Curious when the rules changed pushing the age riders can participate in World Cups back to 17 / 18 years old? I don't recall Troy Brosnan, Jackson Goldstone, and some of the other elite young talent being restricted from racing if they had the speed to perform at the highest level. Part of my reason for asking is two fold: How do we prepare the next generation of racers for performing at the highest level? If the cream rises to the top and we want the best of the best, what does age matter? That said we have a super talented young racer at Fresh Bikes and he is about to turn 16 in 2 months - former pro racer Ross Milan and myself, want to get our racer exposure to World Cup racing now but even if he qualifies he wouldn't be allowed to race the World Cups in North America. Maybe there's a way to petition for an exception but I am not sure what the process involves or where to start. Any help here is greatly appreciated. Seems crazy to me because if you can pay your race fees and you are able to qualify - in my mind you should be able to race, just like you can in motocross. Especially if we want to foster growth in our sport and allow the next generation of racers to develop while dialing in their skills between the tape on the clock. Why would the UCI and USA Cycling restrict their ability to compete because of their age? This is a young man's/woman's sport in my mind --- and direction is needed at an early age in order to achieve a high level of success. That said, I don't want our rider to miss any opportunities because of these changes and restrictions so if there is a chance to petition in order for him to compete in the Juniors at the North American World Cups that would be awesome. Hard to say Juniors and think 17 and 18 year olds.....hha but any thoughts or advice are greatly appreciated! Thanks!!
You only get to race juniors for 2 years. Racing age 17 and 18. Goldstone only got 2 years, Chris Grice only got 2 years etc...
There are other series, including DHSE (Snowshoe is pretty much the same track as world cup) to get ready for a world cup juniors run... plus Tennessee National coming up in March at Windrock that will have a good deal of the top North Americans racing. 16 and under at T-Nats is already stacked, so you'll get a good chance to see how your rider stacks up against the fastest young talent in the US. Then USAC nationals, Eastern States cup, etc...
I agree, the Tennessee National has a great turnout of top US racers and the track is very challenging. Hopefully with the world cups starting later in the year, most of the top US pros and juniors will be there. As far as where to petition, my guess would be USAC because unless a rider is on a WC team, everyone else has to go through USAC. The US Open is also a great way to race with the pros.
Also, if you're on the West Coast, then race the Bootleg Canyon winter series. Get to see where he stacks up against Cole Suetos and Asa Vermette and some others. Also opportunities with NW Cup and Rocky Mountain DH Series. There are enough "top racers" that he'll be able to compare his track times against other up and coming juniors and pros. US Open is another good opportunity in the Fall.
Grice raced IXS cups in Europe(They have one just for kids) before his racing age was old enough for worldcups. I think they let him pre-run at a World Cup or two(we are all getting so old now), but chances like that are few and far between.
UCI Junior racing has always only been for 17-18 year olds. There is plenty of time for a kid that starts as an early teen or pre-teen to develop without having to do it on the World Cup stage. Heck, it was only 15 years or so ago that USAC decided to start breaking out "National Championships" to award jerseys to 15-16, 13-14, etc.
Being in the Southeastern US is already a big advantage for this kid.
As USAC develops a "Pertormance/Identification Pathway Model" for DH(like they just launched for XC) it will likely become mandatory to send your juniors to the Southeast for camps, clinics, etc to make "coaches selections" for World Cups.
The best way right now for an American Junior to get in the pipeline is plenty of time riding with world cup pros at Windrock and RockCreek, and a solid TN National and DHSE season. At 16 homey should be thinking about what work he needs to do this season to make a successful petition to race some World Cups, next year.
It gets really expensive traveling and racing in Europe. What would really help USDH is a National Series with more races and dates that do not overlap with WC races. As MIckey mentioned, the DHSE series is one of the best ways for an American Junior to prepare for WCs.
Thanks for all the good information! He's currently racing and training at the 'rock almost every weekend. Looking forward to getting between the tape in 2023!! Thanks
How good would Asa Vermette do in world cup juniors if he could race this year?
He'd be in the mix for wins for sure! Pinkerton should be winning some WC's this year and Asa is right there with him. USDH will be making a big push in the coming years. The other 15/16 yr old making noise in the pro field at Rock Creek was Lucas DeDora (finished 6th just behind Dooley), Ryder Lawrence from Cali with the 15/16 win at Tennessee National...All 3 should be making the noise racing Junior WC's next year.
I would bet on the podium based on his performance in the US against Elite WC Pros such as Gwin, Luca, Neko (pre busted hip), Dak, Grice, etc.
The kid has mega speed.
There is also Charlie Golwyn putting up top 10 DHSE times in the 15/16 cat. Future is very bright with the young guys.
The Canadian Open DH at Crankworx is a UCI point level event for the Elite / U19 and has U17 and U15 categories. Travel to Whistler to get some WC level track and travel exposure. They will be racing the new 1199 track in Creekside this year.
https://www.crankworx.com/event/canadian-open-dh/
Jackson never raced Junior before he was 17
Be careful. The number of times a "grown-up" has thought he knows what's "Best" for a kid, and has backfired is currently at 23 hundred billion.
Starting with Ogg jr, whose uncle wanted him to be a dinosaur hunter at age 16, all the way up to Gianni Italia Jr, who was a very fast talented MTB rider and when coaches thought they knew what he really wanted, he just quit and hasn't ridden a bike since.
Please tread VERY carefully.
True. There was a kid in Aptos who was an amazing rider with a BMX background who just walked away from the sport because of too much pressure from above. He built a 45' step down at our spot that I'm pretty sure he was the only one to ever hit. And there were plenty of big name pros that came around.
I think the biggest limit to US youth racers breaking into the WC has nothing to do with age. Compared to Europe, there is so little support for the top talent here. Even if you qualify for one of the North American WCs, then what? Spending a summer in Europe racing is crazy expensive. We shouldn't be relying on the anomalous, single generational talent or trustfunders to make the US competitive on the world stage. I know, sounds negative. I have a young son who loves to race DH but there isn't any substantial support to get the top youth to meaningfully compete on the WC circuit, it seems.
Do y’all race Downhill Southeast?
There are so many teams aligned with that series(like Transition Factory Racing, IFR, Gravity Academy and obviously Frameworks) that are actively involved in building up North American racing and racers, and are committed to getting people overseas.
The feeling of connectivity between the groms and the pointy end of the pro field is palpable.
There is no magic funding stream available for the national governing body to help with gravity racing(unless the Walton family gets into it, i guess)- it really comes down to supporting the races that bring the community together, and making your family part of that community.
I’ve heard NW cup races are still strong, too.
We race the NWCup, and it also has a really competitive and active racing culture. I think it is awesome for the juniors and we love going to the races. Competing beyond that though, support seems very minimal to non-existent for international competition. You mention some companies and teams getting involved with getting kids overseas. That sounds very cool, but I check results and US participation in the WCs is fairly meager, despite how MTB in the states is really blowing up with trail building and participation. It would be good to change that though. Hopefully some of the support you mention will bear some fruit in the future.
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