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I'm gratefully handing over the reins of the webmaster post to mountain-biker-in-exile, "fisherrider" Matt Jones. From now on I'll have nothing to do with running this team in any way.
So in leaving, I'd like to leave you all with six ideas for the vitality of mountain biking at Stanford. I've been here too long, and hopefully learned a few things. These are some important details to note if we want this team to continue. Keeping things right will take some vigilance, but above all, keep riding, racing, and have fun! Thanks for reading:
1. Regular group rides are the best thing we can do.
When I joined this team, there were regular rides every week during the season as well as some other times, especially in Spring. These rides introduced new riders to the sport and to the team, in addition to keeping up racers' fitness and skills. When they almost disappeared for a couple years, the team shrank in size and sank in the standings-- this is no coincidence. Our best year in the last five, in terms of team size and standing, was also the year with the most group rides. Lead group rides, it's fun. Group mountain bike rides are usually better if they're small and manageable anyway, so having only 2-3 people total per ride is more than ok. Having any rides is just so much better than having none.
2. The Mountain Bike Team needs a Captain.
This might seem obvious, but unfortunately it's not. Every once in a while someone suggests returning to at-large captain elections. We tried this: it does not work. The result was that larger numbers of road racers understandably chose their teammates. The leadership of the team didn't pay attention to growing the mtb side, with bad results. Don't let it happen again. Having two Captains, one from each squad, ensures an essential balance. It's not a question of proportional representation, it's a matter of distinct teams ensuring that their distinct as well as common interests are addressed. Without a coequal mtb voice at the top, this simply does not happen. We are different teams, there's no need to pretend otherwise, but we each have real interests in working together. Only return to at-large captain elections if you want to kill the mtb team.
3. The Mountain Bike Team needs a Coach.
Hopefully the team will someday again be lucky enough to find someone with enough spare time to follow us around in the 'long October' that is our season, who loves the sport and wants to make others love it more. Coach Scott is already doing a great job in general, especially with the road team; I've discussed this with him. He could very well be this person next year, and the team would be privileged for it. This team did have a mtb coach through 2001, and the benefits were obvious.
4. The current dues and sponsor benefits structure must remain.
Another thing that comes up from time to time is the idea of doing away with the quarter-only dues option. This is a bad idea. The mtb season costs much less than road by any meaningful metric. It should therefore cost less for members, too. And sponsor orders have been, are, and should always be made available based on current-season racing status, not active-quarter dues status. Offering quarter-only dues, with full sponsorship benefits, for mountain bikers is fair and appropriate. It is simply a reflection of the two squads' very different seasons.
5. Size matters.
The way our league works, you need a decent-sized team to be successful. Having even 3 top-notch A racers, who win almost everything they race, does not get a team very far in this league if it can't fill the categories behind them-- we've tried that. The team's success requires bodies on every start line more than on every podium, though of course that doesn't hurt. Riders of all skill levels can contribute meaningfully, that's not just a slogan.
6. Loan bikes.
Too many cyclists start off playing in traffic, especially in this post-Lance age, with no idea what they're missing on the trails. More than on the road side, a viable mountain bike team requires a stable of loaner bikes. Some of the team's best racers over the years started off on loaners. Team-owned off-road bikes need to remain a priority.
Lastly, if you haven't already, as a reward for at least scrolling down this far if not reading, you are welcome to check out my photos from Stanford bike racing in 2006, on my website. Included there are many never before seen photos, including the famous 'sponsor us Subaru' shot, my big fat right thigh, and Duffman gone mild. It's been fun!
2007.02.24
Mountain Bike Racing
The collegiate mountain season begins at the
start of Stanford's Autumn Quarter and typically runs through November. The schedule
and official race fliers are hosted on
the Western
Collegiate Cycling Conference site.
Stanford mountain bikers compete in cross-country (XC), short track (STXC), downhill
(DH), dual slalom (DS), hill climb (HC), and pixie bike (PX) events. MTB Race reports are
posted on our News page.
For details on non-collegiate racing opportunities, visit the NCNCA,
Billy Cross, and the
Norcal forum on MTBR.
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