Downhill World Cup: How is it for you?

Tbh, I have mostly given up watching it. It’s a tech faff, compared to the old Redbull app, so that immediately turns me off as I have no patience for techy things not working properly. We have to run GCN+ on a laptop and cast to the tele. Didn’t watch the last 2 world cups so time to cancel the GCN+ sub.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan, and love watching bike races in person (worlds were great in Scotland!), but faff = me out.

I will just read the race reports on pinkbike and be done with it I think.

I quite like rick and cg commentating. Gwin was a good addition at the weekend.
The riders unable to show their own race runs sucks hard.
Regardless I’m not paying and will watch the highlights and pirate streams.
Bk, moimoi, edbull media, dialled, wyntv plus others provide excellent behind the scenes footage and insights that keeps the stoke high.
Ews or whatever it’s called now, can’t say I’m interested.

How can the TV Coverage be a positive when you have to bloody pay for it?? As a direct comparison to last season, when it was free via the Red Bull TV app and the commentary was so much better… well, it’s been dismal. Eurosport’s (which I believe is already a PAID sub) schedule often had Downhill scheduled and you put the telly on only to find there was car racing or some such shite on. This weekend the women’s race was on live, as scheduled, great, but they don’t show the men’s live, like as a ah you gotta pay now. **** shite.

Can someone explain why some riders are protected, and how this is fair in the new format.   How is coulange not protected but alonso is? – how on earth is this worked out?

Non protected riders have to put everything into it in the semis in order to qualify. Protected riders only have to break the beam and can saunter down. Therefore non protected riders have to do 2 full on runs on the same day, protected riders only have to do 1.

I still watch all the free stuff. There’s almost too much of it to get through so you can pick and choose who you follow.

They’ve definitely ruined the race day intensity with the semi-finals. I’ve watched almost every single race for probably 10 years and now I can’t be bothered to spend the whole day trying to follow the racing. I’ll try to catch the semi’s but I’ve been fine just missing the final and checking the results later. I’ve got a 2 year old to entertain so while in the past I’d hide away with the laptop for a couple of hours, now I just go out and do something else.

They’re definitely trying to make it harder for riders to actually make it to a final. You’ll end up with something like Gladiators with the same group of people battling it out every week. We’ve been able to watch so many young guns come through the ranks over a period of years and that’s going to disappear. People say the World Cup should only be for the best of the best but you’re taking away opportunities for people to practice at that level and get the experience. Hardly anywhere in the world has a national series good enough to be a feeder series for the WC. People dedicated all their efforts and expenses on the WC because that’s the only way to learn how to race WC’s.

You’re not going to get young privateers and juniors travelling the world just to have races cancelled at the drop of a hat. All the points you earn in quali’s and semi’s are worthless if you can’t finish top 30.

This weekend they should have scrapped elite finals and had the junior race on Sunday morning.

I don’t know…this season just feels like a bit of a botched experiment. They changed too many things at once and now it’ll take an off season overhaul to get good vibes back.

I feel like a big fragmentation is coming and we’re going to lose a lot of long standing characters and miss out on lots of future stories.

Or some big cheese at Warner Bros/Discovery will see it as a failure and drop it and we’ll be back where we were.

Or some big cheese at Warner Bros/Discovery will see it as a failure and drop it and we’ll be back where we were.

That’s a very optimistic view. I doubt RB are sitting on their old MTB budget just in case. If Discovery were to disappear* off I feel there could be a tricky year or 2 ahead.

Unfortuantely I think Cedric is now as good as he’s going to get. He’s done plenty of commentary stuff over the years and never been great. Hopefully there are discussions ongoing to get Minnaar involved after he finishes. Gwin would be a good option of course, but he’s just passing the time before he’s racing again

*which I don’t believe they will

Bin the semi finals. Haven’t watched them once this season and don’t see the point.

I do the same as VanHalen, although I have watched a bit of the Semi Finals when at home and just doing chores. The coverage is good but not up to the Red Bull standard. With the split format it’s just not worth my time or money to watch the whole race run show, takes up too much of my free time now it’s split. WCDH has now gone the same way as my F1 viewing: follow the stories, catch the highlights if it was an exciting one but losing me as a fan.

