Vent from a West Coaster here: can we please do away with semis, if I want to watch those live it’s. 2:15 wake up call. I can do 4:45 but 2:15 is ridiculous.
I agree with most everyone else’s complaints too……….
Vent from a West Coaster here: can we please do away with semis, if I want to watch those live it’s. 2:15 wake up call. I...
Vent from a West Coaster here: can we please do away with semis, if I want to watch those live it’s. 2:15 wake up call. I can do 4:45 but 2:15 is ridiculous.
I agree with most everyone else’s complaints too……….
I like it, I can wake up and watch semis and then the race. Fast forward all the stupid BS I don’t want to listen too.
I know it's not new, but God the commentary is horrible. Ric is the lesser of the two evils and has some potential, his voiceover for the last round of Enduro summary was pretty good.
Someone really needs to tell Cedric to shut up unless he has something insightful to say. He constantly talks over Ric and ruins what should be intense moments.
I couldn't watch semis because the commentary is so bad.
Vent from a West Coaster here: can we please do away with semis, if I want to watch those live it’s. 2:15 wake up call. I...
Vent from a West Coaster here: can we please do away with semis, if I want to watch those live it’s. 2:15 wake up call. I can do 4:45 but 2:15 is ridiculous.
I agree with most everyone else’s complaints too……….
I like it, I can wake up and watch semis and then the race. Fast forward all the stupid BS I don’t want to listen too.
Woke up in time to catch last of men’s semis and finals live. Gonna watch semis sometime this week. Definitely agree that semis and finals is too long for a single sit but it’s going to be a good watch mid week and is so much better than only having a 30 rider finals.
those riders who got the short end of the rain stick in finals were able to shine on camera in semis and get points out of the weekend.
loic has a rough weekend which leaves the standings wide open. Goldstone and Finn make the most of both race runs and jump to 1 and 2 in the standings.
still can’t get over vergiers line before the speed trap. Nuts!!!!
man it’s a long time till there is another world cup.
Some great racing, Bernard looked to be in for the Win due to the rain but Mother Nature had other ideas. I'm glad the race wasn't decided by rain. Incredible round, just when you think someone pulls out a winning run (Troy) it gets pipped again and again.
Coverage was pretty good, no complaints with the time zone here in Aus, I start watching the racing at 6.30pm, crush a bunch of beers and yell at the TV until about midnight then sleep like a brick.
Not sure if others have noticed, but it seems like the Whoop heart rate data they present on screen is wildly off. Ric keeps saying “we know he revs low”, but I seriously doubt Bruni is several minutes into VDS with a heart rate of 150…
Not sure if others have noticed, but it seems like the Whoop heart rate data they present on screen is wildly off. Ric keeps saying “we...
Not sure if others have noticed, but it seems like the Whoop heart rate data they present on screen is wildly off. Ric keeps saying “we know he revs low”, but I seriously doubt Bruni is several minutes into VDS with a heart rate of 150…
I dunno, I log mine and can overlay it to a segment, I hang around 160ish on a race run, but when I stop is when it redlines up to 190 and my fat ass sweats gravy.
Imagine trying to do a race run down that track with a drone flying a couple of meters away from your head down some of the super gnarly bits surely that's really distracting
I know it's not new, but God the commentary is horrible. Ric is the lesser of the two evils and has some potential, his voiceover for...
I know it's not new, but God the commentary is horrible. Ric is the lesser of the two evils and has some potential, his voiceover for the last round of Enduro summary was pretty good.
Someone really needs to tell Cedric to shut up unless he has something insightful to say. He constantly talks over Ric and ruins what should be intense moments.
I couldn't watch semis because the commentary is so bad.
Ric is terrible too. He keeps rambling about Mullets - to a paying crowd of MTB enthusiasts. Imagine that. Thank you very much, we all know what mixed wheelsizes are. Just stick to commenting what's happening on screen.
And while were at it: The camera work from VDS was absolutely terrible. 50% of the shots were just straight up bad. Weird angles, zoomed in way too much, shaky or showing more of the surroundings or the sky than the riders.
I know it's not new, but God the commentary is horrible. Ric is the lesser of the two evils and has some potential, his voiceover for...
