Does anyone know why DH racing isn’t an Olympic event? I think it would be an amazing spectator sport much like downhill skiing.

Can anyone enlighten me?

Dunno. I’ve always thought it would fit in to the Olympic concept perfectly. Timed runs, exciting, inspiring – ticks all the boxes really.

Think it’s the proximity to mountains of potential host cities, for a decent course you need some elevation.

akira – Member
Think it’s the proximity to mountains of potential host cities, for a decent course you need some elevation.

For sailing, you need some decent open water. That hasn’t limited the selection of host cities.

Oh god I hope it never happens, the modern Olympic ideal of money grabbing exploitation ruins every sport its grubby mitts touch.

Because it’s a niche within a minority sport?

It’s only really popular in rich countries as a bike to get you to WC level is going to cost you £5k+, so that pretty much percludes the African continent from taking part, at least in track events you can pick up a cheep bike and race. And I can’t think of any other olympic sport where the kit could have such an influence, even the sailing is in strict one-design classes.

It’s due to the technical requirements of a DH bike – the rider relies on technology too much, compared to XC racing (which although has a high element of technology – leg power is still the main requirement!! )

Secondly, it’s not very spectator friendly – the XC races are laps, so you can see the riders pass you several times.

With DH you just see them fly by for 0.01s.

i think i remember reading? that there’s only a set number of cycling event. so something else would have to be dropped to do dh. dh is still a very small part of cycling.

also most olympics are in major cities, not many close to mountains. read the xc olympic thread, plenty moaning about that location…

where would you put a down hill track around london?

Olympic DH at Aston Hill would be teh awesome!!!!

where would you put a down hill track around london?

some of the soccer is being held in scotland!

a bike to get you to WC level is going to cost you £5k+

Sailing? XC biking? Shooting (decent gun £5k +++)? Olympic standard rowing boat? And how much do you think a bobsleigh costs!!

I suspect the cost of the training is probably 90% of the cost – the kit is obviously expensive but becoming an Olympic competitor and the years of training must cost a huge amount.

With DH you just see them fly by for 0.01s

Unlike downhill skiing? Or sailing where they are a mile or more offshore?

somethings do move around the country, how far was the sailing away from Beijing?

as a spectator sport i think DH would be a winner 😀

They all fail the dope test

the image thing proably doesnt help much either. Riders doing sick tricks off jumps and refusing to wear skin suits, even though they’re quicker means it shouldnt be considered.

Great fun as a hobby, but not to be taken to seriously.

personally I think watching a time trail event would be quite boring, apart from watching the clock….oh he/she was so close

Now, 4x would be far more entertaining to watch.

It’s due to the technical requirements of a DH bike – the rider relies on technology too much, compared to XC racing (which although has a high element of technology – leg power is still the main requirement!! )

Not entirely true. It’s not like F1 – the technology is available to all, and the fastest rider that season is generally the faster rider that season, you don’t hear about 2nd place complaining that he just wasn’t on the right bike that year.

XC = lung/leg power
DH = technical ability

Secondly, it’s not very spectator friendly – the XC races are laps, so you can see the riders pass you several times.

I honestly don’t know how to reply to this. Are you saying that XC skiing is a better specator sport than DH skiing? Have you ever actually watched a XC mtb race? I used to race XC, but it’s dull as dishwater to watch (I was at Dalby last year for the WC, slept on the grass for most of the day).

It’s easy to see all of the course when watching a DH race weekend.

EDIT: to be perfectly honest, despite my love for all things bikish, i get quite bored watching any discipline.

legend – Member
Olympic DH at Aston Hill would be teh awesome!!!!

i’ve ridden aston hill and no it wouldn’t 😀

lol@ the drug test comment 😀

surely DH is better than the track event where they chase a motorbike?

^ Yup, I remember reading that it’s a limited number of medals issue.

Although can’t agree on the geographic issues. At Beijing, the sailing was like 600km away. They could have the DH pretty much anywhere in Britain for London 2012 (moot point, as it’s not happening).

DH may be a small part of competitive cycling. But has had a large influence on cycling as a pastime. How many people do you see riding FS bike, as opposed ti riding fixey track bikes, in a line, behind a little Moped?

Then again, if the events reflected the public’s experience of cycling, you also have to have a commuting/white van dodging event and a how many council estate kids can you fit on one BSO.

