I read the press release as hey every step of the way we made enduro better but we’ve decided we think it’s best for enduro if we no longer host a series. But we are also going to keep and have world champs cause we think that’s what’s best for enduro.
Which is why it’s a wierd press release. Usually when you kill something it’s an explanation as to what went wrong and challenges. Not a simultaneous patting yourselves on the back for quitting as well as the choices you made that brought you there.
I have little doubt if the focus of ews had been to continue to find new venues and put on great races it would be thriving everybit as it once was. They got distracted trying to turn it into something else and adding the e-bike series. And by the time they returned to the winning format it was an afterthought for wbd in terms of both effort and funding compared to xc/dh.
I bet we won’t see a Chris ball interview on the subject either. Despite the fact the riders and fans who made him who he is today really deserve one.
This is honestly shocking. WBD is a private, for-profit company. If they decide Enduro isn't profitable enough to broadcast, fine. That's their business. But why does a private broadcaster have a say in whether an entire cycling discipline gets a World Cup? The UCI is a governing body. Its job is to organize, protect and develop cycling for its members, not decide which disciplines survive based on the ROI of a commercial partner. And one of the most important jobs of a governing body is to provide a consistent pathway through the sport. Local racing → regional racing → nationals → World Cup → World Championships. That pathway matters. A 14-year-old racing Enduro needs somewhere to go. Clubs, coaches, teams and national federations need something to build toward. Remove the top of that pyramid and eventually you weaken everything underneath it. This will impact grassroots participation. It will impact teams and sponsors. And ultimately it will impact the bike industry itself. Frankly, the industry should be furious about this. They've spent years selling Enduro bikes, supporting athletes, events and teams, and helping build this category. And please don't tell us World Cups are too expensive. You don't need TV production to have a World Cup. We organize races every weekend with tiny budgets. We need good courses, timing, officials, safety and fair competition. Cameras are nice. They aren't the sport. If the current model is too expensive, make it cheaper. Fewer rounds, independent organizers, highlights instead of live coverage, whatever works. But maintain the pathway and the legitimacy of the discipline. People clearly want to race Enduro. Their own PR celebrates 500+ riders at the last event. I pay for a UCI license expecting cycling's governing bodies to represent cycling, not the commercial interests of a broadcaster. WBD protecting its business is perfectly normal. The UCI allowing that business model to determine the future of our sport is not.
The UCI does not organise races. It's the governing body, corrupt? potentially yes, but enduro's early glory years were before the UCI had anything to do with it. Hence doping claims from when a sport is less regulated.
I'm curious to see what happens. How do events and riders get funding for a world wide series if the big brands have no interest. Big brands can't even run XC teams which have huge viewership numbers. Cannondale, and Pon above them making business decisions. Chris Ball talked of feeder series for DH. It's easy to talk and sound good, and easier again to not have anything to do with mid tier feeder series'.
As a huge fan of enduro and DH, and not the uci, This news has all the fixings for a forum debate on what it takes to build a successful bike race series. And that debate always leads to one set of answers…. 1. some people with passion, and a lot of time and cash to burn
2. Crankworx
3. Red Bull or monster energy
And Everytime we have this lovely talk it ends at, Red Bull flutag is still a thing so maybe there’s a chance.
As a huge fan of enduro and DH, and not the uci, This news has all the fixings for a forum debate on what it takes...
As a huge fan of enduro and DH, and not the uci, This news has all the fixings for a forum debate on what it takes to build a successful bike race series. And that debate always leads to one set of answers…. 1. some people with passion, and a lot of time and cash to burn
2. Crankworx
3. Red Bull or monster energy
And Everytime we have this lovely talk it ends at, Red Bull flutag is still a thing so maybe there’s a chance.
You called it quite nicely there with option 2, Crankworks.
I wonder if it would be possible to include any of the big Trans style races and a Megavalanche style race as well, or if it makes sense to do so.
What was the longest enduro back in the EWS days? Madeira? 5 days of racing?
These things don't lend themselves well to live coverage but I don't think thats the point. The Trans Madeira seems to be economically viable and it is such a cool experience I'd love to do it again while the big dogs were racing as well. I'd also pay more for that as a participant. It is already a really good value as a participant.
