I’ll let you know watching the oz nationals in the sun course looks lame but might be fun with elbows

It could be cool, the World Champs were OK, but the Oz course looked lame.

What they really need to work out is how to set the courses with far more passing opportunities because it tends to be first to the first corner wins.

Well I’ll give it 5/10….

Course was fairly lame by mountain biking standards, contact was limited and until the finals the racing was not very tight. Though the Mens Final helped to liven things when the local hero went elbow to elbow to take the win. Format needed to be quicker and a tighter track so you could see more. Actually bring back 4x

Needed a faster track, with jumps, and more suicide take outs on the favourites………..

If only such a race existed,

I think it could be great but so far seems to have been hamstrung by lame tracks (tarmac!!!)

Tom KP

It’s more exciting than watching XC racing.

Not sure it’s lame 4X though. That’s lame enough all by itself…

It’s more exciting than watching XC racing.

Not sure it’s lame 4X though. That’s lame enough all by itself…

Really? 4x is probably one of the best spectator MTB race formats going IMO…

XCE has some potential appeal but it’s not been as interesting to watch as a WC event 4X so far, which makes you wonder why the UCi would give 4x the chop and then supports the XCE format?

I think it comes down to having an international governing body that doesn’t actually quite get MTBing…

Interesting Read

It costs bugger all to build a XCE course (they used tape 3 boards and a couple of logs for this one. 4x needs built properly but rewards as it’s fun to watch. I wont be going back to watch the XCE (we just stumbled on round 3 of the Nationals) we are going to watch some DH practice instead of XC….

It’s all about selling bikes…

My own belief is that the UCi listen more to the marketers within the cycle industry than anyone else, and are trying to deliver the types of marketing spectacle that they think Specialized, Giant, Trek, etc want…

If you want to flog 29ers and 650b bikes then an exciting to view version of XC racing is required and XCE is the result…

Clearly sales of 26″ wheeled, 4″ forked, small framed HT, 1xn geared bikes had hit a plateau and so 4x was no longer of any real interest to the industry as a promotional tool and UCi dropped it. Bike companies have got some different gimmicks to sell us now, so they need a format to suit…

4x is making a good go of things without the UCi so far. I’m sure people within other MTB disciplines will be keeping an eye on the fortunes of the 4x pro tour over the next couple of years as an indicator of what happens when you fall out of favour with the governing body (you never know DH)…

To survive XCE needs to improve as a viewing spectacle, if it’s shite to watch then it won’t be shifting units, and sponsors will walk even if it is a relatively cheap format.

I really don’t think XCE would be able to count on enough external support to go it alone without the UCi, so another poor showing for 2013 could well see it gone by 2014…

I really like the XCE format and there’s been a couple of decent tracks, but it mostly seems to end up pretty lame. Huge potential, though.

What we really need is a return of dual slalom. Sciencefact.

I think the trouble with XCE is that there’s too much for the top riders to lose to make it exciting. Because 4X was it’s own discipline there was more ‘do or die’ racing, XCE is still the smaller sibling of XC, and the favourites are unlikely to risk a big crash making it look good.

It’s got potential though.

Clearly sales of 26″ wheeled, 4″ forked, small framed HT, 1xn geared bikes had hit a plateau and so 4x was no longer of any real interest to the industry as a promotional tool and UCi dropped it. Bike companies have got some different gimmicks to sell us now, so they need a format to suit…

People involved in 4X when it was still a UCI event have commented on the costs involved suggesting it really wasn’t a viable economic option. The cost of building and maintaining the tracks was huge compared to DH, and spent most of the time being completely unridden.

Freecaster also released the viewing figures, which were a fraction of the DH numbers. Coupled with small entries, bugger all women (which was embarrassing viewing anyway), people watched a few heats, then got bored, so switched it off.

I know as someone who rides & races DH I have literally bugger all interest in 4X. It was inevitably over in the first straight & the only bits of interest were the crashes. Everyone I ride with has a similar background & opinion.

4X is a dying sport IMO. It’s so niche in an already niche area of MTB. I don’t see it as any great loss.

On the wheels issue most were still rocking 26 as acceleration was needed over long term speed. The winner was 29″ but was a machine anyway…

Despite thinking it could be good I don’t reckon it deserves World Championship recognition, it seems like a cheap way to win the rainbow stripes. The UCI probably support it because you can run it in town, promote it, get a crowd, and cover it easily. Is entry limited to riders with WC XC points? Otherwise I would have thought a 4x or BMX rider could cream them.