#64 TITANS OVER THE MUD
Road cycling and mountain biking are two worlds apart; they have similarities, but also some differences. The former involves a more sustained and calculated effort, with long, demanding stages. The latter is shorter, more intense, and more technical. On the road, the cyclist focuses on their effort, the terrain, how to manage their energy, and the tactics for each stage. In MTB , there's no time for that, and skillful bike handling has a huge influence on the final result.
Today we take a look at what MTB is all about . We enter its world of wide, mud-filled tires, tackle its explosive climbs, and experience the smell of wet earth.
MTB, A CENTER OF CHAMPIONS
For some of today's best cyclists, their first taste of cycling wasn't on asphalt, but on dirt roads where they flew in pursuit of their first titles. Many top-level road cyclists took their first pedal strokes in the world of MTB before switching to road cycling.
This is the case of Chris Froome , the current Tour de France champion, who began to excel in mountain biking in his native Kenya before switching to road cycling at the age of 15.
Other significant cases include Australian Cadel Evans (who won two World Cups), Slovak Peter Sagan (who was a children's, cadet and junior cross country champion and for a time combined both disciplines), Dane Michael Rasmussen (mountain biking world champion in 1999) and Frenchman Jean-Christophe Péraud (silver medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games).
A curious case is that of Purito Rodríguez , who after retiring from road cycling found in MTB a way to satisfy his hunger for competition.
MTB COMPETITIONS
The most important international event is the MTB World Cup (its full name is "Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup" because it is sponsored by this car brand). It has been organized by the International Cycling Union (UCI) since 1990 and is currently divided into three categories: downhill (DH), cross-country (XC), and four-person cross-country (4XC).
Here, the French are the clear leaders, having won 58 world titles and 148 medals in total. They are followed by Switzerland and Spain.
The 2018 MTB World Championships will be held in Lenzerheide, Switzerland, from September 4 to 9.
For European cyclists, another unmissable event is the European Mountain Bike Championships , organized by the European Cycling Union (UEC) since 1989.
Another important test for this sport takes place every four years at the Olympic Games . The 1996 Atlanta Games were the first to include MTB, and the French also have the most medals. At the 2016 Rio Games, we had a great time watching Carlos Coloma (a Baggicase user ;)) win the bronze medal.
And at the team level, something similar happens as in road cycling: the calendar is set by the UCI, which organizes a huge number of races for all categories throughout the year, always separated by category. From here on, each autonomous community offers a large number of lower-caliber tests that serve as a gateway for new talent.
WHERE TO WATCH ALL THE MTB WORLD CUP RACING?
If you often think you're missing out on a sport you'd love to watch on TV or that you'd love to watch the MTB World Cup live , don't worry, there's a solution, you can watch it for free !
RedBull TV has exclusive coverage of the MTB World Cup , and to watch it live, you can do so on their website via the RedBull TV "Bike" channel. You can also watch it on one of the RedBull TV apps .
2018 XCO World Cup (Cross Country Olympics) Schedule: March 7 to 10 - Stellenbosch (South Africa) XCO May 19-20 – Nove Mesto na Morave (Czech Republic) XCO May 26-27 – Albstadt (Germany) XCO July 7 to 8 – Val di Sole (Italy) XCO July 14 to 15 – Vallnord (Andorra) XCO August 11 to 12 – Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada) XCO August 25 to 26 – La Bresse (France) XCO
2018 DH World Cup Schedule: April 21 to 22 – Lošinj (Croatia) DHI June 2-3 – Fort William (United Kingdom) DHI June 9 to 10 – Leogang (Astria) DHI July 7 to 8 – Val di Sole (Italy) DHI July 14 to 15 – Vallnord (Andorra) DHI August 11 to 12 – Mont-Sainte-Anne (Canada) DHI August 25 to 26 – La Bresse (France) DHI
SOME CRACKS OF THIS SPORT
Frenchman Julien Absalon is arguably the most successful XCO rider of all time. He had planned to retire at the end of 2017, but after missing many races due to a broken collarbone, he will continue competing in 2018 with his own team, Absolute Absalon. He was Olympic champion in 2004 and 2008, world champion five times, and European champion six times.
The other star of the moment is the Swiss Nino Schurter . He is the current Olympic champion in the Cross Country event after his victory in Rio 2016. He won silver in London 2012 and bronze in Beijing 2008. He is also the reigning MTB World Cup champion, having won in 2017, 2016, 2015, 2013, 2012 and 2009. He finished second in 2014 and 2011 and also has medals in relays and mixed events. At the European level, he has accumulated 7 medals between 2003 and 2013 in the individual and relay events.
