Posts
141
Joined
8/6/2012
Location
Blackfoot, ID
US
Edited Date/Time
7/14/2022 6:11pm
A few weeks ago, I watch this video on youtube. While this video is about American Road Motorcycle racing, and is meant for the Motocross/Supercross crowd (for those who don't know, the man in the video, Jason Weigandt, is the announcer for AMA Motocross broadcasts,) I couldn't help but think about WC DH and USA DH. With the changes coming the WC DH there is a ton of uncertainty. Nobody seems to know what is going to really happen, and whether it will be good or bad.
Thankfully, Loic Bruni has worked at organizing the riders and forming a rider’s union. This is great for them, and will also be good for the sport and for us fans. MLB baseball players formed a union in 1966, and while there have been some rough years (A players union strike in 1994 prevented the World Series from taking place,) it has helped elevate the players and that sport. The LA Angels star player, and multi-MVP superstar Mike Trout signed a 12-year contract extension with them back in 2018 that is worth over 400 million USD. And our DH heroes are lucky to get 3-year contracts, with some of those being pulled out from under them at the last second. Anyway, I'm really hopeful the Racer's Union will help the riders grow, because then the sport will get even better.
So, the racers are doing something, but is there anything us fans can do to help? Going back to the video about American Sportbike Racing's decline, Jason gives two reasons: too many organizational changes to "elevate the sport to the next level," and lack of superbike sales.
It's a common sentiment that DH bike sales have been falling for 10 years or more. 10 years ago, I could go rent a DH bike in Park City, Utah to ride the resorts there, but when I last checked, the longest travel bike you could rent was a Specialized Stumpjumper (the long travel version.) If the Discovery changes end up killing the spectator side of the sport is plausible that the industry will stop sponsoring DH race teams, and WC DH will fall just like American Superbike Racing did.
I think that what we fans may be able to do to stabilize and even grow the future of DH racing is to buy a DH bike. Seriously, if you are like me and you watch every race and spend the off-season dreaming of the next race, and you can scrape together the cash, then the best thing you can do to help our sport is to buy a DH bike. Even if you will rarely ride it, or even never ride it. Heck, fans in other sports spend way more money on things that they never use. Fashion designer Mark Echo spent 752,467 USD to buy Barry Bond's home run record breaking baseball. You know that ball will never be played in another baseball game.
I know that buying a DH bike isn't in the budget for everyone, I know it isn't in mine. But I'm going to start saving, and instead of replacing my enduro bike in a few years with another one, I'm going to get a DH bike in the hopes that I can do a small thing to help the best sport in the world be healthy and grow.
i think there is future stability now. the bright side of any slump discovery or UCI could cause to WC DH is that local/regional racing seems to be doing well. in the US and other countries. DHSE, NW Cup, Eastern States Cup, and now Downhill Rockies are having really good participation numbers stateside. iXS has a lot of different options in Europe with good turnouts. maybe participation changes in the near future w/ inflation/gas etc, but regardless, there is a healthy crop of up-and-coming downhill racers who have the bug. they may be starting out on singlecrown bikes, but they're out there, and we should hope it means a healthy sport in the future with some kind of elite-level racing series.
discovery has the world cup for 7 years. if they don't produce within the first year or two, maybe everyone pulls out and crankworx becomes the pinnacle of the sport as riders and teams flock to their events (which are broadcast by red bull). maybe a new series will take hold. US nationals were nearly as prestigious as world cups at one point, so maybe a US series could achieve the same (many often discuss east/west/rocky mtn regional series that culminate in a national shootout or something).
with UCI administering every form of elite bike racing, however, separating downhill from them seems very difficult, especially for a major bike brand. world champs is still important which means UCI points. all this rambling to say that i think DH is a resilient community and no matter who tries to swoop in with big money or ideas, the sport will live on through peaks and valleys just like moto or car racing.
To support UCI WC DH racing I'd guess the best thing to do is watch the videos (both race and all the team content thats put out), buy products from the sponsors (bike or not) and simply write to the sponsors and tell them you bought one of their products specifically because of that sponsorship.
Sorry if this is going off topic, but I do think UC WC DH racing needs to change. I'm a fan of it, but with only 7 races, often with a gap of more than a month between races, it's very difficult to get into. I follow SX & MX much more closely these days as they are better suited to TV viewing and there is a race most weekends. Either tighten the season up or add a few more rounds.
Maybe even more off topic... I'd think the biggest threat to UCI WC DH racing is the tanking economies and other instabilities around the world.
The change at the top may not affect the racing on a country level, but the uncertainty will influence the ability of riders look at the sport & see if there is a real option to create a lifestyle beyond your boarders.
