In the new Moving the Needle podcast, Brendog said he might be helping to build one of the new 2025 DH tracks. Any word to which...
In the new Moving the Needle podcast, Brendog said he might be helping to build one of the new 2025 DH tracks. Any word to which one? I'd assume it has to be LaThuile or Whiteface.
2025 Crankworx updates - key takeaways, no more speed and style competitison and a "mystery" event that caters to multi-discipline athletes will debut in cairns. they don't indicate if the mystery events will take place at other venues.
press release below
Crankworx World Tour 2025: What the Year Holds for Athletes
WHISTLER, BC, December 3, 2024 — The Crankworx World Tour is gearing up for another epic season of mountain biking, with exciting sport updates for the 2025 calendar that athletes and fans won’t want to miss. We can all look forward to thrilling competition, new challenges and opportunities to claim glory on a global stage.
Updates to the Sport Structure This past season, fans witnessed intense battles across disciplines as athletes raced to earn points toward the esteemed King & Queen of Crankworx titles. Ultimately, Martha Gill (GBR) and Ryan Gilchrist (AUS) were crowned at Crankworx Whistler, each taking home the coveted prize. These prestigious titles, will be a part of the circuit again and can be earned at events across the Crankworx World Tour festivals, including:
Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch: February 13-16
Crankworx Rotorua: March 5-9
Crankworx Cairns: May 21-25
Crankworx Summer Series SilverStar: August 1-4*
Crankworx Whistler: August 8-17
*To be confirmed
While the royal standings will subsist, Crankworx will discontinue the Speed & Style discipline. The decision about the unique race format, showcasing head-to-head racing with freeride flair, was made after careful consideration and feedback from event partners, athletes, and spectators.
To ensure multi-discipline athletes vying for the King & Queen of Crankworx title still have plenty of opportunities to compete for points, each Crankworx World Tour festival (Rotorua, Cairns, Whistler) will feature at least four events eligible for valuable points. A “Mystery Event” catering to the abilities of multi-discipline athletes and tailored uniquely to the destination of Cairns, will debut in place of Speed & Style. More details to be revealed soon!
Tickets and Registration
For everyone keen to participate in the Christchurch or Rotorua festivals, athlete can now register for the first of these two New Zealand events:
Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch – register here
Crankworx Rotorua: opens Tuesday, December 10, at 10 am NZDT – register here
Fans can also secure their spot at both Aotearoa festivals with spectator ticket sales for Crankworx Rotorua and Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch available online! New Zealand residents have the chance to win big and unlock the ultimate prize. Up for grabs is the chance to win a fully loaded Crankworx Adventure Vehicle, valued at over $80,000, or a trip for two to the 20th edition of Crankworx Whistler, taking place in August 2025.
2025 has a lot in store for fans and athletes across the globe. Stay tuned for more details like confirmed athletes, side events and additional sport updates on crankworx.com and @crankworx.
I dunno if wb is brilliant or stupid or brilliantly stupid but I’ll be here to watch the whole shithouse burn. In the meantime, an invitational Redbull series could be siphoning viewers. Seems like crankworx could simply add a really we’ll produced enduro series and boosh: wb lost money.
Maybe that’s not how it goes, maybe there is some crazy high level production and wb flips World Cup dh into an incredible (tv centric) product and prints money selling it back to Red Bull or NBC, and maybe just maybe it’s for the better long term. But either way, I’m throughly pleased and convinced that US national DH is the future. The venues have a ton of potential and the guys and gals organizing seem to really have the pieces in place, and if (big if) the coverage can be handled well, wouldn’t we all watch it - if it was more watchable
2025 Crankworx updates - key takeaways, no more speed and style competitison and a "mystery" event that caters to multi-discipline athletes will debut in cairns. they...
2025 Crankworx updates - key takeaways, no more speed and style competitison and a "mystery" event that caters to multi-discipline athletes will debut in cairns. they don't indicate if the mystery events will take place at other venues.
press release below
Crankworx World Tour 2025: What the Year Holds for Athletes
WHISTLER, BC, December 3, 2024 — The Crankworx World Tour is gearing up for another epic season of mountain biking, with exciting sport updates for the 2025 calendar that athletes and fans won’t want to miss. We can all look forward to thrilling competition, new challenges and opportunities to claim glory on a global stage.
