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Just been reading the [url= http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/exclusive-q-and-a-nicole-cooke ]Cycling News interview with Nicole Cook[/url] and this got me thinking...
If you think of mountain biking in Britain when it was under British Mountain Biking (BMB) organisation there was equal prize money in every area – youth girls and boys the same, juniors the same, elite the same, that was part of its founding constitution and then UK Sport funding increased, they wanted to bring all the UK governing bodies into one organisation, British Cycling, and the next thing you know, BC have put in their regulations and taken a backward step, and now there isn't equal prize money in mountain biking – and that's a backward step that has taken place during my career.
Was Mountain Biking in the UK served better by BMB?
Is the BCF all about Track to Road with MTB XC and Downhill treated like a lesser, somewhat backward cousin?
Was Mountain Biking in the UK served better by BMB?
BMB? Do we mean BMBF (British Mountain Biking Federation)?
1990-96 was it?
I think on a narrow aspect [u]racing[/u] as a sport may have been better represented, however if you recall in those early years BMBF represented both racing and the access/campaigning side of things, and frankly I think that did a [b]huge[/b] amount of damage to the wider representation of and acceptance of mountain biking in the countryside by landowners, local authorities and other user groups - the close links with racing created damage that we're still fighting to overcome today.
There is no longer a BCF, they argued themselves to a stand still some time ago.
British cycling certainly treated MTB as 2nd class but managed to have some of its team see MTB as a way of overcharging for events. You'd think that a little cash cow that was bringing new people into cycling would been supported and encouraged. The BC/BCF officials I had experience of were extremely dismissive (down right rude) of MTBing and those that participated, I work with one such official and it took a lot for not really lose it with him.
I remember the good old days of the BMBF/BMB rides.
Given the UK Sport funds on medals won, then track will always be favored for the men and women. Cannot understand why road racing/TT for women has not given a similar profile given the successes at major events.
Thats my view anyway.
I was just wondering really - I suppose without Olympic medals in XC racing UK MTB will receive no money.
Although (from a British Cycling perspective) since the 90's the ratio of MTB XC riders who have become TDF winners vs Track TDF winners (it would seem) would favour MTB as a discipline for younger riders.