Hello Vital MTB Visitor,
We’re conducting a survey and would appreciate your input. Your answers will help Vital and the MTB industry better understand what riders like you want. Survey results will be used to recognize top brands. Make your voice heard!
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The Vital MTB Crew
Free Monsters for life for anyone named Kyle 🤣
Gwin 17 Questions (figure it could land in here)
Questions asked
1. You wake up late and are in rush to get your day going. You stop by a Starbucks to get your caffeine fix. What drink are you ordering?
2. How do you pass time on long flights? Movies, reading, sleeping, catching up on emails??
3. What was your best trick during your bmx days?
4. What was the most money you made at a single race from bonuses? (you can leave out the team, year, or brands if you’d like)
5. If you had it all to do over again, would you rather have been a professional supercross/outdoor rider than a professional mountain biker?
6. Who has the best style at World Cups these days?
7. Favorite and least favorite World Cup track?
8. How many riders come to Windrock and ask for free shuttles?
9. Best place to eat out if you’re at Windrock?
10. Of the titles you hold, rank these from least to most favorite: bike park owner, race promoter, professional mountain biker, airbnb host, sports commentator.
11. What do you miss most about living in SoCal?
12. What’s your game plan going into Red Bull Hardline?
13. You’re considered one of the greatest downhill racers of all time. Who do you consider to be the best downhill racer?
14. We know you’ve always been a bit of a gym rat. Give us a few of your favorite exercises that translate well to on the bike performance?
15. How many elite men and elite women should there be in finals at a World Cup?
16. We’ve always admired your ability to capitalize on the success you’ve had as a racer with the many financial endeavors you’ve taken on. Do you have any money/business advice for other athletes?
17. Wouldn’t you rather be building trails at Windrock than answering these stupid questions?
Those are the betting odds, for sure. What's interesting is that there are at least 6 WC Elite men winners in that start list. Asa, a junior World Cup and World Champion--and on a course, he apparently loves, and barely lost to Jackson last year. Yeah, it's not a deep World Cup field, and yeah, it's been a minute since Aaron has won a big race, and even longer for Gee...but... I would never count ANYONE out of a win, who actually knows how to win. I am really eager to see how Luca does on this kind of course. Luke and Ronan both had a WC win last year, and obviously Jackson. BK has won a couple of these...
You'd have to admit that this is the most well-rounded field that Jackson has had to race against at any Hardline.
https://www.adirondackexplorer.org/community-news/economy/inside-the-states-860k-price-tag-for-world-cup-cycling-in-the-adirondacks/?fbclid=PAT01DUAPp5O1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA81NjcwNjczNDMzNTI0MjcAAac5nzt2evZBUJM9xObtE_ZuoaSGR5kUvu0nurKIvb0GUw5wDK2vq7ZdzguY6w_aem_-U3gdHmaiE9eAyoGw7o9Kw
Lake Placid reporting. Some numbers thrown around for reference. Gwins consulting fee .. ✅
So basically about $10k per days work for Aaron. That's wild
If we had Steve Peat and John Tomac, the entire history of the sport would be represented. Or Eli doing the course on a 450, just count him as half JT, based on genetics.
Or, could Tomes himself still ride that course?!
in the podcast we had w/ him a month ago, IIRC he said he had like 4 or 5 different site visit trips to lake placid last year to get the track in shape.
Arguments against Tennessee, and even Colorado hosting a World Cup, always include: "access to an international airport" and "lack of facilities" for racers. Lake Placid is like 5 hours drive from LaGuardia. Even if riders flew into Albany, it's over two hours to Lake Placid. Mount Snow is closer to both airports. Lake Placid was beautiful and by all accounts, a unique race. But would it ever have been chosen without this huge, upside-down investment from this "Regional Olympic" agency? Were any other US Northeast resorts even considered?
Is altitude really the reason that CO / NM / UT are never in the mix? Vail once had a legendary World Cup. Purgatory too. Vail is about 1.5-2 hours (traffic dependent) from DIA as Lake Placid is from NYC. Keystone is 2x as close to DIA. All of these Rockies resorts have PLENTY of condos and hotels.
As far as the airport / amenities argument goes: Snowshoe is in the middle of nowhere.
Is UCI just going with the deepest pockets, even if the resort doesn't have a deep connection to mountain biking? Why doesn't having an existing "Bike Scene" factor in?
Does somewhere like Bellingham ever get considered?
-Just another American wanting a legendary US downhill race to anchor us on the World Cup scene.
Places don't really get considered unless a resort or local tourism/government agency etc bids. then they have to meet a certain criteria regarding lift capacity elevation and more.
Outside of Durango / Purgatory are any of the CO / UT / NM based bike parks shown interest in hosting a DH World Cup?
Lake Placid is only two hours + from Montreal (YUL).
Reality is venues have to want to bid to hose WC events. Probably a whole host factors and bill go into it, from local politics, tracks, public/private funding. Local enthusiasm etc...
I doubt the UCI or whoever do much head hunting?
