Some interesting rumours from the aforementioned videos...
- More rider input, specifically for safety/track design, said Myriam & Loic
- Only six rounds, said Amaury
-...
Some interesting rumours from the aforementioned videos...
- More rider input, specifically for safety/track design, said Myriam & Loic
- Only six rounds, said Amaury
- Only top thirty qualify, said Brook
- More races, in North America/South America, said Chris Grice
- No comment from Wyn since he hasn't heard anything. Mark Wallace echoed this by noting no calendar is available for next year.
- Many saying they assume things will be similar for next year since they haven't heard anything yet. Hopeful but uncertain seemed to be the feeling of the day.
On the Discovery topic, is it possible that instead of this landing in Discovery Sports and that associated subscription it instead goes to GCN and GCN+? They're already doing free Youtube videos for EWS, but they have their own broadcast people for road cycling on their GCN+ app. Maybe it's not a big difference to some, but the GCN+ app isn't super expensive considering all of the road and cyclocross racing it offers. Might it be that we get some sort of combo where highlights are available on GMBN's Youtube and the race is broadcast on some new GMBN+?
I hope not, GMBN presenters are unwatchable for me
A few big names don’t even qualify in the top 30 as is.. at this rate they’ll need to consider bringing back 4x to give the rest of the riders something to do. £20k on top of what the teams already pay, the cost of accommodation and travel…. They’ll be a few heads on the chopping board come the end of the season.
On one hand it'll make it really hard for up and comers to get noticed. They do a season as a privateer or on a no pay squad, they might not get the results but for sure team managers notice talent and maybe everything comes together and they string together one run in the big show......and boom, a proper ride and fame and glory beckons.
On the other foot. There's a lot of 'experienced' and maybe slightly older riders going through the motions. they have been around long enough to know what to do to qualify and are on any level super quick but won't ever worry the top 25 much again .But , it's a good lifestyle and beats the bejeezus out of getting a real job....... and no one is going to pay them for riding national races.
Chopping these riders will maybe invigorate national level races and maybe the Maxxis/IXS cup becomes the 2nd level circuit. There's not too many sports where you can turn up to the highest level events with little background and race against the worlds best (though that is a lot of the charm of the current WC).
I mean f@ck the UCI and t'disco......
On one hand it'll make it really hard for up and comers to get noticed. They do a season as a privateer or on a no...
On one hand it'll make it really hard for up and comers to get noticed. They do a season as a privateer or on a no pay squad, they might not get the results but for sure team managers notice talent and maybe everything comes together and they string together one run in the big show......and boom, a proper ride and fame and glory beckons.
On the other foot. There's a lot of 'experienced' and maybe slightly older riders going through the motions. they have been around long enough to know what to do to qualify and are on any level super quick but won't ever worry the top 25 much again .But , it's a good lifestyle and beats the bejeezus out of getting a real job....... and no one is going to pay them for riding national races.
Chopping these riders will maybe invigorate national level races and maybe the Maxxis/IXS cup becomes the 2nd level circuit. There's not too many sports where you can turn up to the highest level events with little background and race against the worlds best (though that is a lot of the charm of the current WC).
I mean f@ck the UCI and t'disco......
I hate to say it, but DH World Cup events are not "The sport".
World Cup racing is extremely dangerous and demanding, and being profesionalized for me is the right thing. I mean, it is cool for privateers to be able to race with all the top pros, but in most occasions they will be loosing money, time and sometimes getting badly hurt. National races should be the place for them to prove themselves.
There is also a problem with WC tracks getting destroyed after a day of training, and lack of time for all the categories to be on track.
I am fine with less rider entries as long as it implies more races, top notch insurance and protection for riders, bigger $$ for pros, and a better coverage of the runs. Drones and FPV cameras should be a must for every run. 4 minute gaps and full coverage. (4 minutes max track)
I would do a SX style closed lineup, with 4 slots per profesional team (3 men, 1 women) and eliminate junior category (they would compete in the same race). Only 2 fields: mens and womens, with plenty of time to train in day 1, seeding runs (for a good chunk of points, kinda mini main event) on day 2 and race on day 3.
Every team would choose their roster for the season with one backup rider (1 male, 1 female) to step in in case of injury. The backups obviously would do training as the rest, but would not start on race day. Could be an oportunity for younger riders to ease into the WC level racing. The whole field would be limited to about 100 riders, including backups. That would be helpful in case of a less than ideal lift up (e.g. Lourdes)
Obviously this setup would be terrible for privateers and not-so-hot anymore veterans, but as Gibbon says, would force second tier events, such as IXS or national cups (even a non UCI series by red bull?) to gain presence in the sport.
