MTBO in IOF mag! Why like/dislike MTBO?

[harry]

GB mountain bike orienteer interviewed in IOF Ozine this month:
http://orienteering.org/athlete-of-the- ... navigator/

Emily makes this strange / interesting comment :-

Those that do try mountain bike orienteering often dislike it because they find the navigation too fast and struggle to assess the different route choices quickly.

I say strange because surely those aspects are the best parts of MTBO / Ski-O for an orienteer (but maybe the worst parts for someone coming from a MTB / skiing background). The fast navigation is surely the fun part.

[harry]

So I reckon you could appeal to hardcore crazy MTBs who do these mad 24hr races and stuff by playing up the fact that MTBO is a hardcore sport with an added element than just the biking - and give them a crash course in the O side and lend them a map board.

And then appeal to Oers with this "it's really fast navigation" chat and let them rent a bike and borrow a map board - and maybe give them a crash course in technical biking.

Generally i reckon you need a certain minimum level of competence in something in order to enjoy it much and want to do it again.

In Trondheim there has been a massive increase in ski-O participation since people were given the chance to borrow a map board for free and eased into it with the first courses being more on normal ski tracks.

Once you have a bad experience with something you don't want to go back. ie my memory of MTBO is constantly taking the map in and out of my pocket and then spending ages carrying my really heavy rubbish bike across a marsh... (dislike)

[Miner]

I have now done three MTBO events. I didn't enjoy the first two that much because the navigational element seemed too straightforward. The first event involved steps and tracks covered in heather and long grass which could have been covered much quicker on foot. The second event was more rideable but offered no route choice.

I found the third event much more enjoyable as all the terrain was rideable, even though some of it was quite tricky. The planning was much better offering multiple route choices which demanded quick assessments based on distance, climb and the speed attainable on different types of trail.

[andypat]

I've never managed a MTBO event yet, despite keeping my eye open for one. There arent that many in Scotland and those there are seem to always clash with a normal O event I want to go to. Hoping I might manage one of the 3 coming up this spring/summer.

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[andypat]

Well - with my bike skills, better than nothing might be good enough! I'll let you know...

[awk]

Andypat,

Their events use poor quality, incorrect non IOF specification maps for score events, where controls are frequently in the wrong place or hidden.

Yes, that's been my experience too of trailquest, and the prime reason why I don't do many (or indeed any recently). They're fun to do occasionally, but technical issues have cropped up too often to take them seriously and choose in preference to foot-O.

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[HOCOLITE]

Trailquests are what they say on the tin, treasure hunts on trails. I did one non comp as my cycling is not good but there was some adventure involved but much quiet lane cycling. I enjoyed it but wouldn't travel miles to do one. But then I wouldn't for MBO either. It's a case of choose what you enjoy and let others choose what they like..... Sprint v Classic ....

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[Adventure Racer]

I like trailquests, but they're not the same thing as MTBO at all. Totally different speed of thought required - MTBO is far more fun. I'm still buzzing from the madness of Stodge's "urban" MTBO event with the continuous full-on decision making which made foot-O seem positively low in required brain speed. Then again that still pales in comparison with trying to navigate through a maze of tracks on skis whilst also trying to stay on my feet at high speed - at least with MTBO I can usually find points where I don't have to concentrate on my riding and can check out the map. But it's that challenge which makes it fun.

Not sure how well you can market this to bikers with no nav background - lots (most?) of them like not having to engage their brain beyond controlling the bike, and it's likely to be far too full on for them. Not only that, but feedback I've seen suggests people who think themselves proper bikers don't like being beaten by old men with beards who can't ride a bike that well but can navigate, hence they don't come back!

[EBenham]

Alright Folks? Mind if I join the chat?!

Firstly, returning to the original quote - over the past years I've spoken to many newcomers to MTBO. Some loved it. Others hated it. Ironically, both groups had the same reasons for their feeling about the sport (the fast thinking required and the speed at which one travels on a bike, making the navigation more challenging).
In the past there have been events which are essentially a 'long yellow' course, and typical post-event comments are 'it was too easy'. Sometimes, (as per Swinley Forest on 19th March) the courses are to a World Class standard. The GB team had some fun there !!! Interestingly, new athletes at Swinley loved it. Some foot-orienteers didn't leave with the same impression!

