way to the front of the start line? There didn't seem to be any protocol on who started where.

Pretty much but be realistic, there's nothing worse than someone starting right at the front and then twiddling off the start line while everyone behind piles into each other. Most people are capable of "self-gridding" after a couple of races, they can work out where they're likely to be.

A lot of pro-races are properly gridded with riders called to the start line in order based on their overall positions or national rankings.

Likewise there's nothing worse than being in the right place for your expected finishing position, only to be overtaken dangerously by lots of people in the first then minutes, who'll then blow on the first climb.