Road racing has the long climbs strewn with screaming “tifosi,” and cross racing has throngs of drunken hecklers in muddy Wellington’s but sadly most mountain bike races are often void of such passionate supporters. So seeing these photos from the 2013 Roc d’Azur in France with thousands of spectators along the climb was pretty cool. I’m content to get a “nice job” from a lone spectator at the top of a climb, so I really can’t fathom making my way up an ascent with literally thousands of people screaming at me.
Before I laid XXC to bed I was developing an idea to highlight the fine folks who do show up and support mountain bike racing throughout the world. Well, the magazine may be no more, but I figure I’m gonna go ahead and resurrect that idea. So, as the 2014 mountain bike season unfolds I will do my best to find and post of some I find here and there of what I will categorize as MTB Tifosi. Because why should road and cross racers get all the glory?
Photos: mtbs.cz/michalcerveny.com