Single Track Skills and Rider Etiquette

[SiriS]

Agree with OP. Only started cycling 2 years ago...but ride a lot in the Tygerberg area with plenty of single track and switch backs.

 

Average W2W rider's technical skills are shocking! Slow on ST en horrendous on switch backs.

 

Guess I'll just have to climb harder. Shaved 2.5 hours from last year's W2W so getting there!

 

Was an awesome race nonetheless, damn fine riding. Even with yesterday's chaotic weather!

[Skubarra]

Agree with OP. Only started cycling 2 years ago...but ride a lot in the Tygerberg area with plenty of single track and switch backs.

 

 

And on the Tygerberg facebook page some people are complaining that the trails are dumbed down to baby levels.....

 

Guess you can never win, (but we can always complain  )

[Baaisikilist]

So... If I have this correct... The 'dirt roadies', who excel at things like climbing and fast dirt road type terrain, but suck at singletrack and technical terrain, must move for the 'endurous' who excel at singletrack and technical terrain, but suck at climbing and fast dirt road type terrain...?

 

So, the oke's that ooze gnar need to train more to be less slow, just as much as the dirt roadies need skills clinics to be less slow in tech terrain.

 

I'm not on any specific side here, or defending either.

I'm pretty brilliant at all of it...

[Patchelicious]

So... If I have this correct... The 'dirt roadies', who excel at things like climbing and fast dirt road type terrain, but suck at singletrack and technical terrain, must move for the 'endurous' who excel at singletrack and technical terrain, but suck at climbing and fast dirt road type terrain...?

 

So, the oke's that ooze gnar need to train more to be less slow, just as much as the dirt roadies need skills clinics to be less slow in tech terrain.

 

I'm not on any specific side here, or defending either.

I'm pretty brilliant at all of it...

Exactly! But we as humans prefer to tell others to change rather than change ourselves.

[Tumbleweed]

There's plenty of single-track out there every weekend that isn't being used for races. Don't like queues, go ride that rather.

[blondeonabike]

I find that riding singletrack slowly can actually be harder than riding it at your own smooth pace.  Sometimes it feels like you are practicing track stands while being alert that the person in front of you could put their foot down anytime.

On a social ride I don't mind.  Sometimes it is good to forget strava and just chill.

In a mtb race I try to to get ahead on the open sections before the singletrack starts. The last few races I have had no problems. The singletrack is a breeze on my 26 but I then need to bleed from my eyeballs to keep my position on the open roads with the 29ers. It is fun to try though  

[Odinson]

There's plenty of single-track out there every weekend that isn't being used for races. Don't like queues, go ride that rather.

 

But that doesn't give you the same bragging rights as ending 12th in C-batch at a Trailseeker race. There could be scouts and sponsors watching, y'know.

[Baaisikilist]

If you dont like riding behind people, come ride with the roadies, we will let you ride in front all day...

Specially if you're a girl cyclist...

[supertorro]

I find that riding singletrack slowly can actually be harder than riding it at your own smooth pace.  Sometimes it feels like you are practicing track stands while being alert that the person in front of you could put their foot down anytime.

On a social ride I don't mind.  Sometimes it is good to forget strava and just chill.

In a mtb race I try to to get ahead on the open sections before the singletrack starts. The last few races I have had no problems. The singletrack is a breeze on my 26 but I then need to bleed from my eyeballs to keep my position on the open roads with the 29ers. It is fun to try though

you are correct. Riding slowly feels like I may die of old age. And I wouldn't want that on any other person riding with me. You faster than me, come on by son. I may heckle, or engage in a little self-deprecating humour, but by Thor I will not slowly another person down 'cause I am incompetent

[Christie]

Get one of these.

 

http://www.fearlessgearless.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/4013597_v1_m56577569830473807.jpg

[Baaisikilist]

Get one of these.

 

http://www.fearlessgearless.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/4013597_v1_m56577569830473807.jpg

I think i saw that on Austin Powers.

Swiss penis enlargement pump, isn't it...?

[blondeonabike]

you are correct. Riding slowly feels like I may die of old age. And I wouldn't want that on any other person riding with me. You faster than me, come on by son. I may heckle, or engage in a little self-deprecating humour, but by Thor I will not slowly another person down 'cause I am incompetent

I agree. When I remember the races Ive done I cant remember my times or positions, but I do remember the people ( the friendly ones and the rude ones ) , the chats along the way, and if the water tables had good nibbles

[Christie]

I think i saw that on Austin Powers.

Swiss penis enlargement pump, isn't it...?

Air horn.

BHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP!!!!!

[Baaisikilist]

Oh...

As you were then...

[rudi-h]

So... If I have this correct... The 'dirt roadies', who excel at things like climbing and fast dirt road type terrain, but suck at singletrack and technical terrain, must move for the 'endurous' who excel at singletrack and technical terrain, but suck at climbing and fast dirt road type terrain...?

 

So, the oke's that ooze gnar need to train more to be less slow, just as much as the dirt roadies need skills clinics to be less slow in tech terrain.

 

I'm not on any specific side here, or defending either.

I'm pretty brilliant at all of it...

 

Nobody is telling anybody to get out of the way (up or down) so that they can selfishly have their own bit of fun.  The comment was just made that people work on fitness but not on skill.

 

I think it is the nature of the SA races and obsession with metres of ascent and total distance of your ride that is driving this.  Perhaps this should be read as a challenge / plea towards course designers to come up with something that is testing and fun for all riders, especially in multi-day races where there is an opportunity to do individual starts or different seeding criteria for different days etc.

 

It might just be my opinion, but MTB racing was born from the idea of a complete bike rider, hence the birth of XCO.  Marathon racing on the other hand changed MTB into a 4+ hour fitness contest for the far majority of us.  Nothing wrong with this, but if you look at stage races for one, all of these are based on the marathon riding concept where inevitably you don't reward / promote any participant to be a better overall bike rider.

 

Let's see how this turns out, but I'll put money on it that the typical stage race format (pairs of 2; 3 - 8 days; ~80km/day marathon stages) is going to look way different in 10 years from now, and I'm excited to see what course designers and organizers come up with!  It's an evolving sport and we are still going through growing pains until we (riders of all skill and fitness levels alike) find the sweet spot of what a race should look like.

 

PS the Tour de France took almost a century to evolve into its current format, so it's not like the L'Auto newspaper (that started it in 1903) had the format dailed from the start to be the most successful bike race in the world.

[V12man]

I really don't know what the OP is complaining about.... why doesn't he just slow down on the uphill and leave a gap to the riders in front at the top of the hill - then he can crash going as fast as he likes going downhill.... the prize money for 245th place is the same as for 562nd place....

 

Of course - he should just get stronger and be first at the top of the hill.... jcza never holds me up when he is first at the top..... #justsaying.....