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This. @sspomer - Bring back Sven's slideshows, that was a real loss.

I also would love to see race tape back. Or at least in some sections. Blind crests on the track, sections with trail braiding, hard direction changes all seem like good candidates. You wouldn't even need it on both sides some times, just on the outside or inside of the turn could make the difference. I know Dak said it would be really helpful in places and I doubt hes the only one. Also, whoever marked the course is a coward. Sam's corner at the bottom should have NO marking on the inside. Leave it as open as possible and...

I'm glad I'm not the only one. Without all the rutting of practice, I don't even know how to describe the course design as it goes in and out of trails and constantly passes over little throughways. And then tight turns where you can see where the trail is going and the poles start to like... blend together. And I'd be slow. I can't imagine how these visual markers look at speed, with muddy goggles. You basically have to solely memorize the track and not even ride it by the poles. Which I'm sure most of them do. But man...

Definitely when viewing a POV video the course tape makes the course a bit less confusing. I don't know if I've ever heard whether the racers prefer the tape. It seems it might make it easier for riders who go out of bounds to figure out where they need to re-enter the track. And it also could make it clear whether those Whoop(ie) cushion things are in-bounds or out-of-bounds. I wonder if Asa would have been DSQ'd earlier this year if the course had been taped.

Start list which I’m assuming is for seeding today. Website doesn’t specify https://media-crankworx.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2026/07/Specialized-Ca… Kinda sucks that the course doesn’t finish at the very bottom. None of the other WC tracks require a hike or shuttle to the finish corral.

But that would require actual investment....

You can have remote audio production (mixing, commentating, etc) and compensate for any distance / delay.

Now that Luca got his first Elite win, are Bernard Kerr and Dakotah Norton now the two currently active male riders who've entered the most World Cup races without an Elite win? If so, I wonder which of them is more likely to get a win. Luca had 78 WC races, with 3 2nd place finishes, before today. If Roots & Rain is accurate, here are their numbers: Bernard: 113 WC races, best finish 2nd (1 time). He's been in 1 final this year, finishing 21st. Dakotah: 69 races, best finish 2nd (2 times). He hasn't qualified for a final...

I can’t speak to any specific instance but the shear number of DSQs this weekend is unusual and I have a few hunches. It’s easier to tell where you left the track. Whether because of damaging the tape of just the additional visual information. Earlier someone also mentioned that tape helps you see which direction the trail is going whenever there’s a blind crest and I think that’s true as well. Obviously racer’s are tasked with memorizing the track but the brain is weird and this strikes me as a pointless hazard that could be remedied with short taped sections...

Sure they need to do something about it. If they don't want to bring back tape, they should at least change the pole's color to a flashy red or smth like that not the same color as the mountain 🫠 did they even think about this??!!?!?!

Bring back race tape

yes, the tape would have blocked the wind!!!111

These green poles are truly one of the worst changes of this post-Red Bull era. While the tapes provided a perfect perspective of the track, making it easier to see the curves and obstacles, these green poles are the opposite, difficult to see, often camouflaged in the green of the vegetation or tree shadows. Take the case of the excellent track in South Korea; the poles are placed like a chess game, making the track super difficult to see... curiously, the tape continues in UCI XCO and in all other world-class Downhill championships as well... before, with the tape, it...

I just want the Sam Hill Impacts again.

High Metabolic Stress would be a great name for a climbing trail.

Surprised they didn't go live and just go around chatting and do some interviews? Rain has cleared up, think they're just assessing the track, it's only a bit of wind currently.

Hopefully them being more involved in DH will lead to a new version of the Impact Pro, which they "quiet quit" last year. Instead of a 7th version of Trailcross shoes.

Wait? Which hardline? This is the real team rumours were all here for

he is a certified P.O.S. Why else would someone shit in his tent at hardline