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I blame WBD!!!
I don't know for sure, but I think part of the drive to bring back the old school Whistler DH race during Crankworx and run two different race courses is because the 1199 course is too rowdy for some of the junior categories. Which is a great idea, becasue the 1199 course is pretty gnarly.
On a related note, the current 1199 course doesn't run all the way to the bottom of the mountain (yet). I heard of some plans to extend the trail to the bottom when/if Whistler gets a World Cup or World Champs.
I wonder if any one rider will attempt to race the OG DH, the Air DH (A Line race) the Garbo DH (a classic 14+ minute epic) and the 1199 DH this year. The races are all on different days, so it would technically be possible. Would be a pretty epic 10 days
I assumed they didn't run OG course last couple years only because of the fitz chair replacement and having to change it after it was done.
Sections of the trail had to be rebuilt last summer after the lift went in.
the categories for the Cdn open have been cut back this year. U17 expert is the youngest. No sport or open categories.
There is a few riders signed up to do all 4 dh races. Teagan Cruz, Luke Meier Smith, Emmy Lan and a few others.
1199 ends at the timing flats. This gives space for a coral and seating. The bottom at creekside gondola wouldn’t be large enough to have a finish area. It’s congested with Dusty’s patio, and the surrounding condos.
Yes I'm sure the lift replacement had something to do with it. Also, running two different DH courses, on two different sides of the mountain, is a bit of a pain logistically, so the whole DH race was moved to Creekside (1199). But after the juniors took a beat down on the 1199 course the first year, there was a realization that it was too gnarly for some of those categories, so the OG DH was brought back. Crankworx has always been about letting juniors and amateurs race with the pros, so a DH course that those up and coming categories could race was needed.
IMO, the old version of the Whistler DH course was better. The new line is cool, but I guess I'm an old and crusty, so I think it was better before. Taking "The Rock" out of the course is a travesty. shakes fist at clouds
I thought so too. Timing flats is a great spot for a finish line, and the pits being close by is ideal. But "a guy in the know" told me that the World Cup/World Champs course would go to Dusty's. Pure speculation. Maybe I should move this to the rumours thread..
staind, nickelback and luca shaw.
OG Canadian Open Crankworks Podium
(still confused how Remy ended up on Pivot and both Jewetts went to Giant, while Luke just stayed... feels like a weird NHL trade)
Nice little earner for millie . Must be a bit of a slap in the face to be heading back to world cups to battle for a podium that gets you peanuts.
The crankworks downhills always seemed boring compared to world cup broadcasts. Hopefully they attempt to attract more top level riders who are missing out on WC LCQ regularly.
After tax that 7000CAD is about the same as a World Cup DH win. I think the important thing is that Mille actually makes her salary from the "day job" at World Cups, and of course I imagine has a big bonus structure in her contract, where she probably get's $10,000+ bonus for a WC win from her sponsors/team. Whereas for a CWX race I can only imagine she may get a small or no bonus at all for a win.
So it's certainly not a slap in the face.
And on your final point, if you aren't regularly making top 15 women's finals ... i.e. not getting through Q2, are you actually a "top rider"?
Don't wanna be a Debbie downer tonight, but that podium does nothing for sponsors! Who's gonna share that image? Ten people, two bikes. Much confusion. Or do others disagree?
Well I can think of 10 people, 2 bike brands, and the network of supporters behind them who’d want to share that image. Besides the actual race with coverage is at the end of the week. It will have double the views of anything on wbds YouTube channel now that they have removed juniors. And the winning run will likely have views in the millions as opposed to the views under 200k. There is also the Garbo and air Dh as smaller podium opportunities. Tons of vlog opportunities. And the entire week is probably the most attended mtb event in the world.
So yeah to imply that the wbd is somehow doing a better job of representing our extremely niche sport is pretty laughable. As jordi said in a recent interview how many of these views wbd talks about is just a tv on in the background of a bar or airport if they even exist. Versus the massive loss of interest by actual cyclist and action sports fans. And being completely insignificant on the most important platform in the world with by far the most viewership and by far the best algorithm for supplying people things they might be interested in.
Millie seems to have struggled a bit with the switch to intense. New team. Lots of parts changes. But she’s been pretty on it recently. Wouldn’t be shocked if this direction continues for her to get more podiums and a possible win in the second swing of the world cups.
