Breakaway series from WC now possible?

Unless the organiser has extremally deep pockets and is happy to loose money I can't see anyone or a business willing to organise a breakaway series that competes with the World Cup series.

Right now UCI threatens athletes that have a license from them to not participate in non-sanctioned events or otherwise they would lose their license. 

Who? When? Which events? 

This was introduced years ago when when RedBull took the DH from Freecaster and Freecaster announced its own DH series and then UCI said they will sanction anyone who competes in said series. It never happened and they never imposed that rule, but I believe it is still there if needed 

DH1 happened and then evolved into the Belgian (UCI sanctioned) national DH series. IMO Freecaster's loss was more due to the emergence of RedBull as a live broadcaster than their race series not having the sustainability they'd hoped for.

In the current climate, there's far less risk to support feeder events for world cup than a breakaway series.

interesting. since DH is probably the smallest segment of UCI participation, does anyone know if UCI flexes on road or other disciplines that have tried to break out? if so, that's where the real dust-up could be.

i'd have to find the article, but back in december they more or less publicly scolded a CX racer for choosing a national series race over a UCI WC. not a series like you were asking, but they seem to keep everyone in line. 

also, 4x and observed trials are probably smaller than DH, but are still governed by the UCI.   nerd.jpg

lol very true about 4x and trials.

I remember UCI issuing some threats for world-tour pros wanting to participate in some non-uci road races and Track racing could be one that see the most non-uci events in light of this judgment.

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/uci-rules-new-track-cycling-series-a-forbidden-event-and-threatens-to-fine-riders

I remember years ago UCI had something about unsanctioned events and pros would show up for practice at Fontucky but could not race due some new rule or a rule they were threatening to enforce.  

If I remember well, last years in trials some riders were threatened by our lovely UCI not to compete in another serie (essentially for training propose since there were 4 World Cups during the season...).

Finally a promising EU rule.

Doesn't need to be a 'breakaway' series; just another series for top riders to race in. 6-9 World Cups is nowhere near enough for an Elite level sport. Sponsors aren't getting enough exposure, so go elsewhere, rather than MTB.

Look at another cycling discipline, CX which has a World Cup, plus lots of other series, which are on TV/ streamed......It can be done under the UCI.

All it needs is the $$$$$, sponsorship, and people to run/ organise it all.......

Didn't the UCI also mess with the FIM e-bike world championship?

yea, i remember that. but in all fairness that was a joke. i don't know if anyone remembers it but holy cow was it bad.

In fairness I think that was more the FIM messing around trying to set a precedent by testing the line in the sand separating throttle and pedal assist.

Just wanted everyone to remember that shit show

I think the law was originally created because of breakaway races in other disciplines. As far as DH1 was concerned, I believe the UCI initially said that, but then DH1 was incorporated into the UCI calendar and riders wouldn't have been fined or lost their license (at least according to Raymond Dulieu, Freecaster owner).

https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/event_news/freecaster-to-launch-rival-race-s…

Taken from the interview;

“I spoke to the UCI this morning [Tuesday] and now the UCI want to add DH1 to the racing calendar,” Dulieu told mbr. “That means the riders will not be ostracised, no retaliation.”

A break away series was always 'possible'. The races would only need Cat3 Uci status like Hardline gets every year (interestingly for now the 24 Hardline events are not on the uci calendar?)

Nothing has stopped the CWX series from growing and increasing TV coverage while under Uci rules.

It would be possible that if a series grew to really rival the World Cups that in the past the UCI would have started to pull uci status from events in a political move. But really, it's never happened, nor is it likely.

So as long as an organisation is happy to run an event using the uci rule book and have a commissaire show up then you could easily run a "break away series".

If this court ruling makes it possible to do a series without UCI status then I think it would have to be really really good off the bat, cos the riders wouldn't risk political nightmares for anything less then big money, long term stability and great tracks.

Im not so sure about that. The UCI probably would not care until they perceive it as a threat to their position. If top riders all of a sudden stopped showing up to WC DH races in favor of a breakaway series, Im sure the UCI would take action based on whatever legal standing they have. 

You also would probably have some riders that decide to still race the UCI WC races and then the possibility of some lower tier rider being the winner of what is generally perceived as the definitive race series by laypeople. 

It's nice to romanticize about this, but a breakaway series would probably be far more messy of a situation than most people want to believe. 

I think a far more likely scenario is some protest action taken by the athletes to help get things back on track. Also, here we are, all complaining on the internet....which does totally nothing. If this energy was put into letters to the UCI, petitions, supporting the riders to form some sort of union ect....things might actually get done. The riders are the product and when there is enough discontent, they have the power to leave the UCI and Disco with no product; it just seems that we are not there yet.