Hi guys and girls just a little heads up to let you know about a fun “race series” that doesn’t cost you anything and you can participate in at your leisure. What we are doing is mapping out a gravity enduro (ish) segment using Strava and then letting people know via Facebook each month where the segment is. At the end of the month the fastest mens and womans times will be rewarded with something suitably “Northern” like a box of tea and some biscuits or possibly a trophy made from manly working stuff like bits of metal and old tools!
Each month is kicked off by an edit filmed on the segment and ridden by a random local to show you what you’re in for. I just thought with a lot of you guys heading up to the Lakes to ride and quite often asking for route ideas that this would give you something else to do when you get here.
Here is a link to the edit for this months segment https://vimeo.com/60859439

and the facebook page can be found here http://www.facebook.com/WorkingMansRaceSeries
there is more info on the page

cheers

Isn’t one of the first things in the Stravs T&C’s ‘I will not use Strava to time races’.

Great idea hear its happening elsewhere too. Great bit of fun if we all follow rule 1 – dont be a cock…..

So long as people treat it as a bit of fun it’s all good.

So this month’s segment appears to be on a bridleway, and the promo video for it features some goon on a 6″ travel bike mashing along it as fast as he can. I wonder why a large section of the population think mountain bikes have no place in the countryside.

OP – great work.

Some people do stuff and help make MTB a more fun sport, while others moan but do little to actually contribute.

Some people do stuff and help make MTB a more fun sport, while others moan but do little to actually contribute.

They’re the ones doing something constructive, like getting out digging trails not encourageing people to do race runs on open bridleways and likely peeving off other users.

Mr Agreeable
So this month’s segment appears to be on a bridleway, and the promo video for it features some goon on a 6″ travel bike mashing along it as fast as he can. I wonder why a large section of the population think mountain bikes have no place in the countryside.

So when you get to a nice inviting descent, do you purposefully go as slow as possible?

If the video had showed him terrorising walkers or horse riders etc. then fair point but..

Perhaps I’m too charitable in assuming that everyone will have common-sense and won’t try manualling over labradors or hucking over a band of walkers. Will the Strava red-mist descend over everyone and normal, sensible, law-abiding citizens turn into rabid racers? I think not.

Isn’t one of the first things in the Stravs T&C’s ‘I will not use Strava to time races’.

Probably the thing it would be absolutely best for doing…
TBH though what’s the significant difference between setting up a “segment” and a “race”? other than prizes for winners?

I quite like the OP’s idea TBH, I think a GPS based “Open Race” type format has some scope, course is defined by a GPS trace and competitors have a fixed window of time to log the best run they can manage…

I think a nice simple “MTB Race timer” phone app and a website front end shouldn’t take an enterprising individual too long to work up… considering one of the biggest costs for many race formats is timing, and a large chunk of the population now carry a pretty accurate positioning / timing device most places, it’s only a matter of time…

Probably the thing it would be absolutely best for doing…

Mates who’ve used it have found variations of about 20 seconds over fairly short runs. So it’s not a lot of use for accurate timing. I’ve used it and found some very odd results, e.g. I’m beating one guy who usually laps me at the local CX races up a tough climb.

Will the Strava red-mist descend over everyone and normal, sensible, law-abiding citizens turn into rabid racers? I think not.

People pretending they’re in a race does not encourage them to be considerate to other people they meet on the trail. And advertising illegal activity on the internet is never a great idea.

There are lots of race organisers round the UK putting on events, paying for proper timing and marshalling, and jumping through all the hoops, so why not go and do one of those? I know the entry fees are a bit steep but they’re only 1/5 the price of that unreliable office chair seatpost you just bought.

others moan but do little to actually contribute.

Click the link in my profile, eh?

Perhaps I’m too charitable in assuming that everyone will have common-sense and won’t try manualling over labradors or hucking over a band of walkers

😀

Perhaps I’m too charitable in assuming that everyone will have common-sense and won’t try manualling over labradors or hucking over a band of walkers. Will the Strava red-mist descend over everyone and normal, sensible, law-abiding citizens turn into rabid racers? I think not.

It would for me.
So uphill strava segment, the limitation is largely how fit you are.
Downhill the limitation is largely how many risks your prepared to take. So once one **** rides like a **** to set the record, anyone else who want’s to compete has to ride like a ****.

Probably the thing it would be absolutely best for doing…

It’s not at all.
Over short runs, GPS errors will introduce significant variations. Even over longer runs, it can still miss out the start or finish point – I’ve ridden several local routes where I know there are segments and when I’ve uploaded the route afterwards, it’s skipped that segment for whatever reason – GPS error, slightly off-route at the time I pass the start or finish point.

This just seems to be using Strava as a massively irresponsible race promotion/publicity tool.

