This is what I mean about rules (I know most people hate the idea).

In DH it’s clear, you don’t cross tape, anything else is fair game. In XC there is a rule in there somewhere “riders must follow the marked course” and I have see folk DQd for cutting even without double taping.

hels – Member

It looks to me like the Gravity series (having ridden the Inners one last year) is run with a more DH mindset (seeding, timed to the millionth of a second etc)

When it works… The Innerz approach of reliable, inaccurate dibbing wees all over non-contact timing that never works properly. You’re doing it right IMO- or at least, you’re definately not doing it as wrong as the Gravity series)

As for seeding… Well, it’s not needed is it. Other events do fine- better- without it.

@100mphplus I take it you mean Accelerator, if so the taped was laid across the fireroad so if you did take the shortcut you had to cut the tape, which is against the rules.

Reckon that the seeding run is an important part of the weekend,atleast on race day you are riding with other riders that have a similar time to yours and they arnt shouting to get past you on each stage and vice versa.
The race format is a brilliant idea and hats of to the organisers to giving it a go,as things progress then hopefully the teething problems will disapear.
I managed to crash coming out of the wood and back onto the fireroad on stage 5,not good for the event if people are missing whole sections out they should be ashamed
Brilliant weekend

@100mphplus I take it you mean Accelerator, if so the taped was laid across the fireroad so if you did take the shortcut you had to cut the tape, which is against the rules.

Yes the tape was across the road and stopped ~ 300mm short of the start of the forest trail were the upstand rocks were.

If you rode to the end of the tape and then went through the gap Btw the end of the tape and upstand rocks then technically according to the rules, you have ridden within the taped trail and it is legal, since there was no further tape on the RHS until you reached the next fire road crossing.

I have ridden DH for 17 years and the rules state that you must ‘ride Btw the tapes’ and wrt the rules all the lines everyone call cheats are actually legal. The problem is there are a lot of DH riders competing in this new discipline and until the rules are plainly stated, or the courses taped out better, then this debate on ‘cheating’ will continue.

I knew it was there and chose not to use it and also told all of my fellow Cat competitors it was there. They would have flamed me for life if I had, however if I knew someone else in my Cat was going to use it then I would have too as I was there to win but thankfully I managed that within the ‘spirit’ of the taping so I am doubly pleased about my result.

A bit more tape needed next time and then it stops the problem.for me not really a problem propping up the bottom of the results but i suppose for the elite then a second or two here and there means a lot more.although saying that if i had 5 seconds of my time then i would go up 10 places.keep smilng 😀

I wasn’t there, but knowing hamsterley I wondered why they didn’t split the riders up and start 20% on each section… maybe an idea for next time.

A bit more tape needed next time and then it stops the problem.for me not really a problem propping up the bottom of the results but i suppose for the elite then a second or two here and there means a lot more.although saying that if i had 5 seconds of my time then i would go up 10 places.keep smilng

Ahem, I think you will find that the honour of ‘strongest competitor’, on account of holding up the rest of the field, falls at my door….

I had a really great weekend, and am now getting into training for next year!

I wasn’t there, but knowing hamsterley I wondered why they didn’t split the riders up and start 20% on each section… maybe an idea for next time.

Presumably you’d have issues with say stage 1 being pedaly and 5 being technical then someone with no leg strength and lots of arms would do well as they’d be fresh for the pedaling and the opposite person would suffer. However if they were doing stages in a different order they’d possibly gain an advantage from that.The other problem being that one group has a bigger ride to their start than the others.

But I suppose you could do it by category, so the top tier raced one course, the 2nd tier another, 1 off racers another, women, juniors, etc.

rdpliers – Member

Reckon that the seeding run is an important part of the weekend,atleast on race day you are riding with other riders that have a similar time to yours and they arnt shouting to get past you on each stage and vice versa.

That’s obviously the idea- but in practice, it takes away flexibility. And what if you have a bad (or exceptionally good!) seeding run, or if you have a variety of sections where a strong performer in seeding will be out of place in other stages?

The way Innerleithen MTB Racing do it is this simple- go when you want. So if you think you’re fast, you can give the person in front a gap. If you think you’re not, you can go quickly and warn the next person to hold up, or wait til there’s a gap in traffic. Very simple, very effective. Just talking to the people around you keeps things pretty sweet. There’s still overtaking in stages- that’s absolutely inevitable- but you’re more in control of your own riding. Better for riding with your mates as well.

IMOOOOOOOOO 😉