Updates to the Sport Structure This past season, fans witnessed intense battles across disciplines as athletes raced to earn points toward the esteemed King & Queen of Crankworx titles. Ultimately, Martha Gill (GBR) and Ryan Gilchrist (AUS) were crowned at Crankworx Whistler, each taking home the coveted prize. These prestigious titles, will be a part of the circuit again and can be earned at events across the Crankworx World Tour festivals, including:
Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch: February 13-16
Crankworx Rotorua: March 5-9
Crankworx Cairns: May 21-25
Crankworx Summer Series SilverStar: August 1-4*
Crankworx Whistler: August 8-17
*To be confirmed
While the royal standings will subsist, Crankworx will discontinue the Speed & Style discipline. The decision about the unique race format, showcasing head-to-head racing with freeride flair, was made after careful consideration and feedback from event partners, athletes, and spectators.
To ensure multi-discipline athletes vying for the King & Queen of Crankworx title still have plenty of opportunities to compete for points, each Crankworx World Tour festival (Rotorua, Cairns, Whistler) will feature at least four events eligible for valuable points. A “Mystery Event” catering to the abilities of multi-discipline athletes and tailored uniquely to the destination of Cairns, will debut in place of Speed & Style. More details to be revealed soon!
Tickets and Registration
For everyone keen to participate in the Christchurch or Rotorua festivals, athlete can now register for the first of these two New Zealand events:
Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch – register here
Crankworx Rotorua: opens Tuesday, December 10, at 10 am NZDT – register here
Fans can also secure their spot at both Aotearoa festivals with spectator ticket sales for Crankworx Rotorua and Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch available online! New Zealand residents have the chance to win big and unlock the ultimate prize. Up for grabs is the chance to win a fully loaded Crankworx Adventure Vehicle, valued at over $80,000, or a trip for two to the 20th edition of Crankworx Whistler, taking place in August 2025.
2025 has a lot in store for fans and athletes across the globe. Stay tuned for more details like confirmed athletes, side events and additional sport updates on crankworx.com and @crankworx.
In all fairness I think speed+style became a bit stale. Early on it was quite fun, but courses got shorter and more flow-y and the points for each trick became pretty well defined resulting in min-maxxing on the jumps. The event lost that spark it had...
Oh and they kept building the Whistler course so that the jumps faced the afternoon sun, then ran events in the afternoon. Why? Blind the riders and the spectators? What? At least by cancelling the event I won't have to complain about that again this year.
I'm always curious what new events in MTB could look like. That "Hardstyle" event from earlier this year was both interesting and a bit lame to me, so maybe with some iterations we'll get something cool out of that.
Or maybe just put 4X on a big broadcast and we'll all be happy?
2025 Crankworx updates - key takeaways, no more speed and style competitison and a "mystery" event that caters to multi-discipline athletes will debut in cairns. they...
2025 Crankworx updates - key takeaways, no more speed and style competitison and a "mystery" event that caters to multi-discipline athletes will debut in cairns. they don't indicate if the mystery events will take place at other venues.
press release below
Crankworx World Tour 2025: What the Year Holds for Athletes
WHISTLER, BC, December 3, 2024 — The Crankworx World Tour is gearing up for another epic season of mountain biking, with exciting sport updates for the 2025 calendar that athletes and fans won’t want to miss. We can all look forward to thrilling competition, new challenges and opportunities to claim glory on a global stage.
Updates to the Sport Structure This past season, fans witnessed intense battles across disciplines as athletes raced to earn points toward the esteemed King & Queen of Crankworx titles. Ultimately, Martha Gill (GBR) and Ryan Gilchrist (AUS) were crowned at Crankworx Whistler, each taking home the coveted prize. These prestigious titles, will be a part of the circuit again and can be earned at events across the Crankworx World Tour festivals, including:
Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch: February 13-16
Crankworx Rotorua: March 5-9
Crankworx Cairns: May 21-25
Crankworx Summer Series SilverStar: August 1-4*
Crankworx Whistler: August 8-17
*To be confirmed
While the royal standings will subsist, Crankworx will discontinue the Speed & Style discipline. The decision about the unique race format, showcasing head-to-head racing with freeride flair, was made after careful consideration and feedback from event partners, athletes, and spectators.
