I would of thought BBC sport would at least report it on there website!!

I sent them an email asking why not and this is the response I got:

“Hi Jamie,

Thank you for your email.

We only have limited resources and have to spread those resources across
a great number of sports, including many minority sports which other
commercial channels do not cover.

On the website, our 606 (www.bbc.co.uk/606) site means you can create
your own reports – if you are passionate about your sport why not write
your own article!

Kind regards,

Alex Gulrajani
BBC Sports Interactive “

I’m I shouldn’t have to write my own report

feel free to email them here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/3701180.stm

report what?

Minority sport I’m afraid.

if only he’d been wearing a Man U shirt

but they have canoeing, bowls, baseball?? you even find bowls results for regional competitions from yesterday!!

MTB is not that much of a minority sport!

Minority sport that attracts circa 20,000 spectators to Fort William

Is it really more of a minority sport than carpet bowls, which has been shown live on BBC before?

Not just peaty either – Gee in 2nd and Fion Griffiths winning the womens 4X.

The BBC are too busy cutting their number of journalists to report on anything outside the “mainstream.” Multipurposing their staff across internet/Tv/Radio channels means that if it’s not “worthy enough” to appear on TV it gets no coverage at all. The BBC used to be the best provider of news on the internet in the world. It’s another also ran these days thanks to staff cuts and reorganisation of its journo departments.

I do urge people to email, it only takes a minute to send a quick polite note asking them to report it.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/front_page/3701180.stm

20,ooo once a year to a bike event doesn’t really compare to 20k a game at a footy match once a week does it?, lets not advertise mountainbiking and keep the trails relatively empty

Instead of emailing them to complain that there isn’t a story why not take the guys advice and write the story? It’ll probably take just as long.

lets not advertise mountainbiking and keep the trails relatively empty

One of the worst things I’ve read on here. And that’s no mean feat.

Who is Steve Peat?

I also emailed them last night.

Haven’t yet received a reply.

roketdog has a good idea

I emailed them about the Atherton Family’s big win last year and got the same response

j4m1eb knows my feelings on this, as we’ve been twittering about it this morning.

The lack of mainstream coverage really angers me. But, the fact that it’s not considered ‘mainstream’ enough, makes my blood boil.

DH MTB is perfect for press coverage. Only 20-40 competitors. And a ‘run’ is < 4mins. With plenty of scope for good video/photo possibilities.

I know from my limited DH experience how much effort I have to put in to do a slow run with little ‘air’. I can only guess how much effort the top riders must put in. And I reckon I’d still underestimate.

And with regard to keeping it exclusive, no one likes a clique.

Come one, come all. Spread the wealth & enjoyment.

And with regard to keeping it exclusive, no one likes a clique.

I take it you’re new round here…

OK then, why don’t we write them a story :wink:… I’ll start:

Steve Peat…

The lack of mainstream coverage really angers me. But, the fact that it’s not considered ‘mainstream’ enough, makes my blood boil.

You do seem very angry about this.

Perhaps you should go for a ride instead?

Just posted an article on 606 (awaiting moderation LOL) and going to email them too. See if we can brew up a storm via twitter too…

Fed up of paying my licence fee and then putting up with utter sh*t for telly…

If you do email, be persistent and don’t accept a stock reply like the one posted above. The MotD producer phoned me up once after a few persistent complains – he agreed that the programme is crap unless you’re a support of the so-called ‘top 4’.

You do seem very angry about this.

Perhaps you should go for a ride instead?
Read my mind! Going out after work. Only a 13mile flat ride around home (Watford). But, a ride is a ride, as a fella with an fugly g/friend once said to me.
😀

Does a sport have to be on the telly to be real then?

Does a sport have to be on the telly to be real then?

I’d just like to see top UK MTB’ers get some recognition for being best/top in their sport, in the World.

Doesn’t have to be a 1hr special on BBC1. Or some kind of seasons ‘Ski Sunday’ affair. Just a footnote on their website would do.

After all, if they can cover darts/lawn bowls/baseball/rowing, why not a bit of MTB? After all, they already have a ‘cycling’ section. But, you have to be covered in skin-tight lycra to get a look-in on that section.

Yes, and people too – people who aren’t on the telly don’t matter.

Given the amount of spunk that was lavished over the track cyclists at the Olympics, it does seem strange that the BBC fail to provide some kind of reporting on the DH stuff

as someone pointed out c.a.200,000 people go to wendyball games every week, multiples more of that watch it down the pub, and just about every man, woman and child goes for a kick about down the park once in a while. Put every mountainbiker in britain together and we’d probably struggle to fill one footie stadium!.

