nigelhicks

PLEASE NOTE .......... LONG WEEKEND - Fri 9 - Sat 10 - Sun 11 ....... TRACKS ARE OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Weekend before Event - Fri 16th Sat 17th Sun 18th .......... TRACKS CLOSED EVENT STARTS - Tues 20th

IRON ... this weekend now the tracks are open - its just the immediate weekend before the event when the tracks will be closed .... I too have a job and family dude - most people dont realise that this is not my day job. there is nothing we can do about it ... if the okes complain thats just tough ... If they go overseas to worlds they would not be allowed to ride the tracks before hand ... they would only be able to ride during official practice ... so its not unreasonable to close the tracks 3 days before the event.

Sorry Gannet - but this is a necessity from a logistics perspective. Please note that for Cross country you will have Wed and Thurs ALL DAY (9:00 to 16:00) to practice.

While i have you here and likely Fuming ...... PLEASE NOTE - in the guide .... Rider & Team Sites Areas will be available for riders to erect infrastructure and to set up on the day of competition etc but please note that as all the infrastructure will aready be in place for the Elite World Championships that starts on the 26th August, space is at a premium and available land will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. If you want a space to be allocated to you, you must register with Carly Shuman from CRA Events at carly@craevents.com before registration begins. Failure to do so will mean that no space will be made available to you to set up on or around the event site. If you don’t have your own infrastructure to set up and would like to make use of the infrastructure being put in place by CRA Events, then this is possible at a nominal daily fee and Carly will be able to assist you with this. Parking Parking areas for competitiors have been allocated alongside the event site and will be available on a first come, first served basis. There is no guarantee of parking close to the site. No vehicles may be parked on the competition site and vehicles will only be allowed to access the site until 30 minutes before the first competition is due to start and once this deadline is reached, the gates will be locked for the day until the last competition is completed for the day. Vehicles may only be brought onto site to offload infrastructure and equipment and must then be removed straight away. GUYS .... please get hold of Carly and organize the team area marquees if you want something - i think its like R300 bucks a day for a BIG marquee that you then dont have to hassle with - you get 8 guys to go in together for 4 days hire and its R150 bucks each .... Also that saves you lugging your stuff from the car park to the venue The car park at Cascades will be CHAOS most likely - so rather think of parking elsewhere .... also think of just dropping your cooler boxes etc at Cascades with someone in the AM and then moving the vehicle away .... Just a suggestion.

Hey Guys and girls After our meeting last night .... the following was decided PLEASE NOTE - the XC and DH tracks will be CLOSED from Friday 16th August onwards for competition completion. LONG WEEKEND - Fri 9 - Sat 10 - Sun 11 ....... TRACKS ARE OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Weekend before Event - Fri 16th Sat 17th Sun 18th .......... TRACKS CLOSED EVENT STARTS - Tues 20th This is to allow the organizers to, mark and tape the tracks and undertake any necessary last minute track repairs without having to dodge riders - We had an issue yesterday when a trail crew staff member was hit by a cyclist. We do not need this. With it being as dusty and dry as it is the tracks are also getting quite blown out and this will give us an opportunity to water sections and make sure that they are prime for the event the next week. Please understand this and organize your pre-event training accordingly .... You are more than welcome to walk the tracks on the days between the 16th and 19th - but you will not be allowed to ride. ALSO any rider seen to be breaking, or moving course poles or tape will be reported to the organizers for disciplinary action. Thanks Nigel and Nick

Im not sure - But as for the baggies ..... http://www.sunshinebicycle.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Marco-Fontana-on-a-Cannondale-Scalpel-29er.jpg If Fontana can .... you can!!!!

If they run slowest to fastest - you will be chasing me .... and will be last on track .... FEEL THE PRESSURE

A mail shot was sent out a while ago to all participants saying that "Although there was no selection criteria for MAsters, all SA masters entrants were encouraged to race in SA federation kit that they could purchase." Note that the federation kit is different to the Elite kit as far as i know. This request for shirts had to be in a while back so that they could be made. Im not sure who ordered - I know i did

nope - i agree - they all come out of the woodwork for this

well you will need a good start then ... the first straight is 400m long, slightly uphill, with Red Face Hill at the end (a short sharp uphill into a left hander) There may be a bit of a bottle neck here out the start so try be on the outside to ride around the guys on the inside who may get stuck and have to unclip. Then its a straight shoot down a road and into the first twin track .... this is twin track so should flow ok even on the first lap - HOWEVER - there is a little rock garden in the first trees after 1km from the start that may cause an issue - you want to be through here quickly as from here there is a long single track climb up "Cabbage Tree" to the next fire road. From here it should spread out - If i were racing id see what the field is like when i get there - but I would potentially run Kims Corner as it might be faster if you can dismount fast - then run up to the next road and jump on again. the "portage" is all of 20m and saves a slow switchback

http://themozartcafe.homestead.com/files/laughing_wam_on_floor.gif Thats awesome!!!!!!!!