Cool! Seems like a lot of potential here! I wonder if it would be possible to include any of the big Trans style races and a Megavalanche style...
Cool!
Seems like a lot of potential here!
I wonder if it would be possible to include any of the big Trans style races and a Megavalanche style race as well, or if it makes sense to do so.
What was the longest enduro back in the EWS days? Madeira? 5 days of racing?
These things don't lend themselves well to live coverage but I don't think thats the point. The Trans Madeira seems to be economically viable and it is such a cool experience I'd love to do it again while the big dogs were racing as well. I'd also pay more for that as a participant. It is already a really good value as a participant.
The problem with the Trans races is that they exist more as a "vacation" showpiece than a real race. Not saying racing doesn't happen, but they are also designed to be an excuse for people to ride like hooligans in cool places for fun. I worry making them a part of some EWS title would not only limit people's ability to participate, but also change the overall vibe of these events in a negative way.
That being said, events like the Squamish enduro are PRIME candidates to be incorporated into an overall series, and could be a prime model for how you can make a race event that fires up an entire riding community. In my opinion an "EWS" race should be a community event in these locations, encouraging local participation (maybe with a modified course), meeting of athletes, and showcasing a regions riding. Hell, I'd even be okay with it becoming an ex-dh/xc racer "retirement league" like it was for a bit in the mid 2010's again. Let's make it the best parts of racing your friends in the woods and keep it less serious than XC/DH.
This is honestly shocking.WBD is a private, for-profit company. If they decide Enduro isn't profitable enough to broadcast, fine. That's their business.But why does a private...
This is honestly shocking. WBD is a private, for-profit company. If they decide Enduro isn't profitable enough to broadcast, fine. That's their business. But why does a private broadcaster have a say in whether an entire cycling discipline gets a World Cup? The UCI is a governing body. Its job is to organize, protect and develop cycling for its members, not decide which disciplines survive based on the ROI of a commercial partner. And one of the most important jobs of a governing body is to provide a consistent pathway through the sport. Local racing → regional racing → nationals → World Cup → World Championships. That pathway matters. A 14-year-old racing Enduro needs somewhere to go. Clubs, coaches, teams and national federations need something to build toward. Remove the top of that pyramid and eventually you weaken everything underneath it. This will impact grassroots participation. It will impact teams and sponsors. And ultimately it will impact the bike industry itself. Frankly, the industry should be furious about this. They've spent years selling Enduro bikes, supporting athletes, events and teams, and helping build this category. And please don't tell us World Cups are too expensive. You don't need TV production to have a World Cup. We organize races every weekend with tiny budgets. We need good courses, timing, officials, safety and fair competition. Cameras are nice. They aren't the sport. If the current model is too expensive, make it cheaper. Fewer rounds, independent organizers, highlights instead of live coverage, whatever works. But maintain the pathway and the legitimacy of the discipline. People clearly want to race Enduro. Their own PR celebrates 500+ riders at the last event. I pay for a UCI license expecting cycling's governing bodies to represent cycling, not the commercial interests of a broadcaster. WBD protecting its business is perfectly normal. The UCI allowing that business model to determine the future of our sport is not.
Posted this before, posting again... The old EWS points and event qualifier structure was a great example of a transparent, feasible ladder for talented and motivated riders to climb into the elite field. EWS points were earned at sanctioned local, regional and national level events each with their own points tier and value table. I remember on the website from 2018-2020 there were pages and pages of races you could earn points. An EWS license was about 30USD to get an account and start earning. It seemed that race organizers were welcomed with fair terms to have their races sanctioned and when they did they were very well attended by racers.
I personally managed to qualify through the points threshold for a handful of years by grinding the local qualifier events. There was a lot of drive and motivation within the race community to quali up and go race some big races. The motivation dried up overnight when the EDR switch happened and the quali structure went to the elitist UCI version of: Pay to travel to Europe for 1 of 5 available quali rounds, pay $300 for a UCI license, find/pay accommodation, pits and transport at a triple header world cup venue OR with your national championship. The link to the new talent and supporting community was broken.
Cool! Seems like a lot of potential here! I wonder if it would be possible to include any of the big Trans style races and a Megavalanche style...
Cool!
Seems like a lot of potential here!
I wonder if it would be possible to include any of the big Trans style races and a Megavalanche style race as well, or if it makes sense to do so.
