Looks so rough. Don’t understand why the SDA don’t get tracks built at the start of the year. Let them get bedded in then tweak them before race weekend. Using race weekends to bed in new tracks has always sucked.
Hey dude. I film for the SDA but I do not speak on their behalf. Fully understand your point, but let me explain in more detail. I work and have worked for various event organisers etc, in the British series for example organisers bid to win the contract via British Cycling to host the event. They are then tasked to run the event whilst making it profitable for themselves (nothing wrong with that). They'll go up with a dig crew and build prior to the event with a small team usually. Even though they do this ahead of time, often the tracks are still not bed in enough and it doesn't run as intended (there are many examples of this over the past few years). The SDA runs completely differently, the guys running the events are volunteers, doing all the back breaking hard work from building new sections, taping the tracks, completing the tedious administration, not to mention actually running the live events with the priority being hosting the best events possible for the riders and the MTB community as a whole. They do not take home a pay cheque, they aren't putting these events on for profit (there isn't any) they do it for the love, and that is a fact! So with the guys giving up 3-4 days (sometimes more) on race weekends, they use those days todo the best job possible to improve the tracks for the racers. Imagine grafting you backside off on those days, unpaid, building some sweet corners etc, only for biblical rains to destroy all your hard work, that is just painful right!? I speaking to a well respected British Commissaire over the weekend who attends many MTB/Downhill race events up and down the UK, and they stated without question, the SDA run the best races in the UK by a long way, and I absolutely agree. After seeing all the behind the scenes goings on by the team, it's outstanding how well oiled the SDA machine is, truly it takes a lot for events to run so well and the guys absolutely smash it out of the park. I also know the team would love to build more new sections well ahead of time, but they all have jobs, family commitments etc and there is only so much free time they can offer to the sport they love so much. I hope the above helps explain a little about the whole situation and that we see you at more SDA races dude. 🙌 Keep Shredding Luke - Badger Productions
Hi Luke, Thanks for clarifying that and explaining what goes into the race weekends. I was hopeful that the guys who run the uplift services at these locations were the ones who carried out track maintenance and assisted the SDA before their arrival. I wasn’t aware that it was the SDA organisers themselves left responsible to create new tracks. That’s a real shame but also explains why Innerleithen has become such a mess. It’s not by any means the fault of the SDA. It just highlights the issue that there are not enough track builders that look after the tracks where they race. Not sure if that falls under the responsibility of the uplift providers of the Forrestry commission but I imagine it’s a grey area. We’ve got some great tracks in Scotland but they’re ageing and in need of some TLC.
Love it
We are pleased :-)
POV you just discovered these madmen racing in your local woods 😅
Haha
Let's honor those fallen bearings with 5 min silence.
Hahahaha
Haha
What's the running order for tomorrow?
Racing starts at 11:30 🙌
Looks so rough. Don’t understand why the SDA don’t get tracks built at the start of the year. Let them get bedded in then tweak them before race weekend. Using race weekends to bed in new tracks has always sucked.
Hey dude. I film for the SDA but I do not speak on their behalf. Fully understand your point, but let me explain in more detail. I work and have worked for various event organisers etc, in the British series for example organisers bid to win the contract via British Cycling to host the event. They are then tasked to run the event whilst making it profitable for themselves (nothing wrong with that). They'll go up with a dig crew and build prior to the event with a small team usually. Even though they do this ahead of time, often the tracks are still not bed in enough and it doesn't run as intended (there are many examples of this over the past few years).
The SDA runs completely differently, the guys running the events are volunteers, doing all the back breaking hard work from building new sections, taping the tracks, completing the tedious administration, not to mention actually running the live events with the priority being hosting the best events possible for the riders and the MTB community as a whole. They do not take home a pay cheque, they aren't putting these events on for profit (there isn't any) they do it for the love, and that is a fact!
So with the guys giving up 3-4 days (sometimes more) on race weekends, they use those days todo the best job possible to improve the tracks for the racers. Imagine grafting you backside off on those days, unpaid, building some sweet corners etc, only for biblical rains to destroy all your hard work, that is just painful right!?
I speaking to a well respected British Commissaire over the weekend who attends many MTB/Downhill race events up and down the UK, and they stated without question, the SDA run the best races in the UK by a long way, and I absolutely agree.
After seeing all the behind the scenes goings on by the team, it's outstanding how well oiled the SDA machine is, truly it takes a lot for events to run so well and the guys absolutely smash it out of the park.
I also know the team would love to build more new sections well ahead of time, but they all have jobs, family commitments etc and there is only so much free time they can offer to the sport they love so much.
I hope the above helps explain a little about the whole situation and that we see you at more SDA races dude. 🙌
Keep Shredding
Luke - Badger Productions
Hi Luke,
Thanks for clarifying that and explaining what goes into the race weekends. I was hopeful that the guys who run the uplift services at these locations were the ones who carried out track maintenance and assisted the SDA before their arrival. I wasn’t aware that it was the SDA organisers themselves left responsible to create new tracks. That’s a real shame but also explains why Innerleithen has become such a mess. It’s not by any means the fault of the SDA. It just highlights the issue that there are not enough track builders that look after the tracks where they race. Not sure if that falls under the responsibility of the uplift providers of the Forrestry commission but I imagine it’s a grey area. We’ve got some great tracks in Scotland but they’re ageing and in need of some TLC.
Looks sloppy :)
It certainly was on practise day specifically 😬