Has XC MTB racing died ????

[Scrat]

Here in NZ they turned XC into a short course multi lap Crit style thing, then all the roadies came in with their semi slicks and went "Thank You" - actually when would a roadie be that polite?

So most riders went "screw that" bought 5-6" all mountain bikes and headed for epic mountain rides that go for hours and have awesome scenery and flaged racing completely

They only XC racing that goes off here is Night Racing - which suits the multi short lap format, and 6, 12, 24hr enduro racing

 

[MJN]

Sorry dmr,I wasn't comparing to other forms of cyclesport,I was talking about the youths who just want to stay inside and play virtual sport on their WII's!
By the way,I raced DH for 3 seasons in the mid 90's so I know the fitness and commitment needed in that sport plus the broken bones I suffered

 

[perry]

I think all sports that involve only seeing a section of the race are dull and boring . They tried to get people to go and watch xc racing by cutting it into lots of shorter laps but unless your really really into it and know whos who its pointless seeing guys ride past over and over looking more and more tired and if your that into it and you've bothered turning up then why not go the extra and compete .

The cycling worth watching is the stuff thats more enclosed like track and dirt jumping and even then it can get a little boring unless you know people who are competing . Watching the track on the telly was good , It didn't require having lots of in depth knowledge ; the average guy on the street can understand that guy here needs to get around the track quicker than that guy there ; or that guy needs to get across the line before the other but he cant just shoot off or he will be followed then passed in the last moments .

I went and watched the Sherwood Pines round of whatever they're calling the xc this year and it was tiring , I also watched the 4x at Chicksands and while it should have been exciting I found myself spending more time watching people chilling and throwing xups over the dirt jumps , they had far too much downtime between motos and it wasn't as bang , bang , bang , firing 4 people down the dirt as fast as they could muster as it should be , bmx manages to be good due to the accessibility , theres always something happening and its quick ; by the time the 8 are half way around the track the next 8 are waiting on the gate .

 

[rosstheboss]

Also what does it take to get mountain biking into the public eye? SIR Chris Hoy?!??! Do me a f*cking favour!!!! Why does the media have such a love/hate relationship with road and off road racing? When Steve Peat won at the worlds it wasn't even front page of the cycling section on the bbc website!!! If people don't know our sport exists how are they going to start doing it let alone racing?!


N.b. Wine may have been involved in the making of the above post. :roll:

 

[flyingwelshman]

In the early days of XC it was obvioulsy new, manufacturers were selling loads of bikes, magazines covered the racing so manufacturers were only too willing to sponsor riders who got magazine coverage as it led to publicity which they believe led to more bike sales. As soon as the magazines stopped covering XC racing ( which coincided with bike sales dropping off) the downward spiral started and interest in xc diminished. As a spectator sport XC racing is dire, unless you have a close interest in someone racing ( usually a relative). I believe there are more people riding mountain bikes than in the hayday of XC racing, but now they have more choice i.e enduros, trail centres etc.

 

[dirtjumper_dmr]

N.b. Wine may have been involved in the making of the above post. :roll:

 

[perry]

Its a good point , Hoy seems to be the go to guy to have on a show so comics can have a jab at cycling while keeping it relevant .

He seems to be a genuinely nice guy but whenever I see him somewhere I just think its because the writers of that particular program couldnt write anything of any worth and needed a reason to use old gags or dreary content . It's like seeing Clarkson , you know all the questions and topics will be car related .

I always got pissed off watching They Think It's All Over when they started moaning about how bad Britain is at sports but they couldn't see past kicking a ball , running with a ball or hitting a ball with something in your hand .

Every fooking year we have to listen to "ooh come on tiny Tim , your so great at hitting a ball with a thing in your hand your ranked 87 1/2th in the world , yay" ; fook off , Peaty is and has been at the top for easily a decade , manages to stay there while still living in blighty and does it while having a good time .

 

[losidan]

Boring boring boring!!! I used to be able to tell you all about who had won what at national level now I can only think of Oli Beckingsale and Liam Killeen as names I would recognise. The media has promoted the more exciting to watch disciplines like DH and DJ for example, certainly to the detriment of xc. Also the groms don't want to know about plodding around in pain in lycra for two hours, they want to be doing triple no footed backflip 360s with they arses hanging out of their jeans then smoking a fat one.....

Also perhaps people just don't have the time anymore....?

i'd have to agree. the other more "grungy" types of cycling are more appealing to image consious youth.
I was wondering if (and this is pure speculation) if racers moved into other disciplines such as cyclo cross as numbers started to go down? You can race an mtb in a cross race too provided it doesnt have disc brakes? Wouldnt it be a good place to run the type of bike we raced xc on back in the day....so, if that is the case did those riders move to other disciplines too such as tt and road?

 

[IbocProSX]

Don't know about racers taking MTB's in CX events, but I'm racing MTB tomorrow in Gieten on my 29er and there will be CX bikes. In fact 2 Years ago a CX won Gieten making the decisive jump by shouldering his crosser on the last sharp climb out of the sand pit!

But I digress, AFAIK racing in Holland appears to be very much alive with many racing teams at the local level plus a national series. They're building on a long history of "MTB tours" organised by clubs in the autumn and winter throughout Holland. Admittedly, racing is not too different to everyday riding, nor from CX as Holland is FLAT , no DH/FR, and even AM for most of us means travel.

The race tomorrow is part of the national series and has all the top guys at the start line, including some of the sponsored CX field. Directly behind them is sport class and thereafter it is the fun riders. This is a massive event with a 1200+ rider field and an a fixture on every MTbikers calendar.

And this is where credit is due to the organisers. It takes huge commitment and tenacity in dealing with authorities and sponsors to make events happen and to get continuity in them. And it is not trivial to make them a success either, Gieten notably adapted the format of the race to ever increasing numbers, kudos to them.

As for Enduro, I'm lucky that local to me we have an annual 24h race weekend. 2009 was the 3rd year and it has grown to over 750 competitors, it attracts non- bike sponsors too and decent media coverage. It has not bloomed to a series of events yet, maybe Holland simply lacks the volume to get that going.

Enjoy!! start number 565 ....

 

[ekiborter]

What about cyclo cross?

I'm pretty sure in some parts of the world it's bigger than football.

But here in the UK people think your a nutjob if you ride a dropbar bike off the road.

It makes good watching in the same way early XC did....

tracks that are impossible for the bikes to handle...
brakes that dont work...
no suspension...
and plenty of punctures thrills and spills!

There is even jumping on and off the bike... Cool !

;]