A new Zeus among Olympians

Lord Coe’s hymn to the new Olympic mountain-biking course may have been hyperbolic, but the circuit will test riders to the limit • Track cycling events at the 2010 Olympics: a brief guide “Probably one of the most beautiful venues I’ve seen anywhere in the world.” No, not Usain Bolt rhapsodising about Beijing’s Bird’s Nest after shattering the world sprint records. Nor Tiger Woods standing triumphant, again, at the final hole of Augusta. And no, it’s not a hyperventilating Alan Partridgeat his local Rover dealership. No this eulogy came from the mouth of Lord Sebastian Coe as he officially marked the completion of the Olympic mountain bike course in Hadleigh, Essex . Granted, the sun was beaming down unseasonably early, lending proceedings a cheery air; perhaps luckier still was the silvery haze obscuring all but the tallest towers of Canvey Island’s refineries a mile across the Thames estuary. But such unsolicited hyperbole left even the local officials slack-jawed. Coe went on to joke: “In the last seven years there have been two exchanges in my office – and my subsequent reactions – that I’m really grateful have never been recorded: the first was fairly recently when someone came in to tell me that the countdown clock had stopped. The second was almost four years earlier when someone else called to tell me that they’d found a mountain in Essex!” It’s the way he tells them. Readers may recall we visited the site back in the autumn as the trail-building process was well underway. And we had to take our hats off to Martin Seddon and his crew for bringing so much interest to such an unpromising location. Now we could see that development had continued apace, despite horrendous working conditions through a snowy winter: the main obstacles had been constructed and all the sections properly linked up. In only eight short months – and for the minuscule sum (in Olympic terms) of £800k – Hadleigh now joins the velodrome in Stratford as one of the few completed arenas. With the final stone laid, we were among the lucky few invited to take a spin on the virgin track. Before that it was the turn of the pros from Team GB’s mountain bike squad, with the most recognisable face among them 29-year-old Liam Killeen . As current national champion, former Commwealth champion and seventh-placed finisher in Beijing, Killeen represents the best chance for home medals in this event. So, how did he rate the Hadleigh circuit? “The designers have done really well. For spectators it’s great as they’ve used the natural bowl, and from one particular point you can see maybe 70% of the course. This is very rare for mountain bike events, which are usually enclosed in forest, so that bodes well for good television. But from a rider perspective, you have to say the course is very physically demanding. Average mountain bikers could ride around it fairly easily, but at race pace it’s a different matter altogether. There’s six or seven short but steep climbs per lap, and we’re maybe looking at eight, 13-minute laps, so it will be pretty relentless. And when you factor in these technical sections it really adds to the difficulty, especially when you’re fatigued.” Killeen rode his hardtail bike (front suspension only) the previous day, but was trying out a full-suspension model for the grand unveiling. Which did he think was more likely to be favoured by the world’s elite? “At the moment the course is very groomed, so a hardtail is fine. But actually it may become more of a full-sus course – when it gets cut up, and bearing in mind that you may be racing for the best part of two hours, it’ll be really important to keep your body in decent shape for a surge in the last two laps when the medals could likely be decided.” With that it was my turn to saddle up. From the start it’s a short switchback climb to the first of the rock sections, this one offering three alternative lines (see picture), before cresting on a wide track into a copse. This leads you to the second of the most interesting features, the “dual descender”, where the more technical “A” line will save several seconds compared to those opting for line “B”. This could be a decisive spot next August. Very quickly you’re on to a wooden boardwalk feature, again with two route choices – left involves a gap jump, while right is an easier roller. A swift double-track descent then takes you into the country park for a sustained climb up to what will be the main spectator viewpoint. After that height gain it’s downhill, via another rock garden, over and through a tunnel, before more mixed climbing returns you to the grandstands. Just out of view lies the last of the tricky drops, followed by another rapid descent and the appropriately-named “cardiac climb”. Reward for gaining the top here is perhaps the most fun section – a swooping, high-banked plunge that gives you a glimpse of the finish area. One more switchback ascent, a narrow chute and you’re done. We’d ridden at a sedate pace, stopping to assess each feature in turn and the general consensus was that it would rate as moderate in UK trail centre terms. But as Killeen suggested, you could easily see how it would become a different prospect at professional race pace. It’ll certainly be fast and furious, very likely a war of attrition, with refuelling and pacing becoming important strategies. And readers wondering if they’ll be able to ride at the site, watch this space. Essex County Council and the Salvation Army, which owns the site, say: “The intention is for the course to be available for public use from 2013 onwards”, although it is not yet clear how the course will be adapted or whether the public will be able to use it. • The mountain bike events take place on 11-12 August 2012. Tickets will be priced from £20-45 – enter the ballot now . • John Kitchiner is editor of London Cyclist magazine . Olympics 2012: Cycling Cycling Olympic Games 2012 guardian.co.uk

Posted by on April 7, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.