Downhill the limitation is largely how many risks your prepared to take. So once one **** rides like a **** to set the record, anyone else who want’s to compete has to ride like a ****.

Arguably (fitness asside) it’s limited by you’re mental skills to see what’s coming up, decide how you’re going to ride it, then do it (unless you’re super unfit it’s unlikely you’re going to be unable to actualy buny hop/corner/jump for fitness reasons) . Messers Peaty and Atherton could probably ride a trail at 90% and KOM, leaving 10% to deal with looking for dog walkers and other unexpected problems. It’s the guy who’s 90% as quick riding at 100% that’s going to hit Fido and get into trouble.

Someone who’s good isn’t taking a risk going as fast as someone who’s not.

The problem is getting everyone to ride at 90%, which is why Strava’s ToS’s basicly boil down to “don’t be a ****, it’s not a real race”.

Someone who’s good isn’t taking a risk going as fast as someone who’s not.

Unfortunately I guess it’s car driver syndrome. People think they’re better than they are.

first thought was – that sounds great, I want to have a go. Then watched the vid and second thought was still I want to have a go BUT only if the trail is definately free of walkers etc

BUT only if the trail is definately free of walkers

Maybe there could be a rule that only times set between midnight and 4am qualify?

BUT only if the trail is definately free of walkers

Maybe there could be a rule that only times set between midnight and 4am qualify?

Then you upset the doggers

As stated guys it’s a bit of fun using Strava, the app that times you on a ride and then tells you who was fastest, up or down. The application itself promotes going fast. It’s not 100% accurate but then again we’re not trying to get it recognised as an Olympic sport or gain UCI involvement. To be honest a lot of people said that I was mad for posting on here and that all I would get was trolling desk jockeys finding fault. I guess they were right in hindsight but for those that are in support cheers. Obviously we would hope that anyone participating would be courteous to other trail users and shut gates etc. We all ride bikes a lot and would do this as a matter of course whether we were racing a computer or a mate down a hill but I suppose some people probably do need this pointed out to them. Anyway for those of you that “get it” hopefully we’ll see your names up there, for you other guys, well I guess this post wasn’t aimed at you so enjoy whatever reason you have for riding and try not to get too upset eh?

You can add me to the list of moaning whingers who think this is a terrible idea.

1) It’s illegal (racing on bridleways? someone’s posted the relevant link already…)

2) It’s stupid – as someone said, it only takes one macho nob who’s ego is greater than their skillset to go hooning down out of control, and we can all write the local newspaper headline

3) The organiser(s) are being very, very silly here. I was going to speculate that they almost certainly haven’t got any sort of liability insurance in place for this race series, but since it’s illegal racing any insurance wouldn’t pay out. So, what happens when someone does something expensive (like injure themselves or someone else significantly) and it turns out they were engaged in this racing series? The organiser is in a world of pain, that’s what.

There’s a time and a place for racing bikes, but this ain’t it.

Didn’t MBUK/MBR do something similar recently? But ok trail centre type stuff?

4) Also bear in mind mtber’s aren’t the only people who use Strava. I’ve been told that one of the NT wardens in the Chilterns has been using it regularly to keep tabs on where cheeky trails have appeared.

As far as 4) goes Ian the trails used are all legal to ride bikes on. Whoever it was that said Strava Terms said it wasn’t to be used for race timing, I can’t find that in the terms but I did find this-YOU ALSO EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT STRAVA DOES NOT ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE INSPECTION, SUPERVISION, PREPARATION, OR CONDUCT OF ANY RACE, CONTEST, GROUP RIDE OR EVENT THAT UTILIZES STRAVA’S SITE. Which seems to suggest that while they want nothing to do with it they accept that it will happen. Nobody pays to take part and as such there is no company or group organising the whole affair so I don’t really think insurance comes into it. All it is is a way of grouping together who is fastest over a particular month so that trail condition and weather is more consistant. Anyway as stated it’s a bit of fun, do with it what you will.

As far as 4) goes Ian the trails used are all legal to ride bikes on.

Yeah but not to race on. And you are promoting an, ahem, ‘race series’.

Shared use trails are not the place for this Mr Monkey, it’s not hard to figure out is it? You’re just in denial because you’ve already invested a chunk of effort and don’t want to accept you’ve goofed.

Go do it in a quarry or anywhere that’s not used by other people and it’s all cool.

Go do it in a quarry or anywhere that’s not used by other people and it’s all cool.

+1

Trail centre (with the agreement of the owners) or private land is fine.
No matter how much you rely on the goodwill and common sense of riders though, doing it on public, shared land is asking for trouble because some riders have no goodwill or common sense…
Not just with the potential for injury (to a rider or third party) but the potential for someone else to see this and think “I’m not having those pesky MTBers doing this sort of thing” and off they go to set up a trap – wire at head height, hole covered in leaves. It’s happened elsewhere.

