I would like to know if any of those unceremoniously DNS'd from last year's Master XC races are anxious to re-attend? I know the Italians were iced, certainly most of the Canadians were including the 2006 (then the current) +60 XC World Champion. I also heard about some Brit's and Belgians too that got left out. I know that the UCI got a mitt full of complaints about the 2007 attempt.

Make no mistake what follows truly is sour grapes 'cuase nothing can be done except share a tale of woe and miss-fortune!

Allegedly when the Pra-loup “organizers” discovered their “course” was not up to standard, being way to short and totally bogus they had the UCI judge there change the start times of the 45-49, 50-54, the 55-60 and 60+ races AHEAD by more than 36 hours less than 3 days before the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP event and, word has it, WITHOUT any confirmation or go ahead from the UCI governing MTB officials. Allegedly he did it without authorization (which is a requirement).

Yah that’s correct, the 45-49, 50-54, the 55-60 and 60+ start times were moved up by more than 24 hours in couple of cases 36 hours. NOT a SINGLE e-mail was sent out. Those of us who did not and could not get a billet at the mountain did not recieve any notification about this total UNHEARD of practice. But you can be sure we all knew about the pre-race party! Why? Because they sent out e-mails to us all a couple of weeks before to tell all the registered racers all about that party.

So did the UCI judge actually get permission to change this start time? Is it common practice at World Championships to move published start times ahead by 36 hours and do it less than 3 days before the event? Is it common practice to have ALL of the e-mails of the registered riders and yet not send out e-mail notification of such a HUGE change as this? Is it common practice to have a course that was TOO SHORT, yet had been in place completed, published on their web, for more than 3 months suddenly discovered three days before a World Championship? Then is it common practice to then decide to change the number of laps so they could come in over the minimum allowed time for a Words? Is it? Is that they way to run a race when riders come from all over the globe to participate?

Good questions eh? Because if that UCI official did not get permission from the UCI governing body, then 45-49, 50-54, the 55-60 and 60+ World Championship races were run as UNSANCTIONED races! Tell that to the current gold medal winners and see how they feel about this crew.

Look I was there. The lap times we had were something like 20-23 mins a lap with 3 laps that is WAY TO SHORT. The course start loop was BOGUS. They had us going DOWN HILL to start then we did some stupid loops and, wait for it, then down a flight of narrow stairs into a parking lot and an immediate left turn all within the first k! Like that is safe? Is this is the kind of course that reflects the beauty and majesty of the Pra-Loup area, like as in France, as in a World Championship? Like NOT!! Give me a break what a joke well no it wasn’t it was pathetic.

So OBVIOUSLY those of us who missed these races just screwed up right? Well to take a quote right from the organizer’s mouth when we showed up the NIGHT BEFORE the race “I am sorry it is not possible for you to race, you have missed your race..perhaps next year eh?” While, I kid you not, we looked into the smirking faces of the organisers as this was said. Yah right. I know that most of us who came from a very long way away are going to sit the next couple of Worlds out and wait until the venue changes.

But to those guys and gals who can’t help yourself from giving a world championship a shot, then be VERY diligent with this crew, they have proven themselves not only incompetent, but unworthy, disrespectful and uncaring.