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Here's the thing. That rider "protest" didn't screw them. It screwed thousands of people who either planned to work the event to put food on the table (cause nobody working Crankworx is living large). They screwed the town, community, restaurants, transportation companies, food vendors, booth workers, trail builders, course volunteers who gave up a week of their lives to do something cool and fun, thousands of hungry fans who CHOSE to come see them instead of have a fun week/weekend. They built animosity for the tourism bureau, the resort that allowed the event promoter to have it, the freaking bus...

They expected to get what they wanted by strong-arming the promoters. They felt that moment was the point where their leverage was the highest and they couldn't possibly cancel the show once everyone was there, tickets were sold, t-shirts were printed, and those big checks were already filled out. Someone has deep enough pockets to make it happen, right? Telling them 2 months before "we won't show if you don't meet these demands" gives the promoter time to say fine then, see you next year, book an alternative event, or cancel with significantly less consequence. They played their hand and...

I watched a bit and there is video from Wednesday demanding (their words not mine) by Friday hotels paid for, appearance fee for all riders and schedule change to avoid wind delays. OK so they flew there and then gave 48 hours notice they won't complete unless we get more money. So how much did they spend ro go and make NOTHING or did they really honestly think they would just get what they wanted because you know it's slopestyle?

Long story short: "There's a lot more going on that Crankworx isn't sharing on social media or press releases, but I'm not going to go into it" This video hasn't done anything to make me feel more sympathetic towards the athletes. Absolutely make sure the athletes have a voice when it comes to course safety and impact of weather/etc on the event. No one will ever convince me it's the event's responsibility to ensure athletes are able to participate (ie - travel and accommodations) and will never think an appearance fee is a reasonable ask as long as it remains...

Lets not forget that all of this is a money making enterprise. Everything from the pins on the pedals to the rider standing on the podium. There is someone, or a corporation putting money into it all to make money. Just like any work place if the organisation/shop/company/not for profit does not make money it does not survive. We are more and more seeing people demanding more and more from the ecosystem. There will always be a need to advocate for better conditions, more pay better work life balance but there is ultimately a time where it puts pressure on...

I gotta watch a 25 minute video to know why?

He can't put out a video of them riding at the comp so he has to put this out to keep the sponsors happy.

Aren't the riders just barking up the wrong tree? I get the safety part of it, but it isn't on Crankworx to pay the riders is it? Ask your sponsor. They don't want to pay you more? Well, time to realize your worth, whats happening in the industry, and go do something else to finance your hobby.

Ye Olden Days ACL repair guy here. Snapped it in a gopher hole at Seven Springs National in Dual Slalom. Has ruined most every other sport for me. Brendog rode a season without his and that is a mistake. You chew the crap out of the meniscus inside with tiny little micro tears time after time from the instability. Me, I cooked my meniscus in the weeks between the injury and surgery and it's misery to this day. I have to wear what is called an unloader brace if I go to the gym, mow the grass or hike. Only...

That last sentence is 100% correct. A BMX/Freestyle/Skate comp would have an entry fee & a prize purse. That's all. 10-20 dudes fighting it out for 3 to 5 checks. If your competition is a BIG TIME draw like you say, then the organizer is going to pay 10 deep. But that's it. Every dime a freerider/freeracer makes as "income" is determined before he/she gets on the plane. No one shows up for a financially incentivized competition before negotiating an appearance fee. And yeah, working hard at a real job is how the Aussies quite literally converted a decade of...

How did all the current big names make it? They were not getting paid to show up they worked hard and negotiated with their sponsors.

They can get a regular job to fund their slopestyle hobby until it pays off for them. You don't have to be broke and living in a van if you don't want to. A friend of mine raced world cup DH and was an electrician in the off season. The dude had tons of money to fund his endeavors on top of what sponsors were supporting him with. It's not unreasonable to think any of the slopestyle guys can be doing the same. With that financial freedom, they can pick and choose which events they want to ride...and not show...

I agree. I'm an engineering manager for a massive aerospace company worth $6B+ and they don't buy me lunch every day. They expect me to manage my finances so that I can feed myself, travel to and from work, and perform the job they paid me to do. This is a company makes the Crankworx organization look like a kids lemonade stand, and all they do is pay me a salary to do a single job. Just like the sponsors are paying these guys to show up to comps and do a job. Obviously not all jobs are the same...

Man...the appearance fee, wanting food & accommodation...those are benefits not even employees can get. Sorry, but this reads as Gen Z bullshit. Don't fly to the OTHER END OF THE WORLD to spin your bike in the air for a few if you don't have your own money, sponsors, contracts, insurance & extradition in order. These guys are talking like they are a single entity that supplies Crankworx with a set pool of "performers" for a "show". If that's the case, they should have NAMED a FLAT appearance fee for their collective/entity/company (insert name of freeriders here). You want to...

My question would be, how do the organizers handle the situation if the event is canceled by weather or something out of there control? Refund the entries? Credit towards the next event? Dip into the purse money and give it out to the riders? I've seen the first two options happen...

They did, but the riders wanted all or nothing.. Unless there was a disagreement regarding how much is considered acceptable for a room? Or, how it should be paid? Did the riders want the reimbursement and the organizers offer a per diem? Once again, details we don't know..

Hence my "kind of" caveat. Everyone else: DH; Dual; Pump; Speed n Style (etc) all seem to have to change schedules to accommodate the needs of Slope. They can all do their best in ideal conditions (dry, no wind, nice temp...) but why is it only the Slope guys that get to stipulate that? Do the other category riders get a choice... and should they all now also be eligible for a similar attendance fee/expenses. Equality and all that? Genuine question.

Is it though? If they are upfront that they provide a platform for people to compete and advance their careers and nothing else, are they obligated to front the money for people to come?

If Crankworx providing appearance fees, travel expenses, accommodations, etc, I feel like there would then be a significantly higher expectation for athletes to perform, regardless of conditions, etc. (ie - we're paying for you to be here and to perform). At that point, I'm sure athletes would have to sign contracts (ie - we'll give you this, but here are the expectations if you do) and I think it would really run the risk of becoming more of a performative show rather than a true competition. I think it's the event organizers role to ensure the athletes have a safe...

I think it can be a generational thing, but not necessarily limited to one generation. Throughout the years the younger generation thinks the older generation doesn't know.. As they get older, gain life experience, sometimes views change.. I'm sure most riders that have put on a contest can tell you about lessons they learned along the way. One other thought that just crossed my mind.. I'm willing to bet most of these event sponsors signed multi year deals a few years ago... They were committed to a certain amount of money every year. But, does that mean the expenses for...