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2012 Olympic XC Course - A Racer's In-depth View

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Published: 12th April, 2011


Attending the recent launch of the Olympic Course completion [hyperlink] gave me a unique opportunity to see what will be required to win a gold medal in just over 12 months time.  Avoiding some pretty major factors; good form, luck and tactics, the course plays a major role in race outcomes.  The sole comparison can only be made to World Cups, yet an Olympic course must deliver so much more.  A showcase will be made of our sport in front of millions of TV viewers, largely uneducated in the stresses of mountain biking but keen to be involved in the excitement and spectacle we know bike racing can provide.  So, does Hadleigh Farm Country Park live up to the expectation?

In a word, "yes" and I'll apologise in advance if you expected to find this out at the end of the article!  I shall try and convey in words what is difficult to grasp from the helmet cam footage (see below).   From the startline riders will attack the short start loop which will line out the pack of around 60 hopefuls ready for the first climb.  Into the first set of switchback climbs and there is still room for 3 abreast although there are bound to be tears on the tight corners as the racing line is sought.



The first technical section features 3 choices down a rocky embankment with the fastest line requiring a drop to transition the ride out smoothly.  This sets the tone for the lap, where riders are encouraged to take more daring line choices to unlock those precious seconds.  




After climbing over a few stutter rocks an off camber unrefined path in the trees spits you onto the next rock section.  A B-line is offered but few, if any, will take it due to loose gravel and tight turns, most preferring to dive into the single line run through the rocks.  This reminded me of riding a bobsled track as you are hemmed in by large slabs of stone to a compression drop and drop off into the next short climb.  This will look great on TV as riders stream down and it will be easy for viewers to pick out the most talented Olympians.




Moving on to my favourite section, the gap jump, purely because it's something I thought I would never see on an XC course.   It's been designed so that if you hit it with enough speed you have nothing to worry about, however after 6/7 laps of the course and concentration may be flagging it would be so easy to catch the lip and puncture or worse still, crash.  There is an alternative line which has a really slow exit causing a complete loss of momentum, and likely plenty of "boos" from the crowd.






Descending into the country park is one of the few areas for a good breather, although drinking is not really possible due to the high speed and several ruts ready to twist an un-weighted front wheel.  A steep climb then takes riders back to the park and an uphill rock garden with two lines forcing concentration to avoid dabbing and maintaining speed.  I couldn't work out which was quicker, but with a narrow exit any overtake would have to be forceful, bring out those elbows Liam and Oli!.  Climbing back to the top of the park is made harder by multiple switchbacks and step ups meaning  constant acceleration is paramount to climb quickly.  "Rhythm is impossible" the foundation for why this course is so hard.



Swinging back to face the Thames and a steep drop which only gets steeper will test tired upper bodies before the feeding area.  It's here I began to realise there had been no option to feed since the start, such is the requirement to always focus on maximising your speed, this course gives you nothing.  Leaving the flat feed station and riding up to the underpass will give opponents the chance to gauge their gap and press home the mental advantage. 





Once again a punchy singletrack climb back to a view of the Thames will keep heart rates high before entertaining another drop.  Loose and off camber at first it falls away to a tight berm, forcing commitment for top exit speed.  The B line is drastically slower, yet technically harder to rider cleanly, a real problem for those not confident on steep lines.  Scrambling back out the trees and a series of sweeping corners direct riders to an innocuous step down.  No matter how many times I rode this (29er or not), it stalls the front wheel dead.  No one can possibly go over the handlebars in the Olympics, can they?






The longest climb on the course next (dubbed "cardiac climb", for its energy sapping grass surface) falls away into massive 4x style berms and rocky drops where you can't help but take air, although I'm not sure sponsors will be rushing to sticker down tubes just yet.  Back through the 2nd feed station (parallel to the first) and another switchback climb with rock steps, flat corners and plenty of overtaking space mean that competitors will have to be on the rivet all the time, to rest is to lose places here.  The final chute drops steeply into the start loop, providing spectators with some more high speed skill and riders the chance to carry momentum back to the start loop, having completed over 170m of ascent for an individual lap (about the same as Dalby World Cup course).



The overriding feel riding at about 80% was that this will be a killer of a course.  It really does not provide any chance for a rest and I personally think the race will be shattered in the first lap, either by the winner or, "have a go hero".  Designer, Martin Seddon has done a fantastic job to combine a challenge for the riders in photogenic surroundings perfect for the wider audience through TV.  All the sections are within easy walking distance, and as a potential spectator I could think of nothing better than roaming around and cheering on our UK representatives.

It is a shame that there will be no public access to ride in the meantime as I truly feel that Essex would surprise and thrill the majority of the UK racers.  Fingers crossed for a National Champs there soon!

Roll on July 2011 and the Olympic Test event, keep your eyes peeled for tickets and get your own chance to experience all the Hadleigh Farm Country Park has to offer.

Niall Frost



 





More on the london 2012 Olympic Mountain Bike Event:
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