Looking at the Winter Olympics Snowboarding or ski cross seem to be really popular for viewer and have freshened the view of skiing snowboarding to the younger wider world.

I was wondering if we scrapped XC from the Olympics as its too similar to the road disciplines and put DH or Enduro in would it be better for the sport? So bigger jumps, drops no Lycra……

XC is tough, I’m not belittling it at all but from a viewing public point of view it lacks the wow of the other MTB disciplines.

It’s already got BMX racing for the big jumps & **** that! factor

True, it a bit like ski or board cross!

4X it should be then surely?

Thing with 4x is it’s too similar to BMX isn’t it, it’s on a short track etc.

XC is an established, recognised format. internationally it’s still very popular and TBH what’s so terrible about the unwashed masses watching a bit of XC? It’s still worth seeing…

DH and Enduro are actually still quite niche in the wider world of cycling.

I suppose it all depends on what you think the Olympics is for…

Olympic criteria are that pretty much all the events have to be held in or around the host city (which these days has to of “capital city” status). So personally yes Enduro or DH would be more interesting but in practical terms I doubt it would work with Olympic bidding rules.

Now 4X or parallel slalom could be interesting and easier to do.

Overall I woukd be tempted to can MTB from the Olympics all together

No.

Are you basing your thoughts on the similarity to road disciplines on yesterday’s race? They don’t usually fall off that much. As already mentioned above, DH etc. is more similar to BMX than XC is to road racing. I’m also less than convinced about how much wow factor there would be for the general public watching a time trial rather than a head to head race.

DH etc. is more similar to BMX than XC is to road racing

How did you come to that conclusion? I’d say it was the other way round.

I’m also less than convinced about how much wow factor there would be for the general public watching a time trial rather than a head to head race.

Yeah but the Winter Olympics is full of that kind of thing. Ski-ing, luge, Bob etc, all timed runs. I think DH would be more interesting for joe public, but as has been said above, the location would need to be suitable for every olympics to be able to cater for it.

DH etc. is more similar to BMX than XC is to road racing
How did you come to that conclusion? I’d say it was the other way round.

DH & BMX are more of a spectacle, road & XC are a bit more obviously fitness than madskilz based.

DH & BMX are more of a spectacle, road & XC are a bit more obviously fitness than madskilz based.

I agree with that, but I still wouldn’t say DH is closer to BMX than XC is to road racing. If anything, I’d say XC is closer to road racing as it has the same mass start format, whereas BMX starts are more akin to track running. DH is one person against the clock. I appreciate you do have time trials in BMX, but these are the precursor to the main events.

To answer the OP: I think DH would be a welcome addition to the Olympics, but I don’t think it should be at the expense of the XC. The limiting logistical factor for DH is having a relatively nearby hill large enough (~500m) .

Enduro in the olympics? Has to be a troll thread.
Given the increasing technicality of the courses and short course format, XC has virtually nothing in common with the road race.

Given how far plenty of events are from a host city (sailing etc) anything goes, urban dh would be awesome.
When Phelps was winning all the medals they asked Michael Johnson if he was the greatest Olympian, Johnson reckoned that if he could have done the 100m forwards, backwards, hopping and on his hands he would have more medals.so let’s not get rid of the only mtb event for another.

TBH getting away from the false impression that fitness is all, is as much about track design and reporting rather than the sport- simple first step is getting someone in the commentary booth who won’t just drone on about fitness and effort and tiredness and who can inspire on technicality and Mad Skillz.

The reality is that race coverage always wants to cover the leaders though so that means lots of footage of riding up hills obsessing about “he’s closed by 1 second” TBH it’s like american football, a sport best watched in highlights.

No, the road race was good I thought, I’m thinking of the event from a non MTBer POV. Not a troll I’m trying to think of a more entertaining view for joe public, is all. I’d rather watch a EWS or World Cup DH than the XC.

XC has virtually nothing in common with the road race.

Other than both involve riding bikes
Other than both requiring a high level of cardio and endurance fitness
Other than both being mass start events
Other than both requiring the ability to climb well
Other than both requiring the ability to descend fast
Other than a lot of xc riders train on the road
Other than both requiring tactical awareness

No, nothing in common.

They could lose the track cycling and add DH, enduro, 4x, , mountain marathon, cyclocross and invent a few more for good luck, and they would all be more interesting than riding round in tiny circles.

Other than both requiring tactical awareness

I am not so sure of the tactical awareness of xc, I think Absalon and Schurter just go as hard as they can from the gun until one of them wins.

A summer mountain Olympics, that would be good…

I am not so sure of the tactical awareness of xc, I think Absalon and Schurter just go as hard as they can from the gun until one of them wins.

That’s a tactic, isn’t it?

DH would make a marvellous Olympic sport and is pretty much ready to go IMO. Not urban though, too dangerous and the top riders would hate it.

Rio could certainly have come up with a cracking track, looking at the local topography.

Good chance of a GB 1-2-3 in the women’s.

Enduro – no chance guv.

They could lose the track cycling

You are probably just being provocative, but track cycling makes fantastic TV so I wouldn’t hold your breath.

How about London?

