It's the heat of summer, everyone's shredding at home or on holiday and World Cup DH is at a standstill for over two months. Sure, Crankworx happened, there's World Champs before the next World Cup, but what are your thoughts on the gaps in the World Cup Downhill schedule?
As a spectator, I'm a fan of the gaps in general. I think this particular two-month break is too long, but I feel like there's more anticipation and excitement for an upcoming race when there are two or three weeks between races. Back-to-back races feel like they lack in excitement outside of race day...bikes are usually identical, talking points from athletes don't change much etc, so I'm all for some time off.
As a racer or team, I think I'd hate it because of the travel complications, but a plus is that there is time to heal if injured.
What do you think?
Worlds still isn't for a month and Loudenvielle is the next WC DH Sept 6-8, so we have time to kill 🤨
It feels as if the UCI thinks no one is interested in watching the races so who cares when they are. People are having trouble articulating subscribing to streaming sites to watch racing when you only get 6 races over 6 months.
Like you said, 2-3 week gaps is good, but seems weird to stop in the summer, I guess the race shuts down most of a resort for a weekend which is the issue?
It's too long for me. Hopefully the US National Championship will have some good coverage.
F1 takes a month off, I don't see an issue other than there are not that many races to begin with. A break for each countries National Champs is normal. The Olympics always throws things off. Time to heal is good, we want the best racers out there in the best condition possible. Always feels like they build up steam with excitement and then the break hits and it I lose interest.
I said nothing in that whole statement above, thinking out loud hahaha.
Okay, 4-5 weeks max break, that is what it should be.
I just wanna see more racing. We are in a gap of MX racing right now but in general they race nearly every week for almost the entire year. Yes there are gaps between seasons and such but let's get more racing back on the calendar.
Too long, because it forces the first and last race to be too close to spring/fall weather. Even though I LOVE a good mud race. And it's not like we've been able to avoid them regardless. But still... seems an improper use of seasonal timing.
My bigger gripe is champs being mid-season. I dunno if I'm missing something but I'd love for it to be after the season as the last race essentially. Overall is already settled, those who had no choice at overall can coast and then send it for champs. And the overall leader can send it as well, no worries of wasting a season. Yada yada. Only downside is of course missing those who got injured over the season, but that can't be helped. Also if it's an early race injury they can possible heal and just focus on champs. Ya know if you crash out first or second race you're probably not in any fight for the overall. But you could come back and send it at champs. Hard to do when it's smack in the middle of the schedule.
I guess a decent argument that I nearly made already is... If you do it in the middle of the season you get the best conditions. But again, I don't mind a mud race lol. It clearly separates the boys from the men and guys like Amaury made it look like it was a dry course
It is too long. I have kind of gotten sucked into Moto because of it, and I’ve never watched Moto even when I rode.
Everyone besides Mr A.Pierron needed that break, he was building into that Super beast again that NO ONE can beat.
Yeah why race in the summer sun when you can race in the rain of spring and fall!
Pretty hard to avoid big gaps when theres only 4 races or whatever in the "season".
2-3 week gaps seem like a good sweetspot, with a break in the middle somewhere. Regular enough to keep the interest going, but gives people a rest in between events. Particularly for those that need to travel from outside europe & north america, you either need to fly back and forth several times or find a way to pay for an 8 month trip with only a few big races in it.
*ok, I'm exaggerating a bit - the start of this season was paced pretty good, its just now we're in a span of only 3 races in 3 months, with a close to 2 month gap before the next one. I'm sure a lot of athletes and staff aren't getting paid during this break - so how is that sustainable either?
Is this gap also longer due to the Olympics? I know DH isn't at the Olympics but they like doubling up for the venues to have XC and DH together.
I think some gaps are good, we had the Olympics and Crankworks in this one, but maybe 8 weeks is too long.
The issue I have with shorter calendars is non season ending injuries make riders miss too many rounds. Like break a pinky finger from a slide out, and bam, you've missed 3 rounds if they're are all in a month and that's season overall done.
