olympic mtb'ing being pushed to be in wales Options

[Chef Shoes]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7480279.stm

[MilitantGraham]

Also http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7470214.stm

At Commons question time Mr Price said: "Given the fact that international standard cross country mountain bike tracks are in Wales, Scotland and the North and the West, why is public money being used to create a new track in Essex which lacks one of the key essential requirements for mountain biking - mountains?"

Sounds like a polititian trying to cash in on the olympics bandwagon while knowing nothing about sport.

Maybe there might be mountain bikers in Essex who don't want to travel to "Wales, Scotland and the North and the West" to be able to ride their bikes.

[Chef Shoes]

but people still do that, travel to the best places to ride...

im sure the reason to pick essex is a good one as it would bring in investment passed the olympics (ie another place to use for events)

[Crank]

can't argue with the logic though.

Years ago I rode the Essex winter series (Brentwood, I think) - I also rode a BMBF xc round at Margam Park. I couldn't help noticing that Margam had a few more climbs..

[MilitantGraham]

Maybe we should go back to calling them All Terrain Bikes.
I've seem far more MTBs, sorry ATBs, in forests and lowlands than I have on mountains.

[Crank]

MTBs / ATBs - makes no difference. But a proper MTB/ATB race should include a decent (ie long & tough) climb, otherwise, they might just as well ride round and round Eastway until they get dizzy...

[Chef Shoes]

im not that clued up on the layout of essex but i dont recall it being mountainous, if their idea was to keep the sports close london, surely the north/south downs would be better suited for their needs rather than essex?

[Gareth]

I've seem far more MTBs, sorry ATBs, in forests and lowlands than I have on mountains.

I liked them being called ATBs but MTB captured the public imagination more.

im not that clued up on the layout of essex but i dont recall it being mountainous, if their idea was to keep the sports close london, surely the north/south downs would be better suited for their needs rather than essex?

It's all about politics and 'London Power' surely the South doesn't need a boost as all the cash is already down there...

[DrBike]

MTBs / ATBs - makes no difference. But a proper MTB/ATB race should include a decent (ie long & tough) climb, otherwise, they might just as well ride round and round Eastway until they get dizzy...

Didn't Eastway get flattened to make way for part of the Olympic Venue?

As I've said before, Epping Forest didn't really cut the mustard in terms of a suitable location for an Olympic level mountain bike race, and I don't think that any venue in Essex has the appropriate terrain/elevation to cater for this. Somewhere like Margam would be great as it has the experience of running events and the appropriate kind of terrain. AND it's reachable from (parts of) London in 3 hours (assuming that the M4 is flowing freely.

[mannlamb]

Ohhhhh stop whinging yer bunch of soft northerners !

[Orange Al]

IMO it can be anywhere within reason, defiantly south of the gap though and should be somewhere that is to be kept as an MTB area after the games have finished no temporary rubbish. Personally I think if it was to be Wales and closeish to London then Cwmcarn would make an excellent XC course and then maybe we could have DH as an exhibition sport to showcase all that British talent we have. Of course if it is held at an existing venue like Cwmcarn, Aston Hill or similar be prepared for it to be shut for the run up to the event possibly from the turn of the spring as most ski resorts are. There is talk that Whistler mountain will be shut to the public for the season until after the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and defiantly from the new year.

[torihada]

It's all about politics and 'London Power' surely the South doesn't need a boost as all the cash is already down there...

One of the troubles with sticking it in Wales/Peak District any where geographically interesting forgets the fact that this is the London Olympics and a lot of Greater London Council Tax payers are coughing up quite a bit towards these games. "Hey that brand new MTB XC course your hard earned cash went into, well its a little further west than Swinley...." (not ignoring the fact the rest of the taxpayers in the UK are stumping up as well).

I'm no apologist for the London/SE and still have quite a bit of Northern latent 'anger' towards the SE, but looking positively at the prospect of an Olympic MTB course in Essex (that's hard to type while laughing) is that in an area with so liitle natural MTB terrain this is probably a good deal for MTBers. Why build a course in a place that is so well suited to mtbing, (Wales, Lakes, Peaks etc), use the money to build it an area with little or no natural single track, get more people into MTBing. People here are saying it should be on the North/South Downs. I was arguing for this but then thought Why? We've already got the North & South Downs, why would you want to stick an XC course on it.

So what the hell, stick it in Essex, I still wont be going as it takes longer to get across London than to South Wales

[mannlamb]

I'm no apologist for the London/SE and still have quite a bit of Northern latent 'anger' towards the SE,

Let it go Torihada, let the anger go and feel the love

[torihada]

Let it go Torihada, let the anger go and feel the love

Since getting into MTBing and riding with 'locals' I've warmed to the sarf.

I ride with such a good crew that north or south doesn't come into it anymore. I also realised that there is some great terrain down here if you know where to look and if you ride with like minded people the rest doesn't matter. Love and peace man....

[mannlamb]

Yeah - we're not so bad down here!! Back to the topic, and i think you make a good point, which i'd not really considered. Look at how easily motocross courses are built - find a steep escarpment somewhere down here with woodland and the like and i'm sure you could build a really gruelling course. As you say, it would be good for an area that isn't naturally blessed as well as being a good investment for the future.

[Crank]

Look at how easily motocross courses are built

easily..? Tell that to the local planning department..

Gore Basin, Isle of Wight and Matterley Basin, Winchester. Both venues for the British GP in recent years, both now victims of hostile local authorities...


Anyway, what about Malvern - there used to be some great XC events at Eastnor Park..?

[earth worm Jim]

/<Rant>

Having lived in Essex. It is mostly flat.

Living in Wales, It is mostly mountains.

The MAN is trying to sell us more S@#T. Do not get me started on the real cost of the NHS, fuel, why Gordon Brown is still allowed to walk the street, why Micro$oft is on your computer and why I can not ride my bike where I want to.

/<Rant> mostly over.

[Chef Shoes]

any news on where in essex then? or are the residents of essex going to wake up one morning and see a big mound of earth and call it a mountain!

uh yeh found it here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/l...012/7222807.stm

weald country park?

[Tony F]

I love the idea that the organisers seem to have that the need to test the abilities of world-class riders in an Olympic event is "a new requirement" of mountain biking.

WTF do they think the Olympics are about?

T ny

[Pob]

I'm not sure the organisers have any idea what is required for a challenging course. I know its supposed to be the London olympics but to be fair there isn't anything that could be considered World class in the South. I don't mean to sound negative toward the south, it does have lots of good varied terrain.... but not much of it will be taxing to Olympic XC/DH mountain bikers.

Good news is that the UCI have rejected Weald park (see here)
Bad news is they still seem intent on hosting it somewhere within a few hours max from London.

Although I'm not sure why any of this should really surprise me since they had already chosen Thetford forest as a training ground.............. (this is not a dig a Thetford I've ridden it and enjoyed it, I am just pointing out the blinkered outlook of the Olympic committee.)

Next they'll be holding the sailing on the Serpentine........