MrK mkII – Member
where would you put a down hill track around london?
some of the soccer is being held in scotland!

really? why! it’s not like there’s not enough FOOTBALL stadiums in london.

DH may be a small part of competitive cycling. But has had a large influence on cycling as a pastime. How many people do you see riding FS bike, as opposed ti riding fixey track bikes, in a line, behind a little Moped?

here and the US maybe, the rest of the world not so much.

Then again, if the events reflected the public’s experience of cycling, you also have to have a commuting/white van dodging event and a how many council estate kids can you fit on one BSO.

now that would be cycling for the masses! 😀

i don’t understand why the sailings in weymouth? it’s not like there isn’t any water closer to london?

Sailing? XC biking? Shooting (decent gun £5k +++)? Olympic standard rowing boat? And how much do you think a bobsleigh costs!!

A lot I agree, but try podiuming at a national race on a £500 BSO, then try podiuming in a 1970’s Laser at their nationals, its probably harder work than the latest ‘HARKEN XD equiped not realy in the original spirit of the rules laser’, but I’d say its a lot more do-able. And there’s sailing races in one from or another the world over, DH mountainbiking seems limited to a relatively small number of locations.

Say Saudi-Arabia (Or Holland, or Belgium) hosted the Olympics, DH would be impossible to host.

is it because it’s classed as an extreme sport and therefore should be saved for things like the X-games?
.
also, I’m not sure that many countries in the world are respresented at WC level – how much of the world is represented? North America, Europe, Australasia… is that enough?
.
but, at the end of the day, it’s a small sport

Because there isn’t any water good for holding a World level sailing event any closer to London.

aracer – Member
Because there isn’t any water good for holding a World level sailing event any closer to London.

thames estuary!

i think somebody got a good drink…

It’ll be an Olympic sport when they find a course flat enough…

😆

dh racing doesnt need the olympics, why be restricted to the host nation to find the best rider in the world? the world champs in australia was bad enough, imagine if holland was the host nation!

stick to the world cup/ world champs format, at least 80 percent of the racing is worth watching then

thames estuary!

QED

thisisnotaspoon – Member
Say Saudi-Arabia (Or Holland, or Belgium) hosted the Olympics, DH would be impossible to host.

Where would Switzerland host the sailing?

I doubt the Thames estuary would be a good place to hold a sailing race…

How many people do you see riding FS bike, as opposed ti riding fixey track bikes, in a line, behind a little Moped?

here and the US maybe, the rest of the world not so much.

True. Almost every MTB I see in Munich (that’s near the Alps in case you were wondering) is a flat barred XC race style thing.

Where would Switzerland host the sailing?

Lac Leman, Bodensee, Lucerne etc etc?

It would probably fit better in the Winter Olympics. Start on the snow and carry on below the snow line to finish on some dirt.

After all, the winter Olympics is always held in the mountains and DH has more in common with downhill skiing than it does with casing a moped.

They could run a 4X down the skicross course. The injuries from the studded tyres would be horrific great for the spectators and TV cameras!

Where would Switzerland host the sailing?

I was about to say but Molgrips got in first, on a lake!

Interesting to see the members of this group

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=21841887176

Also, white water slalom kayaking is an olympic sport, and that’s pretty hard to find a suitable place. How would a place like Holland do that? For DH, you can always do this..

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhQ2-Gvhl8k[/video]

😀

by zeus’ beard no! olymipics is about money, money , money
compromises for the main sponsors kick-backs boxes for the IOC etc etc
youd also get people not going 100% in the world cup or not riding it at all to save themselves for teh olympics
wed have to kick out anither cycling sport which requires negotiation
or more likely just a huge fat bribe like the japanese did to get kirin in
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7525072.stm

no thanks, keep DH as it is, well except maybe 10 course or more for the WC!

Also, white water slalom kayaking is an olympic sport, and that’s pretty hard to find a suitable place. How would a place like Holland do that?

You can easily build artificial white water – there’s on in Cardiff bay even, doesn’t get much flatter than that.

Building an artificial DH mountain would be something else 🙂

I doubt the Thames estuary would be a good place to hold a sailing race…

about as good a holding a MTB race in Essex.

It’s due to the technical requirements of a DH bike – the rider relies on technology too much, compared to XC racing (which although has a high element of technology – leg power is still the main requirement!! )

Spot the moron/troll who’s never ridden a bike down hill with any kind of motivation.

about as good a holding a MTB race in Essex.

But the new course will be excellent…