To ensure multi-discipline athletes vying for the King & Queen of Crankworx title still have plenty of opportunities to compete for points, each Crankworx World Tour festival (Rotorua, Cairns, Whistler) will feature at least four events eligible for valuable points. A “Mystery Event” catering to the abilities of multi-discipline athletes and tailored uniquely to the destination of Cairns, will debut in place of Speed & Style. More details to be revealed soon!
Tickets and Registration
For everyone keen to participate in the Christchurch or Rotorua festivals, athlete can now register for the first of these two New Zealand events:
Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch – register here
Crankworx Rotorua: opens Tuesday, December 10, at 10 am NZDT – register here
Fans can also secure their spot at both Aotearoa festivals with spectator ticket sales for Crankworx Rotorua and Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch available online! New Zealand residents have the chance to win big and unlock the ultimate prize. Up for grabs is the chance to win a fully loaded Crankworx Adventure Vehicle, valued at over $80,000, or a trip for two to the 20th edition of Crankworx Whistler, taking place in August 2025.
2025 has a lot in store for fans and athletes across the globe. Stay tuned for more details like confirmed athletes, side events and additional sport updates on crankworx.com and @crankworx.
I can only assume they aren't that bothered about attracting the top DH riders to their event in Cairns. With a WC race scheduled in Europe the following weekend who would be interested? I think it was a similar situation this year. I guess they've got their reasons.
2025 Crankworx updates - key takeaways, no more speed and style competitison and a "mystery" event that caters to multi-discipline athletes will debut in cairns. they...
2025 Crankworx updates - key takeaways, no more speed and style competitison and a "mystery" event that caters to multi-discipline athletes will debut in cairns. they don't indicate if the mystery events will take place at other venues.
press release below
Crankworx World Tour 2025: What the Year Holds for Athletes
WHISTLER, BC, December 3, 2024 — The Crankworx World Tour is gearing up for another epic season of mountain biking, with exciting sport updates for the 2025 calendar that athletes and fans won’t want to miss. We can all look forward to thrilling competition, new challenges and opportunities to claim glory on a global stage.
Updates to the Sport Structure This past season, fans witnessed intense battles across disciplines as athletes raced to earn points toward the esteemed King & Queen of Crankworx titles. Ultimately, Martha Gill (GBR) and Ryan Gilchrist (AUS) were crowned at Crankworx Whistler, each taking home the coveted prize. These prestigious titles, will be a part of the circuit again and can be earned at events across the Crankworx World Tour festivals, including:
Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch: February 13-16
Crankworx Rotorua: March 5-9
Crankworx Cairns: May 21-25
Crankworx Summer Series SilverStar: August 1-4*
Crankworx Whistler: August 8-17
*To be confirmed
While the royal standings will subsist, Crankworx will discontinue the Speed & Style discipline. The decision about the unique race format, showcasing head-to-head racing with freeride flair, was made after careful consideration and feedback from event partners, athletes, and spectators.
To ensure multi-discipline athletes vying for the King & Queen of Crankworx title still have plenty of opportunities to compete for points, each Crankworx World Tour festival (Rotorua, Cairns, Whistler) will feature at least four events eligible for valuable points. A “Mystery Event” catering to the abilities of multi-discipline athletes and tailored uniquely to the destination of Cairns, will debut in place of Speed & Style. More details to be revealed soon!
Tickets and Registration
For everyone keen to participate in the Christchurch or Rotorua festivals, athlete can now register for the first of these two New Zealand events:
Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch – register here
Crankworx Rotorua: opens Tuesday, December 10, at 10 am NZDT – register here
Fans can also secure their spot at both Aotearoa festivals with spectator ticket sales for Crankworx Rotorua and Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch available online! New Zealand residents have the chance to win big and unlock the ultimate prize. Up for grabs is the chance to win a fully loaded Crankworx Adventure Vehicle, valued at over $80,000, or a trip for two to the 20th edition of Crankworx Whistler, taking place in August 2025.
