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Gwinn’s mechanic just posted this story. Maybe Gwinn doing his own thing just with Intense frames? I can’t imagine John would buy a new Intense e-bike if he was going to be wrenching on different frames for Gwinn next season. Or maybe I’m reading his comment the wrong way. Still seems strange he promote a bike they woollens be using in a week.

Like Brendan Fairclough has been doing for several years now. It's definitely a model for the future.

Probably just got a good deal on a bike. A lot of "sponsored" riders don't actually get paid at all.

Agree, and she does race: https://www.rootsandrain.com/rider31877/megan-whyte/results/

I’m all for paying racers good money but if all you sponsor are racers you’re missing out on a huge portion of the riding market. Most of riders don’t care that much about racing.

Seems smart. If a rider can bring in their own sponsorship money they can get a team together without needing to find more sponsorship money in order to pay everyone and force everyone off brands they have longer relationships with. Seems win win to me.

Leaving the Union is a good thing, means they got picked up by a larger team and that’s the purpose of the Union team.

Just 'cos I don't follow the trend of hating on all things world cup means it's a conspiracy? I'm just another clown with an opinion, like the rest of you.

In DH, there's a Team known as MS Racing. In SX, there's a team called Rick Ware Racing.

In a way they did build out that streaming app - my understanding of it is Discovery funded it through their investment in that group, which WBD then inherited when the merger happened. They continued to fund it beyond that point too, further developing the app. Not saying this to really change opinions or anything, just clarify things a little. Also, anyone who thinks WBD's board spoke about the future of downhill broadcasting or cycling broadcasting in general is dreaming. This is such a small thing in comparison to the rest of their business they won't have any interest in...

Is he faster paying than the team that vaporized under McElrath and others last year? That was a horrid situation. Come out of 250s as title holder, jacked his back up, missed half the year, showed up for his first 450 qualifier and got 7th....then the season flipped him off & he rolled into that new team and POOF! No team. No money. We talk about DH having some quick flip circumstances but SX is just evil. Granted, it's not like DH where you have to travel the world to get to the big events if a team folds. You...

Neko, Asa, mystery rider, Anxo, Logan, probably one other mechanic/support person. At a minimum average of $50k salary per person per year you’re already at $300k. Then Martin Whiteley’s management cost ($25-50k). Add on travel (bare minimum $5k per race per person, so $25-30k per race x 8 WC races, then domestic races. There’s another $300k at a minimum. Tack on insurance, taxes and other stuff. So $600k on a tight budget, and the whole reason riders get Martin Whiteley involved is so they aren’t on a shoestring budget. I sure hope Neko’s salary is at least $150k though. Hence...

If you’ve got $10k for a quarter panel when the tier 1 team’s quarter panel goes for $150k, Rick Ware will put your name on it. He’s a hustler. On the SX side, he’s not the fastest paying boss from what I know.

At least in the US, the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong took a lot of outside funding from MTB into road, and then out of all cycling disciplines together when he was caught for being who he is.

If the lack of teams and money demonstrate anything, its that the cycling industry is appalling at marketing itself to attract massive outside sponsorship. Having bike companies fund their own race teams is a model doomed for failure. If anyone has been into mtb long enough, theyll know that at the end of the 90's we had big race teams rolling up to events in their 18wheelers with a team all getting paid over $100k. And the teams were all backed outside. Volvo-cannondale, specialized-mt dew etc. The series was titled sponsored by an electronics firm (grundig) then tissot. It was...

How exactly could WDBsports organize to pay riders for their appearance on TV based off of new subscribers? Many fans probably already had a gcn subscription. In year one, the data and plans just can't be in place to pay riders for their appearance. It just makes zero sense. Especially when WDBsports likely operated at a loss seen as they would have had to invest heavily in infrastructure/staff/branding etc.... I'm all for the riders on TV making more dollars for their hard work but expecting WDBsports to dish out big money in a season that they only half oragnsized is...

Yep! The December world cups and super prestige events are big news in the benelux countries. DH could certainly follow suit in the future with appearance fees etc.. But the cyclo-cross world cups in December are getting 77 elite men entries. Not 199 like the world cups. If the fans want to see more money for the riders the entry field will have to be cut! And it seems the most vocal fans on here and on social media comments do not want privateers cut from the WC DH series.. so ??

MCR Bullfrog spas. Team Tedder. Every local AX/SX privateer with a construction company sponsor lol.