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100 days to go until World Champs!
Troy clearly doesn't drive stick then
Jackson Goldstone and a bunch of World Cup heavies lapping Andorra is the sickest thing you'll see today!
What's extra sick about that Andorra video is that these guys are fierce competitors...but they have no issue riding together, pushing each other on, and in doing so, potentially "giving up" some of their own advantage. I realize it's not that cut and dry, and that they are still just cruising here, but regardless...there are not that many elite level sports where you'd see this. Mountain biking rules.
Not only is that rad, but we are also lucky that most places are public as well. So we get to bump into dudes and chat them up and ride together. Troy’s vids from morzine for example. I agree, our sport is fuckin rad.
What I find especially fun is seeing the differences in riding styles across the riders in the video, but also seeing the difference between their race-pace styles and this "more relaxed" style (holy hell they're fast even when not racing).
I do wish we could still have POV videos from WC race runs. Has anyone looked into how to skirt the rules? Does it explicitly say helmet-mounted? I assume the rule is not limited to just GoPros...
Pretty sure that in competition you're only allowed to have them fixed to visors for safety reasons.
On the bike or the visor for training runs but not qualies or final.
We FINALLY got another B Practice recorded. Talked a lot about Dak's return to riding and racing next month. Plus all the usual drama around the first World Cup - https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/all-drama-poland-daks-triumphant-return-racing-vitals-b-practice-podcast
To listen - https://www.buzzsprout.com/78237/episodes/17228329-dakotah-norton-s-triumphant-return-to-racing-vital-s-b-practice-podcast.mp3?download=true
To watch - https://youtu.be/nKQo845FEcQ
Oakley Meta goggles.
There are videos from raceruns and qualy on thre GoPro Bike YT channel
Believe the reference is to the oligarchy producing the TV program not allowing any and all racers to film their race runs.
They decide who wears a camera during Finals.
That reminds me...is it a contract with GoPro to be able to film your Finals run?
Or can Insta360, DJI or Sony athletes be picked to run their brand cameras in Finals?
I only recall seeing GoPro branded content.
question for the rulebook masters in here. are there any specifics about how long it takes for points earned in a continental race to be applied to world cup entry? have heard some riders that earned spots via continental races early this year are not able to apply those points until leogang. any specifics would be great if they exist.
Loudenvielle forum topic started here - https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/2025-world-cup-downhill-edr-loudenv…
Go pro is the official supplier of the series so I’m assuming the contract is just go pro footage from their athletes.
I think it would depend on when the race they got points at was. Closest ruling would be any rider ranked in the top 50 of the last individual ranking before the event closing date - one month prior to the event. If they got top 5 at continental series race and earned a golden ticket then it has to be used at a World Cup this year.
so it's a month for points to kick in? so if a rider earned points at the ft william race (a month ago) or pro DH race in north carolina (2 weeks ago). the points wouldn't be activated yet? riders couldn't enter loudenvielle?
Fort William points are up as well as the first round of the us series at rock creek. Mountain creek and Poland aren’t
https://www.uci.org/discipline/mountain-bike/4LArSj7CKcytMrGEDtKwkb?tab…
thanks for that link. that rankings page says it was updated yesterday. does UCI update daily? weekly?
my original question still remains, is there a specific time window that's laid out in the rulebook for when points are active from continental to WC? or is it arbitrary?
(and sorry, i was confused with mtn creek being two weeks ago, thinking it was rock creek in early april).
UCI rankings are updated every Tuesday, according to the great oracle. The Portugal CS race rankings were up in 48 hours, so it's got to be an admin issue somewhere along the chain.
The only thing I've read about golden tickets is pulled from the European CS rules. No dice
2.8 At each event, the top-5 per category (excluding any WS Team athletes) will receive a ‘Golden Ticket’ for participation in a round of the UCI World Cup during the 2025 season – it does not have to be the next round immediately following the series race where they qualified. Entry for the UCI World Cup is done by the national federation of the country of the athlete.
https://www.uec.ch/resources/2025%20Events/2025%20Mountain%20Bike%20Ser…
thank you!
Are we asking about Golden Tickets because of the kid that beat Gwin & Krispy at WindRock last week out of "nowhere"?
And yes...I realize some people are probably well aware of the guy. Me, I'm just now noticing.
no. had heard a rider earned continental points at ft bill but couldn't race loudenvielle. not sure the details if they tried to register on time or if points weren't applicable yet, but it made me curious about specific rules in place.
it seems anything but automated and all down to the rider and federation to make it happen. i just thought it'd be a simple mathematical system in place - if UCI license # has X points then on list allowed to enter.