2025 has a lot in store for fans and athletes across the globe. Stay tuned for more details like confirmed athletes, side events and additional sport updates on crankworx.com and @crankworx.
I can only assume they aren't that bothered about attracting the top DH riders to their event in Cairns. With a WC race scheduled in Europe...
I can only assume they aren't that bothered about attracting the top DH riders to their event in Cairns. With a WC race scheduled in Europe the following weekend who would be interested? I think it was a similar situation this year. I guess they've got their reasons.
maybe riders/teams chasing points to get a wildcard spot for world cup race? a win at crankworx is 60 points ( equivalent of 13th at at world cup) plus exposure from being broadcast on Red Bull.
I dunno if wb is brilliant or stupid or brilliantly stupid but I’ll be here to watch the whole shithouse burn. In the meantime, an invitational Redbull...
I dunno if wb is brilliant or stupid or brilliantly stupid but I’ll be here to watch the whole shithouse burn. In the meantime, an invitational Redbull series could be siphoning viewers. Seems like crankworx could simply add a really we’ll produced enduro series and boosh: wb lost money.
Maybe that’s not how it goes, maybe there is some crazy high level production and wb flips World Cup dh into an incredible (tv centric) product and prints money selling it back to Red Bull or NBC, and maybe just maybe it’s for the better long term. But either way, I’m throughly pleased and convinced that US national DH is the future. The venues have a ton of potential and the guys and gals organizing seem to really have the pieces in place, and if (big if) the coverage can be handled well, wouldn’t we all watch it - if it was more watchable
HEY, USDH????? Monster energy?????
GOD PLEASE HAVE A REALLY WATCHABLE CONTENT !!!!
Having a strong national series is key to producing great World Cup riders, and that's exactly WB’s plan. Quality over quantity, anytime! So yes, these latest plans from WB are a clear call to national and continental federations to step up and take action. It would also make sense for sponsors to get involved now, as the World Cup has become too expensive. Meanwhile, there’s untapped potential in national and continental series that could be capitalized on for a fraction of the cost.
On a different note, I never paid much attention to the DH races at Crankworx anyway, so it doesn’t bother me at all. I’m all for sticking to core expertise, and it seems like DH racing isn’t Crankworx’s strong suit. Slopestyle, on the other hand, definitely is. So either Crankworx starts investing in DH (like red bull with hardline does) or let it go down the drain.
This has been rumored, along many other enduro teams or at least riders getting cut. And that Orbea will sponsor FMD next year with Maes joining that team.
Would it make sense that maybe FMD will branch out to Enduro as well? That way the riders still have their team, just under a different banner? Is this something the Seagrave family would take on? Seems like a combination of the two would lead to quite a few points in the new system. Creative speculation, but maybe?
maybe riders/teams chasing points to get a wildcard spot for world cup race? a win at crankworx is 60 points ( equivalent of 13th at at...
maybe riders/teams chasing points to get a wildcard spot for world cup race? a win at crankworx is 60 points ( equivalent of 13th at at world cup) plus exposure from being broadcast on Red Bull.
For sure, I was talking more about riders that will already be racing at WC level. I guess it's too hot in Cairns to schedule the event when a lot of riders will be in the southern hemisphere anyway, but I wonder if they'd attract more antipodean riders if they scheduled it for their spring?
@fartsack The race on the 1199 track draws more big name riders. Being scheduled close to the Canadian (and possibly US) National Champs probably helps, as does the fact that it's a great track, which isn't really the case with the other Crankworx events. It'll be interesting to see what the new DH track at Skyline Rotorua will be like (the old one sucked IMO).
maybe riders/teams chasing points to get a wildcard spot for world cup race? a win at crankworx is 60 points ( equivalent of 13th at at...
maybe riders/teams chasing points to get a wildcard spot for world cup race? a win at crankworx is 60 points ( equivalent of 13th at at world cup) plus exposure from being broadcast on Red Bull.
