It is mountain biking that has gained popularity among the general population. At the same time, mountain biking is far inferior to road and track biking as a professional sport.
According to the landscape, mountain biking uses different designs of bicycles, but for the average person, however, the differences will not be immediately noticeable.
You might think that cyclocross and MTB, as races, have no differences, but if you look at the course of a professional mountain bike race, you might question whether the bike will ride here at all. Tramps, rocky and rocky sections are part of what awaits mountain bikers.
Cross country XC is the most popular mountain biking discipline and, if I may say so, the safest. This sport was the first MTB to become part of the Olympics, which happened in 1996.
Olympic Cross Country (XCO) is a race that lasts about 1-2 hours on a circular track (recommended lap length of 4-6 km). The XSO is the only mountain biking discipline included in the Olympic Games.
Marathon Cross Country (XCM) – a long race of 2-8 hours (60-120 km) without repeating the points of the course. In this form, the complexity of the course is optional.
Time trial race (XCT) is an individual race in the same way as in road cycling.
Cross-Country Cross-Country on a Short Circuit (XCC) is a 10-15 km criterium with intermediate finishes.
Sprint with elimination (eliminator, XCE) – a short race on a small circular route (500-1000 m) in several stages.
Point-to-Point Race (XCP) – as the name implies, in this race participants start in one place and finish in another. The length of the track is usually between 25 and 60 km.
Downhill – a high-speed descent on the most complex terrain with natural and artificial obstacles. The duration of such a race is no more than 5 minutes, and the distance – no more than 3.5 km.
Uphill – the opposite discipline to downhill. The task of riders is to show the best result on a high-speed uphill.
4-Cross (4X) – a race similar to the track sprint. The start is given simultaneously for 4 cyclists. The winner of each of the intermediate races gets to the next stage.
Cross track is difficult, so that because of this, and also because of the simultaneous start with the possible contact of participants during the race, 4X – one of the most traumatic areas of cycling. The whole race lasts 30 to 60 seconds.
Freeride is technically similar to downhill, but the main goal here is not the fastest time, but the extreme and the entertainment associated with it.
Parallel slalom – as in skiing, in slalom athletes start from the side of the mountain, overcoming obstacles. From the word “parallel” it is clear that two similar tracks are created for riders and the one who is fastest at the bottom will win.