Don't know if it is the same rider but Revelli cannot race Loudenvielle. Apparently there are specific dates when the ranking is published based on which World cup entries are granted. It appears this was not well communicated to team/riders. It sounds like the points were earned after that date so even if the points were earned before Loudenvielle he cannot race. This must be buried somewhere in the rulebook.
world cup partnership news.
OLYBET JOINS AS OFFICIAL PARTNER FOR THE FRENCH ROUNDS OF THE WHOOP UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD SERIES
The betting company will support the series not only at this weekend’s Loudenvielle-Peyragudes stop but also at the upcoming rounds in Morillon and Les Gets, in the Haute-Savoie region
28th May 2025 – Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports and OlyBet are proud to confirm a three-round agreement for the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series.
OlyBet, which launched in France in 2024, will support all three French rounds of the 2025 series. The partnership kicks off this weekend (May 30–June 1) at the Gravity double-header in Loudenville-Peyragudes and will continue in August with back-to-back race weekends in Haute-Savoie: the UCI Enduro World Cup in Morillon (August 22-24), followed by the UCI Downhill and Cross-country World Cups in Les Gets (August 28-31).
OlyBet, which is part of the Olympic Entertainment Group, is a leading gaming and sports entertainment brand. The group partners with high-profile organisations and clubs across Europe, including Stade Toulousain, Paris Basketball, the World Snooker Tour, EuroLeague, and teams in both LaLiga and Serie A.
Olympic Entertainment Group delivers unique fan experiences through a wide network of 135 casinos, over 100 sports bars, 5-star hotels, and several online platforms. The brand’s sponsorship activities also contribute to the development of local sports communities and emerging talent.
OlyBet is a member of the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) – the world’s leading operator-run integrity monitoring body – and collaborates with LaLiga to help protect the integrity of Spanish football.
Chris Ball, Vice President of Cycling Events at WBD Sports, said: “OlyBet is the market leader in sports gaming in the Baltics. Their partnership with the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series puts mountain biking on par with mainstream sports and marks what we hope will be the beginning of a long and fruitful collaboration. Their investment is a clear signal that this sport resonates beyond its traditional audience and continues to attract a broader, more diverse, public”.
Corey Plummer, CEO & Chairman, OlyBet Group, said: "OlyBet is known for sponsoring engaging sports entertainment, iconic events, and legendary artists. We are excited to partner with the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike Series to highlight the tremendous athletes and competitors in this sport and its sporting lifestyle. Passion for sports brings people together and we are looking forward to supporting that belief."
The 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series kicked off in Araxá, Minas Gerais (Brazil) in April, with a high-intensity Brazilian double-header to open the season for the endurance teams. This month, the action continued with the opening rounds of the UCI Enduro World Cup in Pietra Ligure, Finale Outdoor Region (Italy) and the UCI Downhill World Cup in the Enduro Trails of Bielsko-Biała (Poland), as well as round three of the UCI Cross-country Olympic and Cross-country Short Track World Cups in Nové Město Na Moravě (Czechia). Next up: A full weekend of gravity-fuelled action in Loudenvielle-Peyragudes (France) from May 30 to June 1.
Live and on-demand coverage of every race is available through WBD’s channels and platforms including Eurosport (Europe) and TNT Sports (UK & Ireland) with streaming on Max, HBO Max and discovery+, as well as around the world through WBD’s broadcast partners.
So is this the thing now because of the internet? Sports betting EVERYWHERE you look? Can't watch a damn hockey game without seeing betting ads every 90 seconds. I miss when it was basically just Carls Jr ads..........
Just watched Cathro's up to speed. Sounds like #polegate is back on the menu. All this just makes me frustrated. Somewhere a graphic designer got paid way too much money to pick the color scheme for the "new" UCI branding.
Betting can be a good and bad thing. It might bring eyes to sport people like to watch things they can bet on.
but poland is done. there's no recourse anymore. our only hope is that during trackwalk in loudenvielle and going forward, all riders and TMs make sure there isn't any shred of doubt about course markings.
The ads are one thing but the in game advertainment annoys the shit out of me. I do not care if Biz is hitting his in game picks. If sports gambling if the only way to advertising dollars I hope some of it trickles down to the rider payouts (who am I kidding, it definitely will not).
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