How do we improve the domestic XC scene? 

Brilliant – well done mate!

You’ll probably be surprised how quick some of the old boys are (I know, I’m 50 & there’s some proper racing snakes in amongst the mix…). Nonetheless, ride your own race & don’t fuss about getting passed. Folks at Gorrick are mostly very polite & will dance past you (or us!). The course may surprise you how techie it can be but I know the venue & think it’s very suitable (not too much elevation & not too techie) for this kind of race (XCO). I guess you’re in the vets cat which is the right place to be for you. Just give it your best & enjoy the ride!

Thanks, let’s see how it goes. The vague hope is to complete the 3 laps without being lapped!

I’m part a group of local “hobby” MTBers, none do any racing, but they all have kids in their early teens who are now getting into riding. They ought to bring their kids over, even if they themselves don’t feel like racing. That’s the kind of thing that encourages more grassroots.

I’ve raced for 30 years and I don’t reckon I’ve ever been in the top ten of the ‘Open’ class. Does that mean I should stay in ‘Fun’? What category for a medium/keen older person, then? 🙂

Other way round @chipps.
When you’re consistently top 10% of Fun, move up to Open.

Interesting point though as I strongly suspect I’d put myself into Open if I was to do another Gorrick race. I might actually do quite well if everyone else on the start line falls off laughing at my 18yr old Cove (my only MTB now) before the whistle goes! 😅

I came second last in my first ever race as well. 🙂

Or rather than quadrupling the number of boards required just use a sticker on a universal board. It helps the commissaires/ organiser make sure the right people are at the right start

this so much – I notice the EWS has gone to this set up, but not yet lower levels of enduro – I guess expecting people to put out for the number board would be offputting for the occassional user.

I imagine the extra weight would raise some eyebrows in the XC ranks

Plus it looks so much cleaner than some wonky cable tied bit of bent plastic.

I’ve just entered in the fun category having never raced before. Toyed with the idea of entering open but thought i’d better see how i go riding non-stop first, i’m used to plenty of breather/caht stops on a ride. Also want to check out the under 10s race for my lad and see if i can get him interested.

There’s an overall fee and then a levy per rider – it’s the fairest way of doing it since it means you can have a low overall fee for every single event but then the event pays more the more riders (and therefore more risk) it has.

Levy for Youth riders is much lower as well.

However, there’s nothing to say that the entry fee has to cover the levy – it would be perfectly possible for an organiser to charge a minimal fee and just run that particular category as a loss-leader using other more expensive entries to break even.
So you could do something like £5 as an introductory fee for first time racers – if they come back after that, they go into the proper fee structure.

I’ve probably always thought I wasn’t good enough to race XC. I wonder how many feel the same? As its never been particularly accessible to me as a sport its remained a bit of a mystery.

I’ll look at those Cannock events and consider dipping a toe in the water.

Surely the larger numbers in the fun/sport classes help pay for the event? There are fewer expert/elites, so the organiser relies on those sport cat numbers to break even…

Our races were cheap enough with a series entry giving four races for £40, (no refunds though) entry on the day £15.

A lot depends on your costs, keep them down and you can do what you want. Start using a paid for outfit to do the timing, portaloos, have to pay for the venue, bung the marshals some cash, cash for prizes and the fixed costs escalate quickly.

I’ve probably always thought I wasn’t good enough to race XC.

I was discussing this with a mate the other day. I think a major issue has been sandbagging, because you don’t need a license to enter sport. So Sport filled with Expert riders trying to win which means the sport riders who didn’t want to be last ended up in fun and so on. This crowds everyone out. In triathlon, you just get an age category and that’s it. And people somehow don’t seem to mind – I saw a bloke on a hybrid complete with racks at the last one. I saw him at T2 as I was finishing (so he was already half an hour behind me in a sprint, and I’m slow) and he was getting changed out of cycling gear like he was at the beach. Still enjoying himself though!

@jacobyte well done for entering – I’ll be there too, and very much looking forward to it! They are great fun. I’m 48 too, so you’re not alone in the age range – there’s loads of us – I’m doing vet + as I like the extra lap (value for money for the extra pain!!). If you stick around til the 1pm start I’m on the bright pink spesh epic, so do say hi… And good luck!

Recent Soggy Bottom XC races I’ve done at Newnham Park have been shorter lap distance with more laps, which is really good for repeat obstacle / feature riding rather than super long distance laps where you never really get the hang of the course. It allows the course builder to put a few techs bits in which riders end up doing 6-7 times rather than the course builder needing to double the amount of obstacles and then only do 3-4 laps. Win win for me.

XC is getting more technical (in general) now compared to the 10-15 years ago, which is great for seasoned riders and daredevils, but newbies and the less competent need alternate ridable routes around high-tech features to keep their flow going, so A & B lines are essential, and need to be markedly different – some are hard to tell apart!