So the other day this was bough to my attention that if one Googles our fine club name this Yelp.ie review from 12/3/2012 pops up near the top.
Brian is the guy who made this pretty cool to be fair video for Richie Felle, I'm curious as to why his negative reaction to Epic Mtb, was not allowed join after the intro spin series or something?
I know there is an apparent air around Epic that to those not involved in the club can come off as arrogance or elitism but surely a fat slow mtber like myself is a testament that its not all whippet XC racer types.
Originally posted by Yelp Review
It is with solemnity that I advise against this club, and with the proviso that I have only dipped my toes in the Irish Mountain Biking scene.
I imagine that most are attracted to a sport such as mountain biking, be it cross country or downhill, as a means for light hearted escape from the hum-drum, workaday world. Some for thrills, some for nature, some as a furtive cloak on dreaded exercise. You are likely to find all three within this growing sport.
Alas, though this club is popular, methinks all three may elude you here. The ethos of the club is somewhat strange. Though they claim to do everything in the spirit of 'craic', I have found this to be utterly misleading. There is an atmosphere of negative encouragement that certainly turns me away from participating in a given activity. The kind-of latent playground bullying that, once someone is visibly hurt, is proceded by the limp-wristed 'we were only buzzing' or 'having a laugh' and indeed, no doubt, 'a bit of craic'. Described by the self-professed 'spiritual and religious leader of the club' as 'his own brand of motivational encouragment to the clubs members'. Perhaps no more warning than that is necessary.
But, at the first mountain biking event that I attended, the club founder (whom you could easily locate, but I will not mention) was present and presiding over the race. With a mega-phone in hand he would jeer, self-satisfied, at passing contest, bantering 'need to lose a few pounds there, Jimbo' and such-like. The 'ribbing' and the 'joshing' continued ad nauseam throughout. The lackeys and the in-boys of this Epic High-School Jock-Squad chiming in with snorts of subservience. This type of petty-minded begrudgery irks me so, that I could scarcely wait to leave for fear of never being able to return.
To surmise, I'm certain that some children (and adults) have the fortitude to wade through this type-of crap, but I am not one, and certainly would not let a man like that coach me, or my fictional children.
I imagine that most are attracted to a sport such as mountain biking, be it cross country or downhill, as a means for light hearted escape from the hum-drum, workaday world. Some for thrills, some for nature, some as a furtive cloak on dreaded exercise. You are likely to find all three within this growing sport.
Alas, though this club is popular, methinks all three may elude you here. The ethos of the club is somewhat strange. Though they claim to do everything in the spirit of 'craic', I have found this to be utterly misleading. There is an atmosphere of negative encouragement that certainly turns me away from participating in a given activity. The kind-of latent playground bullying that, once someone is visibly hurt, is proceded by the limp-wristed 'we were only buzzing' or 'having a laugh' and indeed, no doubt, 'a bit of craic'. Described by the self-professed 'spiritual and religious leader of the club' as 'his own brand of motivational encouragment to the clubs members'. Perhaps no more warning than that is necessary.
But, at the first mountain biking event that I attended, the club founder (whom you could easily locate, but I will not mention) was present and presiding over the race. With a mega-phone in hand he would jeer, self-satisfied, at passing contest, bantering 'need to lose a few pounds there, Jimbo' and such-like. The 'ribbing' and the 'joshing' continued ad nauseam throughout. The lackeys and the in-boys of this Epic High-School Jock-Squad chiming in with snorts of subservience. This type of petty-minded begrudgery irks me so, that I could scarcely wait to leave for fear of never being able to return.
To surmise, I'm certain that some children (and adults) have the fortitude to wade through this type-of crap, but I am not one, and certainly would not let a man like that coach me, or my fictional children.
I know there is an apparent air around Epic that to those not involved in the club can come off as arrogance or elitism but surely a fat slow mtber like myself is a testament that its not all whippet XC racer types.