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Edited Date/Time
10/16/2014 4:30pm
Does the World Cup DH season have too few races? I know as a fan, I've debated this topic often with friends and fans. It seems that most of us feel more races could only be a good thing, but would it really be? There's the moto comparison of the top-level pros racing 75% of the year between outdoor MX and super cross, so why can't downhillers have more than 7 "big" races? The cost of globetrotting for the World Cup seems to be a challenge for many racers and to add more races to the calendar would just mean more cost. The potential for injury for riders grow because they'd be letting it hang out more times than normal. 2014 and 2015 both have those weird early-season gaps between races 1 and 2 - why not fill in with another race or 2? I also realize there's the complexity of dealing w/ the UCI, so maybe that's an issue, too.
I see both sides of the argument and want to know what you all think. Besides talk about this and the team gossip, what else are we going to do as DH race fans with 5 months before the next event?
this thread is ribbed with Best of RAW for her pleasure
I see both sides of the argument and want to know what you all think. Besides talk about this and the team gossip, what else are we going to do as DH race fans with 5 months before the next event?
this thread is ribbed with Best of RAW for her pleasure
Plus national and local events will lose the big name pro riders.
Here's what Andrew Neethling had to say.
As a racer I would certainly love to see there be more World Cup races per year. The reality is that we get very judged on these races and sometimes only these races. It can be tough when you have some bad luck, mechanicals or even an injury. Previously when the NORBA Nationals were doing well we had a very competitive second series to compete in as well. With only, on average, 7 World Cups and 1 World Championship over a 6/7 month period, it can be a long time to be away from home and focused but only for a few big events. Adding events adds to the cost for everyone though. Teams and UCI would need to find the money somewhere. I do feel though if we were smart and really looked at venues close to each other and did a few in a row at a time we could increase the number of events and grow our sport.
Neethling at Windham
We absolutely need more high level events. 8 races out of 52 weekends is hardly enough to make a season. Look at Super cross with 14-16 events for example.
Ideally I would like to see a 10 race series plus World Champs. it would take some coordination of venues and timing to make it affordable but honestly that wouldn't be too difficult if the UCI made half an effort or didn't make it so hard to host a WC in the first place.
more back to back events would help. For instance you could do Leogang, Schladming, Maribor all in a row really easy with minimal travel. Val Di Sole, Pila are close, as are venues like Meribel, Les Gets, Champary. More than two North American rounds would be nice, and why the UCI can't figure out how to coordinate with Whistler/Crankwox is beyond me. Same goes for Crankwrox in France and now NZ.
Remove stand alone events in far away places (cairns, South Africa, etc) and if we are to go to those places then lets get two events going there. If a country only has one good track in one region worth racing then let's just look elsewhere. For the cost of travel to South Aftrica and Cairns in Just April alone last year an small team could have probably done the entire IXS series and had money to spare.
As it is now the travel budgets are massive, and riders are paid to sit and do nothing on many weekends where it wouldn't cost much more to drive down the road to another venue.
It's obviously a bit chicken/egg and you need more money and title sponsors on the UCI end, but how are they to sell the investment as worthwhile when they are only promoting 7 events?
It should happen, it could happen, but I can't say I have faith in the UCI to actually do it.
Remove all the red tape and BS and have a look at what the EWS has managed in just 2 short years. For 2015 we have 8 events coordinated (for the most part) with a WC schedule so travel makes sense and two crankworx rounds. If 4 guys can make that happen why can't the biggest cycling federation on the planet pull it off?
F**k yeah
This should be a proper World Series
Eg that means all contienents no more than a month apart so it is about consistency, survivability and the best rider, only long enough season can prove this, so its not a lottery.
MX esp SX has too many rounds.
DH max 12 rounds per year for WC min 10 rds, but every 2 weeks maybe a longer break to relocate to furthest away continent or location, eg Aus NZ rds so teams, Media etc, can manage logistics, but in Europe def no more than 2 weeks
Further apart is hurting sponsorship and reveue growth which in turn leads to more money for trickle down so bigger teams, more teams, more women, more spectators, more more more, better competiton, so much potential, better tracks.
And held back by an anal archaistic organisation known as the UCI
DH could be massive on the sports scene
Just to much politics, agendas and lack of visonarys, where have all these gone from the 80s and 90s, sucked down by UCI and other political mamals and all to the detriment of DH, its been good because DH is good, man if DH ever had the right people @ the helm, it could be fricken fing amazing, holy shit balls sport of all times!
Yeah boi
Suck on that UCi...
Also, I think this sport would get much bigger if RedBull realized that live streaming their events on their website with their own Media player isn't the best idea.
It would be much easier to stream it on YouTube, and it'd also get much more exposure.
I don't believe the UCI is this evil corporation that doesn't care about MTB, the conditions for someone to organize a world cup are nothing too demanding (unlike the winter olympics), I just think it is really difficult for most resorts to pull it off.
Maybe instead of criss-crossing the world every weekend, spend two weeks at a venue or have two events closer to each other.
Another option is to keep the 7 big races, and have an equal amount of "smaller" races.
Travel budgets are the obvious limitation, so more races closer together for less travel. knock out some of the far places, or have a couple races while everyone's there.
This would also have added benefit of more Claudio Previews.. I think we can all get behind that!
Having race tracks in china or south america is a cool idea BUT IT DOESNT BRING MONEY TO THE SPORT or help it grow!
One of the big reasons why motocross grew was consistency of venues. How are people going to get into the sport if they only get to see it once a year and in some cases venues have a World Cup race and never get it again!! Its bizarre.
Colorado and the Northwest have SO MUCH potential for tracks and they havent been here since what Snoqualmie?
Get it together UCI and bicycle companies. More people coming to the veues and people getting involved in racing and riding sells more bikes and components!!