Man i really love the current intense team. Bunch of underdogs just crushing the game and having their best seasons ever. Hoping other riders and sponsors are also taking notice!
If I'm Intense's marketing team I ain't sharing a photo with 9 other riders and a Giant in the shot. But that's just me.
You can yap all you want about YouTube views. But the salaries, teams, infrastructure and focus of the worlds best riders is on World Cups and not on CWX DH. So ya.....cool one bud. I wasn't making any implications about WBD. I was just pointing out that I think 10 people on a podium is a terrible look. I'm quite a fan of MTBs 5 rider podium that WBD canned. But I ain't a fan of most of what Crankworx does.
To each their own as the saying goes
Give if a few more years of increased costs and worse coverage and we’ll see where the sponsors end up. Not remotely sustainable without outside support and new fans who want to buy Mtbs. Neither is happening.
Hey, Chris Ball. You can take your Mr Nally mask off anytime now.
Time will tell!
Sorry bro, dropped your red bull, need me to wipe it up for you?
Wildcard teams announced for Les Gets:
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7th August 2025 – The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports can confirm that 16 wildcard teams – eight cross-country and eight downhill – have been selected for round 13 of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie (France) on August 28-31.
While all eight teams that applied for a downhill spot secured a wildcard, it was the most competitive selection in cross-country yet, with only eight of the 21 applicants selected.
The majority of qualifying teams have already featured in the 2025 series, but there will be a first appearance for French Endurance outfit Sunn Factory Racing.
The seven-strong all-French Cross-country team has a strong UCI World Cup history and focuses on youth and development. Some of its riders have already lit up this year’s WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series too, having qualified based on their UCI Ranking points. Yannis Musy and Flavie Guille are Sunn Factory Racing’s highest profile riders and have made their Elite debuts at this year’s WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, while 19-year-old Alix Andre Gallis has recorded sixth-place finishes in the U23 UCI Cross-country Olympic (XCO) World Cup at Pal Arinsal (Andorra) and Saalfelden Leogang – Salzburgerland (Austria).
Elsewhere, Lexware Mountainbike Team is the only Endurance team to continue its 100% wildcard qualification record, while Goodman Santacruz, Rogue Racing - SR Suntour, Team High Country and Kenda NS Bikes UR Team do the same in downhill.
The 16 wildcard teams for round 13 of the 2025 WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series in Les Gets, Haute-Savoie are:
UCI Downhill World Cup:
Rogue Racing - SR Suntour
Goodman Santacruz
Kenda NS Bike UR Team
Gwin Racing
Team High Country
The Alliance
Future Frameworks
YT Racing Development
UCI Cross-country World Cup:
Scott Creuse Oxygene Gueret
BIXS Performance Race Team
Bike Team Solothurn
Lexware Mountainbike Team
KTM Factory MTB Team
Sunn Factory Racing
Cabtech Racing Team
Massi
@TEAMROBOT, Dante Silva and John Hall on the mic to discuss the state of #USDH
WBD...we be gettin' milly's of views yo!
Vital - Math is off
Jordie - Not talking to us & charging is $50k more for pits
Pit Chatter - Fewer Fans
WBD - clicks yo...we be getttin' doze clickity clicks yo.
Love Jordies point about 'counting any instance where they are put on at an airport or bar or similar'... Aka where nobody is watching it. Also makes me miss Fox Dialed so much, if only for the Jordie Q&As that aren't even suspension specific. Bro has opinions and no qualms about speakin em out loud.
Maybe if it weren’t for all these extra costs they could bring dialed back. Which was one of the most successful YouTube programs around the World Cup.
Maybe wbd can give Fox free pit space to bring it back.
Santa Cruz Syndicate looking for a new manager, is this Peatys current job or doss he have a different title?
I watched an XCO race in an airport bar on a long layover a while back, I was glad to see it but I was definitely the only person in the airport interested in it.
So...in the name of journalism, you've got an Indeed job profile set up to find Team Manager positions in the mountain bike industry???
Linkedin actually!
I have job alerts for bike companies, not this specific job, which LinkedIn also says I'm not a strong match for; which I am certainly not.
Posting on a forum is definitely not journalism though.
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