MASS START racing - High speed battle to overtake the course cutters! Liam Moynihan

We found out about a mass start one day race in Courchevel and decided to go and race for some fun! The format would be similar to the Mountain of Hell or Megavalanche but with no glacier and just held on a single day.
The small bike festival on there was called - The Cycling event
I had a decent enough start and was in 5th, right behind my main competitors for the win so felt quite comfortable, one rider decided to cut the track which resulted in everyone behind him following, I quickly ended up behind a load of slower riders with some inbetween me and the other fast riders, I tried as hard as possible to get forwards but ended up 6th!
Was a really fun race and one I'll definitely be back for again but with the knowledge to cut the track! haha!
Final results were:
1-Kevin Miquel
2- Olivier Bruwiere
3 Finn Iles
4 - The original course cutter.
5- Kjell Van den Boogert
6- me

[@patrickmchatton7958]

I love watching you ride - you have a lot of heart and attack the course as hard as you can..

[@LiamMoynihan]

Ahh thank you! Always give it my best!

[@AhmedAliRazzaq-xq4hj]

Very good recovery after cutter guys. Well done. Congratulations for 6th. I hope you will good results in next races.

[@LiamMoynihan]

Thank you!!

[@simonharling6234]

Excellent run. Appreciate the commentary and position marker. Interesting varied course with overtaking possibilities. Watched Olivier's vid earlier. Maybe the organizers need to invest in some extra tape, stakes and marshals before next year.

[@LiamMoynihan]

Thanks!! Yeh the course was actually really good for this style of racing, plenty overtaking opportunities with every type of terrain from highspeed open to super slippery tech singletrack! It's difficult at races because all organisers have different rules and it's often impossible or impractical to tape an entire track. At many races that cut would result in a time penalty, its just difficult when every rider behind follows I felt bad for Kjell too as his fitness was really good and he was in good form that day so could have raced for the win but got diddled worse than me with the cuts.

[@simonharling6234]

@@LiamMoynihan Well, this was near the start and it was major course cutting - not like that Irish rapscallion taking a nibble off the hairpin at the end of the long traverse in the 2022 Mega to nip 2nd place.

[@Sardaukkar]

the original course cutter... lol, Liam! Frustrating, but nice ride, too.

[@LiamMoynihan]

Haha i was hooping that would give someone a chuckle. I actually couldn't remember his name when i was doing the video but knew he was the guy who cut first and everyone followed haha! thanks

[@DandyHippo]

PAPA MOYN ON THE PEDAL

[@LiamMoynihan]

Hahaha, galloping along!

[@ScottRodger1986]

How frustrating! Good effort tho getting back to 6th.

[@LiamMoynihan]

Yeh bit of a nuissance, it's always difficult to know what is fair game when things are taped. We discussed it on the practise run and concluded that it just wasn't the course to go down there. Will know for next time. Hope your alps trip was good! Catch you back home

[@Bruno.Shelby.405]

DEVE SER INCRÍVEL PARTICIPAR EESSE CIRCUITO ❗❗❗

[@LiamMoynihan]

It's incredibly fun!

[@LiamMoynihan]

It's incredibly fun!

[@AndersonPagani]

Pena não termos nada assim no Brasil. Difícil de organizar também pela falta de bikeparks.

[@Bruno.Shelby.405]

@@AndersonPagani FALOU TUDO, SÍ BEM QUE DEVERIA TER ALGO ASSIM NO BRASIL ❗❗❗

[@darkxoasis]

Nice recovery

[@LiamMoynihan]

Thanks! Would have been nice to have a proper battle without the slower ones getting between me and the other front couple of racers. But I'll be at it next year and doing the cut lines myself!

[@KíngMagíc27]

7:55 Damn Bro hit the Nitro button on that climb ! ! 😅

[@kellybuabeng4781]

Nice ride .....just watched the POV of the guy who came second

[@LiamMoynihan]

Ahh nice, That's my friend Olivier! If you see some of my most viewed race videos we are often battling side by side for position. He's also in the last couple of riding videos I've posted! He's the man!