I know it's not new, but God the commentary is horrible. Ric is the lesser of the two evils and has some potential, his voiceover for the last round of Enduro summary was pretty good.
Someone really needs to tell Cedric to shut up unless he has something insightful to say. He constantly talks over Ric and ruins what should be intense moments.
I couldn't watch semis because the commentary is so bad.
Ric is terrible too. He keeps rambling about Mullets - to a paying crowd of MTB enthusiasts. Imagine that. Thank you very much, we all know...
Ric is terrible too. He keeps rambling about Mullets - to a paying crowd of MTB enthusiasts. Imagine that. Thank you very much, we all know what mixed wheelsizes are. Just stick to commenting what's happening on screen.
And while were at it: The camera work from VDS was absolutely terrible. 50% of the shots were just straight up bad. Weird angles, zoomed in way too much, shaky or showing more of the surroundings or the sky than the riders.
Were they on a bonus for every time they said "the black snake"?
When I was a kid I used to listen to radio broadcasts of football (soccer) game commentary. In this format the commentators would have to describe more or less what is happening. "____ passed to ____, the ball is moving across the centre line, ____ is contesting" and so on.
I'd love if MTB commentary could produce a similar listening experience. "_____ is really pushing through this rooty section, their front wheel is deflecting but they're holding on for this right hand turn, they have good exit speed into this next straight" and that kind of coherent thought sans-hype.
I'm not sure why most mtb broadcasts these days have settled on the format of one hype man and one info man.
My favourite broadcasts tend to be the crankworx races like dual slalom where both commentators are relaxed and knowledgeable and if they get hyped its only for a third of the 20-30 second run. Listening to a hype man commentator for 1-2 minutes is exhausting when they do it every other run.
When I was a kid I used to listen to radio broadcasts of football (soccer) game commentary. In this format the commentators would have to describe...
When I was a kid I used to listen to radio broadcasts of football (soccer) game commentary. In this format the commentators would have to describe more or less what is happening. "____ passed to ____, the ball is moving across the centre line, ____ is contesting" and so on.
I'd love if MTB commentary could produce a similar listening experience. "_____ is really pushing through this rooty section, their front wheel is deflecting but they're holding on for this right hand turn, they have good exit speed into this next straight" and that kind of coherent thought sans-hype.
I'm not sure why most mtb broadcasts these days have settled on the format of one hype man and one info man.
My favourite broadcasts tend to be the crankworx races like dual slalom where both commentators are relaxed and knowledgeable and if they get hyped its only for a third of the 20-30 second run. Listening to a hype man commentator for 1-2 minutes is exhausting when they do it every other run.
It's simple. Discovery didn't do their homework.
Hell, we don't even know what places qualifier is leaving the gate. You see the top 30 list once on screen before the race...and then they don't even address what position is leaving the gate, don't have their qualifying time listed & don't announce how many riders are left.
They showed a list of the final 10 riders and then you better keep track mentally because nothing on screen and nothing they say tells you who's next.
Another annoying thing is that before a racer leaves the gate, they're not announcing their titles, accomplishments or prestige.
Matt Walker shouldn't be mentioned mid run as an overall champ. It needs to be:
"2020 World Cup Downhill Overall Champion Matt Walker"🏆
It has to mean something when a guy has that title.
There's so very little honour being put on names & awards and resumes.
Instead it's "I repeat what Cedric says" unless it's "He wants more!"
It's simple. Discovery didn't do their homework.
Hell, we don't even know what places qualifier is leaving the gate. You see the top 30 list once...
It's simple. Discovery didn't do their homework.
Hell, we don't even know what places qualifier is leaving the gate. You see the top 30 list once on screen before the race...and then they don't even address what position is leaving the gate, don't have their qualifying time listed & don't announce how many riders are left.
They showed a list of the final 10 riders and then you better keep track mentally because nothing on screen and nothing they say tells you who's next.
Another annoying thing is that before a racer leaves the gate, they're not announcing their titles, accomplishments or prestige.
Matt Walker shouldn't be mentioned mid run as an overall champ. It needs to be:
"2020 World Cup Downhill Overall Champion Matt Walker"🏆
It has to mean something when a guy has that title.
