How about 6 races for $52 (total price of races + NSMBA membership).
Thursday nights.
Enduro format - no major timed climbing, relaxed atmosphere, no mass start pressure, ride the transfer stages with your friends.
Apres beers and food at local bar.
That is what I am working on for the NSMBA Twoonie series this year.
THIS
and announce it soon
Was there ever a racer breed on the North Shore?
It is just not part of the culture, even though that is shockingly odd given the access to the diversity of trails.
On the Island, in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, it is a huge part of the trail riding culture. Just the way it has evolved.
Oh yeah. There was XC racing on the shore. The Cove boys were all XC racers and damn good too. Lumpy, Jo Jo, Otter, and many others. I have raced on Cypress, Up on Grouse, Fromme, Seymour (Hell of the North) Belcarra, Vedder, Mission, Hemlock. I think when bikes moved away from XC with the advent of full suspension and decent brakes which came around the same time as freeride that the new direction was away from XC competition. There was still competition though but it sort of became hidden. No prizes or timing but riders still one upped each other all the time and jumps and stunts got bigger and riskier. I think in the early days that was all there was and many people were never really XC racers but that was the competitive outlet until freeride gave them something else.
Debate? Bikes are made for riding not pushing.
XC was more part of the mtn biking culture then too. you had household names like ned overend and tinker juarez, missy giove, shandro etc. it was a smaller pack to follow and mtn biking was in its infancy so was a lot more "collected."
"You know what's wrong with Vancouver? You can't pee off of your own balcony without getting in trouble"
- Phil Gordon
The Spring Series (Road Racing) is off the hook. They are having record numbers turn out, but again there seems to be a gap in 30-38 year olds. There are bunch of 20 somethings coming up through the cats and they are giving most of us a run for our money.
As for racing on the Shore, in particular an XC race, it has been stated and well documented that there aren't the trails that are supportive of that type of racing. XC racing in Ontario is huge… 1000's show up for the 24 hour races.
I also think that my age group falls right inline with the "freeride" marketing and when the sport got larger. We all entered the sport for the most part when the freeride spin started.
It would be amazing to see a full supported XC/Enduro race series on the Shore, but are there enough trails, with enough variety to support it, or will the racers even come. One can only try.
It just isn't the culture on the Shore.
I'm not really a fan of many pedally trails on the shore.
Personal preference I guess but the only trails I ride on the shore are cypress DH laps.
Sounds to me like you haven't made the effort to link up some great laps in your own back yard.
Sounds to me like you haven't made the effort to link up some great laps in your own back yard.
You're right, I haven't given it much of a chance. But the thought of riding a lot of trails on the shore on an xc bike doesn't tantalize me. I'd rather climb a dirt or loam ribbon than a baby head field. There are a few trails on the naughty side that would be fun on an xc bike that you can climb to on the BP, but I generally avoid riding there because of the politics of it. The rocks, roots and trialsy corners of the legal shore trails are relentless, meaning you really have to work for your flow.
I do like quite a few trails on fromme, but the snow level has been really low this year and last.
Racing isn't "pay[ing]to ride a trail". Racing is racing. It's different. Personally, I like both. In fact I did both on Sunday, and it was a wicked day on the bike!
You like it, cool. But I'd go even further and add that racing is paying to ride a trail not of my choosing, on a date that I don't set, with a big crowd of people who mostly aren't my riding buddies. Sounds like hell. Thats my opinion on why more people don't race.
I'd go even further and say that North American mentality doesn't lend itself well to competitive biking. Generally speaking, we value the individual experience and solitude of the sport more than seeing where we fall on the yardstick. Europe, on the other hand, seems to emphasize racing results as the motivation behind the sport. They seem almost hyper-aware culturally. At least thats the way I see it.
Yes, yes, yes and yes.
I'll add some more to that…
Yes, yes, and yes again. Sounds good.
Jon-boy.
