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Im sure weve done this every month since that video was released...!
Ive ridden the course (unoffically!), Ive raced xc for the best of 18 years now and I wouldnt like to race on with some of the loons inthe local series let alone world class whippets, i doubt also that most of the knockers here would be able to ride the rock garden after examining it for a few minutes and then getting back on their fs bike and bumbling down it, let alone at xc race pace on a hardtail.
Oh and the video does not show the whole course - theres approx another mile or so to be added to it.
This is not a trial centre its a xc race course designed within the confines and limits of both the UCI and the Olympic bods, and its the latter that make most of the demands, which is why it is where it is and looks like it does... It is not designed for bimbling about on and stopping for cake halfway round...
Its funny how all the pros and journalists that have ridden it rate it as a good course - I think its more about the locations (and the fact that most people havent / wont ever ride here) - its essex it must be rubbish because i havent been there!
Its a good job that gary fisher, tom ritchey, Joe Murray and co werent put off when they were told those fat tyre bikes will never catch on by the narrowminded people that had never tried them...
And if anyone really fancies trying to ride this fast with a cyclocross bike Im bring a camera - ill easily get £50 off youve been framed
ampthill - MemberI'm sometimes amazed at the faith that some people have in the speed of one sort of bike over another. Why would a CX bike be faster, I'm assuming that the mountain bike could have 26" or 29" wheels
Interesting point, what are the regs for the bikes? I had a google and couldn't find anything. Are you allowed drop bars & big wheels for this event?
edit: +1 to bigdawg
+1 to all of that, well said bigdawg.
I think that the rules fot what counts as a mountain bike are now very loose
I did find a 26" inch wheel rule but I think that was in an older document. I think for mountain bikes the rules are
no metal studs in tyres, human powered
Ok, let's clear something up.
All you folk who think it's rubbish because it's easy: You do know what a race is, don't you? It's not about simply riding it, you have to ride it faster than everyone else.
These guys will be the fastest MTBers in the world, and it's a fast course. So the racing will be blindingly quick, and there will be lots of tactics and overtaking. This will make it a GREAT race!
Honestly, some of you are so thick it defies belief.
I dearly hope they have normal races on it afterwards, because I'd definitely trek across the country to race on it. Looks brilliant - AS A RACE COURSE.
Personally I don't think a CX bike would be that quick since at the speeds they will be travelling they'll spend a lot of time leaning right over, so big tyres will be a must I reckon.
When you actually see it on TV I think you'll be impressed.
Molgrips I'm convinced
Particularly as it won't be on tv 😆 for me...
When you actually see it on TV I think you'll be impressed.
Molgrips I dont think even fantastic camera angles will make that great!
Bring on George Lucas
hmmm, looks good,
dificult to tell from that camera view but I mighth perhaps question the amount of water retention on that trail build should we have a real wet one? I know its not the end of the world in terms of the racing but i would seriously question the long term durability of that build design due to teh ammount of that track that has no crown to drain water off without running along the trail. The advantage of this of course is that a negative crown, or concave, trail surface rides faster because of the natural "banking" . Unlikely to be a long term asset from what i could see but should make for great racing and a fantastic spectacle.
Agree with the demands placed by IOC etc but yes, do feel that the technical areas look a little short, and that it would be nice to see half a mile of rough rutted stony techy landrover type track climb, unless that is also featured. Appreciate that that would take alot of construction/cost by comparison in any such site, and wouldn't translate to the same "bang per buck" on the TV, but I suspect that many would agree that the penchant for short techy downhill sections is TV driven rather than anything else.
I think if that were the case these thoughts of CX bikes would quickly disappear, whereas the miles of manicured cindertrack that appear to link these techy sections increase those thoughts.
The trouble is, as Tdf shows, it's very dificult indeed to translate on TV just how dificult/steep climbing is on a bike, and to portray just how dificult/skilful what is occurring really is. I suspect that if you had several hundred yards of continuously rocky steppy climb, landrover wide, ( not this cindertrack with a 6 inch step every 10m game) it would be phenominally popular with the spectators and woudl give far more passing opportunities based on technical ability.