There's so very little honour being put on names & awards and resumes.
Instead it's "I repeat what Cedric says" unless it's "He wants more!"
The art of commentary is as much about what’s happening on the screen as it is what’s not.
When I was a kid I used to listen to radio broadcasts of football (soccer) game commentary. In this format the commentators would have to describe...
When I was a kid I used to listen to radio broadcasts of football (soccer) game commentary. In this format the commentators would have to describe more or less what is happening. "____ passed to ____, the ball is moving across the centre line, ____ is contesting" and so on.
I'd love if MTB commentary could produce a similar listening experience. "_____ is really pushing through this rooty section, their front wheel is deflecting but they're holding on for this right hand turn, they have good exit speed into this next straight" and that kind of coherent thought sans-hype.
I'm not sure why most mtb broadcasts these days have settled on the format of one hype man and one info man.
My favourite broadcasts tend to be the crankworx races like dual slalom where both commentators are relaxed and knowledgeable and if they get hyped its only for a third of the 20-30 second run. Listening to a hype man commentator for 1-2 minutes is exhausting when they do it every other run.
Play by play commentary was needed for the radio as there was no vison to watch.
Rob Warner openly said in his Vital Podcast that he tried to commentate this way in the Freecaster days and Red Bull sent him to commentary school to learn how to let the vision do the talking, leave gaps in the commentary and create a story not just commentate the action. This is all sports are now commentated for TV.
Agree that Discovery still have room to improve, but we are comparing them to someone who was commentating for over a decade and this is there 3rd Round.
I will say I think they are improving. Not sure they still are not all that great but they are making improvements. I feel like they mention the number of riders still to go more now not a good amount but way better than first race. They are confusing if they are up or down. Cedric is a lil less french. With all that being said its still no where as good as Red Bull days,
My biggest complaint is the app is garbage, Its not like its new either.
I will say I think they are improving. Not sure they still are not all that great but they are making improvements. I feel like they...
I will say I think they are improving. Not sure they still are not all that great but they are making improvements. I feel like they mention the number of riders still to go more now not a good amount but way better than first race. They are confusing if they are up or down. Cedric is a lil less french. With all that being said its still no where as good as Red Bull days,
My biggest complaint is the app is garbage, Its not like its new either.
Yeah, GCN+ if you're listening...the most recent race replays shouldn't be the 4th columm of videos down the screen.
And when I click the junior race, at the end of that race, there should be a link to the next video in chronological order or it should do a 5-10 second countdown and auto play.
Had to close the video.
Scroll down 4 columns
Slide over 6-8 videos
Hover the mouse and squint to the see the title
Click the video.
Repeat. Did that 5 times today catching up on the replays.
Play by play commentary was needed for the radio as there was no vison to watch.
Rob Warner openly said in his Vital Podcast that he...
Play by play commentary was needed for the radio as there was no vison to watch.
Rob Warner openly said in his Vital Podcast that he tried to commentate this way in the Freecaster days and Red Bull sent him to commentary school to learn how to let the vision do the talking, leave gaps in the commentary and create a story not just commentate the action. This is all sports are now commentated for TV.
Agree that Discovery still have room to improve, but we are comparing them to someone who was commentating for over a decade and this is there 3rd Round.
I suppose I'm biased towards liking an experience more similar to what I grew up with, hence my preference for a more play-by-play style.
I certainly have felt the commentary is improving, as is the overall broadcast, but it is not yet at the point where I would pay for it.
I wonder if I'd feel different if they made their first year of broadcasts free while they figure everything out.
So far I don't want to pay, but who knows maybe next year I'll think it is worth my money. They have a tough act to follow and that act was free so of course I don't want to pay for this
Imagine trying to do a race run down that track with a drone flying a couple of meters away from your head down some of the...
Imagine trying to do a race run down that track with a drone flying a couple of meters away from your head down some of the super gnarly bits surely that's really distracting
Would have thought so, but RB TV has been using them for a couple of seasons now so it must be fine.
I would find a crowd full of chainsaws off putting. Assume when the riders are in the flow all they are focused on is the trail.
