just watched the vid of the ‘technical’ decents on the 2012 MTB track in ESSEX! looks rather flat and boring.

Discuss

Again?

EDIT: Discuss

ffs. it is a race track, IT IS NOT SOMEWHERE WHERE OVERWEIGHT IT CONSULTANTS GO AND DISCUSS THE LATEST WIDGET!!!!!!!!

Hardly of any relevance…did we not design the Dalby World XC track and still come 37th ?, and 19th respcetfuly for the ladies?

With the greatest of respect, I think I’ll wait for the opinion of the actual competitors, teams, press, industry. like said above, it’s designed for a specific purpose. However, saying that, we were asked to go and build a section, but gracefully declined on the grounds of it’s negative history and it was a **** long way for us to travel, just it seemed, so Lord Coe could tick another box in his commitment to the OC (that box being a section built by volunteers).

Yes and know

I see from previous discussions that it designed to meet a spec for international level XC races, which it clearly does. It doesn’t look much different to the chinese course last time. I haven’t done an XC race since the earlt 90’s so I’m not exactly infromed on these things

But on the other hand I do some times wonder why XC racing is what it is. I don’t see why there aren’t long technical section or really big climbs. But thats not an issue for the London olympics to tackle

Because that makes for boring racing and poor spectating.

There are really big climbs in some races. It’s just that the biggest races are usually in the SE for population reasons.

If you think it’s not technical then you’ve got no idea how fast the world’s best riders will be taking it.

We’re all perfectly happy to watch people running (or cycling) around a flat smooth track, or rowing on a smooth straight piece of water, aren’t we? So what’s the problem.

It will be brilliant both to race on and to watch. Anyone on the previous thread who’d done any XC racing recently thought it looked great, that should tell you something.

Judging from reports from the Elite riders who have so far ridden it, it’s not actually bad at all. As for it not being technical? You turn up at some of the A-lines on the course with a 100mm carbon hardtail and lycra, and we’ll see how you fare…

The reason why there aren’t long technical sections or massive climbs on XC races is because they are designed to be fast, in such a way that you may keep your momentum. XC race courses tend to be (reasonably) flat with regular interspersed but short uphills and downhills.

Once you remember that you are looking at a very different beast to a trail centre track and read the reports of those that have ridden it, it does not look too bad.

Trail centres are trying to give the rider the (illusion) of being out there alone, at one with nature. An Olympic XC course needs to get access for thousands of spectators, camera crew and race support. It needs to ride well no matter what the weather brings. It needs to be possible to overtake. It needs to be ridden very fast. I agree that the press release shots look a bit lame but have we all not ridden twitchy sphincter stuff that looked total placid on a photo? It’s very new and it’ll bed in over the next 12 months or so.

Quite keen to go and watch it now – anyone know how the ticketing will work – do you just pay for entry then go and find a place to watch or is it zoned depending on what you paid?

Looks alright to me;

TV makes everything look lots easier, the competitors will be racing round on super-sketchy race bikes, not enjoying themselves on a confident trail bike, their saddles will be at least 1 metric foot higher than yours or mine, and there are gap jumps for the fast kids.

Chuck in some rain, a few racing moves, and I’ll be very glad I’m watching not racing.

I won’t even be surprised if we hear the commentators remark about how rough/technical the track is/has become – I’m not expecting it, but I won’t be surprised.

50km race courses in the mountains make for great stories, but rubbish TV. it seems that this course is a little bit like a criterium, which will be great for spectators and TV coverage – just wait, it’ll be bloody great!

🙂

is it open for public use to help bed it in or is it going to sit there for the next 12 months and not get used?

I believe it’ll be practised on by the athletes until the event.

Closed to public.

Looks like a good race track. It’s not a trail centre.

Plenty of overtaking oportunities, obsticals to kill momentum so it doesn’t become a road race. Short sections of up and down are much harder IMO than a long climb followed by a lond descent. It should keep the riders closer together for longer and keep the race more exciting.

the competitors will be racing round on super-sketchy race bikes, not enjoying themselves on a confident trail bike

It won’t matter to these people. Most Elites I know of are bike handling gods.

Looks like a good race track. It’s not a trail centre.

Yes. Very true. Totally correct.

But.

We are British! We are culturally conditioned, and have an obligation, to complain about everything! (why do you think the Daily Mail has so many readers?)

😉

Its like a lot of things though, TV does dumb it down somewhat. Sit pitch side at a permier match for example, you suddenly realise the pace it really moves at. A few years ago the wife won tickets to a dancing on ice thing. Being totally dismissive, I nearly backed out of going, but sat rink side watching pro-ice skaters was simply amazing. Total respect to them, likewise the pro racers who’ll be riding round that olympic course for 2hrs at a speed most of us might acheive bfiefly for a few mins. 🙂

go troll somewhere else ….race track not a mtb ride,as people have said.

It looks to me like the best they could do in that site. Pictures and videos flatten things down quite a lot – at race pace with riders all round some of the steeper lines look difficult enough to me? I can’t quite figure what people are expecting?