It takes 2 or 3 cameras to cover a football game, you’d struggle to cover a DH race with less than 10x that. Freecaster stuggled with 3, 2 up top for the first few corners, nothing in the woods (youd struggle to keep riders in sight for more than a few seconds), then one covering the finishline.

Ski sunday worked because you had a sport that looks good even if you’ve no long term intrest in it (just like DH MTB) and you could cover it with the bare minimum of camera’s.

Anyway, even if they did report it, all that would happen is, the TV rights would be sold, meaning no more freecaster, we’d get some numpty presenter gawping at disk brakes and saying his 21speed shopper has more gears and full suspension, so why youd spend £6k for only 9? Every debate from the last 20 years would be dragged up by the commentators (why not skin suits, surley its all the bike etc etc). And it would generaly be rubbish. At least with the status quo we get good (ish)coverage on freecaster.

Maybe we should work out how the other ‘minority’ sports have got better coverage and model that?

What are the BCF doign about this?

A friend of mine is one of the tournament promoters for English Hockey. From about now until late October he’s pretty much organising a tournament every other weekend, he’ll regularly sell out 25,000 + tickets, for International matches it’s even more than that, it’s certainly a much much bigger sport then DH. The BBC “coverage” extends to a link to their page…

The point is, there’s so much sport going on all the time, that the Beeb cannot hope to cover more a teeny fraction of it.

thisisnotaspoon – very good points point you make there. Half the reason I watch it is for Rob Warner’s commentary it’s class. He may talk a lot of nonsense sometimes but there’s no doubting his passion for DH racing.

as someone pointed out c.a.200,000 people go to wendyball games every week, multiples more of that watch it down the pub, and just about every man, woman and child goes for a kick about down the park once in a while. Put every mountainbiker in britain together and we’d probably struggle to fill one footie stadium!.

It takes 2 or 3 cameras to cover a football game, you’d struggle to cover a DH race with less than 10x that. Freecaster stuggled with 3, 2 up top for the first few corners, nothing in the woods (youd struggle to keep riders in sight for more than a few seconds), then one covering the finishline.

Ski sunday worked because you had a sport that looks good even if you’ve no long term intrest in it (just like DH MTB) and you could cover it with the bare minimum of camera’s.

Anyway, even if they did report it, all that would happen is, the TV rights would be sold, meaning no more freecaster, we’d get some numpty presenter gawping at disk brakes and saying his 21speed shopper has more gears and full suspension, so why youd spend £6k for only 9? Every debate from the last 20 years would be dragged up by the commentators (why not skin suits, surley its all the bike etc etc). And it would generaly be rubbish. At least with the status quo we get good (ish)coverage on freecaster.

“Other” sports on the BBC site

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/default.stm

NFL can get coverage but mountain biking can’t

Do we have a massive amount of netballists that I’m not aware of?

I’m torn on this one.

On the one hand, I’d love to see more coverage of mountain biking, greater awareness of our sport, and better recognition and rewards for the British guys and girls kicking arse on the world stage.

On the other hand, competitive downhill mountain biking really is a tiny niche in this country. We have IIRC just three or four proper race series nationally, plus a few smaller things like the Mini DH races. While each race may attract hundreds of participants, it isn’t comparable to the numbers of people who play or spectate in other sports like football, hockey or even bowls. Yes, loads of people have mountain bikes, but how many of those have entered a DH or 4X race, or been to watch one in real life?

And for me personally, I don’t need the BBC, ITV or the Extreme Sports Channel to validate the worth of what I’m doing compared to other activities, and I’d much rather be out riding (or digging) than watching dulled-down wide-angle footage of races happening far away from me. If I want to watch it there are ways and means, I’m not going to sit there glued to Grandstand all Saturday just to see 15 minutes of footage with patronising commentary.

Yes, loads of people have mountain bikes, but how many of those have entered a DH or 4X race, or been to watch one in real life?

I’ve never driven an F1 car, but I still watch every race

F1 races have thousands of spectators at the track too. If you do a DH race there will probably be a few mates, a few parents, plus a couple of local scallies shooting at you with an air rifle (if it’s at Mountain Ash).

It was more your point that many people own bikes yet have no interest in DH or 4X

By that argument, only those who race F1 cars would be interested in watching it yet as you say it has a massive audience consisting mainly of people who have zero involvement in the actual sport.

There is a mention tho that Shanaze Reade will race 4x at the Fort

I agree with MrA and would add that invariably the official footage of any MTB racing is dull, dull, dull. I struggled to watch the Eurosport coverage last night and I’m an avid MTBer. My wife wandered off 10mins into it. To the average viewer this is just boring.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/606/A51622797