nigelhicks

Then there was a comment about XC Eliminator - ... well XCE is all well and good - but this is not really something that will take off in SA as it is too short for use with logisitics being a mission for such a quick event ... The UCI are also standardising viewing times for events across the board for 2014 - so XCE Events are now to be staged in the evenings on Fridays at like 7pm and need a sort of street circuit type thing ... So SA is unlikely to have this event this year due to the logistical nightmare the event will impose. So we can say good bye to XCE in SA in my opinion

Right ... (Nige gets his coffee and puts on his typing cap) There are a number of issues to this "problem" and have been brought up time and time again in our Commission meetings for KZN and the World Cup/Champs .... These are the following things to remember. 1. MTB (Marathon) is probably the fastest growing discipline in South Africa at the moment due to its ability to cater for ALL forms of person form the consummate pro to the average Joe ... The exposure of this discipline has been immense and due to this it has become the "go-to" form of exercise. ... In south africa the main focus is on MASS PARTICIPATION events such as Sani2C, JHB2C, EPIC ... and then all the other marathon events such as the Classic series in KZN and all the other 40 to 60km series events in JHB and CT .... This is great as everyone can enjoy the events no matter what your skill level (ok maybe not the EPIC - thats a different kettle of fish - but still) ... So this is where the SA market focusses their gaze and rightly so .... 2. XCO - this is the pinnicle of Cross Country MTB as it is A) an Olympic Discipline, B) was one of the first events to be registered under the UCI as a World Cup and World Champs status event. The event does not however cater for MASS Participation due to the nature of the tracks ... 3. XCO - MEDIA - XCO is by far one of the best events from a MEDIA perspective as it is relatively easy to film and makes for good racing (There was a comment made that the EPIC would surpass XCO at a media level and become like the TDF ... Yes maybe ... but from a media perspective dealing with the guys who film the World Cups, they say the XCO and DHI is the best from viewer potential - thats why they dont film the Marathon World Champs as there is not enough exposure for the all the teams and their riders when half the field are more than 20minutes back off the leaders and you have only one camera following the leaders ... Also if the tracks are gnarly - how can you have a motorbike (like in teh TDF) following a lead pack and the chasers doing all the filming - you couldnt ... so you would need helicopters - and this cost BIG tin .... So XCO is way more spectator friendly for people on site watching and also from a media perspective as static cameras can be positioned and used to film the riders over each lap .... SO - why if the Media side of things is WAY better does it not get the exposure to the common man and his kids like marathon does??? MIS-REPRESENTATION ... this is it ... you chat to someone who went to their first XCO event (likely a provincial as its either that or nationals) and they will say that they K@Ked off ... and likely say that it was way harder and more technical and they didnt really enjoy it ... thats because the intensity is so much higher that the track and style of riding is not really suited to 70% of riders until they get used to the discipline ... SO it gets a bad rep as most guys ride it once and then tell their mates that its too hard and its not worth doing when there are such great marathon events out there ... 4. THE HOT SHOTS Remember that in the UK, Europe and America there are full series for XCO and these are really well attended with 500 to 1000 riders compared to us at 100 per event ... BUT then over there although there are XCM mass events these are not shown to be the pinnicle of desirability to race and therefore everyone tries to race the XCO events ... Out of these riders internationally in each country - only 2 or 3 every 10 years go on to emulate the Nino's, Kulhavey's and Burry's .... so we need to remember that these riders come around very Seldom. 5 - So what to do about it???? The Spur Schools Series is a great stepping stone - but this must shift the young guns into PROVINCIAL LEVEL disciplines that have UCI WORLD CHAMPS Status such as XCO and DHI .. and not into Marathon ... This is where the fundimental shift needs to occur ... As much as we all dream that we are "the next Burry" ... if you are older than 18 and have not yet raced a World Cup event ... sorry buddy its too late ... the guys who get to that level were winning their national championships OVERALL (both XC and DH in Burrys case) at the age of 16 - and were getting international stage experience from 17! .... So we need to look at the School series and promote them to race more XCO than XCM - event though there is a wealth of XCM events in SA ... PS - sorry for the MASSIVE post!

Yeah i saw that - but i just wanted to clear up some stuff on that one question ... as the others are valid ... its almost definitely market related ... and what Jared is looking for!!!