Good chance of a GB 1-2-3 in the women’s.

and right there you have the reason for XC rather than DH – the global participation is far higher in XC. I think a lot of people are seeing this from a UK perspective only – XC is a lot bigger in other countries.

Enduro – no chance guv.

Why? Would make a great 2 day event. For the Olympic version of dh check out the world’s feed in Val d’ sole.

How about London?

The sailing was in the solent etc could quite easily do bpw etc. Was in Park city last year, the actual venue for the salt lake city winter Olympics.

I’m not sure you are escaping the MTBer POV – I don’t think the general public would share your opinions. To the average Joe, XC is plenty exciting enough from a technical perspective, but also has the head to head element.

As always some people are probably underestimating the tech demands of XC racing, which is what makes it so different from road and means a road rider can’t just switch over (not even somebody as skilled as Sagan – if he wins I’ll eat my hat, but I’m fairly sure my hats are safe). Sure they train on the road, but that’s not the same thing at all. I have the privilege of (kind of) knowing a couple of the UK’s best riders, one who’s won internationally at XC is ridiculously good on the tech stuff, one who’s won internationally at DH and Enduro is incredibly fit and trains on the road.

Why? Would make a great 2 day event.

There hasn’t been any successful live TV coverage of enduro yet, has there?

Theoretically it’d make a great event but it’d be massively expensive to cover and the sport’s too immature IMO, with the EWS only a few years old.

and right there you have the reason for XC rather than DH – the global participation is far higher in XC. I think a lot of people are seeing this from a UK perspective only – XC is a lot bigger in other countries.

I totally agree XC should be the primary MTB event, if only because of depth of participation.

But it’s hardly like DH stars are household names in the UK but not elsewhere, it’s just as niche here as in other countries.

My point is that DH makes really great viewing, it’s been shown that it can be produced into a concise TV-friendly package and in spite of your comment – actually has decent international appeal and participation.

I think the Red Bull TV coverage of the xc this year has been far better then the dh. For the general public, with only a limited understanding of cycling, seeing competitors riding against each other rather than one after another going down a hill is more interesting. It is also difficult to gauge on TV for those who haven’t tried it just how hard riding down a technical section is.

aracer – Member

How about London?

Prague’s bid had their sailing events 200km away (Prague being landlocked), and “London”‘s sailing was down at Portsmouth IIRC. It’s perfectly normal for venues to be spread away from the host city.

The venue thing is a massive barrier. Yes, the sailing was in the Solent, but it’s a full suite of events which couldn’t plausibly be held elsewhere.

I agree with aracer that the general public wouldn’t be any more interested in DH or Enduro (2 days, most of which is spent not actually competing, WTF?!).

There hasn’t been any successful live TV coverage of enduro yet, has there?

Not much successful coverage of lawn bowls or some other sports. Coverage shouldn’t be the reason. Problem as I posted above is to get a new cycling event the plan is to drop an existing one. Why not expand cycling at the expense of golf tennis and running round in circles

(2 days, most of which is spent not actually competing, WTF?!).

As I said golf

As I said golf

Two wrongs don’t make a right.

Coverage shouldn’t be the reason

But it is. Like it or not.

How about London?

I think we had this chat back in 2012 too.

Basically if DH was “in” then South Wales would have been a perfectly acceptable venue.

Most countries probably have decent-sized hills closer to the host city. Tokyo is up next and they wouldn’t have any bother.

True but bin golf and add something different, an event where the top people don’t want to attend! The ews coverage is improving and going well, it’s a format that would work better for a world event than dh, the skills needed for dh and the tracks to test the best riders preclude a lot of nations. Enduro is more accessible. I’d love to see more mtb in the Olympics and the 3.current world series level events could all work especially if people stopped playing them off against each other. It’s like pursuit vs team pursuit vs Madison vs Road race vs tt

The venue thing is a massive barrier. Yes, the sailing was in the Solent, but it’s a full suite of events which couldn’t plausibly be held elsewhere.

Interesting point.

DH & XC would surely be staged at the same venue – perhaps with BMX.

If the host city didn’t have a suitable venue nearby, it could “sell” the events to a partner area – thus helping with the enormous cost of hosting the games.

imo xc racing is everything that is bad about mtb’s. it ruined what bikes looked like for years and the sooner it is forgotten the better

If downhill took itself more seriously, then I reckon it’d be a good Olympic sport. At the moment, it just seems a bit amateurish when compared to other Time Trial disciplines like the Road TT etc. Why are they still wearing pyjamas to race in FFS?

I don’t really know what Enduro is, but it sounds bloody boring.

XC is the only proper MTB racing discipline (apart from 4X, which used to be awesome but I thought they’d got rid of it?)

Good chance of a GB 1-2-3 in the women’s

More chance of UK cycling destroying downhill potential for generations.

If downhill took itself more seriously, then I reckon it’d be a good Olympic sport

I don’t really know what Enduro is, but it sounds bloody boring.

FFS do you know anything about the sport 🙄

Do you even ride bro?

FFS do you know anything about the sport

It’s a bit after my time. I know it’s downhill with bits of uphill, but the uphill isn’t timed or something (that sounds very “athletic”).

I’d keep non-xc mountain biking out of the olympics, don’t want the sport tainted by drug cheats and corruption.