A Sort of Guide-to...
"'XC
MTB racing normally takes place on a Sunday. It caters
for riders of all ability from recreational riders wanting
to battle it out with their mates to the more serious Elite
racers. These elite racers might spend 10 hours and upwards
per week training specifically for racing, although predominantly
amateur in this country. Many riders do seek sponsorship
to alleviate the costs involved in their sport which can
be quite high with bikes costing anything from a few hundred
to a few thousand pounds.'
'The main series of racing in Scotland is overseen by the Scottish Cyclist's Union and individual clubs runs races as with road racing. Mountain Bike racing is different in that it is a day out with the family, a friendly event with good atmosphere with most people there to predominantly have fun. Fun events take place in the morning before the Junior and Masters at Midday then the Elite race. Starting at 2pm and normally lasting around 2.5 hours and finishing off the days racing.'
'Scottish courses are noted for their technical content with most courses demanding quite high levels of bike handling skills. It is, however, encouraged to dismount these sections if you are not confident.'
'Races are categorised by age with the exception of the elite race and the Fun event. The Fun event is open to any rider and normally does one or two circuits of a 5-mile course, whereas, the Elite event usually does 5 laps of the course.
Other categories are -
'As well as these events for the adults, the Scottish Series also puts on Sprog races for any child under 12, these are normally well attended and are also very serious for both child and parent - many a tear has been shed by both the racer and assistant in these events!'
'Points
are scored for day results down to 21st place and accumulated for
each race to give overall series winners for each category at the
end of the season.'"
