Hard MTB League - It's Going to Work 7

The full potential of Hard MTB League may be tough to understand for a lot of mountain bikers in the age of instant gratification and 3-second-reels-or-die attention spans. The concept, while pretty simple, is also ironically novel. After all these years of mountain biking's existence, there hasn't been well-executed, self-contained, spectator-and-location-friendly event format that showcases the true capabilities of mountain bicycles and their pilots. That is until this past weekend when Hard MTB proved their concept will work.

All it took was a small, bowl-shaped hillside and the brain of bike handling technician, Braydon Bringhurst. Braydon's brain or body couldn't do it alone, however, so he lined up a hefty crew of expert-in-their-field MTBer to turn an idea on a napkin into a reality. The idea is one bike and four short-course stages that showcase the miracle of the modern trail bike. One track for climbing, one for raw slalom, one for technical rhythm and one that is pure downhill - the elements we find on every-day trails rides linked together and designed for competition.

Stage racing is nothing new, but what makes Hard MTB League unique is that all stages are visible, from top to bottom, for everyone in attendance. The concentrated arena-like venue means that any spectator can see a racer's entire run whether its mistake-free or full of bobbles. Each stage is timed, there are bonus sections on the climb and penalty sections on the descents. One shot at the climb and two runs on each gravity-fed stage gives riders a chance to strategize in front of all in attendance for a high-energy display of talent.

What may be easy to overlook, however, is the build up to the race as riders figured out the courses over a couple days of training. Sure, they were competitors, but the days leading up to the event showcased a comradery and community in mountain biking that is special. Braydon's main goal of the league is to build community and help riders advance in skills as well as mental performance. Throughout practice, his vision was realized as rider after rider checked off moves they thought they may never achieve with the help of...each other. Every competitor was encouraging to one another, would analyze lines together and would build each other up through cheers, hoops, hollers and heckles. It was a jam session, a clinic and a competition all in one. The elites, the old, the young, the men, the women...they ALL progressed and pushed each other. The moves weren't life threatening, but they were rewarding and by race day, the scene was electric.

Hard MTB League hasn't happened overnight, it's had set-backs and challenges, but finally, with test event that took place last weekend, it's safe to say we're in for a new and successful mountain biking competition format that can take place almost anywhere in the world.  The race replay showcases the action and excitement from the competition. From World Cup DH winner Asa Vermette, to Rampage winner Kyle Strait or the too-young-to-drive skills of Wes Luken or Mayumi Wakefield, it's an awesome spectacle to see how nail-biting mountain bike competition can be when athletes finish within .0057 seconds of each other. Oh, what's more? Next year at the first official event, the prize purse is $100,000, as the team behind the event promises to prop up the riders and not just themselves.