I have two little stories to tell that are starting to piss me off.
I was racing at Victoria’s Secret MTB Race in Sunday in B category. Attendance was huge. Near 90’s level of attendance. B category had about 40 people in it. The race started and about 300m later the first bit of single track comes up. 40 riders all want to be in the same place at the same time. We are bottle necked. You have to stop and take your turn. It has happened in every race I’ve done since I started racing in 1995, and it’ll happen in every race in the future. Ya just relax, and squeeze in where you can, and so be it. The first lap is always busy. Tire to tire racers. But, during this race I had a douchbag behind me cursing, whining, grunting, and being an asshole because he was so pissed off that he could not get ahead of the entire line of people. Don’t be that guy. That’s how races start. Don’t like it, then be faster off the start or place yourself at the front of the start line. If racing is so god damn important and stressful for ya, then go to A category where people are faster or go sandbag in C category where you can leave them in the dust.
I also had a similar incident at a CX race in the Fall where I got yelled at me for not pulling over to let him pass me in the only narrow 20m long switchback section. The other 97% of the course was wide and offered easy passing.
When I started bike racing and riding in the 90’s I loved it so much more than Hockey, which I was playing. Cycling was supportive, inviting, friendly, and hockey was nothing but bull. Coaches yelling at players on the other team, parents yelling at teen refs, and on and on. Lets keep it civil out there!
Boy am I ever glad I have no interest in racing. I have no time for douchebag behaviour like that. Sorry to hear it damped your enjoyment of those events, it’s unfortunate some people don’t know how to behave.
I really enjoy racing and everybody should give it a try. Especially the short track events happening now. I’m just suprised I experienced a douchbag twice in a short time period, and never before in the last 20 years. Dear world, don’t be a douchbag.
I only started racing last year so my experience isn’t extensive by any means but I would think that in a bottle neck like that, use the time to conserve your energy for when the time does come up that you can smash down on the pedals. Any idea how he placed in the end? Top half 10 I hope for all the lack of etiquette lol
Having raced recreationally over the years, and having raced Victoria’s Secret numerous times, I have had faster racers get “stuck” behind me and others at various points on the course. A quick “track left” or “track right” by the faster rider has always resulted in myself and the others pulling over to the side to allow said faster rider through and this has always been followed by a quick thank you on the part of the faster rider. Racing is meant to be a competitive endeavor for some and not for others. It is easy to keep riding etiquette at the forefront while allowing all those involved to get what they want out of it.
I have always kept it at the front of my mind that the first lap of any race is going to be far different than the rest as riders need time to space out, get into a rhythm, and this results in getting stuck behind slower riders or riders who have difficulty with certain sections from time to time. As said, if this is a problem for you, sprint out and beat everyone to the singletrack sections so you don’t have to worry about it. Otherwise, wait for the dust to settle and then make up the time once things have spread out. No need for stuff like this at all…
Yup, I have seen it too, I just laugh, no race is won in the first corner…
I have been held up plenty too, just nothing you can do, in the race last weekend I was in a good battle on the last lap, and almost at the end I got held up by a young girl, while the other dude got by clean, I just sat back and waited, ZERO point in me being a dick and ruining her race so I could have a shot at 19th!
See–now that’s what I remember most about racing. Great stuff, Paul.
I will say that this isn’t just about racing. I find it pretty interesting how few people I see on the trails (not so much Fight and Whopper etc, but more pedestrian stuff when I ride with the family) never say hi back or wave or anything. I blame Trump.
Just heard this story myself and was surprised it wasn’t on here…
My buddy told me (he heard it from someone else so it may not be 100% accurate). He said that Hub jersey guy got cut off at some point on the race course, and that they had a feed station with oranges and stuff at a point further along. Hub jersey guy comes up and puts the rider who cut him off in a headlock, at which time the other ride throws a punch at him and it goes from there…
He also mentioned that the guy he heard it from said it was the same Hub jersey guy who was yelling and screaming at slower riders at Victoria’s Secret race…
I have raced many times recreationally, and when it comes down to it, am quite competitive, but I am not going to throw down during a XC race because some guy cut me off. I might mention to the rider afterwards about it in a polite way, but a fist fight???
Buddy must have really wanted one of the water bottles they gave out as prizes!!!
Dude is obviously an asshole if that’s how it went down. If it was up to me he’d be banned from future races. More reason I want nothing to do with competitive cycling.
I wonder how Hub Cycle likes having this douche nugget wearing their name?
Talked to another buddy of mine who was at the race with his son who was racing and he saw it begin.
He said the two riders were going through the feed zone, and there was a “minor” collision. He didn’t say who, if either or them, was at fault. The riders were Hub Cycle jersey guy and Banks Bikes jersey guy. He said that the Banks Bikes guy was yelling and screaming at the Hub Cycle guy(he called it verbally assaulting) through the entire feed zone and that it was totally unnecessary given that the collision was “minor”.
As they left the feed zone, Banks Bikes guy continues to yell and scream and keeps it up until they are well past the feed zone and in the woods again. At some point the Hub Cycle guy has enough as Banks Bikes guy keeps yelling and screaming and that is when it gets physical. My buddy obviously didn’t see any of this as it was well past the feed zone, so no idea what went down…
Wanted to ensure story was as accurate as possible so not to unfairly paint someone in a bad light, but I am still amazed that something like this would happen in an XC race…
ha, so funny, glad I missed it. A few years ago there was some asshole who picked up a kids bike and threw it off the course. Other than that, not a lot of problems over the past 30 years that I can think of.
I once beat a rider who shall remain nameless in a dual slalom heat at Martock. He picked up his bike and chucked it in the woods, right in front of Martock’s owner and a bunch of kids. IIRC, that was the last year we raced at Martock.
