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Did you know...?
Mountain biking is a relatively new sport. The first mountain bike
competitions were held in California in the USA in the early
eighties and the first ever World Championships was held in 1990.
Since then the discipline has grown very fast - in every sense of
the word - and has been part of the Olympic Games since 1996.
Internationally, there are four different types of mountain bike
race:
Cross-Country.
Cross-country races are held over undulating circuits with technical
descents, forest roads, rocky paths and obstacles. Races are a
mixture of endurance and skill and take between an hour and two
hours to complete.
Marathon.
The marathon event is a long version of Cross-Country where
riders from all categories, from enthusiasts to professionals, race
together. Races are often held in mountainous regions and, in
contrast to cross-country events do not take place on circuits, but
instead riders race from one point to another.
Downhill.
Downhill (often referred to as DH) races are held against
the clock with riders racing individually to record the fastest time
over a short downhill course. Riders must demonstrate courage as
well as sharp technical skills in order to negotiate tree roots,
banked sections, bumps, jumps and other natural obstacles along the
way.
Four-Cross.
In four-cross (often referred to as 4-cross or 4X), four
riders set off together to ride down a course that alternates banked
corners and jumps. The races are very rapid (between 30 and 60
seconds long) and give rise to fierce and closely contested
confrontations between the riders.
In addition, there are many other types of mountain bike race
contested in local, regional and national events. These include
urban races, slalom races, trials, hill climbs and dirt crits.
Mountain Biking in Britain is
going from strength to strength. In Cross Country Liam Killeen is
the Commonwealth Games Champion and Annie Last won Silver at the
World Under 23 Championships and in the Downhill event, Tracy Mosley
and Sheffield born Steve Pete are both World Champions.
Britain hosted a World Cup event in Dalby Forest, Yorkshire, in May
2011.
ROAD RACING RULES from Scottish
Cycling for their series in the year 2009 are available
here:
Websites that can be used as a reference
for other cycling disciplines other than track cycling:-
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Advice on
training for Cycle Time Trials at
http://www.timetrialtraining.co.uk/S1startingnotes.htm
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Advice on
different bikes from Why Cycle at
http://www.whycycle.co.uk/bike_styles/road_racing_bikes/
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Training
information for cyclists, cycling equipment reviews and how to
get started at
http://www.road-bike.co.uk/
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Touring and
Racing cyclists advice at
http://www.cobr.co.uk/e-cobr_information/t_and_r_section/introduction.shtml
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