Ok i wont lie .... im getting nervous now ... Wonder how Greville did the rankings???

DOWNHILL RANKINGS http://www.mtbworldchamps.co.za/masters/documents/MTB%20Masters%20Reg%20DHI%20Cat-Rank%202.pdf CROSS COUNTRY RANKINGS http://www.mtbworldchamps.co.za/masters/documents/MTB%20Masters%20Reg%20XCO%20Cat-Rank%202.pdf

Hey Guys Please download and read if you are racing.... The afterparty is at Frankies PMB on Sunday evening!!!! http://www.mtbworldchamps.co.za/masters/documents/Masters%20Riders%20Guide.pdf

Is your dad racing XC or DH??? hope hes ok. As i said above - our final management meeting is tomorrow at 5pm - so will let everyone know the plans after we finish that tomorrow

the track is fine - if you take all the b and c lines you can keep your wheels on the ground the entire run pretty much .... There are 4 small (no higher than knee height) rock drops that you need to plop off - but you can roll them if you need to ... but all are almost dead straight so with the speed you have you ride them like a pavement and you are fine. Otherwise every gap jump etc has a B line, with Cloud 9 having B and C lines.

I will keep you all informed about course closures etc ... I have a meeting with everyone tomorrow afternoon - so will let you know the decisions after that. Tracks will be open this long weekend - but likely will be closed for riding the following weekend ... you will be welcome to walk the tracks just not ride... But i will let you know what the decisions are

But ..... Con binned it on a 1m wide gap jump .... and Chris binned it on a small off camBer section ... with nothing in the way - Nick says he just fell badly No rocks or other stuff to take you out - i know the section its just above the DH finish in the trees - and there is nothing there - its just an off camber bank that cuts out a bench cut switchback. This is speculation, but he may have got it wrong and crashed down the camber landing on the bench cut below - that would have hurt. But no there is nothing Dangerous there ... its just you ride along a cambered bank for 5m

its a bit of both - as Peter says the track is not as tech as the Elites, but is close - but that being said it has lots of options .... although it is a race to crown a world champ - it needs to also cater for the guys who just want to give it a go and see how much they suck when they compare their times to the pros who race the next weekend. So it shouldnt be like a full on Pro event - but should be close

So we need to come up with some sort of Drinking game to go with it ... that will make it more interesting

as for the party .... i think we all need to bring our big boy pants for that .... cus its gonna be HUGE Remember that the Keg up the road has weekday R15 draught specials between 16:00 and 18:00 ...... HMMMMMM

Hey string - thats Nick Floros work - Im in charge of the DH .... Im not sure what nick has planned with regards to laps etc

hahahaha ummm no ... of course you could do it .... Grebel never thought he could .... and now hes racing worlds!!! and try a course length of minimum 2 minutes with max of 5 winning time .... Most are 3 to 4:30 in time .... you are broken at the end of that! ....

Sorry bro - but if thats the way you think then you clearly need to come and give DH a try - its just a pedal fest start to finish with having to dodge everything else in between As for the rock gardens in XC - natural rock gardens occur in many world cups so there they are natural features and on an XC bike you should also be able to ride them .... fair enough massive gaps etc i would have a problem with too - but what is the difference between jumping a 1m wide gully made by a river and a man made jumps to immitate that .......

On the note of "Chicken Runs" ........... Man i HATE that term ... the oke who came up with that should be dragged into the street and dressed in a Chicken Suit!!! No one is a "Chicken" ... everyone is their own pro ... no matter what your level of riding ... So by naming something a "Chicken Run" the organisers are saying that their participants are Chickens ... and by Golly - NO SA MTB rider will ever be called CHICKEN ... so they all take the "Bull Run" ... even if it is over their technical level of experience ... so it causes hell on earth .... Thats why trails with multiline technical options, A, B and C lines make such a difference ... To all the organisers out there - next time you have a bonfire - BURN your Chicken and Bull Run signs ...