The Wiggo Effect on MTBs

Seems that this year mountain bike events have been massively under subscribed, with lots of cancellations – would this be because everyone is out on road bikes wanting to be Wiggo?

More likely to be the worst weather In living memory! Mud only appeals to so many people…

Weather.
Increasing number of events.
Entry fees.

And StravAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!

Now if everyone of the Jonny come latelys could go back to golf and surfing as well the roads and trails would be quieter …that would be good

What’s the cut-off point to not be a johnny-come-lately?

MTB event signups were low before the TDF, so not his fault.

Weather hasn’t been that bad, has it? There’s been a few bad days (and weeks even) but for the most part it’s been fairly dry in my experience.

I seem to be passing a load of people on the roads at the minute though (roadies and mtb) despite the weather beginning to turn…which I think is great, and will have a positive effect on all types of cycling.

About 1990

Weather hasn’t been that bad, has it?

EH?! Wettest summer in 100 years and second wettest since records began. Most races up my way (Sheffield/the north) were wet – certainly ground conditions. Started to dry up a bit early September.

I grew sideburns. Does that count as a wiggo effect?

EH?! Wettest summer in 100 years and second wettest since records began

Yeah, but it all fell in one day up here (Newcastle). I remember the previous few years being wetter generally. Not very scientific, I know…I just don’t think it has been noticeably worse than usual.

Weather hasn’t been that bad, has it?

Troll surely?

Last winter was dry, but it’s been axle deep mud since may!

Weather hasn’t been that bad, has it? There’s been a few bad days (and weeks even) but for the most part it’s been fairly dry in my experience

.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19427139

Have you perhaps been asleep for most of the year?

It`s just a “cycle”
Too many events becoming “elitist”
Time to find another format to attract the “alsorans” who get fed up with events needing to pander to ^^^^^ the must be real “knar” hard before I enter again types 😉

Too many events too far away from large populations
Fuel and accom too expensive for overnighters
Everything going up price wise and lots of people not getting wage rises
etc, etc, etc…….

Heard on radio news that there has been a massive drop in the amount of fuel being used by car users. Is that down to the weather or the economic climate?

People leaving it until the last minute is what kills events.

Price of entry, cost of fuel, crap weather… all factors in people not signing up early. However an event needs to be breaking even a couple of months the big day.

If there is a risk of making a loss you have to pull it before you have to start paying the bills.

People leaving it until the last minute is what kills events.

+1 and I’m guilty of that, esp with our duff summers, have become very much a fair weather rider these days.

I have to admit, i’ve hardly touched the MTB for most of this year. Can’t face all that mud & rain, especially on top of cycle commuting in the week! It would help if the MTB’ing on the doorstep as i just can’t bring myself to drive to the trails and churn through the mud for ages, then spend ages cleaning/washing everything.

Maybe i’m subconsciously trying to be gentle to the delicate trails and not mess them up?? yeeah, thats it.

Crap weather meant I had enough of terrible conditions on the trails and bought a road bike just to get out.

I didn’t know who Wiggo was until the TDF….not really interested in watching stuff about cycling.

Just too many similar events I think. The established ones seem to have done alright, but it isn’t a good time to be starting something new. Looks like D2D took a bit longer to sell out this year, but it still sold out.

Entry fees/fuel costs are the main for me this year. I honestly believe the future is for events like kielder and off road sportive events such as the bucks off road sportive where you can still be competitive but also explore some new areas and not have the tedium of going round in circles for up to 12 hrs.
The Evans ride it events are brill and the last time I did one it only cost a tenner!

weather… not TDF.. I’m still debating an event in just over a week.

Weather
Number of events
(In some cases, high) Entry fees
Extra costs of travelling to an event.

I think one reason people leave it late to enter events is they want to be sure they are able to attend. Personally, unless I think an event will sell out, I do tend to leave it later so I can be more sure I can make it and am not ill/injured/without bike.

Crap weather meant I had enough of terrible conditions on the trails and bought a road bike just to get out.

This. Combined with the mither of having to drive to any decent trails, while having decent road riding from my door.

