[Closed] Olympic MTB track "too dangerous to use"

That's pretty frigging stupid.

who said that?

[i]who said that? [/i]

the police in an effort to stop local kids riding it in the school holidays.

Who said so? Does it need an STW assessment? We even have a resident H&S man on here! Can we bid?
Would a couple of chicken routes sort it?

ta, seems a bit silly, but inevitable these days I suppose

Dangerous if you ride down it, dangerous if you run up it...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-13490855

They build a xc mtb course in Essex and its too fekkin dangerous

:/

It was an item on the BBC 5 Live this afternoon - just before the journo named "he who shall not be named".

Is the issue not partly that it is not to be ridden before the Olympics, for fear of it being trashed? I'm sure I read somewhere that bits were fenced off before.

tonyg2003 - Member

It was an item on the BBC 5 Live this afternoon - just before the journo named "he who shall not be named".

Seriously though, is it any wonder we don't have many world class racers these days? Perhaps if the kids were encouraged rather than lamely using HSE guidelines to stop people trying we may be in a better place?

Voldemort - fine left winger for United in his earlier days....

Back to the story with the MTB track - apparaently it's H&S. I'm sure it's not a DH black run or anything. Sounds like, to me, they want to preserve it due to cost considerations.

We'll gaurd it for you officers! no problem!!!

its a marketing ploy. Lets face it its going to be a shite track ant it.

too dangerous for hardtails maybe.. get on a full sus and it will be like a romantic boozy moonlit ride in a Venetian Gondola..

Joking one guy posted a picture of the Rock Garden some months back and i believed it was
some typical Essex Stone cladding and couldn't wait for a picture of the pebble dashed berm.

Well it issssssss XC Lycra Clad off roading

I think you are all missing the point that for your average joe on a £99 supermarket special BSO (Bicycle Shaped Object), trying to ride that track will indeed prove very difficult. Obviously for elite biker like you, it's a piece of piss, but many people (most of the population in fact) aren't riding god of your calibre 🙄

Don't the landowners, the Salvation Army in this case, have a duty of care under common law ?

I would have thought that not taking reasonable care to prevent trespass, by children in particular, might land them in trouble ?

The difference between this and a trail centre being.... insurance?

what nbt only trying to stop kids being divs on their Halfords special.

STW mass trespass?

Junkyard - Member

what nbt only trying to stop kids being divs on their Halfords special.

Rather than just kids, I would imagine "people in general" but yes, the Macc Forest DH course was almost lost becasue local kids rode it on supermarket specials and nearly killed themselves. As I understand it took a lot of input from the riders in agreeing how to manage access to the course, even though they'd had nothing to do with the kids being there

There's been no carnage of kids on supermarket specials up here in Scotland, and they can and do ride where ever they please.

There's been no carnage of kids on supermarket specials up here in Scotland, and they can and do ride where ever they please.

So none of the accidents at trail centres have been kids? They've all been experienced mountain bikers?

There's been no carnage of[s] kids on[/s] supermarket specials up here in Scotland

Wish there was at times. Can you fix wee jonnys bike........nope just buy another.

There's been no carnage of kids on supermarket specials up here in Scotland,

Buckfast ?

I'm slightly concerned that this is a precursor to closing the course off after the Olympics, especially since it's cost a fortune and there is sweet FA officially provisioned for mountain bikers here.

Need to start writing some letters I think.

scruff - Member
'There's been no carnage of kids on supermarket specials up here in Scotland'
Buckfast ?

Helps them bounce 🙂

its a marketing ploy. Lets face it its going to be a shite track ant it.

Why? Shite cos you're not capable of riding it? Shite cos it's in Essex?

As retro83 says above, it's a precursor to closing it off/building houses on the land after the event. Before the event isn't as problem, it's supposed to be closed off so they can continue working on it, hold a few test events and ensure it's in perfect condition come the day, this is to try and wriggle out of any legacy agreement afterwards.

lets all club together and buy it.. then we can totez Gnar it up til its rad to the power of shazizzle! throw in some stinging nettles, red bull cans and crisp packets on the trail, quicksand, norfsure, all dat stuf blud!

It's not built anything like a trail centre - that's the point. They could re-shape it all to make it easier to read and more suitable for all levels, but then it wouldn't be a very good top class xc course.

It's not built anything like a trail centre

How so? (genuine interest not a challenge!)

The Scott Swisspower guys have some photos up this morning of yesterday's ride round it, looks better than the other photos I've seen.

This bit in particular looks awesome:

[img] [/img]

The pros gave it a universal thumbs-up, even Geoff Kabush was giving it praise on twitter.

Chuff me, he really looks like he is going over in that pic! Get your bum back lad!

I'm sure he'll be coming to you for riding lessons Molgrips.

Molrips. You wouldn't put drops like that in a trail centre, especially to rock - certainly not without liberally flagging-up what lies ahead. Much as experienced riders might scoff, trail centres must go for a lower common denominator - the skill in building trail centre stuff is to make it feel exciting without it actually being life-threatening!

As for the rider going over - yep, bit further back would give him a lot more margin... much more heel drop, higher brake levers and a lot more hip movement would be far better...as long as he doesn't touch the brakes he'll roll with it though. Again - imagine that in the middle of a trail centre - this guy rolls in only to see someone in a heap at the bottom. He's already got nowhere else to go - can't brake/stop/avoid.

I'm sure he'll be coming to you for riding lessons Molgrips.

I was quite obviously joking. He clearly made it, as he would if he doesn't touch the brakes and keeps rolling as glenp says. I've done that many times on XC style bikes and it is an exercise in brinksmanship 🙂