Event organisers and the cycle of abuse, forgiveness and eventual love.

CHIPPS

As well as writing about bikes and the people behind them, I’ve been involved in organising mountain bike events for 20 years or so. Since helping organise the very first Mountain Mayhem in 1998, I’ve spent countless weekends in random fields with my big boots on and stripy tape and secateurs to hand.

The world seems to divide reasonably easily between actors, audience and backstage crew, and there seems to be a particular type of person who finds themselves called to work behind the scenes (usually unheralded and barely rewarded) for the glory of the event.

The motivation of the players – the actors, the racers, the rock stars – is pretty easy to trace. They’re (often) blessed with talent and bring that determination and ambition to succeed. Performing, whether it is at the front of the race, or sitting on the drum riser, is what they live for. That drive and hunger to succeed needs to be sated. The rest, as they say, is just waiting.