Bad Wigins wrote:
3) found the beer hall thing cheesy. Sports fans drink to get rowdy, which XC fans don't know how to be. They clapped politely as expected.
I think the beer tent was a good idea, but for a number of reasons it didn't quite work out:
1. It was too early in the day for a proper, rowdy atmosphere. They began serving at 11am and the final race started at 2pm. If they had done the mass participation races first and then the championship ones during the afternoon or early evening there would have been a larger and thirstier crowd.
2. They were expecting most people to pay using their mobile phone while also placing the tent in an area with very bad coverage. And on top of this the bar never got their credit card machine to work. So to buy a beer you either had to be very lucky to get a connection with you phone for more than a few seconds or have the correct amount in cash.
3. The large TVs in the tent weren't working. And while there were a number of giant screens which could be seen from many places on the course, none were anywhere near the beer tent. So for anyone with a real interest in the overall result the tent wasn't really an option.