Secondly, last year, I got fed up of people either moaning about or 'dissing' MTBO, and the quality/standard (etc) of events. If your first event happens to be the one poor quality event of the years where everything goes wrong, then I can understand you disliking the sport! Part of the trouble, is people (mentioning no names Harry!!) lugging bikes across marshes! Foot-Orienteers have a tendency to cut through forests, but with bikes its much harder - I should know, I've tried it many times (most recently in Portugal last march where a 100m forest section turning into a gorse filled hell for 10 minutes as I pushed, carried, pulled, dragged and heaved my bike through the 10ft high gorse/bracken/eucalyptus mash of plants. With bare legs and arms, I was in so much pain, I sat down and cried, refused to move for 5 mins and vowed never to do the sport again!).

Back to my point.
I would now like to direct your attention to http://www.mbosouth.co.uk
This is a series of MTBO events in the south of England as co-ordinated by myself and my father. The aim: to increase participation and spread the good word about the sport!
Before 2011 the largest MTBO event in the UK (excluding the Military Challenge in Dec) was the 2009 British MTBO champs at Wareham Forest with 81 competitors.
The Southern Series have had 3 events so far this year, with the largest event attracting 94 competitors (Moors Valley, Wimborne Orienteers, 26th March). The second largest was the 19th March at Swinley Forest as organised by BKO with 91 athletes racing.
(the first event on 22nd Jan was at the time the 2nd largest UK event with 74 people).

Interestingly the event on 26th March attracted many 'IND' athletes, and the vast majority of these were local cyclists who had read the promo in the paper or seen the fliers distributed at local bike shops etc.

Oh, and for the record, MBO South (eg, the Benhams) now hold a stock of map boards which we sell/rent at events. Also, inner tubes and SI card toggles (so no more lost SI cards). Now there are no excuses for maps being held in your mouth, tucked under your shorts or in your jersey. No more excuses for (poor?) map memory!!

How many conversations are there discussing whether we like or dislike Foot-O/Ski-O/trail-O?? Why is it that MTBO gets a lot of stick, and people seem to jump at the chance to mock the sport or tell the world how much they dislike it?

I have a proposal for the world of Nopesport ...

Can we please try to discuss MTBO in a more positive light? As Thumper says in Bambi 'if you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all'!!
There are a lot of hard working people who are doing a hell of a lot for MTBO and it's not fair on them to see so much public negativity surrounding the sport.

Trying to compare MTBO to Foot-O just won't work. The skills needed, while similar, are used in an entirely different way and with a greater emphasis on route choice/fast riding. Cutting through is slow. Thinking you can run along a grassy path faster (you might if you're a very fit runner). Marshes are bad. Green is bad. Big thick solid black lines = good!

Anyway, it's late/early, I'm tired and have rambled on for an hour. I'm going to bed. By the time I get back from my early (and final tough training session!) I expect to see some smiley faces from all the people who love MTBO

[ba-ba]

So far in this thread I've yet to see much in the way of dissing MTBO - more warning people off iffy trailquests!

There’s also something about turning up to an international event with brand new shiny carbon fibre bikes/kit and showing it off amongst friends/competitors – ‘check out my bike, it weighs less that 9.5kgs’ or ‘look at my new wheels and see how fast they make me!’”

Next time I have a shiny new pair of shoes I'm going to make sure everyone knows about it!

I'd love to have a go at MTBO, but lugging oneself and a bike about is much more effort than getting just yourself to an event, especially without a car! And as much as my housemate enjoys fettling her bike, that doesn't really 'spin my mapboard' so to speak.
Also, on a cold winter day (which seems to be when a lot of the events within 'easy' travelling distance were), running keeps me much more warm (and therefore happy - just ask my OMM partner!) than biking!
Looking forward to the popping my MTBO cherry in Sheffield later in the year, (clashes dependant)

Anyway, heading off to Hugset for some training now, with so many similar looking features and travelling at speed, one could say that it's like MTBO, but on foot!

[harry]

The "marsh" I mentioned was marked as a rideable track. It didn't seem very rideable to me (is there a symbol for "once rideable, now-waterlogged"?) but it was probably just my lack of bike skills. At that time I hadn't done any extreme mountain biking so I don't know why I thought MTBO was a good idea!

I agree this thread is really positive about MTBO and the fast navigation required etc. For people more into running as a movement form, MTBO is bound to be a tough challenge and an interesting alternative. In the South of England I'm sure it will be a great success, good conditions for biking and a nice alternative for orienteers, especially when the undergrowth grows up in the summer.

It's cool when people find a new sport that they enjoy. When you find a sport so fantastic it must be hard to understand why others don't love it as much as you!

But these responses are kind of off putting for novices:-
"well if you don't like it, you must be doing it wrong"
"well unfortunately you are a big loser who can't read a map, if you were as amazing as me then you would love it"
"well you just need to save up and get a fancy carbon bike"

[FATBB]

if you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all'!!

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