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you'd be surprised at grass roots events just how many people are there in baggies on a 5" travel bike just having a bit of fun.
Reading this thread might make you think that doing that will get you sneered at by the 'proper' XC racers.
AFAIK all we need first aid wise is someone qualified, which we have several of.
interesting, so what happens when someone breaks their pelvis on
If it's rock hard and icy those frozen foot deep ruts
can you get the casualty to an assessible point for the transfer to an ambulance?
we have 6 or more people with outdoors first qualifications lurking around on race day, we also pay have first aid coverage that can extract a casualty anywhere in the quarry, they are in three teams to ensure coverage and the ability to deal with multiple incidents concurrently.
Can I politely suggest you have a think about your risk assessment. 😉
lu - Member
re. XC timetrials: this year I ran a series of three tt's. We had around 40 riders an event which we felt was a great start.The biggest problem was lack of volunteers as people wanted to ride not help. I did plan to promote an xc race but it proved impossible (a tt could run with 2-4 volunteers which would have been no where near enough for a race).
lu well done, as you have discovered finding people to turn up in the day to assist is the hardest part. Good luck in the future, don't hesitate to ask us for support.
offer new/more-fun-than-a-trail-centre trails. and/or access to trails that are off-limits at other times
we do that, 15 races to date and never the same course twice 😉
.about courses not being technically challenging, is this a real reason?
we never get this, the requests are always to move down to our "have-a-go" course after the practice lap
£10 a race and we don't sell out (200 riders)Cost/travel
What are people's experience with MTB club's promoting competitive riding? I find mine doesn't at all and I think that the over-riding ethos means that anyone new to the sport that might end up deciding to take racing seriously ends up drinking beer between laps at SITS instead, because that's what others are doing. The club is very strong in other areas, but offers very little towards any furthering of XC competitiveness-type objectives
both us and I believe HTN started as a pub based riding group that now runs the odd race, we are completely informal outside those in involved in race organising
as we keep telling people, no marshals = no racing, some get it, too many don'tAs mentioned above, the anti-club structure of MTB doesn't help either, it's much more difficult getting marshals, helpers, volunteers etc
this described the majority of our riders, and we work had to make sure they have a good time.you'd be surprised at grass roots events just how many people are there in baggies on a 5" travel bike just having a bit of fun
ahwiles, racing isn't about the trails, it's about yourself. It's about personal development and the desire to be the best you can. But, that aside, as crazy-legs has said, pretty much any trail is difficult if you're racing it as fast as possible.
does having more racers at competitors at local/regional/ national actually make us better in the world. i'm sure there are several sports where this isn't true (current track cycling crop comes to mind where we are good at a world level but local level is relatively small) wouldn't we better at football if this was true?
courses don't need to be more technical - i believe they are pretty tech already - as njee said earlier you should see some of the gorrick racers getting in an ambulance riding threough a ditch!!
we are talkign about XC as the uci recognise it - any of these super tech XC courses suggested are either WC xc spec & there fore XC or too tech and there for [u]not[/u] XC & doesn't make us any better at WC XC level.
some cycling clubs haven't got the first idea about racing - don't encourage it - don't promote and could even be said to discourage it.
...racing isn't about the trails, it's about yourself. It's about personal development and the desire to be the best you can...
this thing called 'racing' sounds rubbish.
and [u]i'm[/u] not suggesting that xc courses need to be really technical, i AM suggesting that they should at least be good enough to justify some of the entry fee.
What are people's experience with MTB club's promoting competitive riding? I find mine doesn't at all and I think that the over-riding ethos means that anyone new to the sport that might end up deciding to take racing seriously ends up drinking beer between laps at SITS instead, because that's what others are doing. The club is very strong in other areas, but offers very little towards any furthering of XC competitiveness-type objectives.
+1 not even allowed a club jersey as we can't be trusted not to be naughty in it!!
grum - Memberyou'd be surprised at grass roots events just how many people are there in baggies on a 5" travel bike just having a bit of fun.
Reading this thread might make you think that doing that will get you sneered at by the 'proper' XC racers.
In all honesty the proper XC racer guys really don't care what you are wearing or what bike you have got.
Brownbacks that was my take on it going round the course with two BC guys. Having one qualified guy was enough.
The course has excellent access as well. It's basically a huge Equestrian centre with a health club on site.
I would imagine the cyclists to be at no greater risk than the horse riders, but surely anything serious is dealt with by the emergency services? in fact I don't ever recall anyone being at the local crits.
Just making a point really about the ruts, in that plain old fields can bite back. That said I've still got a scar on my leg from crashing in the Vets Nationals back on December 19th that was frozen ruts.
Anyway I won't go ahead without the say so, but if and when it's underway we could adapt the course very easilly.
Actually just remembered. BC were more than keen to turn it into a non league or youth training course.
going round the course with two BC guys
I would ask how many XC races they have organised and use that as a barometer of their level of knowledge
racing isn't about the trails, it's about yourself. It's about personal development and the desire to be the best you can.
That's no doubt true for some people, but if you want to attract lots more people to races then making the courses fun seems like a very good idea. The brownbacks races are a good example of this, both in terms of the available trails and the way they change the course around to keep it interesting.
The Regional Event Officers are focused on increasing the quality and quantity of participation opportunities in Road, Track, Cyclo Cross, Mountain Biking BMX and Cycle Speedway. Please feel free to contact the Events Officer in your Region if you are an event organiser, official, volunteer or club and you need help in the following areas
We went to these guys. Blimey Brownbacks you're scarier than my old teacher.
Cows in Cars
Not trying to attack you at all and you raise some interesting points.