I like racing
more than I like just biking or skiing (in fact I now hate alpine resort skiing outside of racing)
I'm happier being at the back of the dedicated racer group than winning my age group
(just surviving in the big ocean with all the big fish is more satisfying than being the big fish in the small pond)
since I have to be on the trails to exercise our dogs anyway, I may just run more and follow the crowds to the trail running races (on sans dog days) if there are not any more local mtb events
I don't think the difficulty of local trails is limiting the number of 20ish racers (they should be the ones wanting more tech than the 50+ers). Not being able to preride and get to know the trails can be a limiting factor (if there are dangerous features), but if the race trails are posted well ahead of time, they are well known trails and have reasonable ride arounds, then there is less intimidation factor (such as Dirty Duo using Bridle Bath and Ned's every year)
Actually heard from several people last year that they didn't do the North Shore Bike Fest Ripper Triple DH/Enduro because they were not competitive downhillers and really missed the old Marathon/old-school style enduro. Even less people entered for the stage DH race then entered the previous marathons. I see a good compromise for local toonies is to offer the DH/Enduro style event at the same time and on the same course as a basic xc race. Time the DH'ers for the DH sections and let the XC'ers just race the entire event start to finish non-stop without shuttling (if they do get missed being timed on sections it won't matter so much) and all rounders can hesitate to make sure they are being timed before the DH sections.
Our club - West Coast Cycling - is now debating whether to put on the Super D in Belcarra again, a good all rounder, inexpensive event. Encourage us to continue by entering
You like it, cool. But I'd go even further and add that racing is paying to ride a trail not of my choosing, on a date that I don't set, with a big crowd of people who mostly aren't my riding buddies. Sounds like hell. That's my opinion on why more people don't race.
That's why YOU don't like it. That's what I like most about it.
Going somewhere i don't know (albeit usually with some people i DO know) and putting in my best effort - win lose or draw. I've had some wins, some crashes and some events that just plain sucked the life out of me. The date thing, meh, you pick the races you can make it to, de facto agreeing to the date.
If you don't get it, you maybe never will. And that's OK.
Like Oldfart said, racing is racing. It's not about the trail, it's about the competition, and some folks aren't into that.
OP - I think the age thing is about the type of rider the sport attracted when they started to ride.
A 30 something rider most likely started riding before there was such distinctions as freeride/all mountain/XC. It was just bikes. I think they are more likely to be in touch with their 'xc side' so more predisposed to xc type racing.
How about 6 races for $52 (total price of races + NSMBA membership).
Thursday nights.
Enduro format - no major timed climbing, relaxed atmosphere, no mass start pressure, ride the transfer stages with your friends.
Apres beers and food at local bar.
That is what I am working on for the NSMBA Twoonie series this year.
I will do this rather than race a crit any day. My Thursdays are marked. wWoo woo, thanks shirk!!
XC racing in Ontario is huge… 1000's show up for the 24 hour races.
When it comes to the events like the Summer Solstice I'd call them more a party with a side of racing. Because in reality it's a small percent who are there to truly race. For the majority it's drinking beer with buddies and others with a ride to clear out more room for alcohol.
Reality is XC is big in Onterrible as that is all there really is.
I like racing
more than I like just biking or skiing (in fact I now hate alpine resort skiing outside of racing)
I'm happier being at the back of the dedicated racer group than winning my age group
(just surviving in the big ocean with all the big fish is more satisfying than being the big fish in the small pond)
since I have to be on the trails to exercise our dogs anyway, I may just run more and follow the crowds to the trail running races (on sans dog days) if there are not any more local mtb eventsI don't think the difficulty of local trails is limiting the number of 20ish racers (they should be the ones wanting more tech than the 50+ers). Not being able to preride and get to know the trails can be a limiting factor (if there are dangerous features), but if the race trails are posted well ahead of time, they are well known trails and have reasonable ride arounds, then there is less intimidation factor (such as Dirty Duo using Bridle Bath and Ned's every year)
Actually heard from several people last year that they didn't do the North Shore Bike Fest Ripper Triple DH/Enduro because they were not competitive downhillers and really missed the old Marathon/old-school style enduro. Even less people entered for the stage DH race then entered the previous marathons. I see a good compromise for local toonies is to offer the DH/Enduro style event at the same time and on the same course as a basic xc race. Time the DH'ers for the DH sections and let the XC'ers just race the entire event start to finish non-stop without shuttling (if they do get missed being timed on sections it won't matter so much) and all rounders can hesitate to make sure they are being timed before the DH sections.
Our club - West Coast Cycling - is now debating whether to put on the Super D in Belcarra again, a good all rounder, inexpensive event. Encourage us to continue by entering
considering i've signed up for almost every race possible so far this year, the fact that i didn't even know your registration was open might have something to do with your low numbers.
advert?
EDIT: Just went to your website and there are no details about your 2013 West Coast Super D race and no links to register. I'd like to know how to save this race that apparently doesn't exist.
2012 information does not make it easy to register for a 2013 event.
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