The problem of discovering new talent should not be that hard, with other events like nationals, crankworxs, IXS and such... And social media there to hype the young boys and girls for the trade teams to sign them. It's not like a young ripper who is faster than Loic Bruni is going to be hidden for long.
My 2 cts, what do you think?
I hate to say it, but DH World Cup events are not "The sport".
World Cup racing is extremely dangerous and demanding, and being profesionalized for...
I hate to say it, but DH World Cup events are not "The sport".
World Cup racing is extremely dangerous and demanding, and being profesionalized for me is the right thing. I mean, it is cool for privateers to be able to race with all the top pros, but in most occasions they will be loosing money, time and sometimes getting badly hurt. National races should be the place for them to prove themselves.
There is also a problem with WC tracks getting destroyed after a day of training, and lack of time for all the categories to be on track.
I am fine with less rider entries as long as it implies more races, top notch insurance and protection for riders, bigger $$ for pros, and a better coverage of the runs. Drones and FPV cameras should be a must for every run. 4 minute gaps and full coverage. (4 minutes max track)
I would do a SX style closed lineup, with 4 slots per profesional team (3 men, 1 women) and eliminate junior category (they would compete in the same race). Only 2 fields: mens and womens, with plenty of time to train in day 1, seeding runs (for a good chunk of points, kinda mini main event) on day 2 and race on day 3.
Every team would choose their roster for the season with one backup rider (1 male, 1 female) to step in in case of injury. The backups obviously would do training as the rest, but would not start on race day. Could be an oportunity for younger riders to ease into the WC level racing. The whole field would be limited to about 100 riders, including backups. That would be helpful in case of a less than ideal lift up (e.g. Lourdes)
Obviously this setup would be terrible for privateers and not-so-hot anymore veterans, but as Gibbon says, would force second tier events, such as IXS or national cups (even a non UCI series by red bull?) to gain presence in the sport.
The problem of discovering new talent should not be that hard, with other events like nationals, crankworxs, IXS and such... And social media there to hype the young boys and girls for the trade teams to sign them. It's not like a young ripper who is faster than Loic Bruni is going to be hidden for long.
My 2 cts, what do you think?
Why only 1 woman/team? It's grossly inequitable and NOT the way the sport is moving (lots of work still to do).
One problem (and maybe this is an American one mainly) is that it seems to take a while for Americans to get up to speed on the WC tracks in Europe. Most Americans go over, and it takes them a few years to really get their bearings and start honestly competing. Maybe they could fix this by developing more of an F2/F3 type league on the same tracks to allow riders to develop and see if they can get up to speed. I don't know. It just seems like narrowing it down to 30 riders in the show is going to shrink the feasibility of pursuing DH as a professional even more unless there are some systemic compensations planned.
One problem (and maybe this is an American one mainly) is that it seems to take a while for Americans to get up to speed on...
One problem (and maybe this is an American one mainly) is that it seems to take a while for Americans to get up to speed on the WC tracks in Europe. Most Americans go over, and it takes them a few years to really get their bearings and start honestly competing. Maybe they could fix this by developing more of an F2/F3 type league on the same tracks to allow riders to develop and see if they can get up to speed. I don't know. It just seems like narrowing it down to 30 riders in the show is going to shrink the feasibility of pursuing DH as a professional even more unless there are some systemic compensations planned.
seems like regional and national series need to step up, the IXS and Crankworx series are great breeding grounds.
@luckymixes - lots of interesting points and ideas that could work or improve things.
@dolface - agreed, 2 men, 2 women if luckymixes formula is used.
I love the progression in women’s dh. But decreasing the mens field to show more women this year is not the way to go. There just isn’t enough competition yet. Hopefully in 8 years there is enough women who can race to qualify and have 30 riders who are capable of a podium on a given day. They need to be careful to give the womens field the opportunity to grow at its current pace or better itself (keep the cut off where it’s at an encourage teams to have a one or more female on the team). But the women’s broadcast for dh is nowhere near the entertainment level of women’s xc or men’s dh.
I think if you are going to cut the field for finals the key is really making something out of qualifying. The die hard fans will eat up coverage of qualifying the same way f1 fans do. You will still have a large field of racers to watch as a on site spectator. And you can have a smaller and easier show for finals day.