PS - im not trying to start an argument - just pointing out some facts that most people forget about :thumbup:

Hahahahaha ... the std miss conception that the UCI do nothing for the sport and are just full of *** ... Although most std riders dont believe it as they are "guided" by what internet press releases say etc, the UCI has actually done (and continues to do) amazing stuff for our sport ... Remember that without the UCI taking on and embracing MTB in the early 1990's with the opening of the UCI World Cup ... there would never have been a series. ... Although there have been some shady ears - most of these were solely related to Road as MTB has its own "governing body" persay ... Melanie, Simon and David (the MTB crew) do a fantastic job and always try and make MTB better! ... Chris Ball and MArtin Whitely before him did the same thing and MTB grew from strength to strength under their rule ... Fine there have been some weird rules and stuff that have come out that people moan about - and in hindsight they shouldnt have even been considered ... but this is the way it works .... The same will happen with the EWS in the long run - (20 years down the line) ... where plans will have changed and the focus will have shifted to try and keep up with market needs and media etc .... Some people wont like it - others will be dying for change ... this is just the way things happen ... when a series has been running for that long ... you are bound to have people wanting something fresh ... so at that point something may turn up to take the limelight from EWS. But what im trying to say is that ... the UCI does not cause crap as Mackie said ... they do a TON of work to host an amazing series that we all love to watch (with a round on home soil - which we should be exceptionally grateful for) ... Most National events are all affiliated to the UCI as they are run by their national federations as are most international teams ... so i can assure you that (unlike Caps comment of "middle finger to the UCI) ... Yeti will still register as a trade team with the UCI - as both Jared and Richie will likely try and race World Champs DH on its own - like Jared did this year! ... and for that and many other reasons at a National and international enduro level - the company will need to be affiliated. ... So before branding the UCI as a bunch of c0ck spanners ... think what they have done for the sport over the last 20 years building it into an amazing series that we all get to enjoy.

Ya if you are using EXISTING trails - then you are fine ... dont worry about that then ... it only comes into play if you build a proper bridge with culverts etc over a water course ... or do big work opening an existing road with a TLB or excavator ... IMO - steer clear of any large building of wide track with machinery - the use of smaller track that is there already through anthropogenic or fauna influence cannot be included into an Enviromental issue ... If you need to cross a river - either use a small wooden bridge (this is classed as a temporary feature) or just jeep the path as is going through the river.

yes but that goes without saying as then it falls into protected land and therefore needs an EIA

So i have just had a quick meeting with our EIA guru and under the National Enviro Management Act (NEMA) there is no legislation governing the building of tracks for non-motorised vehicle use. The Cascades EMP was triggered through the clearing of the bottom area and not the tracks. The only thing to be careful of is the cutting of tracks in virgin grasslands etc as these may be endangered and then the poo hits the fan

If thats the case ... definitely contact Meurant at AMARider - and (although it will cost more) get the right advise on how to move forward with the project. ... I doubt that MOST bike "parks" in SA have been given Environmental Clearance for their trails, but as the Land owner consent is there then no one worries. The issue we had at Cascades was actually not due to the trails which were in disturbed land in plantations, but the grading and "re-vegetating" of the ope area where the finish and pits are - someone (a local resident) lodged a complaint with Enviro regarding the large-scale grading of the area - asking why a new parking lot was being built on the land ... Enviro came to check and asked us for a EMP or we would be given a fine .... What they forgot to look at was also the fact that we were "rehabilitating" the area as it had previously been disturbed land as it was previously all planted with pine and gum ... this didnt matter to them ... So then we had to complete a full EMP which included ALL the trails too ... had it not been for the big work at the bottom - Enviro and everyone else wouldnt have bothered .... So in this instance - Id say its a good plan to get Meurant involved ... as he will know the best legal positions and how to get through the Enviro process.

So if its out of the way - try and keep it under the radar ... just get the indemnity side of legal done and get land owner consent - but make them aware of the potential for Enviro costs

Yes it will - but just remember that with Legal often comes Environmental law ... if this happens ... good luck ... the Cascades EMP was pretty costly (10 to 20k - if i remember) ... If you will be building trails on specific land within 30m of a water course etc, you then need a water "use" licence i think it is ... and this is another nightmare ... This even includes just crossing a water course with a Bridge ... Anyway - i think legal is a good way to go about it as if the Environmental guys want to get nasty they can slap a BIG fine on the land owner for not adhearing to the legislation. However - if you are going to build in a currently operational plantation (like Cascades or Jonkers etc) then there are ways around the Environmental legal side as this land is disturbed land and if you can be seen to be "rehabilitating" it then Enviro will love you - but chat to the lawyer about this too,,, So from this aspect as well as the indemnity side - the council of a legal professional will be worth the cost in the long run.