Among the women , the rival to beat is the Swiss Jolanda Neff , a Cross Country specialist who also competes on the road. Jolanda is the current champion of the Cross Country World Cup (Cairns, Australia, 2017), also of the European Championship (in 2016 and 2017) and of the European Games in Baku in 2015. She has also topped the UCI MTB rankings for two consecutive years (2014 and 2015).
Carlos Coloma is the great Spanish cross-country specialist. He won the gold medal at the MTB World Cup in 1999 and the bronze in 2001. At the European Championships he won the bronze in 2003. He has also participated in three Olympic Games (2008-2012-2016), winning the bronze medal in Rio 2016. He currently rides for Primaflor Mondraker alongside Daniel McConnell, Ondrej Cink, Raiza Goulao Henrique and Rebecca McConnell .
José Antonio Hermida is another Spanish legend. He participated in five Olympic Games (between 2000 and 2016). He won a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, was a four-time world champion (in 1999, 2000, 2005, and 2010, the first three in the relay event), and was a three-time European champion (in 2002, 2004, and 2007).
Pablo Rodríguez is, along with David Valero and Catriel Soto , a member of the MMR Factory Team . Pablo won the U23 World Cup and the U23 European Championship in 2015. In the U23 category, he was also Spanish Champion in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. In 2017, he finished runner-up in Spain (behind his teammate David Valero ) and won the Spanish Open. The third in question, the Argentine Catriel Soto , is not lame either. He is Argentine Champion in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017, American Continental Champion in 2017 and 2016 and Bronze in the 2013 World Eliminator Championship.
Another outstanding team is Megamo , which counts among its ranks Jofre Cullell (Spanish Junior Cross Country Champion in 2016 and 2017 and European Junior Champion in 2017). And this year they have signed Clàudia Galicia , winner of the Titan Desert in 2013 and 2014, the Rioja Bika Race and the Spanish Ultra Marathon Championship.
And if we look back at history we find true legends of this sport, such as John Tomac, Thomas Frischknecht, Ned Overend, Tinker Juarez , etc.
THE LIFE OF A MTB RACE
Experiences like those of Purito or Sagan , returning to mountain biking even for a few days, show us that no matter how good a road cyclist is, if they're out of their usual element, it's very difficult for their MTB career to be a triumphant ride. Every discipline has its own demands, and mountain biking is no exception.
As Purito himself said in an interview, technique changes a lot in MTB, especially on downhills, and every day he goes out riding he learns new things. As for the physical demands, this sport emphasizes skill and explosiveness; the events are shorter, but he's constantly pushing himself to the limit.
On the other hand, the road is more a matter of effort and strategy, teamwork and attention to detail. And while MTB teams are emerging recently to provide stability for their riders, they still have to spend a great deal of time and effort finding their own sponsors and ensuring the financial viability of their sporting careers.
A WORLD OF ACRONYMS AND SPECIALTIES
One of the things that most catches the eye of anyone approaching this sport for the first time is the sheer number of different modalities it offers ( Cross Country is not the same as Downhill ). Furthermore, it's common for the names of these categories to be abbreviated to just two or three letters. Thus, you'll often read that one competition is XCO and another is XCM. What's the difference? Here's the answer:
MTB or BTT : MTB (Mountain Bike) and BTT (All Terrain Bicycle) are essentially the same discipline. MTB stands for "mountain bike" and BTT stands for "mountain bike." These names actually refer to the type of bicycle, the mountain bike. Depending on the type of race, it may be rigid, have front suspension, or have dual suspension.
XC: Cross Country, Cross Country or Rally . The bikes are light, versatile and have forks of about 100 mm. The tests consist of several laps of a circuit of about 7 km. The terrain has everything, ups and downs, it is usually not very steep or have steep descents. The Olympic specialty, with Olympic distances and standards, carries the code XCO (Cross-country Olympic) . Other Cross Country modalities are XCM (Cross Country Marathon, with longer tests), XCE (Cross Country with Elimination of the last runner in each lap), XCR (Cross Country with Relays)
DH: Downhill . Downhill racing. Individual and timed, reaching extremely high speeds. There are jumps and obstacles, both natural and artificial.
Enduro : This involves traversing mountains through the most challenging terrain at high speed, although there are also climbs. Front suspensions range from 140 to 180 mm, and riders are well protected against potential impacts.
AM: All Mountain . Off-piste routes that are very technically demanding. They require the use of full suspension. There's little flat terrain, and speeds aren't extreme.
FR: Freeride . Here, riders make big jumps while descending through technical sections. Like downhill bikes, they are heavy and robust, with a slightly longer fork than an enduro bike (180 mm).
4X, or Four Cross, is similar to downhill racing . Four riders compete simultaneously on a downhill course with obstacles and spectacular jumps. It has some similarities to a BMX race.
DJ: Dirt Jump . It generally involves jumping and performing stunts in the air. Rigid frames and suspensions with a travel limit of no more than 120 mm are used.
