Today recalled doing the last Uxbridge Icebreaker MTB race in 2009. And as I recalled it certain things today stand out.
As I recall that wet day in Uxbridge that it was muddy but also the mix of the course. Mix of what we raiced on. See while there was some singletrack as well as double track. There was a lot more gravel road that I recall. Which is interesting to consider 9-10 years later as we view races now.
I should also note that this was the first MTB I raced in the Clydesdale category and is significant in itself as observed some things not good there but that will be another story.
Now it seems we seem to expect mtb races must all be trails and blah blah blah. And that seems to come with this view of you have to have the right bike. Yet 10 years later I still call the 2009 Uxbridge Icebreaker an MTB race. Which is interesting because some of the long mtb races still around use a lot of double track and unmaintained roads. The now defunct and legendary Cheakamus Challenge falls into that category.
And is is even more interesting as well as to me disturbing in recent years seen at least twice mtb racers try to claim these aren’t mtb races. Despite history shows that these where. Kind of bothers me a bit because it makes mtb racing seem more elitist and insular which goes against being inclusive.
https://canadiancyclist.com/dailynews.php?id=18311&title=Uxbridge%20Icebreaker%20Cancelled%20in%2020 day
Races like the Uxbridge Icebreaker where fun while hard. Sure there was a bunch of gravel road and a bit of singletrack. And reality is didn’t think much about riding the “wrong” bike at it. And funny enough wasn’t given grief about riding a 2007 Chromag Stylus which is really a more DH and Enduro and DJ bike. But hey was still fun in the end and that is what matters.
And funnily enough a week or so ago did a 30km ride of a gravel loop on my 2020 Chromag Stylus. Hmmm...apparently the ride wasn’t to bad considering riding the “wrong bike”. My 2020 Chromag Stylus is still the downhill and enduro bike like it was for me back in 2009 only difference is updated geometry really.
And interestingly some of the courses seen for gravel races locally in the last 3-4 years are pretty close to being long course mtb race courses before the argument of it has to be so much singletrack now. Hmmm.... maybe it is less about the bike being an MTB and more about bike industry bullshit grinders trying get us to believe we need something when we kinda don’t.
Ride and/or race what you got. Don’t worry about the rest.
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