In earlier years, the effort involved in setting out a cross-country race course was more or less minimal, as construction measures were not necessary. The World Cup race in Fort William, Scotland, was one of the first to be held on a course that was almost 100 percent built. There were bridges, footbridges, rock gardens, berms and small waves to negotiate back then. Today, ten years later, this model has set a precedent and has been improved even further - not always to the delight of the riders - but the public is offered a lot. Sometimes to the chagrin of the riders. Some passages and jumps are designed in such a way that if you choose a different line, you may have to accept race-deciding time losses. Often a lot of risk when choosing a direct line.

Jumps and rock gardens provide a spectacle, but also demand sacrifices. At the World Cup in Nove Mesto in the Czech Republic, Olympic champion Jaroslav Kulhavy fell in the middle of a rock garden and dropped back as a result. Other athletes were less fortunate in various races. This raises a number of questions. Do today's cross-country riders have to be able to jump? Does every race course have to include artificial rock gardens? Do the races, which have otherwise already become exciting, offer too little spectacle? National coach Bruno Diethelm speaks plainly: "Jumps are often a matter of courage. You can build them into a course, but you don't necessarily have to. What really bothers me are the excessive rock gardens. There were races where the stones were arranged in an angular fashion. In my opinion, this is far too dangerous. You could achieve the same level of attractiveness with less dangerous structures. In general, it is unacceptable for riders to spend hours puzzling over difficult passages, wondering whether they will get through the race without crashing or not."

Mixed opinions among racing drivers

Swiss champion Katrin Leumann has nothing against artificial rock gardens: "Rock gardens are part of it, they convey the difficulty of the courses to the TV audience, which is particularly important in the World Cup. I also think jumps are ok, as long as they are built well and safely. Nevertheless, the course builders should be aware that we don't wear protectors and don't race on downhill bikes."

Fabian Giger, who is one of the world's best cross-country riders, is generally critical of man-made tracks: "If you're not used to jumping, it becomes dangerous. It may be spectacular for the spectators, but less so for the riders. It would be better to make the tracks more difficult by incorporating more root passages, for example. I also have nothing against natural rock gardens. At the moment, it seems to me that some track designers are in a race to see who can build the most difficult track. I really hope that this doesn't get out of hand. I think it's better to focus on natural tracks and make use of the existing difficulties."

The fact is, even if all riders are able to master such passages and jumps, the more extreme the tracks become, the greater the consequences if a crash does occur. There have always been crashes and there always will be, but the organizers and associations need to consider whether they want to expose the riders to even greater risks. Cross-country races are currently more attractive and spectacular than ever before. Increases are always welcome - but there is no need for a Circus Maximus like in ancient Rome.

Luckily, this spectacular fall ended without any serious consequences.

©Ego-Promotion - Armin Küstenbrück