So where have all the MTB skills gone?

[Dicky DQ]

Small bitch, nah the day was still awesome, but really. I have not ridden a proper MTB race/ride for a while, then BOOM, I Origin of Trails yesterday and today.

 

Granted I started yesterday in D and today in B, but today was the worst. I accepted that in d you are going to get some dirt roadies that have no skills, but damn in the B bunch. come on! 

 

We had such awesome trials the 1st 50 km, but no one seemed to be able to ride them. Walking switchbacks, baby rock gardens, awesome drops etc.

 

Also no trail etiquette, I did not mind because i was expecting it, but this leads to a lot op people not really getting full joy out of the trails. I resorted to giving myself space then trying to gunn it, but alas in 50m or less .............. Note to self ----- stop moaning. 

 

Back to the question where have all the skills gone. Surely in B bunch, front group, there should be some. Seems not so much.

 

PS. Origin of Trails got it all right this year, if you think Jonkers is awesome, THINK AGAIN!!!!!!!!

[PhilipV]

It's not so much that the skills have gone, more a case of the amount of riders joining the sport. There are so many more people that ride mtb nowadays.

[Dicky DQ]

It's not so much that the skills have gone, more a case of the amount of riders joining the sport. There are so many more people that ride mtb nowadays.

So the question is still, where are the skills. So many people riding MTB at the front of the race with no skills? Why how? I think it all these bloody dirt road races. 

 

That is why we so often have people complaining about how difficult dangerous the races are. 

 

I was forced to ride drop off's and rock gardens on a fully ridged Makro special because that what was ridden back then. Now every one has serious travel DS bikes, but still only ride district roads.

 

Anyway ....

[Matchstix]

Money can't buy skills. . . .

[The MTBer]

I think the most new riders think these days that MTB is like a long farm road or dirt roadies.

 

I am not going to lie here, it takes a long time to get decent skills and most of the guys don't have the time to train their skills, but that is not an excuse.

 

I personally love technical tuff and I hate the fitness part.

 

Like Philip said that there are a lot of new riders amd that is good for the sport, but you need skills to get yourself safely to the other side.

 

I noticed that more and more races are becoming dirt roadies races, that is why I am trying downhill and enduro.

[deanbean]

I noticed this last weekend here. Everyone was walking down a washout then slowly down a bit of single track. I must say that everyone that I passed moved over a bit when I told them that I'd overtake when I got the opportunity. Great that. I think it just takes a bit of manners and patience from the overtaker

[Ratty]

I had a very frustrating day 1. Was stuck behind slow riders on Canary and Never Ending. IMO never ending isn't even technical.

Today I hit things at the right time and hardly had any traffic. Was surprised on the last downhill singletrack where there was a little drop off onto the road, the group of long route riders that had come flying past me all stopped to walk it..

[Guest DieBees]

Small bitch, nah the day was still awesome, but really. I have not ridden a proper MTB race/ride for a while, then BOOM, I Origin of Trails yesterday and today.

 

Granted I started yesterday in D and today in B, but today was the worst. I accepted that in d you are going to get some dirt roadies that have no skills, but damn in the B bunch. come on!

 

We had such awesome trials the 1st 50 km, but no one seemed to be able to ride them. Walking switchbacks, baby rock gardens, awesome drops etc.

 

Also no trail etiquette, I did not mind because i was expecting it, but this leads to a lot op people not really getting full joy out of the trails. I resorted to giving myself space then trying to gunn it, but alas in 50m or less .............. Note to self ----- stop moaning.

 

Back to the question where have all the skills gone. Surely in B bunch, front group, there should be some. Seems not so much.

 

PS. Origin of Trails got it all right this year, if you think Jonkers is awesome, THINK AGAIN!!!!!!!!

Hey DICK. Classic example of why seeding a rider in the right place is so important.

[NotSoBigBen]

Hey DICK. Classic example of why seeding a rider in the right place is so important.

Seeded by their skill or fitness? Quite often I think fit riders will finish ahead of so called 'skilled' riders so how to seed them ......

[Guest DieBees]

Seeded by their skill or fitness? Quite often I think fit riders will finish ahead of so called 'skilled' riders so how to seed them ......

I see there is a reason Im more a roadie than mtb... I will have to invest more time into mtb. You are very correct. The variables are quite severe.

[g4mb1t]

Guys please remember, that the last 20 km's of todays Origin of Trails was shared with guys from the D group ( the ones who signed up for 40km's).

[Johny Bravo]

Guys please remember, that the last 20 km's of todays Origin of Trails was shared with guys from the D group ( the ones who signed up for 40km's).

40km riders were in E group. Most of the 40km riders had more skills than the long distance boys. I had a couple of guys I rode with who rode DC last weekend and walked every single switchback, and came flying past me on the flats.  Fitness, but absolutely no skills.

[mada3400]

this is what bugs me...

 

all this people spend more money on their bike than i spent on my car and my bike for 1 completely respectable purpose.

 

to have a smaller number on their timing sheet at the end of a bike race.

 

now that might sound stupid, but it isint, these people like competition and they wanna race.

 

then after theyve spent upwards of 50k on their bike they get fit, very fit, these oaks are machines that can tear up a jeep track.

 

 

unluckily for them, its not only jeep track, they spent all this time and money  for the sake of being faster and then lose it all when it gets slightly technical, and be slightly i mean drops the size of pavements.

 

its like running a race with 1 leg

[milky4130]

So at prize giving today Paul asked "who in the crowd still has blood on them", that lady won a voucher for a MTB Skills clinic! Now there is a winner.

[DirtyDan]

Similar to having a plank/ramp on the pavement at Die Burger MTB 

[Surv0MTB]

I completely agree - You would think some people who ride these mtb races, would make more of an effort to learn how to handle switchbacks and drops and tight lines. Nothing amazing skill wise but helps a ton with flow and removing bottlenecks.

 

Sorry to say it but quite a few of the ladies caused bottlenecks, especially in the lower groups, short course options. Older guys as well. Although I followed one older lady ( > 50yrs) down jonkers to the the waterpoint at the damn. She could handle those trails better than most men, in her baggies, taking jumps and good lines. 

 

Loads of people that would rather keep you behind them then pull over and let you pass. I wish the race organisers would create more awareness on this topic pre-race. Kill the music, ask everyone to STFU and tell people in no uncertain terms if that they need to move over and not be selfish.

 

Too many waits over these 2 days because of people who do not know how to handle switchbacks..

 

Oh and to top it off, some big guys decided to make the field wait at the top while the bottleneck cleared, then proceeded to have an unhindered ride to the next bottleneck where they would make people wait again, just so they can get a decent ride in.

 

All in all loved the event, first stage race.. but soo many awesome trail gone to waste because of a select bunch of people who should probably work on their skills before participating again.