For sure, I was talking more about riders that will already be racing at WC level. I guess it's too hot in Cairns to schedule the...
For sure, I was talking more about riders that will already be racing at WC level. I guess it's too hot in Cairns to schedule the event when a lot of riders will be in the southern hemisphere anyway, but I wonder if they'd attract more antipodean riders if they scheduled it for their spring?
@fartsack The race on the 1199 track draws more big name riders. Being scheduled close to the Canadian (and possibly US) National Champs probably helps, as does the fact that it's a great track, which isn't really the case with the other Crankworx events. It'll be interesting to see what the new DH track at Skyline Rotorua will be like (the old one sucked IMO).
@sspomer main takeaway that I can see is that the European leg of the world tour is no more and they are padding out the World Tour with the Summer Series. Both the NZ and Australian events are bank rolled by the local tourism boards, if this funding is pulled I cant see the World Tour continuing and Crankworx will return to a Whistler only event.
In all fairness I think speed+style became a bit stale. Early on it was quite fun, but courses got shorter and more flow-y and the points...
In all fairness I think speed+style became a bit stale. Early on it was quite fun, but courses got shorter and more flow-y and the points for each trick became pretty well defined resulting in min-maxxing on the jumps. The event lost that spark it had...
Oh and they kept building the Whistler course so that the jumps faced the afternoon sun, then ran events in the afternoon. Why? Blind the riders and the spectators? What? At least by cancelling the event I won't have to complain about that again this year.
I'm always curious what new events in MTB could look like. That "Hardstyle" event from earlier this year was both interesting and a bit lame to me, so maybe with some iterations we'll get something cool out of that.
Or maybe just put 4X on a big broadcast and we'll all be happy?
The dual slalom was postponed at Whistler this year due to a terrible track. If they cant get that track right (which is relatively easy) they have no chance of building a pro level 4X track.
"In all fairness I think speed+style became a bit stale"
I don't think I personally ever really got it.
I love racing, I'm glued to the DH and XC. I'll even watch the weird niche things like urban eliminator. And I'll watch the slope/freeride competitions in a state of confused awe at how intricate the tricks are.
But speed and style tried to combine elements of both to end up with something not as good as either. It did tend to have good filming and production value, hope those guys and cameras (and budget) can be relocated to the downhill.
In the new Moving the Needle podcast, Brendog said he might be helping to build one of the new 2025 DH tracks. Any word to which...
In the new Moving the Needle podcast, Brendog said he might be helping to build one of the new 2025 DH tracks. Any word to which one? I'd assume it has to be LaThuile or Whiteface.
The track in la Thuile is almost done. Almost full lap here:
In all fairness I think speed+style became a bit stale. Early on it was quite fun, but courses got shorter and more flow-y and the points...
In all fairness I think speed+style became a bit stale. Early on it was quite fun, but courses got shorter and more flow-y and the points for each trick became pretty well defined resulting in min-maxxing on the jumps. The event lost that spark it had...
Oh and they kept building the Whistler course so that the jumps faced the afternoon sun, then ran events in the afternoon. Why? Blind the riders and the spectators? What? At least by cancelling the event I won't have to complain about that again this year.
I'm always curious what new events in MTB could look like. That "Hardstyle" event from earlier this year was both interesting and a bit lame to me, so maybe with some iterations we'll get something cool out of that.
Or maybe just put 4X on a big broadcast and we'll all be happy?
The dual slalom was postponed at Whistler this year due to a terrible track. If they cant get that track right (which is relatively easy) they...
The dual slalom was postponed at Whistler this year due to a terrible track. If they cant get that track right (which is relatively easy) they have no chance of building a pro level 4X track.
Would it make sense that maybe FMD will branch out to Enduro as well? That way the riders still have their team, just under a different...
Would it make sense that maybe FMD will branch out to Enduro as well? That way the riders still have their team, just under a different banner? Is this something the Seagrave family would take on? Seems like a combination of the two would lead to quite a few points in the new system. Creative speculation, but maybe?