What I would do is say go to france for round 1 2 3 , austria for 4 5 6 , and so on , more racing less traveling most countries have more than 1 WC worthy track , infact most bike parks have more than 1 WC worthy track
And at least one track a year should be some kinda WC DH ski style one where people put on 40 tooth plus chain rings and do 40 mph plus all the way down
One aspect that has resonated from a lot of posts in this forum is the lack of races that prepare racers for world cups. I feel establishing legit regional and national circuits in the US and even Canada would do a lot. Just look at the British Downhill Series. Wins in this circuit are heavy with boatloads of top contenders.
Reinforcing the legitimacy of national level races will bring in world cup talent which is good for spectators, developing racers, and economies. Rewind 10 or 15 years and the USA hosted a lot of world cups. More importantly, a cluster of NORBA races attracted world cup talent.
The FMB also debuted the amateur series this summer to get groms into big events. Maybe the winter series in Fontana or other places could be proving grounds for world cup talent. Unless you're a Luca Shaw, attending world cup races costs a tremendous amount. I feel a winter or before April series could attract world cuppers and foster world cup hopefuls in the process.
Sir Steve Peat gave a quick response as did Syndicate team manager, Kathy Sessler.
From Kathy Sessler
I would like it if we had 8-10 World Cups. I generally think we don't have enough of them. I think most of the managers agree with this based on meetings we've had.
From Steve Peat
I certainly think we need more races. We used to have 8 back in the day, and I think it made for better racing through the season. It's the World Cup, so racers have to be good on every type of track, short, medium or long, so let's get more races and a good variety of course styles.
Steve Peat in Norway at World Champs
“I do feel though if we were smart and really looked at venues close to each other and did a few in a row at a time we could increase the number of events and grow our sport.”
Dave Trump:
“…more back to back events would help. For instance you could do Leogang, Schladming, Maribor all in a row really easy with minimal travel. Val Di Sole, Pila are close, as are venues like Meribel, Les Gets, Champéry. More than two North American rounds would be nice, and why the UCI can't figure out how to coordinate with Whistler/Crankwox is beyond me.”
In addition to adding more races, I would suggest substituting Bromont for Windham and adding a World Cup at Whistler. If people really want a World Cup here in the states then bring back MOUNT SNOW VT.
1. Whistler is not interested in hosting a WC/ doesn't wanna pay for that
2. UCI is certainly seeing Crankworx as a growing competition, co-organizing the EWS and now with 3 Crankworx events it could be the beginning of an alternative WC. I even guess it's gonna turn to war at some point with penalties to riders entering unsanctionned events as the rule has not been cancelled but only suspended I think.
The question everyone should be asking is why and how is the UCI and all other bodies charged with the management and leadership of our sport going to grow revenues and exposure of our sport, then a true World Cup series that is only legitimate when its global on every continent.
If people dont want to travel globally the dont race World Cups, but dont detune a championship thats supposed to determine the best riders in the World from the World.
Believe it or not everything does not including the universe revolve around Amercia!
In my mind DH, MTB has had enough time now to be where MX and SX was in mid 2000s and serious questions should be asked why the sport is not where it should be for trade teams, riders all sponsors where money comes from, not just select few but accross the board, dont give me excuses either its been badly managed and agendas have been holding back what should be a premier series World Championship.
Enduro is proof of that!
RallyX is another, list could go on, both started after the global financial crash and both are booming with sponsors and growing rapidily.
Firing squads need to be organised in DH and heads should roll and anything resembling tight Lycra on the UCi delegates board should be shot at dawn if DH is going to grow to where it should, theyre is no reason at all it cannot generate massive revenues when managed properly for all, not just some greedy people and sponsors.
On other smaller scales and this has always been an issue, I feel for organisers as its voluntary but its also critical, we I manage a team and our team riders keep getting club promoted, or end up in wrong class.
Great people who volunteer but downside is we have a team to promote our brands, our results actually are last in order but the exposure in results list as a team name brand and loints is why we sponsor people if this is not right we lose massive exposure, so why bother with a team, we support DH because we love it, but it also has to be recprical otherwise we wont be running a team, riders wont have another option and DH loses again.
Im not bitching at volunteers but highlighting the importance even down to a local race, people put theyre bodies on the line, this aint tidly wink brothers, people get hurt doing what they love, this needs to be right, it may be a small reward, but riders have earned that atleast....
Mav..
Agreed with everything you said. Well said.
My ideal WC season would be a 10-race series for a couple reasons. 10 races gives you enough time to come back after a mechanical, we have the calendar to accommodate, we have great venues that we don’t use, we have a huge following that are thirsty for more racing.
Greg ripping Windham
Absolutely.. more WC's.. link the one's that are close in proximity and make it happen.
From what I understand though ... to host a World Cup you have to bid on or pay an astronomical price for the privilege of hosting one. I saw the piece on Windham and was blown away.. Venues can't afford to host a WC based on first year numbers. It takes a big investment period.
But I'm super stoked on racer's and manager's wanting more WC's.!
P"
I think the UCI needs to turn every WC event into it's own version of Crankworx, with multiple cycling races, competitions, concerts and video and photography festivals to entice more than just DH fans to come and spend money. If they do that, event organizers will have an easier time convincing companies to sponsor the event, and vendors to pay fees to sell their goods. Up and coming racers will have greater opportunities to get sponsors and learn what it takes to be a pro. And more people will discover the wonderful world of cycling competitions. And the UCI might actually have a shot at reaching it's goal to become a "household brand" as well as the ability to hold truly world wide World Cup competitions.
Until then, we can all enjoy the 2015 UCI European Cup featuring some North American sidetracks, aka, the World Cup.
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