Team MotionBased

Thankfully there are loads of excellent mountain bike riders who are just a bit out of shape for XC racing. From this lot I believe the Super-D format was born. In the early years there were rumors of "gravity assisted XC" races to favor great bike handlers over super-fit climbers. Finally that format got a name: Super-D. Super-D format hit the Norba circuit in 2003 as a way of enticing a riders to race on the newly developed "Enduro" bikes that have become popular in the industry. These "trail" bikes typically have 4 or 5 inches of front and rear travel and are designed for long days in the saddle over technical terrain. They are super fun to ride and very tempting for the majority of general mountain bike riders. It was only a matter of time before a race format was developed for this type of bike. Super-D is an event still in its infancy. The Downieville Downhill is one of the first races to really embody the gist of Super-D, but for years it was really a venue for downhillers (mostly because XC guys didn't realize how fun it could be!). For a while the bikes for Downieville kept getting bigger but riders like Mark Weir and Henry O'Donnell came to prove that shorter-travel bikes would be fastest over the course (the record is under 40 minutes, and held by Mark Weir). Last year an All-Mountain Pro category was introduced requiring riders to compete on the same bike in both DH and XC for a stage race format. XC guys really showed the potential of even shorter travel as riders like Jason Moeschler and Tim Olson had success on their Giant NRS and Trek Fuel respectively. Mark set a new record on his Nomad, and introduced a new wave of bike that is both efficient and has big travel. The Super-D has become a National Championship event and is organized into two distinct styles: time trial and mass start, with LeMans start as a variation of the latter. The courses can range in duration from 5 minutes to 45 minutes and terrain can be so varied that a hardtail can be an advantage on some courses, while bigger travel is necessary on others. The course at Mt. Snow Vermont is apparently burly as a LeMans start firing straight down the ski slope. Big travel strongmen like Weir excel here. On other courses, like Mammoth, fitness and handling combine to give the advantage to the fittest XC guys who can really handle a bike. In the most recent Norba event in North Carolina, John Kirkaldie, a DH guy, took the honors. He's also been spotted in some Semi-Pro XC events. This indicates that Super-D is an excellent "bridge" event and should continue to grow in popularity. The bottom line is that Super-D is a fun and inclusive event for all mountain bikers. For XC riders looking to try their hand at DH, or for DH riders looking for endurance work, there is something for everybody, and most courses are fine for a standard mountain bike (even a hardtail). Ultimately it is an event that is in step with the industry in honing in on the "perfect trail bike": the bike that can do everything well. For me that's my Turner Flux. For others it's something else. At the very least it will be interesting to watch this sport evolve!