First of all I don’t race XC as much as road and cross. And I’d like to paint a picture first.
Yesterdays course had to be modified, and it had a major bottleneck within about 250 metres, and being a grand vet a was last to go off. So whilst standing still with my bike on my shoulder I saw the front runners coming back round!

Anyway once on the course a lady tried to get past on a steep uphill section of about 60 metres. My first thought was why not overtake before or wait. And I had a slow rider in front. She shouted on the left but didn’t make it, but made me slow down. Then she kept pleading to be let past. Then said on the left again, but instead of passing cut me up. I had to skid to a halt without dabbing and the resulting effort to pull away again snapped my chain. This she did about 7 metres from open fields.

I’m I just an old queen or what. My take on XC racing is that if I meet a slower rider on a slow section I either wait or pass without hindering the rider in front.

Edit’ that’s on a steep uphill section of taped off singletrack. I don’t think it’s acceptable to be asked to slow or stop on such sections.

You are bumblebee man and I claim my 5 groats.

You are racing too! its courtesy to try not to hold people up unnecessarily and take a wider or even slightly slower line to allow people to pass who are lapping you but if I arrived behind somebody who I was lapping for example I wouldn’t expect them to do more than make a reasonable effort to move over.
If it was another competitor in my class/race I would force them onto the slowest/widest line 8)

My experience is running but I think the same rules apply.

I don’t think it’s acceptable to be askedforced to slow or stop on such sections.

Thats probably what she thought

mikewsmith, you’re probably right. Thing is she was a s**t rider, and by the time I’d walked to the top the large lad that had held us up on the climb had pulled away from her.

Thing is I like my elite riders to be just that.

I dunno the answer but it annoys me too.

No rule says you have to move to let folk past AFAIK.

Sounds like she was desperate to pass for some reason – if there was a steep section that no-one was riding up, but I was, then I’d call to pass on it as having someone stall in front of you is not great. The fact she then tried to pass you so close to the end of the trail (as you said open fields?) just sounds like a little inexperience or her being unaware the trail was about to end. I’d usually just wait in this instance – depends on speed differential though. Sounds like by this point you were both going at the same speed. The fact your chain snapped sucks but has nothing to do with this – could have happened anywhere.

Isn’t this situation what Pro Elbows were invented for?

Thing is she was a s**t rider,

I must take that back, that’s frustration talking and all the lady riders taking part are bloody good.
gee, I did slow but she didn’t pass. So I accelerated and caught the slow chap again. The problem was the big lad ahead. So even when she passed me she couldn’t go anywhere.

Sadly the course had been ruined by a recent concert, and this bottle neck and the fact that I’m in the old boys meant I was standing still third from last watching the leaders coming back. 😥 So when I was under way I was going for it, and my contemporaries where lapping faster than the winning ladies.

I should know better, and should have got nearer the front.