So this weekend I make it that there were 3 major mtb races in the UK:- Mountain Mayhem, 10 Under the Ben and a XC National series race, yet not one gets a mention on the news section of ST or Bikeradar. Maybe all the jurnos were all out riding their road bikes instead. 😆

So should they do more to promote UK racing?

Depends whether they think that’d help sell their mags.

FWIW, I expect there will be a write up on MM at least. 10UTB I’m less sure on. Is it big?

XC National Series I can’t really see being that big a deal for most ST readers so I’m not surprised but who knows.

Your guide to this weekend’s Go Outdoors Mountain Mayhem!

ST does touch on racing but I think it is on the periphery of their content focus.

I suspect if you wanted to know then you’d find it somewhere (XCracer etc).

I’m surprised the promoters don’t write something. In sailing it’s pretty much a given that someone will write a few hundred words on the event, stick a few photographs with it and mail it off to Yachts and Yachting. It’s seen as free advertising for the race and/or the class.

I suppose the problem is that there’s too many classes. Would you read a blow by blow account of what happened in the women’s 30-35 team of 4 (that class may not exist, but my point is there may still be there’s a lot of races within an event). And then there’s an argument would anybody care? There was some news story on here a year or so ago when someone had ‘won’ a prize despite not finishing as high up the results as was thought, so arguably even those at the event not enough people had been paying attention!

I don’t think you need a blow by blow account, but just a recognition the event was on and some pretty pictures would do it.

I just find it odd that go to a running, triathlon or other similar site and there is much more variety of articles than most of the mainstream cycling mags. And a good part of that is racing / events.

When I promoted hill climbs if you wanted coverage either before or the results th organiser provides details that the event was on and some pretty pictures. Journalists aren’t going to bust a nut on some fairly insignificant events

I accept that for Hill Climb events or local type events, but MM had over 1000 people and 10 Under the Ben over 800, they are major events for UK mtbing. Maybe it just doesn’t fit in with narrative that we are all doing Road, CX or Enduro now.

Seems like xc is more or less irrelevant to the target audience of the mtb media in general, having been regularly reading the mags for the last couple of years it has barely featured, I think two articles in mbuk and minimal xc orientated reviews. Shame really as it’s the most accessible form of racing.

In terms of reportage I do agree that blow by blow accounts are pretty dull, even having been a a given race. It’s pretty difficult to write well about it though. Some of the first person blog articles are atrocious. Lots of pics, a bit on the course and a brief overview of some of the racing would go down well. Even on the bc website the xc series doesn’t get the ‘main’ news slot.

I like some of the interviews and the race bike focus on ukxcnews.com

It’s because XC racing is as dull as dishwater.

do the race’s issue a press release? journo’s are hopeless unless it’s copy and paste 😉

Seems like xc is more or less irrelevant to the target audience of the mtb media in general,

Road racing is even less relevant to the people buying road bikes today, its a part that 99.9% of them will never even get close to entering (apart from those who ‘race’ sportives) yet is such a huge part of road riding.

I don’t think that many folk are interested TBH.

Which of these race disciplines have you raced in 2014? (Tick any that apply)

None of the above (52%, 311 Votes)
Marathon distance/endurance XC racing (22%, 131 Votes)
‘Classic’ Cross Country racing (18%, 110 Votes)
Enduro racing (15%, 92 Votes)
24 hour racing (14%, 81 Votes)
Cyclocross racing (10%, 60 Votes)
Road racing (7%, 41 Votes)
Downhill racing (4%, 23 Votes)
BMX/Track/HPV/other racing (3%, 16 Votes)
Total Voters: 598

How many 24 hour races have you raced in?

None. (62%, 335 Votes)
Two or three (12%, 65 Votes)
One (10%, 56 Votes)
6-10 (7%, 39 Votes)
Four or five (5%, 26 Votes)
10-15 (2%, 13 Votes)
26+ (1%, 4 Votes)
16-25 (1%, 2 Votes)
Total Voters: 540[quote]Do you have a BC race licence?

Never had one (75%, 280 Votes)
Used to, but don’t bother now (10%, 37 Votes)
Yes, silver (5%, 19 Votes)
Yes a bronze licence (3%, 11 Votes)
I have some other sort of race licence (3%, 10 Votes)
No, but I’m getting one shortly (2%, 8 Votes)
Yes, a gold level one (2%, 7 Votes)
Total Voters: 372[/quote]

Judging by the volume and nature of the stuff that ends up in the new on the front page here, I suspect that if organisers of ANY cycling related event took the time to issue a release to the STW offices it’d be published.

There’s very little actual reporting from STW staff- although it’s been interesting seeing the focus of coverage change over the years- I can remember threads bemoaning the lack of interest from STW in covering the Fort William DH.