Yeah im sure its going to be VERY different - no matter what the track ... when its wet us South Africans just stay indoors ... so we have zero exposure to wet roots and rocks ... so that will be MIGHTY fun ... But yeah I'm starting to look forward to it!

if it comes to it you may need to file an Environmental Management Plan with the Dept of Environmental Affairs. We had to do this for Cascades - and its a F-ing mission! ... Most trails are built once Land-owner consent is giving - this is given once route plans, indemnities for trail use, and all other legal mumbo-jumbo have been sorted out. Main thing to get right are your indemnities to cover the user and the land owner!

It depends what you are used to i suppose ... I have mates who (like Dips) have had nicknames that have been entrenched so much that we actually have "forgotten" their real names to such an extent that they introduce THEMSELVES as their nickname ... Personally - I use my real name as i think it will be better for KZN MTB and the World Cup Committees to use my real name so that people can actually converse with me properly if need be regarding events etc. ... ... and if i used my nicknames the following may happen ... 1. Big Nig = I will be thought of as a large stomached person of colour ... 2. Pic Nic (derived somehow from Big Nig) = I like going and eating food on the grass ... 3. Skelly = I may be perceived as being someone named Kelly hahahhahaa

Hey ED Ok ... I heard differently from David ... and also from some of the Norwegian guys who were out for Elite Worlds ... BUT i think it would be cool to race the Elite track (with some variations here and there that is). Must keep an eye out and see what comes up on the web -

some pics to get you excited! all courtesy of Jaques Marais photography from the Trailblazer this year.

There is a DH track - and its pretty gnarly! Some MASSIVE road gaps with no real B-lines ... and friss mad rock gardens ... Issue is you need permission to ride that track as you cant shuttle it in an open back van as Sappi wont allow it for safety reasons. The top of the track AFAIK is overgrown, but the lower portion should be clear ... But again that is out towards the Outback Trails and that section is closed at the moment.

Hey all - As i have been asked this by a number of people already - just so there is no confusion later on regarding the World Cup round in PMB in April. ... The dates for the event are the 11th to 13th April ... NOT the 5th and 6th as initially shown on the schedule posted in the UCI's press releases that went out to Pink Bike, Vital and the rest ... the UCI originally posted it as the 5th and 6th - but then asked the organisers to change it to a week later - but the original press releases had already gone out via the net So if you are planning to come up just diarise the 11th to 13th!!! Cheers Nige

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.495104613940645.1073741862.237923096325466&type=1 Pics of the enduro from Quickpix

thanks flyluis!

hahahahahahaha The immediate misconception about "DH guys" being absolutely crazy .... NO - although many of the said "DH guys" ride DH - this does not mean they are all nuts and jump off cliffs - or have to hit big gaps etc. .... The DH guys are probably the BEST people to hang around as they know rider limitations better than anyone else ... So they would be able to help you gauge your ability and would assist you in your skills and how to ride stuff - even on an XC bike on a DH Course ... So no the Enduros (as they are set by the DH guys) will be well planned and will ALWAYS have B- or C-lines around obstacles so as to cater for mass participation and get more people exposed to the discipline in the hope of converting some of you to full on DH ... Again with full on DH - its the same thing - ALL big obstacles will have a way around - so that EVERY DH run is actually rideable on an XC bike if you put your seat down - you wont be fast - but you will be able to ride the track ... so again - dont be afraid - don a fullface helmet and some knee guards and go give DH a bash even one day when the WP guys are having a shuttle day - you will be amazed at the comradery and bullsh!t session that will follow

ya definitely

hey dude - no they are the same thing ... Enduro is Enduro - its just as it is new the term "Gravity" is sometimes used to separate it from "Enduro ... Endurance events" .... A while back before Enduro as we know it began in SA - some events used the term Enduro for 24 hour events and the likes .... So in the beginning the term Gravity was used to separate the two disciplines to not create confusion ...

no i dont mean it like that - im sure that the tracks gonna be rad ... but I just know from experience here that it wont be TOO difficult ... The guys who came out here said that the track here would not fly in the USA as a Masters track as it had too many big hits on it ... they would have had something far tamer. So im expecting big berm rollercoaster with some rocks and roots ... But nothing like what you ride on a proper world cup track ...

if anyone says that those trails are crap they need their head read! .... or they must just go back to playing chess or tiddlywinks!