Having raced at mount snow, it does not have the elevation and pitch for World Cup in my opinion. Although I hate orda, whiteface World Cup was sick last year, and has more of “big mountain” you can’t find in many other places in the east. More North America WC would obviously be sick, I think WF, MSA and whistler would be a good season finale. Plus whatever Durango has coming.
Back in the Grundig/NORBA days, Mt Snow was a racer favorite. Of course back then the track went from the summit. Plenty of vertical for a WC if they ran that lift still. If I remember right, some rare bird nests at the summit for a couple weeks in the summer? And it’s national forest land, so they had to stop running that lift in the summer. Such a bummer, because Mt Snow has some great terrain from the top. The bike park there has really gone to shit over the years.
I guess so (regarding, does UCI head-hunt)? There is a UCI marketing guide for prospective host cities available online.
I'm really not trying to dump on Lake Placid--it's a lovely area. But it just seems so odd that a town with 5 bike shops (total, including EMS, in Lake Placid) is where the single US UCI round is held. Honestly, I've never heard of Lake Placid in reference to mountain biking (my family visited once, and I watched the Olympics on TV that year...). I mean, Whistler finally makes sense as a UCI destination. All the French / Swiss resorts near Morzine, make sense, the Italian Alps spots. But...Lake Placid? It would make more sense to have a downhill at Mountain Creek, Thunder Mt., Killington, etc. etc. At least they actually have a bike park!
I honestly don't know whether the CO resorts want this kind of event, but darn...at least they could put together 2000 feet of vertical drop. I also think that a UCI event in the Rockies would bring a pretty huge crowd.
Tennessee / NC has the terrain, but one could definitely see the challenges regarding infrastructure.
I remember Mt. Snow from the NORBA / Grundig days. I did the CC there from '91-'93. There was an off-camber rock / root slab in the middle that was a lot of fun!
Yeah, definitely a good track back in the day. But I think the terrain maybe a bit dull now. I’ve watched most of the coverage of those old races, looked mad back then.
I think you are maybe viewing through the wrong light or whatever.
The lake placid WC started as an XC only event. Which made sense as that's hosted at the Olympic XC skiing venue in Mt. Van Hoevenberg. The whole area has a big endurance training and outdoor vibe.
Obviously WBD like a double header XC and DH cos it's easier and cheaper for logistics and Whiteface has some of the best terrain in the north east for DH. So someone somewhere got the memo and got to work I suppose?
I'm assuming the infrastructure and willingness of locals is more important to hosting a WC than the riding scene?
Your explanation makes perfect sense. I think that XC will always be favored by the UCI, and and it adds-up that Downhill was tacked-on after the XC was squared-away.
I just watched the XCO and short-track. Wow, great cross-country racing! So cool to have a dominant American XC racer again this year. It's been a loooong wait for that! (Bashi was nipping on Blevins's heals though).
I'd still love it if they found the "ideal" venue(s) to create an iconic American UCI downhill event. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to what the Lake Placid DH will look like when the track is actually burned-in, and not a sandbox.
Hot tub Time Machine is back
Hands down, my favourite podcast series of the year. lol
Local Maydena rider Sascha Kim has been given a last minute wildcard for Hardline.
i started a hardline-specific thread here - https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/2026-red-bull-hardline-tasmania - gonna be a good race!
Anybody hear joe breeden mention 3 hardline rounds in the downtime podcast.
Is that old news or still to be confirmed?
I believe there’s going to be one somewhere in BC. I’ve heard/read that a few times now. That would be sick. Hopefully they can keep pulling WC talent for these. In the middle of the season I think you’ll see less WC riders taking that chance.
I heard it's just gonna be Brage's trolldom line
That would be diabolical lol.
Though I am interested in seeing how they incorporate the local north shore freeride legacy into the course. Wales has raw rock and mud. Tasmania has jungley ferns tunnels and stuff. I hope we see some elevated skinnies or something in the course to reflect the local area.
enduro and e-enduro world champs in finale - PR from world series below.
FINALE OUTDOOR REGION, LIGURIA TO HOST THE 2026 UCI MTB ENDURO & E-ENDURO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports are pleased to announce that the third edition of the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro and E-Enduro World Championships will take place in Finale Outdoor Region, Liguria, Italy, from October 16 to 18, 2026.
With over two decades of history rooted in outdoor sports and enduro riding, Finale Ligure and the Finale Outdoor Region have become one of the world’s most renowned mountain bike destinations. Since the first edition of Finalenduro in 2008, the region has continuously hosted the most prestigious international events, such as the Enduro World Series, including the Trophy of Nations, and the UCI Enduro World Cup, part of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series, alternating with the neighbouring town of Pietra Ligure. Finale has distinguished itself for the quality of its trails, its exceptional organization, and its deep connection with the authentic spirit of the sport.
Read the Full Article Here
Class action settlement for victims of Month Saint-Anne gondola incidents at $5.1m
$5.1m settlement for victims
Also hoping the same, with Gee Atherton as a consultant maybe he'll build something like his tree line in Wales for part of the course. I would love some slower speed skinny elevated stuff too, but I guess that's harder for racing.
Vali looks like she's up to speed on her new bike already...bad news for the rest of the women!
Post a reply to: 2026 Race Talk