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On the Downtime podcast Snowshoe preview, Chris Killmurray alluded to no North American rounds in 2024
https://docs.uci.org/documents/calendar/MTB/MTB_PreCalendrier.pdf?fbcli…
shows three rounds outside Europe, one being Snowshoe. Other two killington and st Anne?
My takeaway was "additional" races in North America bringing the total up to 4 or 5 rounds.
snowshoe junior vid and POV up - hit the homepage or the snowshoe race forum
so much for expanding the calendar
Something something global leverage something something something unrivalled storytelling...
I hope it's okay to post this, since it's racing-related, even if not Downhill:
"Despite trying conditions, Canadian cross country marathon national champion Haley Smith (Maxxis Factory Racing) shone. The Uxbridge, Ont. racer scored silver in the elite women’s World Cup XCM final. Only U.S. local Hannah Otto (Pivot Cycles) would finish ahead of the Canadian to take the win on home soil......
XC Marathon racing is a new addition to the World Cup calendar for 2023. Despite earning the World Cup name, the endurance series has not yet recieved the same level of coverage (or any live coverage at all) in the first year of Warner Bros Discovery reign as mountain biking’s official broadcasters."
From Canadian Cycling Magazine.
The Snowshoe XCM was anemic, scary, considering its the venue for XCM worlds next year. Even though Marathon is open to literally anyone with a racing license, 33 men’s entrants and 9 Women and 18 “open” non-elite starters is definitely “not great”.
Of course if USAC hadn’t held their XCM national championship 11 hours away in Alabama over the weekend, that might have helped turnout…
This should be interesting....
Thats between 3 and 4 inches of rain over 2 days... with temperature in the low 60's...
Going to the bookies to spend my next paycheck on a Ronan Dunne bet, billionaire lifestyle, here I come!
When the schedule was announced, MSA in October was a hot topic. Just about everyone said the weather was going to be terrible.
What’s the over under of cancellation?
The thing is, its been absolutely beautiful the last 3 weeks, and for the next week too...
No rain, sunny, temperatures in the 70's
Lets cross our fingers the rain gets pushed on sunday 😂
If anything they would move it Friday. But I’ve seen a variety of weather reports from no rain to this one which is the worst case scenario.
If racing World Cup dh racing is part of a companies marketing, minnaar can’t be selling many reserve rims or maxxis tires with the amount he’s had tire/wheel issues this season. It’s getting to be a bit if a joke
I am not sure if that is even a better option unless they make that plan on Monday and move everything up. What cancel Jrs Thursday morning run qualifiers after a couple hours of practice and try to race Friday?
Snowshoe is confirmed NOT having a 2024 World Cup.
There is a totally new country for 2024 though.
That was an exciting race and Gwin's commentary was excellent.
Even Cedric is better with him it’s like it takes pressure off him
Might actually have to follow through on this joke...
That was some performance from those two young Irish lads yesterday.
Somebody on another website let slip a link suggesting that Lake Placid is a venue next year.
Definitely makes things easier for logistics between the US race and MSA
Where is that?
Upstate New York.
Lake Placid is where Whiteface is. DH Mike who runs the DVO Race Series at Bootleg Canyon used run the bike park there.
It would be an interesting place to host a World Cup. I have been there since 2010 but it Long, technical trails, a total beat down. I think winning pro times were around 8 minutes?
To keep it steep and under 3 minutes they would have finish mid-mountain.
https://mtvanhoevenberg.com/todo/uci-mountain-bike-world-cup/
The link to Lake Placid world cup event^^
It would be cool if the UCI approved the full old Whiteface course (assuming that’s on the the same hill) but the rulebook makes no concessions for a commissaire or other official to make exception to the 3.5km and 5 minute maximum/ 2 minute minimum course length.
Technically that release doesn’t say which disciplines. The tentative uci calendar doesn’t have xco scheduled that weekend though
Interesting...
I've heard that Asia is in the UCI's sights, but not where most people would think, and not till 2025. Wonder if that timeline's been accelerated.
Snowshoe has the XC Marathon World Champs apparently. Sadly, the talk around the pits was that Snowshoe wasn't gonna be on the calendar for 2024. That's a real bummer cause we really need some "Shake'n Bake" on the circuit!
Fujimi Panorama hired Martin Whiteley several years ago (before the pandemic) to help them get a World Cup back in Japan.
The last DHI World Cup in Japan was in Arai Mountain, during the Y2K era. It was so long ago that ACC and Vouilloz were still racing. In fact, these 2 won ALL the DHI World Cups held there.
There is also a really good XCO racetrack in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture (used during the Tokyo Olympics) which can be used as a separate venue for cross-country . It's probably the best XCO track I've ever seen. It is on the other side of Mt. Fuji (about 3 hours away by car from Fujimi Panorama).
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