But really I think they have the formula super dialed as it is. The cut from 80 to 60 made qualifying a true challenge as it is but still left room for guys to either get paid while the wait for that track that suits them or have a real opportunity to grow at an event with all the sponsors in attendance. And there is the simple fact that shit happens and plenty of guys who either made one mistake or had an issue will get cut by riders less likely to win and what are you gonna do about protected riders. Would hate to see someone like Aaron gwin having an even more difficult road to back on top or any number of top 10 capable journeyman no longer having a job that actually pays cause there ain’t enough money or fans in mtb racing to really carry a second series. Crankworkx is only prestigious in slopestyle and nobody watches that anymore. And they actually have a live broadcast unlike any other current dh series.
Maybe in 10 or 20’years you can truly have a formula one of mtb racing but if you jump into it now your are just going to lose fans and talent and I really struggle to see what you truly gain. It’s not like formula one broadcasts every turn by every racer on course and it’s still a great show.
All this talk a about professionalism and progressing the sport… Leaving key teams and people in the dark about what’s going to happen next year screams amateurism.
Can’t imagine what it would feel like not knowing if you/your team is even racing, where the races are, what budgets needed…? I mean next year is right around the corner.
Imagine 62.5% of the people within the company you’re currently working for basically don’t know if they’ve got a job next year.
Yeah I’m just bummed about missing out on world cups next year also. There have been snippets of EWS racing on my local Eurosport and it has been cringe worthy to say the least..
Matthew Sterling isn't exactly "fresh blood", he was on Giant Factory's roster until a few days before Lourdes, when he announced vertigo symptoms were keeping him from being ready for World Cups. Pure speculation, but NP Conti appears to be filling a spot on their 2-man-roster left by Chris Cumming who demolished his collarbone in Lenzerheide. Good timing too, since Sterling's 2 best WC performances have been in Snowshoe (a 4th in Jr., qualifying 19th in Elite last year)
Matthew Sterling isn't exactly "fresh blood", he was on Giant Factory's roster until a few days before Lourdes, when he announced vertigo symptoms were keeping him...
Matthew Sterling isn't exactly "fresh blood", he was on Giant Factory's roster until a few days before Lourdes, when he announced vertigo symptoms were keeping him from being ready for World Cups. Pure speculation, but NP Conti appears to be filling a spot on their 2-man-roster left by Chris Cumming who demolished his collarbone in Lenzerheide. Good timing too, since Sterling's 2 best WC performances have been in Snowshoe (a 4th in Jr., qualifying 19th in Elite last year)
If only the top 30 go on to finals at WC races, then might riders who consistently are below that cut off decide to cut their teeth at national races for significantly longer before trying their luck on the world stage. As a consequence the various national series could get significantly more competitive and carry more weight for sponsors, and warrant more coverage from the media's point of view?
I was never a good poet, but there's a big one out there that I'm really surprised no one has guessed. I'm sworn to secrecy and I'll keep my word until the big reveal. But come on guys and galls. Do some work! You're slacking! I don't follow Beige Bike so I won't know if they get it first, but I'm rooting for a Vital Victory!
I was never a good poet, but there's a big one out there that I'm really surprised no one has guessed. I'm sworn to secrecy and...
I was never a good poet, but there's a big one out there that I'm really surprised no one has guessed. I'm sworn to secrecy and I'll keep my word until the big reveal. But come on guys and galls. Do some work! You're slacking! I don't follow Beige Bike so I won't know if they get it first, but I'm rooting for a Vital Victory!
As Warner will be unemployed shortly, he is coming out of retirement to replace Greg Minaar at the Syndicate and Santa Cruz are dropping the V10 to make AXT1's for him.
Warner won't be unemployed. He's already said he is working with Red Bull next year, my guess is he is on a contract with them for X number of years. He does other commentary work apart from DH and XC like X-fighters
Not a rumor, but I'm curious if anyone has heard anything about Charlie Harrison's injury from Nats? He's been silent on the socials. Pretty worried about him and feel so bad that he's injured again on his first return race.
Matthew Sterling isn't exactly "fresh blood", he was on Giant Factory's roster until a few days before Lourdes, when he announced vertigo symptoms were keeping him...
