# Olympic Course



## addictfreak (24 Mar 2011)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-12849100


I know its hard to judge from a short clip, but it looks a little tame for an Olympic course.


----------



## Angelfishsolo (24 Mar 2011)

I agree 110% Unless there is a lot more to it is insanely tame! I think I could ride that FGS.



addictfreak said:


> http://www.bbc.co.uk...-essex-12849100
> 
> 
> I know its hard to judge from a short clip, but it looks a little tame for an Olympic course.


----------



## lukesdad (24 Mar 2011)

Good for spectating by the look of it though.


----------



## subaqua (24 Mar 2011)

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/artic...-mountain-bike-course-first-impressions-29660


is bike radars take on it for those who don't visit there


----------



## Cubist (24 Mar 2011)

It's XC though, not a black run bike park! I should think we've seen about one or two percent of it so far in that clip, and what climbs there are will be telling enough. At racing speeds I expect the Olympians will be able to show most of us a pretty clean pair of heels!
Note I posted the above before I read the above Bike radar article.


----------



## Angelfishsolo (25 Mar 2011)

OK I take back what I said earlier. It looks scary!!!



subaqua said:


> http://www.bikeradar...pressions-29660
> 
> 
> is bike radars take on it for those who don't visit there


----------



## fossyant (25 Mar 2011)

Don't look very XC to me...could ride a road bike round that.


----------



## mountainrider (25 Mar 2011)

fossyant said:


> Don't look very XC to me...could ride a road bike round that.


----------



## mountainrider (25 Mar 2011)

Exactly what i thought in fact my grandma could looks like a canal path!!


----------



## Kirstie (1 Apr 2011)

If you look at singletrackworld.com there's a write up of the course there by someone who has ridden it. Apparently it has a lot of climbing for a short lap, and even features a gap jump. I wouldn't suggest it was an easy course - XC racing is getting much more technical these days.


----------



## Zoiders (1 Apr 2011)

Closed circuit courses like that are a load of dogs eggs.

It's not like we are short of places to put real events in with genuine forrest stages so why on earth have we gone for such a load of contrived rubbish like this course?

One gap jump?

Oooooh scary.


----------



## henshaw11 (1 Apr 2011)

Zoiders said:


> Closed circuit courses like that are a load of dogs eggs.
> 
> It's not like we are short of places to put real events in with genuine forrest stages so why on earth have we gone for such a load of contrived rubbish like this course?
> 
> ...



Well, it is for XC riders* 

Athens it ain't, but at least it looks like there might be some scope for interesting passing. Too much twisty singletrack can just become follow-the-leader so some of the wider sections might give a bit more scope as well.
I agree it's a bit of a funny place to pick - and it just looks weird that it's so open - but it should be good for camera coverage/spectators and access generally.
Now the Manchester commonwealth games course - that *was* pretty boring to watch.

*and yes, I R XC jayboy...


----------



## Kirstie (1 Apr 2011)

It's been built in an open space for better media coverage, no doubt. It's difficult to see the action in a wooded area. 

Here is the article on stw:
http://www.singletrackworld.com/2011/03/riding-the-olympic-course/ 

There is the usual predictable arrogance on this thread the type of which has made me leave mountain bike forums well behind. It's sad to see that it has migrated onto here too.


----------



## fossyant (2 Apr 2011)

I'm 99% roadie, but do like mtb stuff, but the course does look un-interesting. We have (in the UK) the right terrain to have a 'real' XC courses, but it's like doing a crit, just with muddy stuff.

Someone educate me..... ?


----------



## Tim Bennet. (2 Apr 2011)

I'll try! The key to understanding the cross country mtb race is in the name - it's a race! Therefore there has to be some scope in the course for tactics which include overtaking, pacing, recovery, attacks, route choice, etc. For years, lots of mtb racing has been a sprint for the first stretch of single track and then a processional time trial to the end with not much change of place.

Road racing evolved over the decades to be what we have today. It's nuances were allowed to develop and those who understand it, find it fascinating because of the complexity it has developed. There are only two mountain bike disciplines that really make 'natural' sense, one is downhill and the other marathon or enduro cross (real) country. But the politics of the olympics meant mtb was shoe horned in using a format that was 'invented' because it was thought it might work. However it doesn't really, but as it remains the only 'show' in the olympic 'town' for this type of riding, it's only the courses themselves that can be tweaked to make mtb xc into not only a sport worth watching, but one where people actually want to take part. 

Lack of rider appeal is a massive problem and because of this, Britain hasn't had a women's elite team for ten years or so. There's no decent girl rider's even interested in taking part. It's not much better in the men's sport with pitiful numbers riding in short course mtb races compared to the numbers of riders that would class themselves as mtb riders in this country.

This course is the latest attempt to make an event that is both interesting to watch (live and on TV) and interesting to be in as a RACE.


----------



## Zoiders (3 Apr 2011)

You see equating it with a road race is the first mistake.

This is why the likes of British Cycling are so bad at this kind of thing - somehow they have managed to sell them self as being an authority on a sport they know very little about.

Make it a linear route or a much bigger loop in a wilderness area with a far more enduro racing orientated theme, think rally stage - not a velodrome made from gravel. One of the reasons there is so little uptake for the event is because they recruit and select in the wrong places.


----------



## dellzeqq (3 Apr 2011)

Tim Bennet. said:


> I'll try! The key to understanding the cross country mtb race is in the name - it's a race! Therefore there has to be some scope in the course for tactics which include overtaking, pacing, recovery, attacks, route choice, etc. For years, lots of mtb racing has been a sprint for the first stretch of single track and then a processional time trial to the end with not much change of place.
> ................This course is the latest attempt to make an event that is both interesting to watch (live and on TV) and interesting to be in as a RACE.


thanks, Tim.


----------



## Cubist (4 Apr 2011)

Kirstie said:


> It's been built in an open space for better media coverage, no doubt. It's difficult to see the action in a wooded area.
> 
> Here is the article on stw:
> http://www.singletra...olympic-course/
> ...


This!


----------