- Insane race, and the venue was electric from Brosnan's run till the afterparty died sometime around 4am.
- Course-taping was great to keep the track safer and more interesting. VDS is an A+ venue to watch lines most of us can only dream about (ex tripling into a steep braking zone), so many interesting sections to check out and see how the riders could make the most awkward looking section fast as F$#%. Can't believe some of the hits that people's wheels survived. 10/10 recommend going if you're within 6hrs drive.
- Semi-finals are really awesome for spectators who hike the track. Short gaps and tons of action with everyone outside the top 10 pushing hard. Practice, Semis, Finals provides a ton of DH to watch in a day. Bring lunch, the cooler, and some noise.
- Whoever commentated in-person was much better than Ric and Cedric (american or canadian?).
Bad
- Materials used for course-taping: the low-slung netting is annoying- going off resulted in riders & bikes getting tangled and there's little chance to quickly get up. Dak's semi-final crash was right in front of us and I think he could've been up and going within 3sec w/out the netting but instead it was a 10sec affair.
Other
- My GCN+ subscription cost 1/2 the price of gas to go visit for the weekend.
Spectator's race summary from Val di Sole:
Good
- Insane race, and the venue was electric from Brosnan's run till the afterparty died sometime around 4am. ...
Spectator's race summary from Val di Sole:
Good
- Insane race, and the venue was electric from Brosnan's run till the afterparty died sometime around 4am.
- Course-taping was great to keep the track safer and more interesting. VDS is an A+ venue to watch lines most of us can only dream about (ex tripling into a steep braking zone), so many interesting sections to check out and see how the riders could make the most awkward looking section fast as F$#%. Can't believe some of the hits that people's wheels survived. 10/10 recommend going if you're within 6hrs drive.
- Semi-finals are really awesome for spectators who hike the track. Short gaps and tons of action with everyone outside the top 10 pushing hard. Practice, Semis, Finals provides a ton of DH to watch in a day. Bring lunch, the cooler, and some noise.
- Whoever commentated in-person was much better than Ric and Cedric (american or canadian?).
Bad
- Materials used for course-taping: the low-slung netting is annoying- going off resulted in riders & bikes getting tangled and there's little chance to quickly get up. Dak's semi-final crash was right in front of us and I think he could've been up and going within 3sec w/out the netting but instead it was a 10sec affair.
Other
- My GCN+ subscription cost 1/2 the price of gas to go visit for the weekend.
Jordan Williams helmet got caught in it during his crash. That shit has got to go.
Would have thought so, but RB TV has been using them for a couple of seasons now so it must be fine.
I would find...
Would have thought so, but RB TV has been using them for a couple of seasons now so it must be fine.
I would find a crowd full of chainsaws off putting. Assume when the riders are in the flow all they are focused on is the trail.
Chainsaws and roaring crowds are awesome. When I raced, the more volume, the better it just drowned out all the distractions.
Kind of like having a fan to go to sleep to.
The NIGHTMARE....I got the "Intential Silent Crowd" once at Nationals. It was HORRIBLE!!! You come through gasping, smacking, clanking & there are 200 people dead silent, you can hear their clothes shifting, a girl snickered quietly & a buddy whispered "Go Butch."
I immediately screwed up!
I think I'd rather be naked at a concert when the music stops than go through the silent wall again.
Imagine trying to do a race run down that track with a drone flying a couple of meters away from your head down some of the...
Imagine trying to do a race run down that track with a drone flying a couple of meters away from your head down some of the super gnarly bits surely that's really distracting
Glad you mentioned. One of the ladies in finals IMMEDIATELY went down when the drone jumped on her shoulder. I thought to myself that had to have distracted her just enough.
Can anyone explain why the No.1 plate doesn't exist in male elites this year, when it does in all other categories?
Year long plates from last year’s top 10.
Amaury is out so no #1 plate.
Makes sense until you realize they change the numbers for all other elite riders and I believe all juniors.
Impossible to follow along with the series standings now.
Are top ten from last year keeping plate numbers? How is Minnaar riding with the number ten plate?
Thanks. I suppose this is what they do in other sports, but I think I prefer the old system.
He finished #10 last year.