As said by many – the weather didn’t inspire people to sign up for stuff

Cost, the events I used to regularly do seem to have increased their fees over and above inflation for the last couple of years and certainly over what most people have had as salary raises.
So where in the past I may have signed up well in advance, this year I didn’t and only did stuff at short notice

baby boom brought on by austerity boredom

weather and cost.

There is only so much mud you can cope with. and no pay rise increased travel costs etc

I didn’t enter several events I wanted to do because of their relatively high cost and quite high chance of shitty weather.

baby boom brought on by austerity boredom

This ^^^^^ Everywhere you look there’s pregnant Women!

People are realising that riding round in circles in a muddy field for hours and hours isn’t actually fun? 🙂

Yeap if you want to give birth theres a nine month waiting list.

I’ve spent a good part of the summer waiting for the the summer to arrive. a bunch of us went on a weekend away during “that” hot fortnight in March. and its need down hill since then.

Yeap if you want to give birth theres a nine month waiting list.

I’ve spent a good part of the summer waiting for the the summer to arrive. a bunch of us went on a weekend away during “that” hot fortnight in March. and its need down hill since then.

Weather
Number of events
(In some cases, high) Entry fees
Extra costs of travelling to an event

This for me too.

People are realising that riding round in circles in a muddy field for hours and hours isn’t actually fun?

Then they aren’t doing the right events 😉

On the subject of fees. Our costs for the winter race have increased by over 300% in 4 years.

The weather.
No point signing up until the last minute due to the crap early summer weather.
Also the trail conditions – never really dried out did it?

I don’t know about anyone else, but my enthusiasm for cycling hard enough to be race / enduro fit comes and goes. I’ll always ride my mtb, but how often varies from year to year.
If I’m not doing a lot, I won’t enter events, knowing that I’m going to be suffering all the way through just for a poor finish.
Last time I entered any events was the DYfi, Rough Ride and Twentyfour12 in 2007, but until the CYB Enduro this year I’ve entered nowt since.
I’m in “dead keen” mode again at the minute.

I don’t know about anyone else, but my enthusiasm for cycling hard enough to be race / enduro fit comes and goes. I’ll always ride my mtb, but how often varies from year to year.

That’s an interesting point. The crap weather not only puts people off the event itself, but it means people are getting out less generally, so are less fit, and therefore less keen to enter an event. True for me I reckon.

Spending £30 – £50 on entry fees just isn’t worth it.

Course layouts could be a lot better – it’s a complete waste of an entry fee shooting off the line in an MTB race to then be standing next to your bike queueing to enter the first section of single track with a big bottleneck of riders. Race organisers need to think much better about how to funnel riders into the course properly.

As for entry fees – the average MTB race/Sportive costs £30 – £50 and you get a couple of water/feed stops plus a waymarked course (sometimes poorly way marked!).

By comparison, the Tour of Flanders Sportive costs £25 to enter, has incredible signposting, marshalls at every junction & roundabout over the entire 160 mile length of the course, Police and organiser motorcycle marshals/outriders and the most incredible food stops you can imagine – well stocked, plentiful, almost no queueing, friendly staff, etc etc.

WAKE UP organisers!!!

Our costs for the winter race have increased by over 300% in 4 years.

…and yet the entry fee is still very reasonable for something really good.

While I appreciate the races run mainly on the goodwill of volunteers will always be cheaper, paying >£50 to enter a poor course mudfest at the other end of the country holds much less appeal.

Wiggo effect denier here…

… and that’s from someone who has “rediscocered” the road bike this year.

A lot of my regular mtbing is on my commute, but the trails have been an utter bog fest since April-May. One section I’ve been having to regularly push / granny ring on the flat and even downhill. Wheels just wouldn’t go around in the clag.

No-one has mentioned the mechanical cost of riding in the mud. As much fun as it is coming home / arriving at work caked in mud 😆 it does get a bit wearing on the wallet keeping up with the extra wear and tear 🙁

it does get a bit wearing on the wallet keeping up with the extra wear and tear

yes it does… but for me it’s worth that instead of pedalling in gym or sitting at home.