[Closed] Bristol Bike Fest Oktoberfest. Roll call.

Gee – your mate wasn’t ‘started on’ for being slow, he was being a complete nobber himself! It wasn’t me by the way, but I was there. Your mate was holding up No. 55 despite being asked repeatedly and politely to allow him to pass at the next convenient opportunity. I think no.55 got a bit annoyed with being held up for ages and may have started to get a bit shirty but your mate completed unnecessarily brake checked him which led to a bit of pushing as 55 finally managed to get past.

If your mate hadn’t had a massive chip on his shoulder about being passed, then the incident wouldn’t have happened IMO. There’s always going to be faster and slower people around, a bit of give and take goes a long way. Maybe your mate should remember that next time he enters a race eh?

FIGHT!

[img] [/img]

...for 21st place.

http://www.timelaps.co.uk/assets/uploads/EVENTREPORT.aspx?eventid=221AshtonCourt13/10/2012#8hr Team 4 Male

Get some perspective eh?

An excellent event. My spirit was not dampened by the rain or the decision to keep stock Renegades on my 29er ("it's an all-weather course. What's the problem. It'll dry out in no time..."). Mad for some funny prat falls especially on that section running across the bottom of the campsite.

I second the comments about polite passing. As a stalwart of mid-table mediocrity, I passed and was passed in broadly equal measure. Gives sharp focus to the whole "treat others as you would want to be treated" mantra. Only one incident and that was when I repeatedly asked a guy if I could pass when convenient only to be totally ignored. I got past by after what felt like an age (on the bit after the bomb hole). He was wearing headphones. I know from bitter experience soloing can be dull but having music on so loud that you can't hear what's going on...tres annoying.

I would definitely have stopped for the cider I was offered if the offer was a little earlier! I was already even with you when the call came. If you'd have shouted when I was 15-20m back to give time to stop and drink without having to ride back up the track I'd have been all over it.

Also I set off straight after peaty on his lap 5, entered those first woods shouting how I was going to catch him etc, saw he was held up by someone and sprinted just to say "I got held up by peaty on singletrack" but he got past before I had a chance 🙁

Mr Agreeable - Just looked at the results to see you mean No.55. As i said, its not me so i dont know if the comments aimed at me, but as a defence, what difference does it make it 55 was 1st or 21st?

The fact was he was being held up for an unnecessarily long time, despite asking to pass a number of times. poor form of the rider in front if you ask me.

Has it occurred to you that the slower bloke could have been racing for 1st (or better than 21st) in his category? Happens a lot, particularly with solo, women's, 4hr and who knows what other racers on the same course.

You're missing the point massively. It doesn't matter who was in what race, rather thats exactly why the guy in front should've used his common sense and courtesy to not impede the other guy too much.

Bikefest is busy, we all know this, and 99.9% of riders react accordingly, but every now and again you get one that has a little tantrum about being passed, acts like a tool and then blames it on the other guy.

or was it you that got passed? 🙂

Ant - How does that change the 'need' for the courtesy of letting a faster rider pass?

Generally I find getting past helps pull me along and probably makes up for any lost time of easing back and steering wide for a few seconds to enable an easy pass.

Deliberately not letting folks past just cause unnecessary frustration

I wasn't privy to any of the above incident, but I did have someone bellending his way past me on the trail on Thursday night as I hung back waiting for someone, shouting "IT'S TRADITIONAL TO PULL OVER YOU KNOW".

No, it's traditional to be polite.

Especially when it's not even a race.

Or when it's nominally a race, but no-one outside your team, not even your immediate family, gives a stuff about your result.

Has anyone seen any photos posted. There seemed to be a photographer around every corner but havent seen many yet!!!!

Well, why don't we all enter these races and bimble about behind each other then, in a massive slow moving train, as nothing matters anyway! Whether anyone cares about our little results doesnt matter one jot, the fact is, its a race. if you don't like being passed then don't enter

Jeez.

Courtesy comes first, from both the passing rider, and the passed. how is that so difficult to comprehend?

As for your incident on thursday, cant pass judgement either way as I wasnt there, but being a non-event, there definitely should've been more tolerance...

I moved over as soon as someone called and there was a [b]decent passing opportunity[/b]. What got on my tits was the passers who decided there was no need to warn me or ask. Also, I was racing my ass off on the last lap. even though I may be slower than some of the superhumans every second counted and I did not want to slow down to let a faster rider go by. I wanted them to pass at my speed which seems a reasonalbe compromise.

As it happens I missed the cut off by about 20 seconds, probably lost to letting some speedies by on the last singletrack bit. But I'm not bitter, we got a podium and I found out that lap would not have made a difference even if I'd got it.

But I do want an award for being the jeyest un-jumpiest rider of the field who took the lake jump as soon as it was put down.

Hmm... The view above of the event differs somewhat from the view of the rider who stopped having seen the whole thing to check my mate was ok. Sounded like a typical wannabe nobber.

GB

Hang on, 'stopped after the whole thing to check he was ok'

WTF? he didnt get assaulted, he got shirty when being passed and started to tussle with the other bloke. Its not like 55 just went passed and tw*tted him was it?

Sounds like your mate needs to man the heck up a bit.

