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RIP Tweedlove
 

RIP Tweedlove

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Now I like nothing more than an off piste ride where I hardly see another person.

I stopped racing enduro way before it was cool to stop racing enduro, but I do wonder if post-Covid misanthropy has something to do with the current squeeze on event organisers?

Borders council is almost certainly going to end up poorer from this though.

What's the mechanism for that to happen please?

I can only think of decreased business rates income if other companies with premises fail as a result of Tweedlove stopping, which seems a stretch TBH.

Happy to be corrected though.

 
Posted : 13/08/2024 9:32 am
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Has Enduro just got too big? Tweedlove used to be all grassroots and just come along and ride with your mates and socialise, but then it started attracting the Pros and things started to change. I suspect as the Pros moved in the courses became more challenging (I've only ever done 1 Enduro and it was the Tweedlove Funduro, so not something I'm basing cold hard facts on), and may have put off the grassroots riders, so numbers go down - as said, this isn't based on evidence, just my thoughts on it - this might be a millions miles away, but reading other comments on this thread, I think it isn't too far off.

I'd hope every event is a great success, but that proves much harder when the pool of potential entrants is reduced. It is a really difficult balance to put on a course that satisfies everyone that also doesn't put everyone off.

Pandemic has also changed how people spend their time...far fewer people keen to be mingling with loads of people (although music festivals seems to be surviving well)...

 
Posted : 13/08/2024 11:33 am
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Ae will be my only race this year

previously ive done 8 odd races a year, usually at least 1 tweedlove, even before covid the demands of family life were making it harder, As much as Id love to race the BNES series, for me financially theres no way I could manage driving up and down the country, paying £100 for race entry + more for camping/ bunkhouse+ food + broken bike bits etc, probably looking at £250-300 a weekend?

 
Posted : 13/08/2024 11:58 am
Free Member
 

What’s the mechanism for that to happen please?

I can only think of decreased business rates income if other companies with premises fail as a result of Tweedlove stopping, which seems a stretch TBH.

Happy to be corrected though.

I think he was referring to the geographical area rather than the institution.

 
Posted : 13/08/2024 12:38 pm
Free Member
 

Is there any data on the demographics of mountain bikers?

I haven't raced since my kids were born and it's unlikely I'll manage any racing for at least another few years (my kids have made it quite clear to me they don't like mountain biking so it's unlikely we're going to become one of those racing families so many on here seem to be part of).  By that point I'm not sure if I'll actually want to race anymore.

I'm still wondering about the effect of ebikes on the sport in general and how it affects entry into it.  Sure, it makes it easier to get started but it increases the barrier to entry to youngsters looking to take it up purely due to the cost, imo.

I'm not sure about that though so that's why I'm wondering if there has been any changes in the demographics of mountain bikers over the last ten years and particularly since ebikes became so popular.

 
Posted : 13/08/2024 12:56 pm
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I think he was referring to the geographical area rather than the institution.

It was a response to a post specifically about local authority budgets and mentioned the council by name, so nah.

 
Posted : 13/08/2024 5:05 pm
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<quote>squirrelking
Free Member

I think he was referring to the geographical area rather than the institution. </quote>

both are true but i was referring to the council. There's little doubt in my mind that this'll have a knockon effect of losing local businesses, tweedlove provided several of the busiest weekends of the year and have done for a long time, the area is adapted to it. Any marginal business that benefited from those surges is going to be nervous. And it's likely to eat at numbers year-round- people who came once for a race and then returned, people whose mate raced and then brought back the whole gang, etc.

Speaking to groups of visitors, especially offpistey visitors and tweedlove comes up all the time.

 
Posted : 13/08/2024 5:52 pm
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I think special mention for the accessibility of it, while it feels like so many organisers were in an arms race and obsessed with chasing the top end, being a knobber in a tweedlove race has always felt great

Definitely this for me . I used to do vallelujah and king of the hill every year and if  I finished in one piece and wasn't dead last I considered it a success but you never felt like you were an afterthought at tweedlove events . I did the EWS 80 the first year it came back and it for some reason I felt like they were just after my money, to be fair the weather was rubbish and that can have an effect on an event.

I live in New Zealand now and the Enduro events near me are pretty small compared to Tweedlove . Even in Rotorua the main series is 3 one day events which I think are mainly used as fund raisers for the local club . The much bigger event is the Waka which is a marathon event which attracts more riders . I think the marathon events can attract people who aren't necessarily full on mtb riders but people just looking for a challenge and something to train for so your potential market is bigger .

I hope someone comes along and still runs some events in the valley , they were great fun and the local community benefited from them on the whole . It would be a shame if there was no legacy from that .

 
Posted : 13/08/2024 10:13 pm

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