WTF is with the juniors start order. Fastest Qualifier you go 4th. Overall leader you go 2nd.
Vent from a West Coaster here: can we please do away with semis, if I want to watch those live it’s. 2:15 wake up call. I can do 4:45 but 2:15 is ridiculous.
I agree with most everyone else’s complaints too……….
I like it, I can wake up and watch semis and then the race. Fast forward all the stupid BS I don’t want to listen too.
I know it's not new, but God the commentary is horrible. Ric is the lesser of the two evils and has some potential, his voiceover for the last round of Enduro summary was pretty good.
Someone really needs to tell Cedric to shut up unless he has something insightful to say. He constantly talks over Ric and ruins what should be intense moments.
I couldn't watch semis because the commentary is so bad.
Woke up in time to catch last of men’s semis and finals live. Gonna watch semis sometime this week. Definitely agree that semis and finals is too long for a single sit but it’s going to be a good watch mid week and is so much better than only having a 30 rider finals.
those riders who got the short end of the rain stick in finals were able to shine on camera in semis and get points out of the weekend.
loic has a rough weekend which leaves the standings wide open. Goldstone and Finn make the most of both race runs and jump to 1 and 2 in the standings.
still can’t get over vergiers line before the speed trap. Nuts!!!!
man it’s a long time till there is another world cup.
Some great racing, Bernard looked to be in for the Win due to the rain but Mother Nature had other ideas. I'm glad the race wasn't decided by rain. Incredible round, just when you think someone pulls out a winning run (Troy) it gets pipped again and again.
Coverage was pretty good, no complaints with the time zone here in Aus, I start watching the racing at 6.30pm, crush a bunch of beers and yell at the TV until about midnight then sleep like a brick.
Not sure if others have noticed, but it seems like the Whoop heart rate data they present on screen is wildly off. Ric keeps saying “we know he revs low”, but I seriously doubt Bruni is several minutes into VDS with a heart rate of 150…
I dunno, I log mine and can overlay it to a segment, I hang around 160ish on a race run, but when I stop is when it redlines up to 190 and my fat ass sweats gravy.
Imagine trying to do a race run down that track with a drone flying a couple of meters away from your head down some of the super gnarly bits
surely that's really distracting
Ric is terrible too. He keeps rambling about Mullets - to a paying crowd of MTB enthusiasts. Imagine that. Thank you very much, we all know what mixed wheelsizes are. Just stick to commenting what's happening on screen.
And while were at it: The camera work from VDS was absolutely terrible. 50% of the shots were just straight up bad. Weird angles, zoomed in way too much, shaky or showing more of the surroundings or the sky than the riders.
Were they on a bonus for every time they said "the black snake"?
When I was a kid I used to listen to radio broadcasts of football (soccer) game commentary. In this format the commentators would have to describe more or less what is happening. "____ passed to ____, the ball is moving across the centre line, ____ is contesting" and so on.
I'd love if MTB commentary could produce a similar listening experience. "_____ is really pushing through this rooty section, their front wheel is deflecting but they're holding on for this right hand turn, they have good exit speed into this next straight" and that kind of coherent thought sans-hype.
I'm not sure why most mtb broadcasts these days have settled on the format of one hype man and one info man.
My favourite broadcasts tend to be the crankworx races like dual slalom where both commentators are relaxed and knowledgeable and if they get hyped its only for a third of the 20-30 second run. Listening to a hype man commentator for 1-2 minutes is exhausting when they do it every other run.
It's simple. Discovery didn't do their homework.
Hell, we don't even know what places qualifier is leaving the gate. You see the top 30 list once on screen before the race...and then they don't even address what position is leaving the gate, don't have their qualifying time listed & don't announce how many riders are left.
They showed a list of the final 10 riders and then you better keep track mentally because nothing on screen and nothing they say tells you who's next.
Another annoying thing is that before a racer leaves the gate, they're not announcing their titles, accomplishments or prestige.
Matt Walker shouldn't be mentioned mid run as an overall champ. It needs to be:
"2020 World Cup Downhill Overall Champion Matt Walker"🏆
It has to mean something when a guy has that title.
There's so very little honour being put on names & awards and resumes.
