What Does the EWS and UCI Partnership Mean for Riders? 10

In late June it was announced that the Enduro World Series would be working closely with the UCI in 2019. What does the partnership mean for riders, venues, race stages, anti-doping controls, and more? Listen in as Chris Ball, Managing Director of the EWS, fills everyone in.

Credit: Enduro World Series
Related:
UCI Enduro World Cup (EDR)
Chris Ball
UCI
10 comments

View replies to: What Does the EWS and UCI Partnership Mean for Riders?

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Stiksandstones
6 years ago
"We will begin a process to write a rule book with the UCI"....so does that mean the original 'spirit of enduro' clause that was a core principle of EWS be erased?::




The Enduro World Series organisers and EMBA will respect and assist any National Cycling Federation operating anti-doping controls at Enduro World Series events.

Any competitor entering an EMBA event must follow any anti-doping procedure that may be asked of them by an Enduro World Series organiser. With the interests of keeping enduro mountain biking clean from the start and to avoid the spirit and reputation of enduro mountain bike racing from being brought into disrepute, any cyclist, regardless of cycling discipline, who has previously been found guilty by any court or regulatory body of any use of or involvement with banned, performance enhancing drugs will not be entitled to compete or take part in any Enduro World Series event.

Any cyclist prevented from competing or taking part in any Enduro World Series event by virtue of the foregoing paragraph may appeal to the Board of EMBA for exemption from that rule and in exceptional circumstances the Board of EMBA may at its absolute discretion, grant such an exemption. However, in the interests of transparency within the sport of enduro mountain bike racing, the Board of EMBA reserve the right to maintain a zero tolerance approach to drug taking in cycling and will communicate any appeal decision publicly.
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Verbl Kint
6 years ago
So much hate on the UCI.

I take it you all prefer that everybody just does their own thing, like having a roided up competitor on a non-standard bike with a hidden electric motor competing against you at a track which is not taped up properly and has substandard course preparation by an organizer who is more inclined to make money than have good racing?

Or do you just hate your local federation so much that you blame the UCI for it?
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bman33
6 years ago
So by your logic, unless the UCI is involved, everyone is 'roided up' and/or using electric motors? Does UCI somehow have a monopoly on drug testing and sniffing out mechanical cheating? In addition endless non-UCI events happen in my area (Colorado) and they do just fine taping up the race courses without the oversight (and endless fees) of UCI or in my case USAC.
On the money front, the UCI has a known history of siphoning money away from any and everything non-road related and so does the USAC.

So yes, most of us do hate the UCI and it's affiliated sanctions...for very valid reasons
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Hollywood Gainey
6 years ago
Seems to me EWS was doing just fine outside of maybe some doping. Then again, I'm pretty confident that there is doping in both UCI XC and probably DH too. I can't imagine you think the Tour is clean as well?
Here is a better reason some of us don't like that EWS and UCI have gotten together. I race(d) a local PNW series called Cascadia Dirt Cup (Washington/Oregon/Idaho), within that I have also raced the NAEC (ews qual) and Northstar Enduro (ews conti) races this last year. I earned points, and actually already have a week reserved to stay at Whistler for the EWS round. I did 2 of those events last year because I wanted to race the Whistler EWS. With UCI now in the mix this year by rule I will not be allowed to race my local CDC series without consent from UCI. I've already had a EWS membership, and now I'll need a UCI as well and possibly a USAC just so I can race a couple for the experience races as a top 40+ rider? Seems excessive. What I see is the UCI wanting a piece of the Enduro pie, with the intent to monopoly it (in regards to big companies, and top level riders) just like they have XC and DH. It will become another sport that is nearly impossible to break into without being brought up from childhood within the scene, and your focus on UCI races only. I may not have all my facts exactly correct at the moment as things are still playing out and changing (EWS100 for example) I will say this, I lost my excitement for racing a couple of the EWS this year, and will probably spend my time on CDC sereies and something less big money monopolizing as UCI/EWS. Trans BC and Trans Cascadia just keep looking better and better than the EWS. I can't help but feel a little of the "doping" news happening right now is to take the focus away from UCI/EWS merger negatives and focus on about the only thing the UCI has a better system than EWS, doping control. Not that UCI are actually catching anyone in UCI races, just that they have a system the racers, know, understand, and can work within the perameters of.
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bman33
6 years ago
I respect Chris Ball and all he has built with EWS. I believe most of his intentions on the partnership are positive. That said, handed the rule book over to the UCI (yes he said 'partnership' but we all know how heavy handing the UCI is) and adding more bureaucratic commissaires to the events is a dangerous slippery slope in my opinion. Much of the EWS appeal was it's lack of UCI oversight and repressive meddling. Many see this partnership as a deal with the devil in all honesty
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m47h13u
6 years ago
I’m with you on this. The “partnership” may seem like a necessary evil but we all know in the end that prize money will be lower and less venues will want to “host” EWS events because of the UCI tax...
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bman33
6 years ago
I have actually attended several of both EWS and UCI events. In addition, I never mentioned money in my comments. If we are going to go there, your money comparisons are an established series. The EWS grows with every season, more coverage, sponsorship, etc. The prize money will be growing (and the guides say minimum btw). Your comparisons also lack the additional demands UCI places on promoters/resorts with regards to transportation, housing, food, etc. of the scores of UCI officials. You also left out the team/federation fees the UCI requires as well. Here is a bullet list of UCI deamands in addition to the initial fees:

Payment of fees
• Organisation of the 2018 Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in line with the
terms and conditions specified in the contract
• Respect of the UCI rules, UCI World Cup Organisation Guide and Visual Guidelines
• Cash payment of the prize money for the event
• Promotion of the event
• Medical services
• VIP area and activities
• Accommodation for UCI staff (up to 80 nights, half board)
• Anti-doping related costs
• Adequate insurance coverage
• Athletes’ identification (bike plates, body numbers, etc.)
• Timing cabling
• Implementation of OC partners
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Akula
6 years ago
Sorry. I wasn't solely replying to you. There was a comment below yours which mentioned money.

All the info you have copied and pasted I am well aware of and is available in the documents I linked. Likewise the hosting costs for staff and the like for a uci world cup is simialr to how ews organise their "system" also. Likewise there are quite a lot less uci officials at world cups than you may think. It's actually Red Bull Media house with 68+ staff that burden the most. But they look after themselves.

Your arguments that ews is still young and as such prize money etc.. is understandable lower doesn't hold water when you compare hosting fees.

I attend almost all ews and world cups each year so have a pretty good grasp of both series pros and cons. But like me the EWS owners seem to understand where the uci can help them and have no qualms with a partnership..seems people like yourself though still have irrational hate for the UCI
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Verbl Kint
6 years ago
The EWS already has a rulebook of its own. The rules and regulations in place for enduro from the UCI are very elementary. I fully expect the UCI to embrace how the EWS is sanctioning enduro as opposed to the other way around.

However, there are very serious complexities in the sport that need to have some form of oversight from a world governing body. Foremost of which, is doping control. Next will be standardized training and certification for race officials (whether these will be called commissaires or not, who knows) all over the world. In addition, there has to be participation and visibility from a grassroots level in other countries of the world outside of Europe, North America, and the Anzac region. It is just not realistic to rely on organic growth from countries in Africa, most of Asia, and South America, without the support of the national federations. And you can't get the national federations to be able to help out without a world governing body like the UCI.
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