Matthew Sterling isn't exactly "fresh blood", he was on Giant Factory's roster until a few days before Lourdes, when he announced vertigo symptoms were keeping him from being ready for World Cups. Pure speculation, but NP Conti appears to be filling a spot on their 2-man-roster left by Chris Cumming who demolished his collarbone in Lenzerheide. Good timing too, since Sterling's 2 best WC performances have been in Snowshoe (a 4th in Jr., qualifying 19th in Elite last year)
On the other foot. There's a lot of 'experienced' and maybe slightly older riders going through the motions. they have been around long enough to know what to do to qualify and are on any level super quick but won't ever worry the top 25 much again .But , it's a good lifestyle and beats the bejeezus out of getting a real job....... and no one is going to pay them for riding national races.
Chopping these riders will maybe invigorate national level races and maybe the Maxxis/IXS cup becomes the 2nd level circuit. There's not too many sports where you can turn up to the highest level events with little background and race against the worlds best (though that is a lot of the charm of the current WC).
I mean f@ck the UCI and t'disco......
World Cup racing is extremely dangerous and demanding, and being profesionalized for me is the right thing. I mean, it is cool for privateers to be able to race with all the top pros, but in most occasions they will be loosing money, time and sometimes getting badly hurt. National races should be the place for them to prove themselves.
There is also a problem with WC tracks getting destroyed after a day of training, and lack of time for all the categories to be on track.
I am fine with less rider entries as long as it implies more races, top notch insurance and protection for riders, bigger $$ for pros, and a better coverage of the runs. Drones and FPV cameras should be a must for every run. 4 minute gaps and full coverage. (4 minutes max track)
I would do a SX style closed lineup, with 4 slots per profesional team (3 men, 1 women) and eliminate junior category (they would compete in the same race). Only 2 fields: mens and womens, with plenty of time to train in day 1, seeding runs (for a good chunk of points, kinda mini main event) on day 2 and race on day 3.
Every team would choose their roster for the season with one backup rider (1 male, 1 female) to step in in case of injury. The backups obviously would do training as the rest, but would not start on race day. Could be an oportunity for younger riders to ease into the WC level racing. The whole field would be limited to about 100 riders, including backups. That would be helpful in case of a less than ideal lift up (e.g. Lourdes)
Obviously this setup would be terrible for privateers and not-so-hot anymore veterans, but as Gibbon says, would force second tier events, such as IXS or national cups (even a non UCI series by red bull?) to gain presence in the sport.
The problem of discovering new talent should not be that hard, with other events like nationals, crankworxs, IXS and such... And social media there to hype the young boys and girls for the trade teams to sign them. It's not like a young ripper who is faster than Loic Bruni is going to be hidden for long.
My 2 cts, what do you think?
@dolface - agreed, 2 men, 2 women if luckymixes formula is used.
I think if you are going to cut the field for finals the key is really making something out of qualifying. The die hard fans will eat up coverage of qualifying the same way f1 fans do. You will still have a large field of racers to watch as a on site spectator. And you can have a smaller and easier show for finals day.
But really I think they have the formula super dialed as it is. The cut from 80 to 60 made qualifying a true challenge as it is but still left room for guys to either get paid while the wait for that track that suits them or have a real opportunity to grow at an event with all the sponsors in attendance. And there is the simple fact that shit happens and plenty of guys who either made one mistake or had an issue will get cut by riders less likely to win and what are you gonna do about protected riders. Would hate to see someone like Aaron gwin having an even more difficult road to back on top or any number of top 10 capable journeyman no longer having a job that actually pays cause there ain’t enough money or fans in mtb racing to really carry a second series. Crankworkx is only prestigious in slopestyle and nobody watches that anymore. And they actually have a live broadcast unlike any other current dh series.
Maybe in 10 or 20’years you can truly have a formula one of mtb racing but if you jump into it now your are just going to lose fans and talent and I really struggle to see what you truly gain. It’s not like formula one broadcasts every turn by every racer on course and it’s still a great show.
Can’t imagine what it would feel like not knowing if you/your team is even racing, where the races are, what budgets needed…? I mean next year is right around the corner.
Imagine 62.5% of the people within the company you’re currently working for basically don’t know if they’ve got a job next year.
Yeah I’m just bummed about missing out on world cups next year also. There have been snippets of EWS racing on my local Eurosport and it has been cringe worthy to say the least..
He did say that the Snowshoe race confirmed to him that Mountain BIking is where his heart is, and he plans on racing a full season next year.
Those Trek pits looking awfully lonely.
https://variety.com/2022/film/news/batgirl-movie-why-not-releasing-warn…
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