What has happened to 4X in Australia?

Burrito_Boy

Likes Bikes and Dirt
E.C. is on the money for sure ,if anyone has seen sprung 4 or 5 he designed a course which even these days would be considered "Big" 40-45 foot gaps etc..
SNIP_________
That track is the kinda thing there needs to be more of. Great room for spectators, good camera access for tv etc... and heaps and heaps of room for sponsor stuff like on the football, and moto etc...
 
I dunno, I don't think you'd need a much wider track, just less multiple lines, this would make it more fair also. Good point with the hardtail thing, I still think tracks that need duallys would be more fun..

Finish line jump would be sick..
Maybe have a HT "prefered" line and a Dually "prefered" line.

Or have 2 classes. A HT class for the people who have guts and a Dually class. As long as the track is rough but not too rough but flowy that a guy/girl with some guts on a HT can't do it.
 

Cooch

Likes Dirt
Blame Mountainbike Australia (MTBA). They are doing nothing for the sport. Instead of encouraging riders into it, they are only killing it through bad team selection policies at the top level. Why would new people or juniors come into the sport, if there is nowhere to go??

Sponsors will only throw in $$'s if the crowds are there. Crowds will only come if the event is exciting and has something for them. Riders will only race and encourage others to race if there is an eventual outcome or somewhere to go with the sport. With loads of riders, spectators and sponsors, the tracks will be built to hold epic events.
 
Blame Mountainbike Australia (MTBA). They are doing nothing for the sport. Instead of encouraging riders into it, they are only killing it through bad team selection policies at the top level. Why would new people or juniors come into the sport, if there is nowhere to go??

Sponsors will only throw in $$'s if the crowds are there. Crowds will only come if the event is exciting and has something for them. Riders will only race and encourage others to race if there is an eventual outcome or somewhere to go with the sport. With loads of riders, spectators and sponsors, the tracks will be built to hold epic events.
Good point there
 

floody

Wheel size expert
Are you guys only talking nationals? Or generally?

Club 4X races are really easy to put on, I don't see the challenge in doing it at all?

Nationals level events...Aren't that much harder either. Lets face it, no real timing, short courses mostly in the open...DH is a lot harder to run.

I think lack of tracks, lack of club level events is more of a problem, certainly not corporate dollars, or top down issues like lack of national->international progression (which would be lucky to affect 30-40 people nationwide).

There would be 10:1 DH tracks to 4X tracks, and thus clubs running events. I think lack of opportunities makes lack of interest. Unfortunately I don't see much opportunity to move forward as building courses is a massive undertaking - again many magnitudes harder than sketching out a course in a forestry plantation, DH tracks are essentially rake'n'ride with few technical requirements and light maintenance regimes - and so its difficult to boost takeup at the lower levels.
 
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Barspin Imports

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Are you guys only talking nationals? Or generally?

I think lack of tracks, lack of club level events is more of a problem, certainly not corporate dollars, or top down issues like lack of national->international progression (which would be lucky to affect 30-40 people nationwide).

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You miss the point. If there is nothing for the riders to 'progress to', then what's the point... "club champion". Yes, of all the mountainbike riders in Australia, it's only a few dozen from each state that go and race Nationally and Internationally - but it provides the incentive and boost for all riders to try and attain.

The "build it and they will come" will not work until the governing bodies (MTBA) provide a strategy and long term goals for the sport. This planning and strategic plan should involve all aspects and parties to the sport: sponsors, riders, spectators, clubs, event managers and Cycling Australia etc.

Too long Clubs have toiled away to provide races for their club members, with little or no support to make it all happen. Clubs and organisers are always commended for their efforts. But if you really want to make it happen in a big way, then proper planning and organising needs to take place.

Again, blame MTBA for the sports failure. I do not see anything at all coming out of them - except rules and regulations that further increase barriers to entry for riders and competitors.

Rant over.
 

ja_har

Likes Dirt
me thinks the issue is a lot bigger than just Australia and MTBA.. Recent UCI survey and resulting thoughts / action plan could be summarised down to 'WTF do we do to fix 4X....' and then a vacuam.
 

song

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it's ironic, Jared Graves is the world's most dominant 4X racers... yet in Australia it almost seems that everything is against it....
 

muvro

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I don't know much about the politics of the sport, nor have I been involved in any 4x, but having a goal to race nationally/internationally isn't the reason why a lot of people race. .

Some, and possibly a large fair majority do it just for fun. The social aspect, and fun factor being the biggest draw card. This is all at club level of course. I'm going to be getting into 4X and DS next year for the fun of it. I don't have the time (work), nor money (mortgage... LOL) or the skills/fitness for that matter to compete nationally. Through me wanting to get into it, I may possibly have brought with me two or three more riders to compete. It's nothing serious, but some good ol' fashioned competitive fun with some mates. That's the biggest draw card, not the possibility of competing nationally.


Like most things though, if the (rider) numbers aren't there, or the interest isn't there. The clubs won't push it or spend money to promote it (ie attract numbers), the lack of riders will also not help the larger, state and national events from attracting sponsors. No, or very few sponsors mean no money, no tracks, no equipment, no volunteers, etc.

In this scenario, the governing body should speak to local clubs, and the people/competitors in the sport. Ask their opinions and ask for their help to promote the sport. Then help said people, to raise the funds required for this through sponsors, fund raising etc. Then the flow on effect will be more events/facilities to attract members to the sport, make it family orientated, get the dad's racing, get the little tikes involved. Then when the youngsters see the club rounds and the entrants having a heap of competitive fun, they might want to get involved too. Getting the youngsters involved is where the national and international competitors will come from as they grow with the sport.

It's obviously easy to say this and that, implementing it is the hard bit, then pulling it off... Well that comes down to the people involved in the discipline now, to get involved, get out there and approach the clubs, approach the governing bodies to get organised and do something about it. Recruit more riders, sell the sport. Don't just type in here (not directing this at anyone, just generalising :) ). Get active and get involved.

Possibly, organisers should getting in contact/involved with other disciplines, BMX, DH, co-ordinating with these other disciplines to possibly run at the same event for promotional purposes (I understand this might clash as riders often do more than one discipline), but other people might not even know that a particular club or event does it. Bang, you've got a couple more people, they bring a couple of people, they bring a couple of people etc.
 

Barspin Imports

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In this scenario, the governing body should speak to local clubs, and the people/competitors in the sport. Ask their opinions and ask for their help to promote the sport. Then help said people, to raise the funds required for this through sponsors, fund raising etc. Then the flow on effect will be more events/facilities to attract members to the sport, make it family orientated, get the dad's racing, get the little tikes involved. Then when the youngsters see the club rounds and the entrants having a heap of competitive fun, they might want to get involved too. Getting the youngsters involved is where the national and international competitors will come from as they grow with the sport.

Possibly, organisers should getting in contact/involved with other disciplines, BMX, DH, co-ordinating with these other disciplines to possibly run at the same event for promotional purposes ....
Exactly. This just isn't happening.

If you take a look at girls Rollerskating Derby - it's only been on the scene now for about 2 years and the sport is going off the hook. Coverage on the radio, interviews with the riders etc. and more meets and venues than downhill mountainbiking gets. Why? ... The governing body is made up of skaters/competitors, is fresh and hungry to grow the sport and get all parties involved.
 
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