And for what its worth - DavidB - you're attitude is spot on, i wouldnt expect anyone to lose momentum or fun just because I'm going a bit quicker, but then nor would I expect to hold anyone up because i havent got the skill to carry on my line whilst letting others through

Wow, seriously had no trouble passing at all.

Personally I find calling it on approach (as in a bike length away, not when you're already all over their wheel) with a lot of courtesy ("rider coming through when it's ok for you" rather than just "rider!") seemed to get me through almost instantly, with plenty of willingness and appreciation from the rider in front. Always make a big deal of saying thanks properly too — perhaps it's the fact that I've done my time as a soloist but I think if your passing etiquette is pristine both in the actual approach and the going around, you shouldn't have problems.

That said, we were a mixed team of four with the fastest girl on the course riding for us. She had one run in where it seemed as if the guy had a real issue with being caught by female rider and made it quite clear he wasn't going to let her through. Bit sad really.

one guy just came flying past me shouting "LEADER!", he may have been first or last i couldnt really care but it was quite effective so i threw myself into the bushes! I guess the fact that he was gone a second later would kinda indicate that he was going to be competitive. it did have a slightly more relaxed atmosphere comapred to june though.

ah well, we had fun and i only caused one accident this time - apologies to the guy on the specilaised epic who tried eating my rear tyre as a result - I was victim in another - though to be fair the rocky berm was slippy and i was a bit too close to the guy in front- and then had a third accident all by myself albeit infront of a photographer, i suspect my "take a picture now and you are going to regret it" face ensured that moment will remain between just the two of us...

i need to find out where i am losing time on that course too, the first bit of singletrack after the transition felt ok, i know i am pretty fast on the second section which brings you out by the gate house so I assume its that section after the long climb following the zig zag descent and before the quarry section.

finally the maxxis ignitor tyre was superb on the front, saved my on more than one occasion where i exceeded the limits of my talent and needed some divine intervention to keep me upright.

@BristolPablo -was that in the section after the transition on the first rocky steps bit (new barn?)? If so that was me careering into your rear tyre with my face! No harm done. All good fun!

i need to find out where i am losing time on that course too, the first bit of singletrack after the transition felt ok, i know i am pretty fast on the second section which brings you out by the gate house so I assume its that section after the long climb following the zig zag descent and before the quarry section.

Same here. I am definitely not throwing myself into the bends confidently. I was passing loads of people on the steep climbs but just can't make the singletrack flow as well as some of the riders that passed me. I could probably blame the Conti-verts or just look for more races with fireroads in them.

Personally I didn't have any problems at all and I imagine I passed more riders than most having ridden 15 laps... When it's too tight to pass you just need to chill out and wait, not get cross and start swearing. Whatever may have happened next such behaviour isn't on. If you knew who this was about you wouldn't be telling him to man up.

If you want to compare lap progress a link to my Strava trace is up there ^^ somewhere.

GB

I didn't have any trouble but I had a big bugle horn on my bars.... Folk new I was coming.

I am also very happy to let fast people pass... You can then hop on their tail, and get dragged up the race. See how long you can stick with them... See what a real race pace is like.

But I did hear about someone getting sweaty at slower people, ramming past and then slamming on the brakes, causing a crash and a damaged wheel. And a scuffle.

Just wanted to add my general chuffedness to the proceedings, was an awesome day and a great event for my and my bruvs first race - properly knackered and ecstatic at the end, and the beer and pretzel was possibly the best thing I have ever eaten.

Didn't notice the cider being offered out, would definitely have taken some, sounds like it was on that speedy grassy slippery bit, so maybe the lesser skilled of us may have been concentrating on not falling off?

Overtaking and being overtaken was for the most part loads better than I thought it would be, though I did get properly cut up by an overenthusiastic singlespeeder on a Niner wearing a Singletrack jersey* who then stalled on the corner so we ended up sort of leaning on each other, which was awkward...Also a few of the proper fast lycra nutters would get past me at the top of the climb only to promptly fail at the first sign of a techy bit which was kind of annoying at the time, but probably meant I could recover enough to get round my last lap at a crawl.

Oh, also what's the deal with some of the 4 hour racers having 15 minute first laps? How?!

* I haven't made up this stereotypical description of a STW forum rider, he was real, honest!

photos on web, Wednesday...................

http://www.rightplacerighttime.co.uk/events.html

Also a few of the proper fast lycra nutters would get past me at the top of the climb only to promptly fail at the first sign of a techy bit

These are not 'proper Lycra nutters' - thee are 'try hards' or, even worse, 'roadies'.

😉

GB

[url= http://www.phased.co.uk/index.php/blatherings/123-bristol-oktoberfest-2012.html ]I wrote up my ride here, includes picture of woman in bucket[/url]

Great writeup David 😀

So, were there t-shirts given out as part of the race entry?

Nice writeup.

I have about twenty bikefest T-shirts knocking about in assorted sizes and colours if anyone [i]really[/i] wants one.

BTW, Just bought David's book from Amazon - I enjoyed that writing, so the book must be as good. Right?

Either way, at 79p, it's worth a shot 🙂

matthewspb - Member
@BristolPablo -was that in the section after the transition on the first rocky steps bit (new barn?)? If so that was me careering into your rear tyre with my face! No harm done. All good fun!

😳

Cheers DavidB, really liked that. Book brought too!

Great write up - very funny.

Thanks all for the book purchases, it's all going towards a session with jedi at some point 🙂