Sadly, it’s the way of the world we live in. However much you deny it, you’re promoting an illegal race.

It could be argued it isn’t a race, it’s a time trial.

😀

I think it’s a great idea and will try to get down that way and have a go.

Don’t worry about the people on here who find fault with everything – life’s too short. Let people use their common sense for once.

Anyway, a similar thing has been going on in Sheffield: http://www.stravatrailracing.co.uk/

OMG, someone call the police!!!!

Anyway, a similar thing has been going on in Sheffield: http://www.stravatrailracing.co.uk/

The Sheffield one looks like it sticks to mtb trails?

so it does. I still think this is a good idea though

I know i’m getting old & boring but can only see this ending in tears. As an old mate of mine will alway say ” pin a number on & go racing properly”.
You should have known.

Ha ha Matt I don’t think anyone is in denial after “investing a chunk of effort”, I think you’d find if you asked the filmers and the riders if they had fun that they did. They have fun on bikes all the time and quite often film it. People go out everyday and try and take KOM’s on Strava this is just a fun way of looking at who does it in a particular month. No one is making any money or trying to turn it into something it’s not. I guess until someone actually makes us stop we will just carry on having fun amongst ourselves without the approval of you guys. Enjoy tossing your unwanted opinions backwards and forwards, it’s what you do best after all…

Next time you’re at a job interview and they ask “What’s your weakness?” – one of the correct answers you could offer is “Dealing with differing opinions” 🙂

Ha ha Ian I could agree but there’s no point in us both being wrong eh?

TBH those if us who are going to ride enthusiastically and fast will do so with or without a GPS log of the event…

Most of the Grandad brigade seem to have this image of people careering down hills with their eyes shut elbowing someone’s Nan and her little jack Russell out of the way… That isn’t actually how the majority of us ride though is it…

The fact is people are already timing themselves with this Sort of technology, but generally only at “appropriate” venues. I saw some lads comparing times at the bottom of Aston Hill a couple of weeks ago, I’m sure I’ve seen the same at Cwmcarn and other popular DH venues, I’m pretty sure all the fun descents for most trail centres will be available as segments on strava now… these are places set up and designed for MTBers to ride at pace, I see no problem with timing this activity really… It’s obviously not a real race…

This hysteria over strava causing hundreds of trail collisions that would apparently never have happened before, has been about for a couple of years now but I’ve not heard of many incidents (well any actually), I’ve heard of roadies killing themselves for a KOM, but Stravaing MTBers piling into walkers and their dogs still seems like an unconfirmed myth, I’m sure someone has a link to prove me wrong though…

Yet again the STW self righteous pop up to knock what sounds a pretty fun idea ! let me think going fast downhill on a mtb, can’t be doing that. So what if your timing yourself on strava, thats happening already all over the world and people have been going flat out down bridleways since mtbing began, infact thats how it started if memory serves. Good video by the way cumbrianmonkey, pity your a bit far up or some south wales boys might have come up to show you how its done ( not me by the way to old and knackerd these days ) Maybe it will end in tears but then so can getting out of bed in the morning.

well said taxi25, there seems to be some kickers getting in right twist over this, calm down lads its only bike riding down bridleways that we’ve been riding down the last 25 years, just because its now timed by a satellite its not gonna make much difference.
good idea this, ill be having a go, might be to old/slow to beat bowmy, (hiya bud, been a while}, but worth a shot.

Nope, sorry, as someone who enjoys Strava I’m in the ‘stupid, irresponsible and you’re setting yourself up for a potential epic lawsuit if it were to go wrong’ camp. Bury your head in the sand and call everyone ‘grandpa’ by all means, but as promoter of this race series you’re now liable if a third party chose to pursue you for damages. Best get that liability insurance sorted eh?

Funny how these folks value so much their right to ride dh on bridleways yet with their ‘race series’ and their facebook pages and their videos and their promotions on Internet forums they’re playing right into the hands of any interest group looking to put a stop to them and any bike access.

How can they not see that? It’s beyond me.

Did anyone see the documentary last years when locals in the lakes got an order stopping vehicles from using a green lane?

Lets not even get into the ethical and safety issues. (It’s not like that would work as persuasion anyway. But access might).

To be honest a lot of people said that I was mad for posting on here and that all I would get was trolling desk jockeys finding fault. I guess they were right in hindsight but for those that are in support cheers.

Jesus. What a horrible attitude. People are worried for pretty sound reasons. You may disagree but that doesn’t make them “trolling desk jockeys”, it makes them mountain bikes with sound concerns.