IIRC no one even knows if Enduro will have UCI points (this season it didn't except may for Worlds?) so I can't see teams committing limited budget in the hopes that it will next season. (Maes has proven he can be competitive in DH so that seems like less of a risk).
The Scott - Châtel connection might make sense?
2025 Crankworx updates - key takeaways, no more speed and style competitison and a "mystery" event that caters to multi-discipline athletes will debut in cairns. they don't indicate if the mystery events will take place at other venues.
press release below
Crankworx World Tour 2025: What the Year Holds for Athletes
WHISTLER, BC, December 3, 2024 — The Crankworx World Tour is gearing up for another epic season of mountain biking, with exciting sport updates for the 2025 calendar that athletes and fans won’t want to miss. We can all look forward to thrilling competition, new challenges and opportunities to claim glory on a global stage.
Updates to the Sport Structure
This past season, fans witnessed intense battles across disciplines as athletes raced to earn points toward the esteemed King & Queen of Crankworx titles. Ultimately, Martha Gill (GBR) and Ryan Gilchrist (AUS) were crowned at Crankworx Whistler, each taking home the coveted prize. These prestigious titles, will be a part of the circuit again and can be earned at events across the Crankworx World Tour festivals, including:
Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch: February 13-16
Crankworx Rotorua: March 5-9
Crankworx Cairns: May 21-25
Crankworx Summer Series SilverStar: August 1-4*
Crankworx Whistler: August 8-17
*To be confirmed
While the royal standings will subsist, Crankworx will discontinue the Speed & Style discipline. The decision about the unique race format, showcasing head-to-head racing with freeride flair, was made after careful consideration and feedback from event partners, athletes, and spectators.
To ensure multi-discipline athletes vying for the King & Queen of Crankworx title still have plenty of opportunities to compete for points, each Crankworx World Tour festival (Rotorua, Cairns, Whistler) will feature at least four events eligible for valuable points. A “Mystery Event” catering to the abilities of multi-discipline athletes and tailored uniquely to the destination of Cairns, will debut in place of Speed & Style. More details to be revealed soon!
Tickets and Registration
For everyone keen to participate in the Christchurch or Rotorua festivals, athlete can now register for the first of these two New Zealand events:
Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch – register here
Crankworx Rotorua: opens Tuesday, December 10, at 10 am NZDT – register here
Fans can also secure their spot at both Aotearoa festivals with spectator ticket sales for Crankworx Rotorua and Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch available online! New Zealand residents have the chance to win big and unlock the ultimate prize. Up for grabs is the chance to win a fully loaded Crankworx Adventure Vehicle, valued at over $80,000, or a trip for two to the 20th edition of Crankworx Whistler, taking place in August 2025.
> Tickets & Competition for Crankworx Summer Series Christchurch
> Tickets & Competition for Crankworx Rotorua
2025 has a lot in store for fans and athletes across the globe. Stay tuned for more details like confirmed athletes, side events and additional sport updates on crankworx.com and @crankworx.
I dunno if wb is brilliant or stupid or brilliantly stupid but I’ll be here to watch the whole shithouse burn.
In the meantime, an invitational Redbull series could be siphoning viewers.
Seems like crankworx could simply add a really we’ll produced enduro series and boosh: wb lost money.
Maybe that’s not how it goes, maybe there is some crazy high level production and wb flips World Cup dh into an incredible (tv centric) product and prints money selling it back to Red Bull or NBC, and maybe just maybe it’s for the better long term.
But either way, I’m throughly pleased and convinced that US national DH is the future. The venues have a ton of potential and the guys and gals organizing seem to really have the pieces in place, and if (big if) the coverage can be handled well, wouldn’t we all watch it - if it was more watchable
HEY, USDH?????
Monster energy?????
GOD PLEASE HAVE A REALLY WATCHABLE CONTENT !!!!
In all fairness I think speed+style became a bit stale. Early on it was quite fun, but courses got shorter and more flow-y and the points for each trick became pretty well defined resulting in min-maxxing on the jumps. The event lost that spark it had...