The UCI/RB style of sharpe end racing is starting the look very very sharp (fewer riders). The sharper it get the easier it is to televise and manage as an event (great for them), but makes it harder and harder for riders around the world to aim for and participate in, it will very much come down to access to funds to compete. Not necessarily the people with the skill.
The smaller the group, the more focused the money, the higher level of equipment needs to compete. It seems like F1 of MTB, but if it gets more like real F1, privateers & small teams will be non-existent.
The inability to participate, will mean less high level achievement for most people. Your local event may become the top of the top. This is possibly a good outcome, maybe not.
But as a rider looking to crack into the top ranks, there is a very very small window. How much drama is it to land a F1 seat? do we want that for DH?
If the rumour to cut the Elite Qualification numbers to 30, then it needs to be replaced by a U23 class & still keep Jnrs. It seems to be working well in BMX Race right now.
Stabilisation would be to make sure there is development and succession in riders. U23 adds to this goal.
Having a wide array of high end competitors makes for exciting racing and depth of field.
Limiting TV awareness to just elite & having limited ability to attain entry into the fold, will shrink the sport.
Here in Aus, the picture isn't so rosy. Our national cycling body cancelled the national DH series a few years ago, not because of poor attendance, just because the people in charge are XC obsessed and view DH as a fringe activity. From what I can tell they are actively trying to kill off DH racing in Australia.
In my home state of New South Wales our state series has also been cancelled. Victoria and Queensland have healthy state DH series. Driving 10 hours to go to an interstate race is a big ask though.
Despite the lack of support from our governing body, there are still a lot of fast juniors coming through. The Meier-Smith brothers are doing great after picking up Propain Factory support. Dean Lucas has been mentoring and supporting young groms like Ollie Davis who has been picked up by the Union. We've got a few junior and first year elite ladies racing this year supported by parents, local distributers and their own savings like Ellie Smith, Cassie Voysey and Connor Mielke (goooo Conor!). Absolutely zero, zip, nothing, nada in terms of support from AusCycling though!!
We used to have a junior development program with Sharples coaching and mentoring and there was support to send the worlds team over for some other races before worlds. Last year Auscycling prevented any Australian juniors that weren't already in Europe and on a registered trade team from even going to worlds on their own coin. It's a tragedy!!
Looking at the World Cup, when the Discovery deal was announced I thought a lot of the negativity in the comments was unwarranted. I looked at it as a possibility to expand the viewing market and even possibly help to bring in more outside sponsors. From what I'm reading and seeing the riders saying in the videos I'm definitely in the negative camp now. I don't think EWS has been heading in the right direction and ESO running the show fills me with dread. Chris Ball's "ask me anything" on the other site was woeful. No announcements about calendar or rule changes has everyone spooked. They are kooking it!
So I totally understand and support the riders wanting to organise and have some representation.
I really hope ESO and Discovery get it together and deliver a decent series and coverage next year.
I think the reduction of the field could lead to positive impact for regional series but it's tough to say, if that isn't the impact and instead the sport just dies then we're in a very tight spot. Not to mention the jobs lost from all the factory level teams that can't afford to sign top 30 talent. The World Cup would essentially become pay to win, "you want your bike on the World Cup Podium? One of these 30 people can do it, and this is what they cost.". Would we end up a constructors title? Or would you have a RedBull team riding Norcos, Propains, Nukeproof, or some other bike just so brands can have representation in that space?
It's a crazy time ahead, and I think that the best thing we can do is support the riders, talk about the riders, buy the bikes, ride the bikes, and talk about the bikes.
At least in Germany we don't have a strong DH series. I mean there are a lot of girls and guys riding in the local bikepark s but not really big DH races.
As far as I know something similar applies to Austria. It's a bit sad to see. When I dabbled in some races the only ones I raced were the IXS Rookie races but even those were spread apart the country and there were no local races or something which get's people to try a race.
I think with only 30 qualifiers it will be pretty elitist and most of the qualifiers will be from states with strong national series.
First off: I'm not sure this is a real problem. Honestly, I'm not. Can manufacturers afford DH even if they're not selling a ton of downhill bikes? Maybe?
What's it been... almost ten years that enduro bikes have been capable of handling most gravity and bike park terrain? And, because they are also rideable on local trails, who wouldn't want them, instead of the, "two-bike solution"? This is even more the case now that eBikes are taking over. They're just enduro bikes with a battery.