What was the longest enduro back in the EWS days? Madeira? 5 days of racing?
These things don't lend themselves well to live coverage but I don't think thats the point. The Trans Madeira seems to be economically viable and it is such a cool experience I'd love to do it again while the big dogs were racing as well. I'd also pay more for that as a participant. It is already a really good value as a participant.
I thought 2015 Crested Butte was 3 days but I cant remember anymore.
Is crankworks really going to be much better? I thought that series was kind of on a downward trajectory. Aren't they going to have a lot of the same issues everyone's complaining about, the same venues and at bike parks? I have been following EDR much more than CWX events other than 1199 DH.
The downturn - Media coverage of enduro: I was a big fan of the slideshows but I remember sspoomer saying that the viewing numbers were coninually dropping back then and didn't justify putting in the effort. It appears just Videos for the Tiktok-generation nowadays pay the bills. We are in a tiny bubble here, so forget "media coverage of enduro racing". It either happens on it's own or it doesn't.
There is no concept: it all evolved from independent, local races to regional and national series and each had it's own approach, format and spice. At one point it all got thrown in a tumbler and the ews was formed by the major series (superenduro and the french series, can't remember the name) but it was still all very different: courses (bikepark, trail, open field), formats (1- ,2- ,3-day) and approach (blind, 1-ride-/open training, self-/shutteling). The EWS made it possible for local race organisers to host their idea of enduro racing at an international stage to promote the riding in that area for touristic reason. That's why we know about Canazei, Petzen or Ainsa and many more.
Evolvement: it's hard to point out a peak time, as it was constantly evolving (26", 2by drivetrains, 34mm Stanchion forks won races), until it wasn't anymore. So I think it's hard to recreate it as there have been standards established that kind of kill the excitement of the early days.
If I remember correctly 3-full-days events were the max, but there were just 1-2 of them in total. 2 days was regular with an "exhibition stage" the night before, to showcase the racers and racing to domestic inhabitants and tourists.
So in a nutshell: all these local races still exist and people travel to alll these places and participate in cool events and there is still that market for the bike- and tourismindustry. But it's never gonna be the pinnacle of racing anymore because in reality it never was.
I think e-bikes need to fit in to this somehow? Everyone in the industry says that eebs are the bikes that people buy instead of enduro bikes these days. If you want new riders coming up, they’re probably riding an eMTB right now! Even more so in the next few years…
I read the press release as hey every step of the way we made enduro better but we’ve decided we think it’s best for enduro if we no longer host a series. But we are also going to keep and have world champs cause we think that’s what’s best for enduro.
Which is why it’s a wierd press release. Usually when you kill something it’s an explanation as to what went wrong and challenges. Not a simultaneous patting yourselves on the back for quitting as well as the choices you made that brought you there.
I have little doubt if the focus of ews had been to continue to find new venues and put on great races it would be thriving everybit as it once was. They got distracted trying to turn it into something else and adding the e-bike series. And by the time they returned to the winning format it was an afterthought for wbd in terms of both effort and funding compared to xc/dh.
I bet we won’t see a Chris ball interview on the subject either. Despite the fact the riders and fans who made him who he is today really deserve one.
This is honestly shocking.
WBD is a private, for-profit company. If they decide Enduro isn't profitable enough to broadcast, fine. That's their business.
But why does a private broadcaster have a say in whether an entire cycling discipline gets a World Cup?
The UCI is a governing body. Its job is to organize, protect and develop cycling for its members, not decide which disciplines survive based on the ROI of a commercial partner.
And one of the most important jobs of a governing body is to provide a consistent pathway through the sport.
Local racing → regional racing → nationals → World Cup → World Championships.
That pathway matters. A 14-year-old racing Enduro needs somewhere to go. Clubs, coaches, teams and national federations need something to build toward. Remove the top of that pyramid and eventually you weaken everything underneath it.
This will impact grassroots participation. It will impact teams and sponsors. And ultimately it will impact the bike industry itself. Frankly, the industry should be furious about this. They've spent years selling Enduro bikes, supporting athletes, events and teams, and helping build this category.
And please don't tell us World Cups are too expensive. You don't need TV production to have a World Cup. We organize races every weekend with tiny budgets. We need good courses, timing, officials, safety and fair competition. Cameras are nice. They aren't the sport.