Instead it's "I repeat what Cedric says" unless it's "He wants more!"
Carlson did a little commentary on a race run between the races and it was phenomenal. Right on par with Elliot Jackson. Get him in the booth.
The art of commentary is as much about what’s happening on the screen as it is what’s not.
Sadly these two aren’t very good at either.
Play by play commentary was needed for the radio as there was no vison to watch.
Rob Warner openly said in his Vital Podcast that he tried to commentate this way in the Freecaster days and Red Bull sent him to commentary school to learn how to let the vision do the talking, leave gaps in the commentary and create a story not just commentate the action. This is all sports are now commentated for TV.
Agree that Discovery still have room to improve, but we are comparing them to someone who was commentating for over a decade and this is there 3rd Round.
I will say I think they are improving. Not sure they still are not all that great but they are making improvements. I feel like they mention the number of riders still to go more now not a good amount but way better than first race. They are confusing if they are up or down. Cedric is a lil less french. With all that being said its still no where as good as Red Bull days,
My biggest complaint is the app is garbage, Its not like its new either.
Yeah, GCN+ if you're listening...the most recent race replays shouldn't be the 4th columm of videos down the screen.
And when I click the junior race, at the end of that race, there should be a link to the next video in chronological order or it should do a 5-10 second countdown and auto play.
Had to close the video.
Scroll down 4 columns
Slide over 6-8 videos
Hover the mouse and squint to the see the title
Click the video.
Repeat. Did that 5 times today catching up on the replays.
And why don't they have a freaking ROKU app???
I suppose I'm biased towards liking an experience more similar to what I grew up with, hence my preference for a more play-by-play style.
I certainly have felt the commentary is improving, as is the overall broadcast, but it is not yet at the point where I would pay for it.
I wonder if I'd feel different if they made their first year of broadcasts free while they figure everything out.
So far I don't want to pay, but who knows maybe next year I'll think it is worth my money. They have a tough act to follow and that act was free so of course I don't want to pay for this
Would have thought so, but RB TV has been using them for a couple of seasons now so it must be fine.
I would find a crowd full of chainsaws off putting. Assume when the riders are in the flow all they are focused on is the trail.
Spectator's race summary from Val di Sole:
Good
- Insane race, and the venue was electric from Brosnan's run till the afterparty died sometime around 4am.
- Course-taping was great to keep the track safer and more interesting. VDS is an A+ venue to watch lines most of us can only dream about (ex tripling into a steep braking zone), so many interesting sections to check out and see how the riders could make the most awkward looking section fast as F$#%. Can't believe some of the hits that people's wheels survived. 10/10 recommend going if you're within 6hrs drive.
- Semi-finals are really awesome for spectators who hike the track. Short gaps and tons of action with everyone outside the top 10 pushing hard. Practice, Semis, Finals provides a ton of DH to watch in a day. Bring lunch, the cooler, and some noise.
- Whoever commentated in-person was much better than Ric and Cedric (american or canadian?).
Bad
- Materials used for course-taping: the low-slung netting is annoying- going off resulted in riders & bikes getting tangled and there's little chance to quickly get up. Dak's semi-final crash was right in front of us and I think he could've been up and going within 3sec w/out the netting but instead it was a 10sec affair.
Other
- My GCN+ subscription cost 1/2 the price of gas to go visit for the weekend.
Jordan Williams helmet got caught in it during his crash. That shit has got to go.
Chainsaws and roaring crowds are awesome. When I raced, the more volume, the better it just drowned out all the distractions.
Kind of like having a fan to go to sleep to.
The NIGHTMARE....I got the "Intential Silent Crowd" once at Nationals. It was HORRIBLE!!! You come through gasping, smacking, clanking & there are 200 people dead silent, you can hear their clothes shifting, a girl snickered quietly & a buddy whispered "Go Butch."
I immediately screwed up!
I think I'd rather be naked at a concert when the music stops than go through the silent wall again.
Glad you mentioned. One of the ladies in finals IMMEDIATELY went down when the drone jumped on her shoulder. I thought to myself that had to have distracted her just enough.
Carlson would absolutely kill it as the main commentator! The man was born to talk
Post a reply to: 2023 Racing Talk