[SuspectDevice]

anyone else get this press release in their in-box today?

Press Release

Date: 21 January, 2005.

UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Under New Management from 2006

The international governing body for cycling, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has confirmed today that it has awarded the exclusive management and marketing rights of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup to a partnership made up of two sports companies, GESTEV of Canada and 23 Degrees Sports Management of Spain.

Both companies are delighted with the news and look forward to further developing the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup property from 2006, a property that has existed since 1991. The arrangement means that from 2006 through to 2010 inclusive, the series will be managed outside of the UCI, but naturally the UCI retains ownership of the property, and is responsible for the rules of competition.

GESTEV, which has been at the forefront of quality mountain bike race promotion since the late 1980's, has hosted World Cup events at Mont-Sainte-Anne (CAN) since 1991 as well as at Grouse Mountain (CAN), Mazatlan (MEX), Silver Star (CAN), Mount-Snow (USA), Wellington (NZL) and Bromont (CAN) including two World Championships (1992 and 1998) and special participation to the 1996 World Championships in Cairns (AUS) and 1999 World Championships in Are (SWE). Gestev also managed several international mandates such as Press Coordination and Sponsorship Implementation on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup circuit for many years. GESTEV is lead by the Quebecois duo of Patrice Drouin and Chantal Lachance who have worked together on mountain bike racing for close to 20 years. 23 Degrees is lead by former UCI Technical Delegate Martin Whiteley, an Australian based in Spain, who has attended more than 100 World Cups for the UCI between 1994 and 2000, and has since managed two very successful race teams and a number of athletes. Both companies bring different qualities and experiences to the project, but one thing remains clear, both are very passionate about the future of the sport and its World Cup.

Martin Whiteley (23 Degrees): "This represents a very important opportunity for our sport. We look forward to working in partnership with the UCI, the media, the sponsors, the venues, teams and athletes in taking the World Cup to the new level that the UCI and us have envisaged for it from 2006. We take this responsibility very seriously and we also respect that there's a lot to do between now and 2006. We are all about listening to the voices of concern, and reacting accordingly, as well as bringing our own vision to the project."

Patrice Drouin (GESTEV): "We are very happy to tandem with 23 Degrees Sports Management in this exciting project. Together with our partners, we expect that the mountain bike community will be very happy with our work, because we will be our own toughest critics."

The first step of the process, determining dates for the 2006 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, is well underway, and venues will be determined later in the year, but not later than the end of August.

That is one hell of a breath of fresh Air, the best race promoters in North America, GESTEV, and a man with real vision and the firepower to back it up, Whitely (23 degrees). Getting that farther out of the hands of the UCI is going to be great for the sport, and I think especially great for 4x.

 

[SuspectDevice]

And Chantal throws great parties.

 

[CBJ]

Great news I still dream about the 90s when I on Saturdays watched WC DH and dual on Eurosport and taped it on video it was the time I new the XC bike had to go. Lets hope they will spark so much interest into the WC that they will show it on TV here in the states.

 

[Tully]

Actually, I don't know if they will this year, but OLN has had coverage of all the World Cup races.

 

[CBJ]

Sounds great but I didn't not have OLN before late 04 when I got digital cable - lets hope so.

 

[Transcend]

The oln verage was pretty pathetic. Watch the old school (1997-99) footage on oln from eurosport broadcasts. Dubbed with peter graves and mr bisiegel himself. It is awesome.

Hopefully Martin can bring back that tv coverage we all seek, and help the sport grow. If anyone can, it is 23 degs and gestev.

 

[Tully]

I wouldn't know about the feasibility of this idea, but I think getting it on ESPN would be so beneficial for the sport. It would be really important, though, to emphasize crashes, big jumps and drops, etc., because if it's presented in a sensational manner, people WILL watch.

 

[Mumbles]

I wouldn't know about the feasibility of this idea, but I think getting it on ESPN would be so beneficial for the sport. It would be really important, though, to emphasize crashes, big jumps and drops, etc., because if it's presented in a sensational manner, people WILL watch.

does ridiculous high speed bombing, or giant roosts coming off of people doing 1 or 2 wheel drifts thru turns or smoothly executed technical sections really not interest people outside the sport?
weird.

 

[Mumbles]

And Chantal throws great parties.

since when did you care about the parties?

 

[SuspectDevice]

since when did you care about the parties?

Ashtray...
No, I admit it, the only time I've had booze in my whole life was as a 16 year-old junior XC racer at the Infamous "Palmer and Voreis Food-Fight" at Mt. St. Anne. I woke up the next morning passed out under the Spooky trailer curled up with a Rotweiller and smelling of urine.

 

[Transcend]

Ashtray...
No, I admit it, the only time I've had booze in my whole life was as a 16 year-old junior XC racer at the Infamous "Palmer and Voreis Food-Fight" at Mt. St. Anne. I woke up the next morning passed out under the Spooky trailer curled up with a Rotweiller and smelling of urine.

That wa sa good time. We were sitting right next to him (plush table), we also managed to get a ton of wine up the stairs into the bar. got some sweet pictures of that night. DISCO INFERNO!

 

[SuspectDevice]

I'm probally the only person on this board who went to the Mazatlan world cup race except Stik, but it truly was a genius idea to hold a worldcup race on the beach, in March, during spring break... Not that us XC guys went out and destroyed the town, but the site-seeing was AWESOME. And locals came out IN FORCE to spectate, I think they even paid to get in...

 

[Mumbles]

Ashtray...

ahh yes. you dont need to say more

i so want to not have a job again this summer and bum around to cool places for bike races... sigh