The tone however seems to suggest that we should be dominating the world in XC and anything else is abject failure. Without doubt our success in DH and track is absolutely gob smacking and it hasn't been replicated in XC although take Grant Ferguson-he has had 3 top 5 finishes this year in UCI Junior World Cup Events and a 6th. I think that is pretty good going and bodes well for the future
You are right that the level of support available through clubs/BC (for any of the disciplines) drops significantly once rides progress out of the Youth category. Its a pity but where do you draw the line given the financing available. My direct experience though is that riders generally have fairly well established training infrastructures that they continue to use. It may be that your club is particular poor but within our club there are chain gangs, threshold sessions etc as well as local pro/semi pro riders that are utilised. If you haven't got the techical skills by that age in truth it is unlikely that you will make it on the National scene let alone at a higher level than that.
It doesn't mean you shouldn't do it or that it can't be a lot of fun but its going to be a hobby not a way of life
I am sure if you want to help developing riders and if you have the appropriate coaching qualifications (or you want to be supported to get them) there will be clubs that would welcome you
just trying to think about my club, we have/had a former world masters champion and used to have a national champion for mtb on the membership list. On the road side there are weekly tt's during the season plus some local road races, the club has held a round of the national cross series. There used to be MTB races in the area, bob's bash, Astley, FoD, but now there is nothing. However these were organised by other groups.
Yet if you look at the club now there is little in the way of xc competition, some riders might enter MM, but it isn't really done as a race. the club is responsible for HONC but that is pretty much the only mtb event.
What i can think of is that very few of the road events place demand on the club, the club may organise one event but other clubs reciprocate and that is how you get a series. It isn't going to be easy to find enough people willing to not ride and marshall week in and week out.
No sorry mikeWW, I didn't mean to imply that anything other than dominating xc at world level is a failure. And perhaps at a world level it's just that 'wait till things start to pay off' thing, hopefully Grant Ferguson/David fletcher will come through the ranks strongly and once again the UK will have someone to look for in world xc mens races. It's great to see Annie Last up there already and hopefully some more will join her.
Just from a spectator point of view, we had the days of glory days of Baker and Gould et al and then Nick Craig filled the gap for a while. Then it was Oli and Liam, but has been Oli and Liam for a very long time and apart from the odd great result or good season, there has not really been anyone to get behind for a while.
I still hope Liam will come back to his best, as he is undoubtedly talented, it was just disappointing to see him on the third row of the grid at the world (not seeing that as a particularly bad thing)to then disappear into the 50's to then DNF. It would just be good to see a few UK riders in the top 10/15. I think especially with the Olympics round the corner both in time and location, it would be good to know the crowds would have someone to support with a chance of a medal but going on the results at the moment it looks unlikely (talking about the mens, think Annie could be in there with small chance of a medal); unless Liam and step up to the mark again, which is not impossible if the last two Olympics are anything to go by, but still.
Liam came 7th in the 2010 World Champs ! Annie Last 2nd in U23 this year.
Where do you want to look for your Uk riders?
I said Laim has stand out results but his performances this year haven't been great at all. And I have repeatedly sung the praises of Annie Last!?!?
Plus as I keep saying it's the lack of depth of talent, in elite mens it's just Liam really that we have had to look to, for almost 6-7 years, but maybe it's a waiting game.
All those looking at grass roots series should maybe read this about the FNSS http://www.xcracer.com/viewblogpost.php?blog_id=219
It certainly looks like how to do it - spread the work between lots of clubs (presumably road clubs who also organise cross races in the winter) - thats why there are so many cross races to do.
One group organising a set of races is mental - ask the SMBC crew who do the Ratz Rampage series (4 short course races at same venue) AND the SouthernXC (5 full course races at different venues) - with course prep they are putting in about 20 days work each per year!
Cross is actually a fine way to get started in XC racing for the buzz of chasing people so why not lets all invade the cross races...
Cross is actually a fine way to get started in XC racing for the buzz of chasing people so why not lets all invade the cross races
Oi bugger off ➡
FNSS is a great little series, pretty old skool but still catches out plenty of riders
One group organising a set of races is mental
I think it would be good to have a local championship under the one banner and something that allows you to accumulate points in a series.
Different clubs organise the different races but these 5-6 races form a championship at a local level and maybe build that into a national championship race.
For example: divide the country into 9 regions who each provide 5/6 races for local riders, some or all of the regions can chip in to organise a national series race allowing local riders to pitch themselves against a higher level rider. But each individual race is organised by a local club.
Have I explained myself clearly?
Like cyclocross inters?
No idea, is it? It works like that in Spain very well.
It takes the pressure of any single entity being responsible for organising a series and the riders get to race against the highest level riders.
Fancy sitting on the start line with Hermida in the national champioship?
and i'm not suggesting that xc courses need to be really technical, i AM suggesting that they should at least be good enough to justify some of the entry fee.
You get to ride flat out without worrying about dogs/walkers/horses/gates round the next corner. You're on a trail with other people doing exactly the same so none of the problems you get at a trail centre where you catch Mr & Mrs Family out for a gentle bimble while you're trying to cane it.
If it's private land it doesn't matter quite as much if you slide it round a corner or cut up a bit of ground.
No matter what course you have there will always be someone moaning about it being too long/too short, too much singletrack/not enough singletrack, too hilly...you get my drift.
And certainly for National level events there are technical regulations governing a lot of the course design and layout anyway.
No matter what course you have there will always be someone moaning about it being too long/too short, too much singletrack/not enough singletrack, too hilly...you get my drift.
+ lots.
Cant see there's any need to make XC races more techinical.
I've been doing the gorrick's for a few years. Still in the open category but starting to get near the top ten.
If I dont fall off during a race I count it as a success.
If its been raining a little then general by the third lap its difficult to stay on your bike.
I did the course at heath warren wood near eversley this year. First lap I was flying round no problem, but by the last I tired and kept falling off on really easy stuff just because I was tired.