nigelhicks

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 ...

I know exactly what you are saying Eldron ... and it is that exact thing that (not just for Masters - for Elites too) makes us put in B and C lines ... (note that these lines are NOT deemed as "Chicken Runs" .... as most people state) Riders need to ride to their ability and not beyond - if they are pushing themselves and crash in an A line when there is a B line around ... that is their own issue - that does not make the track dangerous as there is an option - If there is No option ... that would make it dangerous ... In many instances the B line is as technical as the A line - but just gives a rider a separate option in case of traffic. In other instances the B and C lines get progressively easier but then the rider forfeits in time penalties So "dangerous" should actually be if there is 1. no alternative route around said obstacle (but the obstacle must be something that is potentially dangerous ... not just one rock in the middle of a trail) 2. no warning sign before said obstacle 3. No Catchnetting if said obstacle is a bank drop etc. So if the safety guidelines are adhered to ... a track cannot be dangerous ... just technical ... From there on - its the riders skill level that becomes the issue

HAHAHA - Nick said to me the other day that he is so GATVOL of okes going around stuff or moving stuff ... that if he finds out that stuff has changed etc not through his doing ... he is going to put the rocks etc back .... WITH INTEREST! .... **** I laughed.

hahahaha I'm a ballie too .... in the UCI's eyes ... if you are over 30 ... you are a ballie

Yeah I'll bring it up with Nick today

Bru .... Chris Nixons wife flipping ate crap on Sunday trying to avoid exactly that ... I donno ... We have spoken and spoken and may need to put signs up that hikers must stay on the forestry roads ... but i know for a fact signs mean nothing ....

AAAH YES thanks for reminding me - GUYS ... PLEASE NOTE - Nick and I will likely be closing both tracks after this long weekend so we can do final repairs and maintenance ..... I will let you all know of exact dates ... but this weekend will be the LAST WEEKEND that you will get to practice

but yeah .... no matter the complaints .... ITS GONNA BE EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The okes that are complaining range from Average-jo who has entered ... to (i-have-been-around-forever-and-am-still-good) ex pros .... As the UCI Tech Delegate said to me last year - my standards of trying to please people are too high I was aiming for 70% of the riders 70% of the time on 70% of the track.. He said he aims for 50% across the board ...

Right ... let me just put this on quickly http://www.f150online.com/forums/members/johnnyd2723-albums-other-stuff-picture150998-flame-suit.jpg Ok ... here goes .... For the past 3 months or so myself and my XC counterpart Nick have been hard at work building the Masters Worlds tracks at cascades for the upcoming Masters and Elite Worlds .... so here is the scenario .... In the first month ... Both of us get numerous emails and facebook messages etc from local Masters riders (over 30's) saying that they want the tracks to be tough ... like as tough as the Elite tracks ... ... so for the DH thats not much of an issue as the tracks are pretty similar the whole way down ... So i make the track pretty much the same (as does Nick in the XC side - although his track is different in length etc) ... BUT ... then ... Okes start to come and practice on the unfinished courses and all hell breaks loose when they start ending themselves ... the guys who were wanting a demanding course now whine that the tracks are too hard or unsafe etc, as they cant ride the sections, or are riding them incorrectly as they dont know what the lines will be when its taped ... So now i know you cant please everyone ... but when okes are going around changing portions of our tracks by taking out rocks etc (esp on the XC) ... i mean COME ON! ... If you go overseas to race Masters Worlds in Norway next year - you have to ride whats put in front of you ... you don't whinge ... you just man up (or woman up) and ride the stuff ... So my QUESTION is ... how did we (MTBers in general, both XC and DH), become such a bunch of "spoilt brats" that if a track etc is not to our liking we complain or even worse go and try and illegally change the track???? what happens when we all go overseas to race??? ------------ BUT THEN AGAIN ..... we can take the criticism ... and the tracks are AMAZING now IMO ... and i am so looking forward to the racing in 2 weeks time .... I hope you all are too .... Heres a link to a Promo video to get you all amped ... Just remember its not gonna be a picnic!!! hahahaha http://vimeo.com/71562048 SEE YOU ALL IN 2 WEEKS!!! Dont forget you vuvuzelas!!! Cheers NIGE

EPIC bottom out!

winner - just get some okes to roll it next to the current trail and you are onto something (literally) ... The way it goes not wont end so well with the okes saying the water is manky ... But would be a classic dam jump though