But downhill racing is SO COOL:
And it's utility to the industry is legitimate: downhill racing refines the products / geometry etc. used on most enduro bikes, and it's a better entertainment experience than EWS, for a viewer. High pivots didn't start on enduro bikes.
I've raced downhill, and I've raced enduro, and I like both, and I hope both formats continue to thrive, however, as a viewer, I'm mostly interested in World Cup DH. The single run format will never be beaten by enduro, for viewers.
But, if you need tons of DH bike sales to support World Cup DH racing...in my opinion, the biggest REAL issue is lack of REAL downhill bike terrain for those of us who buy bikes. If you don't have somewhere legit to ride your Supreme / v-10, Session, etc., why do you need it?
My nomad handled most of Winter Park, for years, with very few maintenance issues: I could ride WP, race it, and go ride Dakota, Apex, hell, Green Mt. on the same bike the next day. Having a legit "all-mountain" bike saved me 5-10k in purchase / maintenance on not owning two bikes for gravity. From what I've seen of other American resorts: Steamboat, Keystone (to some extent), Mountain Creek, Snowshoe, Beech, Telluride, Crested Butte, you just don't NEED at downhill bike to ride them. Scratch trails excluded, I'd say...75% of legal downhill trails (lift and shuttle-served), can be handled very nicely by a pedal-bike (150-180mm). Better, even.
World Cup Racing shows us what DH bikes can do, and the industry benefit to design is obvious, so, the problem isn't should we buy a downhill bike, but if we do, where do we use it?
The answer is simple: we need more Windrock-type downhill options. At Windrock, a DH bike is both faster (generally), A LOT easier on your body, and arguably, safer. Build more bike parks like Windrock, or at least a few good steep, techy trails at every existing resort, and bam, now you've got more use for downhill bikes. It's kind of simple, really. Maybe Trek, Spec. Santa Cruz etc. should spend some of their budget developing more World-Cup level trails?
This post is my perspective, from an American rider, riding only in the US. I'm not sure how well this applies in Europe, South America, the Pacific, etc.
In gardening, the soil's composition determines what will grow, and what won't. Those of us who buy bikes and the related equipment are like the soil of the bike industry. What we spend our money on is what will grow. What we don't spend our money on will wither, and die. If we buy DH bikes and related equipment, the DH scene will grow where we live, and the industry will stay invested in the sport.
The video I shared tells the story of how a sport (with much more money than UCI DH,) was put on life support, and is currently working through intense therapy. They faced a global economic recession, big changes in the management of the sport, and a change in consumer spending. The factories left, and the most talented riders did too, and the sport nearly died.
We've already seen the change in consumer spending for DH bikes, and seen some factories leave. Yeti and Rocky Mountain are doing a fantastic job making winning Enduro bikes after completely leaving DH. And now we are waiting for the impending global recession to hit with full force, and wondering what changes will come with the change in the management of our sport.
The decline of the PRO GRT and all of the west coast DH racing should be an alarm for all DH racing. Not even a National DH qualifier for National Champs on the west coast other than one Bootleg race. That's a disgrace! Heck not even Sea Otter is USAC sanctioned anymore. Why? Because USAC has such a weak support system. The regional reps turn over way too often, and the national events person NEVER returns phone calls.
I had Vail and Northstar all hot to trot getting a Pro GRT here again, and USAC was nearly unreachable. Okay totally unreachable. In short, if USAC and UCI don't get their overcontrolling acts together the sport will continue to die a slow ugly death.
This is coming from a 25 year vet that rode all the way back to the NORBA days, and helped get the first GRT to Northstar. Just like everything else now our sport is run by lawyers and politicians that don't know a thing about the sport itself. My father was a big hitter in the AMA flat-track and road race scene and that's what happened there too. They lost touch with their fan base because the whole place was run by administrators, and not people that knew the sport, the racers, and the fans.
Brands like Mercedes and Toyota don't have race teams to sell race cars. Specialized, Fox Head, Five Ten, Red Bull, etc don't sponsor DH racing under the impression their main demographic is DH bike owners. DH racing is dependent on viewership.
National champs is about the only opportunity for that.
Thredbo would be amazing for a world cup!
Crankworx Cairns should help to raise the profile of Aus DH and it is a bit of a ray of light.
I just wish AusCyling would be more supportive of our young racers. Aussies and Kiwis have a pretty good history of making it the hard way (Vanzacs! 🤘🏽) but if things go the way they are looking like going in the world cup it's going to be a lot harder.