Oh and they kept building the Whistler course so that the jumps faced the afternoon sun, then ran events in the afternoon. Why? Blind the riders and the spectators? What? At least by cancelling the event I won't have to complain about that again this year.
I'm always curious what new events in MTB could look like. That "Hardstyle" event from earlier this year was both interesting and a bit lame to me, so maybe with some iterations we'll get something cool out of that.
Or maybe just put 4X on a big broadcast and we'll all be happy?
I can only assume they aren't that bothered about attracting the top DH riders to their event in Cairns. With a WC race scheduled in Europe the following weekend who would be interested? I think it was a similar situation this year. I guess they've got their reasons.
maybe riders/teams chasing points to get a wildcard spot for world cup race? a win at crankworx is 60 points ( equivalent of 13th at at world cup) plus exposure from being broadcast on Red Bull.
I'm surprised no one is talking about Orbea ending their enduro Team! Is this known news?
https://stories.orbea.com/en/a-farewell-in-a-big-way/
Having a strong national series is key to producing great World Cup riders, and that's exactly WB’s plan. Quality over quantity, anytime! So yes, these latest plans from WB are a clear call to national and continental federations to step up and take action. It would also make sense for sponsors to get involved now, as the World Cup has become too expensive. Meanwhile, there’s untapped potential in national and continental series that could be capitalized on for a fraction of the cost.
On a different note, I never paid much attention to the DH races at Crankworx anyway, so it doesn’t bother me at all. I’m all for sticking to core expertise, and it seems like DH racing isn’t Crankworx’s strong suit. Slopestyle, on the other hand, definitely is. So either Crankworx starts investing in DH (like red bull with hardline does) or let it go down the drain.
This has been rumored, along many other enduro teams or at least riders getting cut. And that Orbea will sponsor FMD next year with Maes joining that team.
I do wonder where Flo will end up?
Flo's no downhiller, nor XC whippet.
But still one hell of a bike rider (and by all accounts of people I know that have met Flo... A really awesome person to be around!).
Would it make sense that maybe FMD will branch out to Enduro as well? That way the riders still have their team, just under a different banner? Is this something the Seagrave family would take on? Seems like a combination of the two would lead to quite a few points in the new system. Creative speculation, but maybe?
For sure, I was talking more about riders that will already be racing at WC level. I guess it's too hot in Cairns to schedule the event when a lot of riders will be in the southern hemisphere anyway, but I wonder if they'd attract more antipodean riders if they scheduled it for their spring?
@fartsack The race on the 1199 track draws more big name riders. Being scheduled close to the Canadian (and possibly US) National Champs probably helps, as does the fact that it's a great track, which isn't really the case with the other Crankworx events. It'll be interesting to see what the new DH track at Skyline Rotorua will be like (the old one sucked IMO).
Cairns Crankworx piggy backs onto the Masters World Champs that are held May 15 -18.
@sspomer main takeaway that I can see is that the European leg of the world tour is no more and they are padding out the World Tour with the Summer Series. Both the NZ and Australian events are bank rolled by the local tourism boards, if this funding is pulled I cant see the World Tour continuing and Crankworx will return to a Whistler only event.
The dual slalom was postponed at Whistler this year due to a terrible track. If they cant get that track right (which is relatively easy) they have no chance of building a pro level 4X track.
"In all fairness I think speed+style became a bit stale"
I don't think I personally ever really got it.
I love racing, I'm glued to the DH and XC. I'll even watch the weird niche things like urban eliminator. And I'll watch the slope/freeride competitions in a state of confused awe at how intricate the tricks are.
But speed and style tried to combine elements of both to end up with something not as good as either. It did tend to have good filming and production value, hope those guys and cameras (and budget) can be relocated to the downhill.
The track in la Thuile is almost done. Almost full lap here:
It was the pump track race that was delayed.
IIRC no one even knows if Enduro will have UCI points (this season it didn't except may for Worlds?) so I can't see teams committing limited budget in the hopes that it will next season. (Maes has proven he can be competitive in DH so that seems like less of a risk).
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