I've just (probably belatedly) noticed that the venue for the Olympic MTB event has been moved to a partly-hilly venue further out in Essex due to demands for a more technically demanding course…

Probably still as boring as a very boring thing to watch, mind.

Have you just been revived from being cryogenically frozen? 😉

What are "bombers"?

They should move it back to Fort William where it belongs on the best XC course that Britian has to offer!

They'll get the diggers in and flatten it…

"Partly hilly" suggests there are at least some hills. Think of this place more as a "small mound". Flat 'n' featureless.

What are "bombers"?

Dunno? Are they those things rapidly approaching my field of vision … ?

It'll be fine, it's got more elevation than the course at Beijing, they will make a tight cloverleaf style course that loops around lots, giving lots of spectating opportunities and making it look better on TV. There'll be good close racing and I for one am looking forward to it.

Fort William isn't practical and is a daft solution. It's the London Olympics, not the British Olympics, like it or not. There are French venues which would be closer, should we be looking at those?

They should move it back to Fort William where it belongs on the best XC course that Britian has to offer!
have you ridden the World Cup XC(O) course?

They could and should have gone for The Grand Union Canal route with compulsory pub stops on route. Missed pint=1 min. penalty time. It'd be exciting IMO.

Fort William isn't practical and is a daft solution. It's the London Olympics, not the British Olympics

Agree that the Fort is a bit too far, but Margam is a short blast down the M4 and the sailors do get to go to Dorset.

where is it going to be now then?

In a field in Essex.

With a castle. Or some sort of ruin anyway, correct me if it's not a castle.

wasnt that the old place (hadleigh?)

Oooh. Is there a newer place? Is it any good, or is Mr Woppit right about it being as boring as a boring thing?

to make a race you don't want a big climb followed by a big decent. You would get a better race over unduating terrain, short sharp climbs a few drags. try and keep the riders together and get them racing.

Are you sure its got more elevation than the Chinese course?

fort william would be crap……also dalby would make a better if not impracticable venue.
Im sure what ever they build will reflect current wc races.
Bruce

The Olympic mob have mistaken Moundenbike racing for Mountainbike racing.

It's the London Olympics, not the British Olympics, like it or not

+1 for NOT (and I live fairly close-to)

If the IOC gave a shit about legacy in any proper sense they'd insist on moving many sites out of capital cities and their immediate surroundings

not to sure if it's got hump has more height than Beijing, but Beijing had a lot of climbing in it. Steep feckers they are too, and many of them 18 or so per lap off the top of my head

I've certainly seen it reported that there's more elevation than at Beijing, could be wrong, the point is that it doesn't really make much difference how big the hill is, it's going to have more money spent on it than any MTB course in the country, particularly considering it's not gonna be very long! Beijing was 4.6k per lap.

but Margam is a short blast down the M4 and the sailors do get to go to Dorset

Margam is the opposite side of the country! The sailing's at Weymouth as there was no practical location closer, that's not the case for the mountain biking. Also, how many spectators did you see on the course at Margam? Jim Whenman and the Wiggle chap in the second feedzone, and 2-3 at the bottom of the muddy chute, how exciting for an Olympic event!

Never mind, if no one wants to go it'll be easier for me to get a ticket and watch the best riders in the world duke it out on an exciting course!

yep there will be more elevation than beijing, but they havent built it yet. Theyre supposed to be hosting 3 test races but theyre already too late to be able to do that. The really daft thing is the area its has an amazing variety of xc terrain and theyre building a course less than 50m away from it…

Of and for the people that think its flat Ill gladly take you around the non existent inclines – One (track) commonwealth gold medalist used to train over there quite regularly…

Bigdawg you been to a legacy meeting lately?

I totally agree a great course can be laid out there, and one especially well suited to spectating and TV coverage. I just hope it is done as well as it can be.

I can't wait, its only a short ride from where I live.

tinsy if you have a look on the southend council website under planning thayve actually got the plans for the course – personally though it looked a bit short myself, and the ironly is its in the field above the bumpy downhill and the horseshoe that I used to get chased out of when I tried to ride trough it!

Cannock Chase would be a splendid venue.

Racers would have to sort out their permits though, . . . and the Wallabies are nesting that time of year,
so won't happen.

EASTNOR
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Then either do a rain dance on the opening ceremony or add sprinklers to get it properly slippy

I'm loving that they have already had test races for the XC at the Glasgow Commonwealth games, but have not yet had any for the Olympics which are a couple of years earlier..

it's going to have more money spent on it than any MTB course in the country

Is it still going to be there afterwards, or will it all be removed as they were going to with previous proposals (which seems a complete waste)?

Oh, and where is it now BTW?

AFAIK it's still Hadleigh Park, there's no reference anywhere to it changing. No legacy course planned there, stupidly! Hopefully that'll change.

Cannock wouldn't work as you couldn't get all the vehicles and stuff in, again, it would be too spread out too.

personally though it looked a bit short myself,

As I say, the Beijing one was less than 3 miles, doesn't need to be long!

still at hadleigh downs in essex. Cant imagine what will make it so expensive, probably consultants fees, building roads that will be used maybe 4 times, cash in the pocket for the right councillor…. Its on private land and itll be a 15-20 min xc course not something youll want to spend a day at…

tbh the whole thing seems to be an exercise in money wastage – theyre building roads and carparks when there are two huge station carparks maybe 200 metres away in both directions, a ready made natural course is already there and yet theyre building another not so good one…

As much as Im looking forward to it its a total exercise in bad management

I think some people are getting confused between what they think a mountain bike race course should be and what the UCI and IOC rules say about mountain bike race courses…

You may think that it should be 4 laps of Glentress Black however the rules stipulate a certain minimum and maximum of climbing/descending per lap, a specified distance per lap, a certain number of technical sections, the permissible gaps between said sections, even the minimum and maximum width of singletrack sections.

Pretty much the only realistic solution is to build a course specifically for it…

You've also got the issue of logistics, getting hundreds of race/media/spectator vehicles in there, security, ease of access etc etc.

Ive been racing xc for near on 15 years (here europe and in the US) and I know theres plenty of terrain for a natural xc course there – I ride it at least once a week! The course that is planned is no where near as good as the natural terrain over there…

AFAIK it's still Hadleigh Park

Oh – really not news at all then. Whatever the reasoning, it does seem like they're wasting an awful lot of money on it if it has no legacy value at all.

The course that is planned is no where near as good as the natural terrain over there…

How do you know what the planned course is? Agree with Crazy_legs too, there are so many rules to comply with (that 99% of races aren't bound by because they're not the Olmypics), that building a new course is about the only practical option!

It's not really mountain biking is it?

Just some form of unsurfaced track racing. Dirty hill racing?

It's not really mountain biking is it?

Are you juan in disguise? Just because it's jeycore light doesn't mean it's not mountain biking. Probably at least as gnarly as what a lot of people do most of the time (the sort of thing photographed by a certain Lancastrian member springs to mind). God forbid that all mountain biking has to be rad to the power of sick.

aracer – Member
Are you juan in disguise?…

Is that a compliment? 🙂

I'm a simple soul who thinks there should be a mountain involved if at all possible in mountain bike racing at top level. For an event like the Olympics it is risible that there isn't.

I'm the least gnarly to the exponential of rad rider here I think.

What's wrong with the old Newnam Park course, i used to really enjoy racing there.