[canadmos]

I'm guessing this "Continental" cup is just the new Euro cup series?

How many races right now in north America give enough uci points to race the world cup?

And new zealand, Australia and South America? I guess Asia too, but they don't seem to have many riders that I know of (unless points is already a huge problem for them).

 

[Gary]

I'm guessing this "Continental" cup is just the new Euro cup series?

IXS?

 

[schwaaa31]

If you feel like puking in your mouth a little. Chris Ball interview.

UCI grant Discovery WC rights from 2023 to 2030

The UCI have partnered with Discovery Sports to provide footage of WC racing for 8 years from 2023. Is this the end of free viewing of WC races? Will Warner still be commentating? Changes are coming and I struggle to believe they'll be good.

www.vitalmtb.com

 

[slyfink]

pinkbike did a summary: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/we-want-the-sport-of-mountain-biking-to-be-far-larger-things-we-learned-chris-ball-interview-en-roue-libre.html

 

[jonKranked]

If you feel like puking in your mouth a little. Chris Ball interview.

UCI grant Discovery WC rights from 2023 to 2030

The UCI have partnered with Discovery Sports to provide footage of WC racing for 8 years from 2023. Is this the end of free viewing of WC races? Will Warner still be commentating? Changes are coming and I struggle to believe they'll be good.

www.vitalmtb.com

i hope you didn't miss my response immediately following that post.

 

[jonKranked]

Isn't there a political forum for posts like that?

I won't deny that there is politics in anything trail/recreation/Department of Interior related here in the US. But dude. Just don't go there. Especially if you don't live here. Not funny. Don't make me say go fuck off. Oh whoops....

see, i thought seth finally made a funny. you know something is bad when even ze germans are dunking on it.

 

[Bikael Molton]

How do americans watch the fucking world champs (he asks every damned year)?

 

[Gary]

VPN and BBC iPlayer?

Spoiler: shhh...

or Tiz/streamed su

 

[Subversion_Garage]

see, i thought seth finally made a funny.

He did

 

[norbar]

pinkbike did a summary: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/we-want-the-sport-of-mountain-biking-to-be-far-larger-things-we-learned-chris-ball-interview-en-roue-libre.html

So let me get this straight:
- Fewer racers
- Popularity as the end goal
- No mention of actualy making it better for racers or existing fans.

So this looks like a greedy corporate strategy of growth at all costs. The idea that sports benefit if they get bigger. I don't think this man should have anything to say about the future of the sport.

Let the people who enjoy it enjoy it more instead of making a bigger group of people enjoy it less. Stop trying to copy paste bigger sports. They are corrupt AF and full of problems. Chris Ball was painted as "our guy" in the UCI but he seems hellbent on selling the sport out and actively works to make everything worse. Yay.

 

[vivisectxi]

How do americans watch the fucking world champs (he asks every damned year)?

looks like it'll be on TIZ (like all the wcdh races). live stream isn't always the best quality; i just watch the replay, which is typically uploaded within a couple hours of the stream (with the added benefit of being able to FF the boring bits).

 

[Gary]

Chris Ball was painted as "our guy" in the UCI

When was he painted as such? His topless sharpie on chest protest run back when he raced WCs?
After his WC racing career Chris did what a lot of ex racers at the time did and started an mtb coaching company in Scotland but he also took the job working for the UCI. Doing a similar job to what Ruiridh now does. Which. I guess would have given him huge insight into how things work and would have stood him in good stead when setting up the EWS.
He's still a rider. But clearly a businessman. And with partnerships like Disco and UCI it's not hugely surprising how that went.
OG WC DH as we knew it was always an ever changing sport. But looking from the 00s to today it's pretty unrecognisable. Not just in organisation.

 

[norbar]

When was he painted as such? His topless sharpie on chest protest run back when he raced WCs?
After his WC racing career Chris did what a lot of ex racers at the time did and started an mtb coaching company in Scotland but he also took the job working for the UCI. Doing a similar job to what Ruiridh now does. Which. I guess would have given him huge insight into how things work and would have stood him in good stead when setting up the EWS.
He's still a rider. But clearly a businessman. And with partnerships like Disco and UCI it's not hugely surprising how that went.
OG WC DH as we knew it was always an ever changing sport. But looking from the 00s to today it's pretty unrecognisable. Not just in organisation.

I missed his protest run. Seems like something even I wouldn't do and I'm annoying AF.

I know a large part of the media went "don't worry about warner since Chris Ball is our enduro guy".

Also being a businessman doesn't mean you have to be harmful. I'm have been working for larger corpos than UCI all my life and yet I generally try to steer my part of the ship towards non shit decisions. He seems to be doing the opposite. Hell doing what he does doesn't even lead to promotions. It seems like he's one of those corporate people who thinks outeviling the evil lizards will get you praise and rewards when in reality it just means you stay in one spot forever.

 

[Gary]

I've read your last sentence a few times and still can't quite figure out what you mean. But I'm tired AF after a long day followed by a long evening driving so there's that.
I often wonder if many blinkered/arrogant businessmen even notice a lot of the harm they're doing through their own agenda/master plans.

 

[Gary]

Loading…

autobus.cyclingnews.com

Incase you're unable to read it... it says "PANTS" in sharpie on his chest. in reference to what he thought was a shit WC track in Calgary (2004?)

 

[Gary]

11 years back?

Exclusive Interview: Chris Ball Leaves UCI

www.vitalmtb.com

 

[norbar]

I've read your last sentence a few times and still can't quite figure out what you mean. But I'm tired AF after a long day followed by a long evening driving so there's that.
I often wonder if many blinkered/arrogant businessmen even notice a lot of the harm they're doing through their own agenda/master plans.

Well most people are bad at their job. It's just more visible in some of them

Loading…

autobus.cyclingnews.com

Incase you're unable to read it... it says "PANTS" in sharpie on his chest. in reference to what he thought was a shit WC track in Calgary (2004?)

So edgy even emo kids were afraid of him