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Edited Date/Time
7/11/2024 7:17am
Worlds is here, the 2023 season is half over and there have to be discussions going on about 2024 riders and teams, so let this be the place to drop knowledge, facts, 8th-party rumors and more.
With Juniors getting a lot more limelight, are they going to be as valuable as elites? Did anyone notice that Sascha Earnest (3rd place Junior at worlds) was on a Transition at Val di Sole but rode a Trek at World Champs?
Will the tightening up (layoffs) of some brands recently trickle down into race teams?
I'll kick it off with Asa Vermette inking a big name sponsor, per the Dean Lucas pod.
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Pretty sure he already signed with frameworks unless something has changed
Will confirm I know stuff but will also deny I know any of said stuff
Sacha earnest riding a full factory spec session. Was on a tr11 in practice….
Oh, has the fun begun already? :D
My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who said one big name will retire. That's all I got. 😂
I had it on good authority last year that Greg was going to retire. That didn't happen. Perhaps this year?
How about ”perhaps not”? :D
OK I start, next year some guys and gals will be on some teams, but shhhh you have not heard it from me
With Bodi Kuhn moving to elite next year, will Trek be looking for a fast junior?
Ferris?
No he passed out at Baskin Robbins.😉
So on the GM "rumor", if he were to "retire" would Santa Cruz have budget to keep him on in some context? Peaty is still in the fold & seems to enjoy his work. Can't imagine there's room for two of the greatest of all time on as ancillary staff.
And if he did/does retire, who do they fill his slot with? As The Hoff mentioned, with juniors getting video exposure...would they close out his Elite spot on Syndicate & fill a junior slot instead? That way they can keep big paycheck Goldstone & Greenland & pay below market for a Junior. Kids like Asa Vermette moving into Juniors gives teams a 3 year slot of exposure at a lower cost than an elite rider.
I need to wonder if the reduced visibility of Sponsored Downhill Racers (thanks for nothing UCI) will affect decisions for 2024.
As in bean counters asking team managers "exactly what would you say you do here?"
If that is a concern around the Downhill pits, I imagine the enduro crews are having a hard time sleeping.
Been thinking the same and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some teams/riders that are on the cusp each round of getting tv exposure to go the Crankworx route. Better chance at a pay day but more exposure. Hard to find comparative numbers but the Val di sole semi final had 94,000 views on YouTube compared to 350k for the Crankworx dh at Whistler.
For sure it is affecting enduro. There is no exposure for any enduro racer unless you win, never mind 2nd or 3rd. I can bet that there is some enduro racers who will make the switch to DH.
Also the end of this season I think this will be the end of two relatively big enduro teams, possibly even 3 with one changing to DH.
Considering Enduro was ESO's baby it blows my mind how little interest they now seem to have in it.
Is it ESO or Warner/Discovery controlling the amount of coverage it gets? I suspect it would be WB/D seeing as they're paying the bills..
My understanding is that ESO and Discovery are in partnership. Both have made statements about improving coverage for enduro. Both have failed miserably in delivering that.
But it's all for the greater good of ''Synergy!'' as per statements.
Guess us peasants just don't understand..
The difference is that Peaty spent his whole career helping younger riders with teams, deals and advice. Brendan did a podcast recently where he was saying how Peaty even explained financial advice to him. So he fits naturally into a team in a coaching position.
Minaar, while obviously the GOAT and an amazing racer and ambassador, is also known for intimidating or confusing his own more junior team members. It is a part of high level sports/racing, so not dissing him (Palmer and even Bruni admitted to doing this on GypsyTales recently), but it does make it harder to find a support role for him within a team...
I think it's more likely he'll end up in the commentary box.
Idk, Greg commentated with Rob on one of the hardlines a few years ago. He was okay, but not great iirc. His monotone and kinda slow speaking voice never sounds excited. He's not exactly loquacious in interviews. All due respect to the goat, just not sure commentary would be a good fit. Subsequent hardlines with Rob and Rachel or Rob and Reece Wilson seemed better (to me anyhow). It'd be interesting to see how Wyn would do in the commentary box, he's another one that'll might retire from racing soon.
Let's all hope that the GOAT of Downhill can afford to retire comfortably after all these years of being at the sharp end of the sport.
Recent pod I listened to with Dan Wolfe was really good in going over history and development of enduro. Dan's idea, which I think is a cool one, is to make EDR enduro two days again. Have one massive backcountry day that served as a "quali" for a more park-focused day that could be broadcast (stage DH racing, basically).
I like this idea as well, because you could harvest narratives from the big day that are in the spirit of enduros (Jack Moir fixed his flat by stuffing grass into it, etc..), which you could weave into the broadcast on race day. This would serve to bring enduro back onto the main stage on the "mega" events for one day, instead of sending them away from the actual even midweek for no one to even know they ever raced.
What edr needs most is to return to being a destination series with a focus on quality trails, experience, and a serious fitness requirement that served a purpose at the more remote rounds. It’s fine if a couple venues are regulars and a couple a year are at bike parks but what drew riders, media, and fans a like was that it was this pinnacle version of the sport to aspire too.
they just keep dumbing it down into something nobody is interested in. And attaching these events to dh is severely limiting their ability to draw riders, have quality trails, and keeping both media and fans away. The leogang edr was probably the worst event held since the inception of the series.
I don’t care about televised race runs. I think the races should probably be two days at most venues but with no qualifying. I just want to watch what’s available from top tier talent at on amazing trails at destinations I wish I was riding at.
the Chile ews was the best race they ever had. They need a whole lot more like that and a whole lot less of let’s pigeonhole these guys into an event cause it’s easier for to us to manage.
I'm pretty sure that he owns some bike shops back home in South Africa. And surely a comfortable home.
How owns at least two homes (SA, Andorra) a bike shop, likely pulling one of the top salaries for the past decade and other sponsorships, so he's doing alright.
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