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http://freecaster.tv/live/mtb/1007131/uci-mountain-bike-world-championship-xco
It's not exactly dirt crit racing. 😉
That course looks pretty good - some of their technical skills seem to be pretty poor though!
Amazed at the amount of riders that don't really seem to able to handle a few rocks! Loved the rider who tried the technical shortcut and plowed straight into the rider that took the chicken run. haha
Looks like they could do with a seat dropper!!
🙂
The front guys make it look so damn easy though.
Loved the rider who tried the technical shortcut and plowed straight into the rider that took the chicken run. haha
Yup I liked that bit! Seems a much better course than any other XC race I've seen televised - I like the optional lines.
Good looking course - surprising amount of crashes though. Unless its much steeper & bigger than it looked?
Its undoubtedly much harder than it looks on telly and riding at the limit of endurance makes technical stuff much harder. But of course the idiots on here could do better 😉
On a course like that, anyone without the 'skills' is very quickly going to be dropped from any sort of podium contention. DId look like cracking good fun (literally for one US junior who snapped his bars).
Amazed at the amount of riders that don't really seem to able to handle a few rocks!
I imagine if put into a pressure situation where there are thirty riders in front of you, and thirty behind you buzzing your tyre, you're going to feel a bit different about riding those rocks for seven laps while at max-heartrate.
I'm sure you're a real technical god on your 5" trail bike when you have time and composure to tackle stuff.
Are they tiny, or riding 29-ers. Some of them look like they are on massive wheels!
they will be tiny, to ride a bike you want as little weight as possible, big is bad.
Yeh I think there were some 29ers in there.
Is everyone else getting sound? Or is it just me watching it in silence?
The first few minutes had no sound for me, but the rest of it did.
Amazed at the amount of riders that don't really seem to able to handle a few rocks!
It looks about as hard as anything I ever ride. On a LT h/t, and not in a race.
Looked like a real fun course that would love that in my back garden.
Always makes me laugh people slagging off XC riders lack of skills try riding round that course flat out for a full race on a lightweight XC bike and see how many times you chew dirt
Those crashes are way funny, especially the t-boning near the beginning and the ensuing bike tangle.
The only world cuppy standard course I have ever actually ridden on is newnham and even with the camera flattening out the rail, that course looks waaaaaaaay harder!
I can imagine riding/cleaning those rocky bits once, but in that heat with that climb and goodness knows how many laps... [edit: 7 laps and 42-odd km, zoiks!!]
Does anyone know if this will be on say Eurosport? My Mum is very much a fan of the darkside (currently enjoying the Vuelta) but after we watched some 4x MTB racing she is now into this as well. 😀
Cheers
Si
Course looks excellent fun.
No doubt harder when confronted on top of a bike - looks like a lot of "oh S**t!" moments from riders being confronted with bigger drops than they were expecting and bottling rolling down it. Just the height of drops to send you over the bars if you're not on the ball.
It [i]does[/i] look like there are no obstacles that couldn't be rolled over though? Only watched a few minutes.
They really do like they're riding 36" wheels!
The bit 3 1/2 min in looks like a child on their dad's bike!
DrP
Does actually look quite difficult. Most of it wouldn't be out of place on some black and red trailcentres I've been to. Things always look easier on video in my experience (Dalbeattie slab comes to mind, wondered what the fuss was until I was sat at the top!)
And as above I wouldn't fancy riding that flat out in a race. I do like the optional lines though. Take a chance and get a shortcut or take it safe and go a bit further. MAkes it more exciting.
but in that heat with that climb
It was 16C, but then, that is heat compared to what we have at the moment.
Live in Canberra (lucky) and have ridden course. Cardiac climb is well named as heart is exploding at the top. I race club (Masters) races and am just able to ride up it. Then comes a whole heap of techy turns including chain ring busting boulders in the middle of the track that you have to jump over or crash into. After that the Hammerhead is a few boulders that seem vertical when you look from the top and drop about 8m in 20m of track including turns if you take the A line. I can barely ride the B line here. A big hats off to all of the riders that race 5 and 7 laps of this! I can only aspire to be that good as they are - all a big leap above me in skill level! Crashes...well I am not surprised as I fall off trying to pedal up the track and I don't have anyone chasing me!
Come and try it yourself - lots of good photos on mtbreview and rotorburn websites - Have fun!
Sheesh - respect! Wouldn't want to ride some of that stuff at speed on my bike let alone an x/c hardtail with 100mm up front. Cracking footage.
That looks an amazing course, really enjoyed watching that.
Jumps, drops and berms on an XC course, that's got to be the future!
Sim - You seem surprised! Explains why the 'race' edition of the mag a few months back seemed largely out of touch with what's really going on.
Freecaster has been amazing for bring the masses up to date with the new style courses (short, technical), rather than the dirt-crit that people traditionally think of.
Yeah, that looks well hard considering the bikes they're riding... Easy on my 140mm trail bike sure...
Just watched the full elite mens race. Awesome speeds carried. Great race. Hope there are more like it.
Just about to watch the Mens race. Women were OK but agree that their basic skills seem to have deserted them. Would love to ride my race lite XC hardtail round there. But they are still super quick.
And sod doing that with only one front chain ring. 9 speed!!!
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Sure that's not the hardest bit! I know one of the top juniors spent an hour looking at this, which suggests it's rather steeper than it looks!
Or that they're not used to riding technical stuff and get by on fitness alone....
Shame Scotland can't produce any riders as quick as him then isn't it? As you're all riding Gods.
Where does the British junior champ come from?
He's not as quick as the chap that posted that photo though.
Anyway, shouldn't you be out driving laps of roundabouts?
You saying that you could beat him? It is after all you that posted that photo.
Where does the British junior champ come from?
Central England
The Nat Champ is actually Kenta Gallagher, who's Scottish, but Steve James isn't far behind him and has beaten him a few times this year. He's from Berkshire, technical capital of the world!
None of them are a patch on Goan though, he teaches Steve Peat tactics in fact.
I am shite on a bike, never claimed to be anything other than that.
That's weird, you're always the first to comment on how crap everyone else is!
Shite is a relative term though. 😉
Well you started this thread ages ago about becoming a mid-pack elite rider, what ever happened to that? The lure of driving 1,000,000 miles a week was too strong presumably and the Government wouldn't let one of their 'experts' go?
That was based on me going part time and having a lot of time available to train. Things changed and I decided to work longer hours instead.
Ok, if you girls have finished, I'd just like to say..
What a fantastic bit of racing - XC in exciting and well filmed race shocker. Looked a great course to spectate but hard work to race. It's about time there were some good descents back in XC - I remember when people were complaining that Fort William XC course was too technical - that's why we ride MTBs, not Road/cyclocross bikes!
It's too easy to do well in XC racing with good fitness/strength and no bike handling skills.
.........and breath 🙂
Here is a phot that gives a better idea of the steepness...
[url= 
]steep[/url]
Go for it all you experts!
Yup that sums up how jey xc is 🙄 😉 Clucking bell that's steep!! I like xc it's what I rode back in '90 and it's what I enjoy now, all this gnarlcore chickenstep hardride (woo new niche)does my nut to be honest 😆