Video: Course Preview for the Glentress XC World Champs 2023

 Seriously.

I used to watch XC races, and it looked like gravel riding/racing for the most part (at least my perception).

This looks like normal trail riding, and I love that.

 Am I watching the same video? There was almost nothing technical on the track. A few gap jumps were nice to see, but only a couple technical features here and there. Some of the previous tracks this season were much better.

Like, go watch a course preview of the MSA track. If an XC champs / worldcup race isn't in that ballpark, it shouldn't be on the circuit.

 @jayacheess: This track is just as technical as MSA, if not more technical, especially the latest MSA track since they've taken out La Beatrice... Watch some videos from off the bike, like Scotty Laughland's preview (www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6DN0dmxiu4), and you'll see it in a new light.

 @billreilly: just watched it. Again, aside from several gap jumps and 1 or 2 individual man-made rock featured, it isn't technical. At all. It's a flow trail.

Like, do you guys not know what technical riding is?

 @billreilly: apart from the couple of gap jumps and a few man made rock features can you point to time stamps where the technical bits are.

 @jayacheess: "Technical" means that they need to use technique... Dodging trees, rocks, roots, short punchy clims, sharp turns, etc. are all part of technical riding, just as much as rock gardens and gap jumps... This course has a bit of everything.

Just wait until Saturday and you'll see what I mean.

 Though the same. Also doing some of those later and tired and maybe lapping some slower riders. Also I don't understand the need for some of those narrow bridges. Now, if it rains, those off camber roots will be tricky to get through with muddy tires. it will be fun to watch

 Gotta agree, it's gonna be really weird / dangerous if there's a pileup in the landing or something like that. I don't think any of these riders would normally have a problem with this jump but it's different with a bunch of other riders around. I'd like to see a slow/costly B-line just in case (like they had for that big drop at the last olympics).

 Seen it on a picture from side and it looks pretty challenging, I am glad Czech team has our DH rider Matej Charvat there to help them getting comfy on such features. Heard a lot of crashes already happened there

 And he is current CX world champ too...

 Hum... Pauline would like to have a word or two with you ! I know I know it's in women category, but still... Her year 2022 has been legendary

 @Aksel31: battling to see where they snubbed Pauline. Her doing it was historic, as would it be if MVDP did it

 @stretchza: @stretchza: he can have one more jersey than Pauline if he win both XCC and XCO

 @opignonlibre: She had 4 in 2022: XCC,XCO, XCM and Gravel. And she has already been world champ in road, CX, and XC team relay (the same year also).
So I guess MVDP still has some work to do to be on par

 @Aksel31: aaah I stand corrected I forgot about her gravel title last year. I remember back when she won road, CX and XC there was no XCC/XCO separation so there was no way for her to win both at the time.

 Exactly, the parking alone should generate around £1m revenues per year at 250000 visitors and a mixture of £3 and £5 stays. That's why theres a business hub up the hill. The suits can't believe they've found a way to harvest the coins of white middle class Scots so effectively

 The only saving grace of their incompetence is that you can get away with not paying.

 The first climb is an existing walking trail and a good way to push up to repeat the final trail centre descent. After that is a combo of the trail centre and some new loamy bits. The stream gap (4:52), the rock roll, and the rock gap jump (5:35) will be removed, except for the well ridden bits in between as those are trail centre sections so will stay. After they cross the road and back up behind the peel is a new skills loop, which will remain after the race as it’s a replacement for the freeride park (at buzzards nest) which has closed down due to log cabins being built on it. There’s also a new jump line been built that starts at double x on the black trail (near the top of the matrix). Hopefully all the new stuff will be open by the time you come. It’s been finished for a while but they’ve kept it closed to settle and for the world champs.

 @ro-bert: Sad times ... was looking around for information whether this track (unlike most) would actually remain intact. We will travel Scottland in Summer next year and I was hoping to finally do some laps on a proper XC course again. Haven't been between the tapes for ages but I really miss challenging XC loops as they are usually only rideable for the event only.
Sure, one can ride a couple of trail features here and there but that doesn't compare to a complete, well rounded XC loop (imo) to properly max out for an hour or two.

