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michaelmcc - have you looked at Dusk 'til Dawn? That's a great little event with some epic singletrack, that gets harder as the night goes on.
Crazy-Legs - yours are wise words indeed!
It was my first MM and as a whole I enjoyed it. The combination of camping, banter and riding was pretty good.
Organisation was good, facilities were good (although no beer tent??) - it was nice not to have to queue for a shit! Didn't bother showering because it was only 24hrs.
We were camped next to the 'jump of doom' peeps and 23hours of heckling was great!
The riding was way too bland but the terrain did remind me of when I started mountain biking nearly 20 years ago, so I spent most of my laps reminiscing about my mis-spent youth but without booze and weed.
However, purely due to the un-technical course I won't be doing it again...probably.
MM is great, . . . the only thing that let's it down is the actual quality of the riding.
I'm sure that if they could move this event to Cannock Chase, they would have done it by now, a size restriction holds that back i should imagine, . . room for the main area, but where would everyone camp?
It's been a few years since i've been, but in those few years this event has grown, more trade stands, more food stands, more spectators, more camping, . . it's massive.
It's not easy to find somewhere that can acommodate everything.
Better riding 24hr events exist, so it's not like there isn't a choice.
Organisation was good, facilities were good (although no beer tent??) -
Mintyjim: back in the nineties they used to hold an event there called The Malverns Classic - basically a weekend of bike racing (DH/XC/trials), lake jumping, drinking, partying, bunnyhop competitions, you name it. The event began getting gatecrashed by locals who'd turn up for the beer and music, get hammered and cause trouble. It culminated in a murder and the event was never held again.
For that reason, there is no licence for alcohol and live music on-site and I'm guessing there never will be without significant extra expense and policing which just isn't viable.
michaelmcc - have you looked at Dusk 'til Dawn? That's a great little event with some epic singletrack, that gets harder as the night goes on.
Yeah i rode that in 2009 when it was really dry and dusty which was cool, hardly even noticed i was in the UK. I heard it was a washout last year though.
And to clear up, i agree there's a really good atmosphere and feel to the event that can't really be beaten anywhere, just a shame about the course.
MM is probably my favourite event, gutted I missed this year - really enjoy the atmosphere and the fact the course isn't that challenging doesn't really come into it - if you're going flat out you're going flat out.
NB unless you're riding in the Alps or Rockies, there are always better trails!
[i]Mintyjim: back in the nineties they used to hold an event there called The Malverns Classic - basically a weekend of bike racing (DH/XC/trials), lake jumping, drinking, partying, bunnyhop competitions[/i]
Not being funny, but that's what the Big Bike Bash does now. People sniff at it being in the New Forest, but it's a damn fun way for MTBers (and their families) to get together.
Agree with a lot of what the OP says about MM, but the sense of achievement afterwards is what keeps a lot of folk coming back.
Mates, BBQ, beer and cake keep me going back.
Eastnor Deer Park is just that. Its not a bike park. There are no permanent bike tracks/trails (I don't see there ever being any there).
You'll never please everyone. What is good/bad course is all personal opinion.
The MM course this year had some good variation. The first lap was bad ass Mr Slippy in places. (It was my favourite lap). I really think there was something there for everyone.
I rode solo so saw the course throughout. It was cool to see it changing as the race went on, after a shower, after it dried out.. If you found it too easy, ride harder.
Personally, I like riding hard, tech, natural trails. I hate man made/trail centres.
I wouldn't choose to ride Mayhem every weekend, or indeed the mayhem course every weekend. At the end of the day riding bikes is riding bikes.
If you try to have fun, you'll manage it.
This was my first ever race and first ever MM where I have taken part and loved every minute of it.
I've ridden around eastnor many times before as I live in Ledbury so knew what to expect. The only slight problem is that to cater for everyones riding preferences you would probably need alternative routes for parts of the course and there just isn't the space at eastnor. But I think it is possible to include much longer downhill runs by including more switch backs and having the course meander downhill rather than a straight run.
The course this year was OK, the uphills were fairly kind (it could have been the Obilisk fire road to the top!) but would have prefered to have seen a faster run to the finish line. Having to do a small climb then a flat to the finish was a bit of an anti-climax. It could have been better for the spectators and riders if there was a speedy finish!
The support was excellent and it kept me moving the whole time.
This was my 10th Mayhem - it was by far the best in terms of arena, atmosphere, course and team. It remains the only event I get really excited about for at least 2 weeks prior. Doing so much racing these days that's saying something.
GB
+1 Gee