The gap is because of the Olympics. Most athletes apprecaite the time to recover and recup. Most riders will also race national champs in this gap, some will race Euro Champs, many have raced domestic, national or continental races. Many injured riders this year are lucky the gap is there.
Shame there wasn't at least one WC in the gap, but with the enduro schedule and Warner Bros commitment to Olympic TV coverage I doubt it was possible staffing and infrastructure wise. Will be interesting to see if we get the same gap in 2028.
I hate it, I am gong to sound like an old man but why can't it be like the way it was back in the late 90's early 00's with World Cup rounds being not so spread out and the NORBA'S over in America when the fields were stacked, it seemed like the DH season lasted ages and there was more to see or read about in mags.
More Races. Less Gaps.
Fuck the Olympics.
It's quite hard to get new people interested in the sport, telling them "well no there is no regular schedule and also it starts in like April or May and then I don't remember, oh and also there's only a handful of races sorry". Feels like this season is getting super interesting, and then it's nearly done. ANY news on next year's schedule??
With crankworx going on I don't mind at all. I have more problem with them not showing the entire race. If you're going to have a semi race show the whole story of the race so we can see why some people did not make to the finals
Bad precedent to leave a 2 month gap to draw eyes/interest/fans to other sports. Causes emotional detachment from a heated title chase.
A loss of story line. Distracted viewership who will need a constant reminder to tune back in. Like when I forget to watch the 1st week of NFL games.
My biggest concern is "why" do we really have the gap?
1. Do venues not WANT or even NEED us during summer?
2. Does this cause concern for Warner Bros/Discovery to break revenue/labor/staffing for 2 full months
3. WIll fans miss the next round's live stream hurting paid viewership/response rates?
The Olympic effect is fiction, unless Warner Bros/Discovery film/tech crews are contracted w/ Peacock?
Can't remember the specifics of WHY Worlds was moved to mid-season, but wasn't it just to have it on the same weekend every year so that countries could do likewise & National Champions could get an automatic bid to Worlds DURING a hot streak for each National Champ? I remember whining about some country's National Champions not being deserving of going but they won on weekends World Cup contenders had to rest up for Worlds.
And stability of it being during a safer part of the weather cycle? I think Worlds got destroyed more often than not being late in the season by weather anomolies.
we're covering US national champs this weekend and then we have the monster pro DH series at snow summits in 2 weeks. so theres so good domestic level racing going on with some big turn out. we're stoked for the 2 month off from world cup!
It is strange that, on the other hand, the UCI forces national championships must be in the middle of the summer when it is the warmest. Makes no sense
There should be at least 13 WC DH rounds per year
only way i can think of Olympics affecting it is that UCI needs all the commissars they can get there. Last year was a 2 month break except for Worlds right in the middle. For the riders it's probably better set up with Andorra just before the next WC. less travel this year and no need to stay longer in Europe. Many can go home and race National champs and other series, if you need points it's a good way to get them without relying on world cups
Speaking of Olympics, anyone else sick of watching French cyclists getting Uber-dramatic at the finish of Olympic races? Men’s BMX was straight out of Will Ferrell movie. Uggh! We get it.
The gap is only due to the end of the Tour de France and then the Olympics. This won’t be happening next year only for as long. There will always be a gap when the tour is on as discovery don’t want the two events tour and dh / xc to clash to saturate views
Emm. No.
Once in a lifetime opportunity for those BMX riders, two of whom are near the end of their careers, to win medals at a home Olympics.
And they all do so in dominating fashion. Winning pretty much every heat and semi race. Then riding smart and clean in finals to ensure victory. A packed stadium of friends and family etc... so no, I thought their reaction was fairly expected and warranted.
Other french cycling medalists like PFP, Koretzky, Laporte or Madouas didn't do any sort of dramatic celebrations. So I don't really see your point beyond sour grapes?
Made it very clear. Definitely sour grapes.
Down with the French. #merica
And yes, those 3 fellas wen't full on Brendan Fraser!
Hurled a full face helmet into a grandstand full of children from a distance? 🙃
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