 Having not ridden tress for a couple of years was my first thought. Those were walking trails from memory and having ridden some of the offpiste lines down that side they were indeed steep enough for descending never mind trying to ride up. Going to make for some good live coverage of the races.

 I fully expect them to stay. I’m pretty sure only one gap is mandatory and the rest of the features have B-lines.

 Those gaps will go. They will install wooden bridges for MvdP, but only during qualies.

 @mi-bike: yeah, no coming back from trying to roll those features, ha

 5-8 Laps normally. 1.30h Race time.

 @Singleroo: Thank you

 He's planning to. It's his only shot at a ticket for the Olympics as no other Dutch rider has enough points to make NL qualify.

 The London Olympics course looked like it had been designed by somebody cryogenically frozen since the 1960s

 @tigerfish50: This Worlds course was designed/built by Paul Davis- same as London, Rio and Tokyo Olympics. Shows the evaluation of both XCO and course design over the years. London also had many constraints...
Well done Paul. Looks amazing.

 I live up the road from it. I would love to have it the way it was, it is even worse now. No maintenance since 2015, over growing, cracking. Some sections have been closed since pre-covid. Pretty much me and a handful of others trimming the bushes now. Olympic legacy, Olympic shmeggercy.

 The difference is the uci only wish they were as corrupt as the Olympics. Paris will find that out soon enough.

 @EthanIsAFish: Another local here, such a shame. i raced it in the national and the MSG's straight after the olympics, nowadays its once or twice a year if i have nothing better to do.

 @EthanIsAFish: That’s the same as when they had the commonwealth in glasgow in 2013, spend a f*ck ton money talk about the legacy and then nothing. Exact same as what the worlds has been in glasgow again, mega money but the city is facing mega cuts. Ridiculous

 @browner: Paris course will be garbage, pun intended [1]

[1] For those who don't know, the Paris course will be hosted in the colline d'Élancourt which is an artificial hill made of old stones from a now closed quarry and garbage as it was used as a garbage dump of the city of Versailles + road and building works waste from the nearby meta town of Saint-Quentin en Yvelines.

 @konastab01: the Glasgow Commonwealth Games trails have had a load of new trails and a pump track built

 Only the ones with electric motors. Well that's if it's me riding...

 Cue MVDP & Pidcock

 @Law-MTB: it’ll be really interesting to see MVDP vs. Pidcock on that steep climb. Have to think that’s the crux of the race and favors Pidcock.

 @SangamonTaylor: I think you're probably right but those rooty sections in the woods were exactly the kind of thing that screwed up Pidcock's race last year, and cost him a bunch of time at Nove Mesto this year.

I kinda hope MvDP can redeem himself after his dumb Olympics crash. He's had a great season on the road and it would be cool to see him in triple rainbow stripes (road, CX, XC)!

 @SangamonTaylor: inclined to agree with you there. But cannot hold MVDP in a higher regard for having just won road championships and now diving into xc. Amazing riders both of them - on pretty much any bicycle. Huge respect!

 Sounded to me like some good shifts under 1000+ watts

 Yes, modern XC races are usually similar to this for technical (have been for years). The rocky gap jump probably looks harder than it is. Modern XC race bikes can handle this no problem, doing it with a red lined HR for about 1:15-1:30 gets much more challenging.

 I agree with you - but some people wet themselves over golf, so it appears to be a matter of personal preference

 @tigerfish50: hmm if by golf you meant Paige Spiranac then I'd understand haha

 can anyone beat Puck Pieterse? That's the question.

 From reading comments elsewhere, the current track won't be; so no legacy. Disappointing to say the least.

 @Starch-Anton: what a waste

 @Starch-Anton: why introduce a new trail at one of Scotlands biggest trail centre to take it away lol

 for what exactly?