[@kellybuabeng4781]

@@LiamMoynihan This is so great man 👍👍

[@mrPixord]

you are sooo tought and fit man

[@LiamMoynihan]

Haha thanks! Can always improve the fitness and skills!

[@such-ej]

Imagine someone picks up your bike at the start 😅

[@KíngMagíc27]

🤣 So true

[@Papenci]

Ebike!!!!! *spits xdddddd

[@LiamMoynihan]

Hahah. I enjoy riding an e-bike for time to time myself but racing e-bike seems like a bit of a joke!

[@Papenci]

@@LiamMoynihan ahaaa yea it was funny af because of context in a vid 🤣🤣🤣. ppl just gasping for air and dudes just zooming around xddd

[@San-wo8ky]

@@LiamMoynihan It should be illegal

[@RAFSmartSam]

wel done mate next time nr 1

[@LiamMoynihan]

Thanks! I'll give it my best haha

[@KíngMagíc27]

24:38 🤯 WTF

[@lulu2461]

What's the meaning of e-bike here? Do they have better gears or something?

[@LiamMoynihan]

E-bike is an electric bike. They have an electric motor so are like a small motorbike. They could join in but weren’t part of the actual race results for obvious reasons. Haha!

[@snpgftak]

这要让你得第一那真是天理不容。

[@LAKINDUCHETHANA-w3u]

you could got a good place than 6 if that cutter guys didn't do that

[@alfredovillarreal8700]

sin posicion ni velocidad es muy dificil de verrrrrr

[@AhmedAliRazzaq-xq4hj]

You need some more difficult training to keep the positions in top 5. But you are always one of my best rider.

[@LiamMoynihan]

Thanks!! haha yeh need to work hard over winter!

[@Neilukuk]

Others cheated so that wasn't his fault he lost 5th.

[@groovydoo]

Did #4 get DQed?

[@LiamMoynihan]

Nope. I think the difficulty is that after he cut the course so so many people behind him followed. Including Kevin Miquel who won the race. He was one of those who passed me on the course cut. It's hard thought because once one guy cuts it and another follows everyone behind is worried about being passed by slower riders so everyone does the cut. Just needs yo be clear defined rules for what's allowed. I'll do this race again next year and will definitely be cutting across the grass there myself!!

[@Владвлад-р6х]

the monstrous noise from the wind spoils the whole impression of the video😑

[@spider_1021]

how to take part in these races??

[@LiamMoynihan]

For some of the bigger mass start races there are qualifying races, normally one or two days before and the top riders from each qualifying race get to race the final. For this one you can just enter online before hand - you need a race licence from the national federation in your country ( or often you can have a doctor note instead to say you are able to race safely)

[@JustinGreek-b4g]

Lopez Matthew Lewis Carol Johnson Michael

[@CaptainBugey]

Is race smart, not hard applicable here ?

[@LiamMoynihan]

I reckon that's always applicable. Depends what you mean by smart though. If it's cutting the course then in many races that would result in a time penalty or maybe Disqualification. I don't blame all the other riders for following the first who did it but definitely the first rider to do it when all the others ahead are following the course isn't necessarily smart. If i do this event again next year I'll know to cut the course there too!

[@darkxoasis]

This seems like it is not racing the course as it was intended to be. It's also really dangerous. Look at all the possible collisions.

[@Barryscouler]

All course cutter get an instant within 1k ban and removal from the race when in bunches a course cut would be more than 3m from marked course if not bunched up course must be followed that becomes fair for every one

[@LiamMoynihan]

It gets really tricky if there aren't clear cut rules. I think when yiu start doing up to 3m short cuts etc everyone will push the limit of that and it becomes a grey area. Personally i like a rule of either stick to the tape if its a big race -Megavalanche for example would disqualify someone who leaves the taped course. At smallerraces sticking to the actual trail seems fair and then application of common sense beyond that. Here it was hard because irs a massive cut so clearly not fair game but ones one rider did iteveruone behind followed because they don't want to be passed hh those behind them so the whole thing falls apart a bit. I don't really blame the ones who followed just the first guy who cut!