Stay at home Brits snub EU
By TMX Archives on 25th May 12
IN last weeks TMX there was a piece in which Britains UEM (European Union) chairman Eddy Herd was expressing his dismay at the fact that only four British Youth riders had entered for the next round of the European 65/85 MX series in Holland despite the fact that the ACU actually has a budget to help out.
Well, I wonder if anyone in charge of our sport has looked out of the window lately and checked out the length of the dole queues.
Or perhaps bought a tankful of juice for their vehicle – without claiming it back on expenses!
I feel that there is a clue to the above conundrum in there. If the penny still hasn't dropped – times are tight and as much as they love their bike sport people are worried.
Worried about keeping their jobs, paying their mortgage, filling their tanks and other minor details that keep you awake at night.
It is obvious that riders in all disciplines of off-road sport have changed their riding habits to fit in with these difficuit times – some quite radically. Riders are much more selective when and where they ride. Yes some, many even, appear to be (on the surface at least) relatively unaffected by rapidly increasing costs.
But equally many more have had to throttle back. They now ride twice a month instead of three or four times. They also stick with just one or two series, as close to home as possible.
I'm all for riders pushing their limits but simple economics rules that only those with deep
pockets can contemplate riding abroad anyway.
These may not of course be the best riders, simply the ones that can afford to go – or at least whose parents can afford to take them!
In these straitened times I would certainly question the wisdom of the ACU handing over hard-earned brass just because the odd individual fancies a trip abroad.
Surely if cash is available it could be put to benefit the sport in this country?
I'm certainly not saying that Britain shouldn't help riders make the most of their talent. But this needs to be done in a structured manner, not just wait to see who enters and hand them a few quid.
If anyone wants to know how to really do this to maximum effect all I would say is check-out how the Spanish Federation churns-out world-beating teenage GP road race stars each year.
The short version is through an incredibly structured system that allows the cream to float to the surface. They operate a similar system in trials which works – but only up to a point. Their youth trials riders are given the chance to flourish on the
international front for several years, after which they are on their own.
There is no money in trials and the scrapheap of young Spanish trials talent is as deep as it is cruel.
Youth champion one year, Junior champ the next, dumped and demoralised the year after that.