If the current model is too expensive, make it cheaper. Fewer rounds, independent organizers, highlights instead of live coverage, whatever works. But maintain the pathway and the legitimacy of the discipline.
People clearly want to race Enduro. Their own PR celebrates 500+ riders at the last event.
I pay for a UCI license expecting cycling's governing bodies to represent cycling, not the commercial interests of a broadcaster.
WBD protecting its business is perfectly normal.
The UCI allowing that business model to determine the future of our sport is not.
The UCI does not organise races. It's the governing body, corrupt? potentially yes, but enduro's early glory years were before the UCI had anything to do with it. Hence doping claims from when a sport is less regulated.
I'm curious to see what happens. How do events and riders get funding for a world wide series if the big brands have no interest. Big brands can't even run XC teams which have huge viewership numbers. Cannondale, and Pon above them making business decisions. Chris Ball talked of feeder series for DH. It's easy to talk and sound good, and easier again to not have anything to do with mid tier feeder series'.
As a huge fan of enduro and DH, and not the uci, This news has all the fixings for a forum debate on what it takes to build a successful bike race series. And that debate always leads to one set of answers….
1. some people with passion, and a lot of time and cash to burn
2. Crankworx
3. Red Bull or monster energy
And Everytime we have this lovely talk it ends at, Red Bull flutag is still a thing so maybe there’s a chance.
You called it quite nicely there with option 2, Crankworks.
Cool!
Seems like a lot of potential here!
I wonder if it would be possible to include any of the big Trans style races and a Megavalanche style race as well, or if it makes sense to do so.
What was the longest enduro back in the EWS days? Madeira? 5 days of racing?
These things don't lend themselves well to live coverage but I don't think thats the point. The Trans Madeira seems to be economically viable and it is such a cool experience I'd love to do it again while the big dogs were racing as well. I'd also pay more for that as a participant. It is already a really good value as a participant.
Rhapsodic news.
The problem with the Trans races is that they exist more as a "vacation" showpiece than a real race. Not saying racing doesn't happen, but they are also designed to be an excuse for people to ride like hooligans in cool places for fun. I worry making them a part of some EWS title would not only limit people's ability to participate, but also change the overall vibe of these events in a negative way.
That being said, events like the Squamish enduro are PRIME candidates to be incorporated into an overall series, and could be a prime model for how you can make a race event that fires up an entire riding community. In my opinion an "EWS" race should be a community event in these locations, encouraging local participation (maybe with a modified course), meeting of athletes, and showcasing a regions riding. Hell, I'd even be okay with it becoming an ex-dh/xc racer "retirement league" like it was for a bit in the mid 2010's again. Let's make it the best parts of racing your friends in the woods and keep it less serious than XC/DH.
Posted this before, posting again... The old EWS points and event qualifier structure was a great example of a transparent, feasible ladder for talented and motivated riders to climb into the elite field. EWS points were earned at sanctioned local, regional and national level events each with their own points tier and value table. I remember on the website from 2018-2020 there were pages and pages of races you could earn points. An EWS license was about 30USD to get an account and start earning. It seemed that race organizers were welcomed with fair terms to have their races sanctioned and when they did they were very well attended by racers.
I personally managed to qualify through the points threshold for a handful of years by grinding the local qualifier events. There was a lot of drive and motivation within the race community to quali up and go race some big races. The motivation dried up overnight when the EDR switch happened and the quali structure went to the elitist UCI version of: Pay to travel to Europe for 1 of 5 available quali rounds, pay $300 for a UCI license, find/pay accommodation, pits and transport at a triple header world cup venue OR with your national championship. The link to the new talent and supporting community was broken.
I thought 2015 Crested Butte was 3 days but I cant remember anymore.
Is crankworks really going to be much better? I thought that series was kind of on a downward trajectory. Aren't they going to have a lot of the same issues everyone's complaining about, the same venues and at bike parks? I have been following EDR much more than CWX events other than 1199 DH.
A few things I'd like to add:
I think e-bikes need to fit in to this somehow? Everyone in the industry says that eebs are the bikes that people buy instead of enduro bikes these days. If you want new riders coming up, they’re probably riding an eMTB right now! Even more so in the next few years…
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