During that same 90's period the sport grew too fast and went beyond its base constituency. This created a boom/bust cycle that took the sport 15-20 years to recover from. It went from the 'it" sport to zero with the largest organization in the world, NORBA, being passed around different owners before USA Cycling finally killed it off quietly. For those that are too young to remember NORBA races were bigger than any World Cup race and Big Bear was the center of the mountain bike racing universe. After the popularity bubble popped the sport simply couldn't support the racing organizations that had been built. Low popularity meant low sponsorship revenue and low team budgets if there were any teams at all.
Regarding Discovery taking over and possibly charging for streams, the should look to Pro Motocross right now. I watched it religiously when NBC Sports was broadcasting it. This year it switched to MavTV which is not available on a lot of streaming services like GoogleTV. It looks like their viewership has dropped dramatically and the value of the series will decline with that as well. Plenty of cautionary tales out there whether it is Moto, NORBA, IndyCar, etc. Hopefully Discovery doesn't screw it up, but considering how the company has already made decisions like wasting over $100M on a new streaming service that they shut down after two weeks, I hold very little hope that this period of RedBull broadcasts won't become the peak of DH racing for a long time to come.
YT hasn’t updated the Tues in quite a while, or Intense with their M29. Other than Commencal I can’t think of a DH bike sold in the US that’s been keeping up on updates (Trek maybe?). Specialized doesn’t bother to offer a XL, Kona doesn’t sell the Operator here anymore. This year at the bike parks I see mostly rental or older DH bikes, the rest are trail bikes riding the blue trails.
There’s just a lot of indicators out there that DH is fading away. I sold my DH bike last year and didn’t buy a season pass this year, and I know a few other guys in similar situations. Most people I know are running fewer bikes this year, upkeep had been a pain lately.
Fingers crossed I’m completely wrong!!
Cairns has history having run multiple world cups and world champs but it's a long way up there. Brisbane is closer to Melbourne than it is to Cairns!
I'm assuming Glen Jacobs is a big part of why it is happening up there. He's a man that makes things happen.
We've got plenty of good venues with great tracks to run a proper national series. I'm sure we've got lots of people and clubs around the country who would be keen to run the races if Auscycling gave it some support.
Does Aus have a legit challenging and worthy WCDH track with the relative infrastructure? Ask yourself that question.
Canberra - cmon bro, my mum could ride down that "World cup" track.
Bright - Yep possibly Good track, infrastructure issues. Logging and land issues, Major hospital proximity (Bright hospital would be considered a Veterinarian at best)
Thredbo - I'll say it, probably not challenging enough for legit WCDH, National park nightmare to extend or change cannonball, Major hospital in Canberra 2hours away (Cooma hospo is again a vet, ask me how I know)
Cairns - When riders turn up on Enduro bikes, it aint a WCDH track IMO. Sick spot, awesome atmosphere, decent infrastructure. I was there in 1996 for Worlds and yeah the track was wild, but the bikes were also shit lol.
Maydena - Best tracks in the country, town is full of crackheads, Travelling all the way to Aus, then going to another Island again..... nah.
Now New Zealand is another story. You could have a double header in Queenstown on different tracks (Skyline and Cardrona) Queenstown would be incredible, you could even have that TV friendly urban finish down to the water.
For us Aussies, I can board a plane first flight from Sydney and be riding in Skyline BEFORE LUNCHTIME! it's 2.5 hours, you walk through customs like you own the place and the town is 10 mins from the Airport. It literally is MTB Disneyland!
The only thing not working for it is that it takes about 36 hours to fly there from Europe, where most of the riders and teams are based.
It's called the WORLD cup. Expecting it would exist only in Europe and North America is like ordering a cheeseburger and being surprised it's got meat on it. Windham, Snowshoe, MSA, Pietermaritzburg, Cairns, Petropolis (XC this year) - any other non-europe tracks we've seen in the past 10 years? Dollars to donuts if tracks showed up in Asia and South America, in 10-15 years we could have a true world cup, with racers from around the globe and not just a group of brits and frenchies at the top.
At any rate, does it mean anything that Rob Warner is staying with RedBull? Might that be a hint that RB is looking to join Crankworx and expand the series or start their own? Or is that wishful thinking? Seems to me like the growth of World Cup MTB (we all love DH, but RB's coverage of XC has been stellar, too) is much more due to RedBull than the UCI, and Warner is the voice of MTB. Bart Brentjens, Tracey Hannah, Claudio, Elliott Jackson - they all join Warner to do the announcing, but he is clearly the leader.
Hospital situation is not ideal but it is better than a lot of current world cup venues. It's a short flight in the Toll chopper to Canberra. (G'day Archie! 😂)
If they can run Snowshoe, they can run Thredbo.
Might NZ/Aus actually be on ESO's list too?
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