How Good A Racer Were You BITD?

[dirtjumper_dmr]

I did a few races in the 90's in 'youth' catagory and did ok a few 1st and 2nds in local races... I could have been ok I guess but I just don't take anything seriously enough, racing seemed like hard work and I just wanted to ride my bike and chill out and stuff

 

[scant]

won the sports race at the grundig world cup newnham park in 98

I remember Schmoo handing out Jelly Babies to riders as they past Top bloke

schmoo deserves massive credit for the BITD welsh series which has massively dropped in popularity in recent years

 

[The Ken]

I raced the edinburgh bike coop series around southern scotland around 90-91 but lack of car hindered progress as I relied on friends, I wasn't really any good anyway, lots of DNF as beer took over.

I did their innerleithen downhill race that time too where half the entries nearly got hypothermia due to fog, cold and up to 2 hours sitting on wet moss waiting for your turn. I wiped out on a logpile on the last bend, came 63rd out of around 90, I've love to have known my time if I'd managed to miss those logs.

The paramedic nearly fainted at the site of the flap of skin that used to cover my knee cap.

I gave up shortly after my mates after getting seroiusly close to hypothermia after pulling out of a race and having no shelter to go to - I'd cycled 21 miles to the race in rain/sleet and high winds and only managed 1 lap. Rescued by an older bloke who sat me in his car with his fleece and a hot drink, I was lucky that day.

 

[P20]

XC races seem really low attendance these days compared to BITD? atmosphere was sorely lacking!

. I'm into more wilderness riding, mtb hols, all day long rides & more technical trails these days

I enquired about xc racing in the northeast on stw last year. I just fancied taking the P20 out and seeing how it faired against modern stuff (allowing for rider inability obviously) There wasn't any racing, the odd enduro, but nothing of the old XC order. :roll:

That was another of the things with racing, it cost quite a bit and i could have been out riding with the lads, having a laugh. Sounds like your idea of riding are similar to mine

 

[nayfinesse]

Racing BITD

P20 are you thinking of trying a race again? There's always the N.E. CYCLO CROSS they do races around Durham or even Killingworth.

 

[P20]

Re: Racing BITD

P20 are you thinking of trying a race again? There's always the N.E. CYCLO CROSS they do races around Durham or even Killingworth.

I did think about doing the odd event last summer, but couldn't really be arsed. I'm certainly not doing cyclocross, they are too damn fit for me

 

[Grannygrinder]

Racer hmm..

Don't know about good racer but I was an exceptional crasher!!!!!

 

[MJN]

Yeah raced alot of cc as a junior then it all seemed like hard work when the dhers were all partying on a saturday night so I decided to join em ,only problem was more enthusiasm and speed than skill,resulting in the nickname tree to tree guided missile and the injurys to match .Evntually got better but then the costs kept spiralling,when I turned up to a national and they wanted money for parking per person and for the lift service on top of a £20 entry fee it all became to much for my wallet(+ the 5k bike needed just to be competative)so after next big smash I packed it all in and got fat.A few years ago a mate got me into road riding,did that to get fit again then started road racing,time trialling etc,am fitter now at 32 than when I was 18,even won a few events last couple of years!Just trying my 1st season of cross after a year off with knee surgery.I ride mtbs now just for fun

 

[ridevintagemtb]

Its been talked about here before, but I was/am proud to have represented the US at Worlds in Vail, 01. Deffo one of my life highlights so far.

 

[Crayons]

Entered a few races in my early and foolish youth when I lived in Plymouth, but only ever in the 'Fun' category. A couple of my riding buddies took the whole gig very seriously and I used to enter fun just so I could say I went racing.

I stopped when it became clear that there were people racing in the Fun category who should have been in Sport, Elite or Vets – I could always spot 'em as they were the ones who'd lapped me twice by the end of the race :? Wasn't like I was that unfit either.

Guess some people just wanted the easiest route to winning. Not so sporting really.

My crowning glory was a race in Cornwall ('92) where I finished third from last, it was a downhill race, the only one I've ever entered – you may laugh, but not half as much as I did when I found out I was the only one on a fully rigid bike.

There was a point during that ride where I actually managed to crash whilst still on two wheels. I was completely and utterly out of control, and to this day I can't work out how I got to the bottom intact. I guess it was those heavy old wheels spinning so fast that kept the bike upright ('cause it certainly wasn't the talent)