Short version – they’ve taken a free product, and put it behind a paywall without improving it. Therefore as a customer I am unhappy.

But they had to ? To increase income into the sport the only way is to increase advertising ?

When it was free, were you actually customer ? if there’s no charge you can’t be a customer can you ? 🙂

I’m not in a position to subscribe to any more things so currently won’t/can’t pay for the live racing.

I love watching it but much preferred the Redbull setup and so now I’ll just watch any highlights.

For me, the build up, line analysis, that kind of thing is the most interesting and that’s on all the YouTubers channels so that’s where I tend to go.

Don’t mind Rick and Cedric. Warner was good for the stoke but there’s nothing wrong with those two I don’t think.
I like the guest commentator idea and I think it would be good if they could carry that through for each round. Good thing for injured riders to get involved with.

I’m really enjoying it. Would it be better with Rob still commenting? Yes but that’s his choice not to do it, so move on.

I much prefer the new format as it makes the men’s in particular much more watchable seeing fewer riders, I have no interest in who come outside the top10 really so watching the top 30 is more than enough riders. It’s not as if those in the 30-60 range got much air time anyway.

The app is easy to use although I do wish I didn’t have to select the commentary language every time.

so it is disappointing this didn’t bring any improvements to the product

They’ve had 5 races, I don’t think you can sensibly say that. The people actually involved in running the thing have all had tonnes of experience, it’s not some junior vice president of entertainment from Malibu who’s last project was the Mouseketeers. I think you probs have to give them 2-3 seasons before calling it.

The coverage needs to improve significantly, the way Rob Warner was treated feels off.

He stayed with his former employer, he wasn’t kicked out.

The EDR situation is very odd, especially given that Chris Ball is behind a lot of what’s going on. Gives the feeling that Discovery aren’t interested but had to take it as part of the deal

the way Rob Warner was treated feels off.

I think he still works for Red Bull doing other stuff doesn’t he?

The EDR has been a massive disappointment

I think so as well, Was it Leogang when everything was at the same venue, and EDR pits was 1/2 km down the road in a scruffy wee car park, and even the support teams (like Fox) were a bit embarrassed by the obvious “ginger cousin”  treatment?

He stayed with his former employer, he wasn’t kicked out.

This is true, but I think Rob was interested in a role, Chris Ball made a comment on Downtime podcast that Rob took exception to on social media. We’ve not got the full story, but it sounds like there could have been a way to make it happen and for whatever reason it didn’t.

Most professional sports (inc. road cycling) see teams and athletes make the lions share of their money from sponsorship and endorsements, rather than prize money.

I hear you 100%… but don’t forget, the personal sponsors they bring in is also because of increased exposure. Watching yesterday on Discovery they had 4-5 sets of adverts in the ladies Elite show, that’s GOT to bring in more money to the game, which in turn brings in more viewers.
Even though people say about ‘paywall’ a LOT of people get to see DH now through Eurosport and Discovery which comes as part of an overall package, they wouldn’t have seen it or found it via Redbull TV as that doesn’t exist to most… So yes it’s behind a paywall, but it’s also more open to the general public at the same time.

The biggest difference with DH and MTB is that currently 99% (made up figure of course) of personal sponsors are bike based, look at any ridr jersey with sponsors, they’re all MTB companies.. Think of MotoGP, WSB, even Speedway and MX racing, then also think F1, touring cars, they’re not… they’re ‘companies’ if DH just sits within the cycling niche it can only ever reach cycling people and sponsors…. they need mainstream companies putting money into riders…

agree with companies sponsoring riders. If you want more outside sponsors you need more coverage. current format with 8 per year is a poor return. bit of a catch 22 though as you need the sponsors to increase the coverage in the first place

I’d not be surprised to see more non-bike team/athlete sponsors next year, once all view stats, proof of concept from a marketing perspective is out there.

My red bull question was 100% genuine and the answers *might* be an insight into why they didn’t fight to retain it. After all, a marketing endeavour can only be tolerated so long if it’s not generating a return 🤷‍♂️

What happened to that dodgy chat show with Rob, Emily Batty and (can’t remember who) ? Was there more than one eposide?

Episode 2 came out last week.

I’ve watched almost every single race for probably 10 years and now I can’t be bothered to spend the whole day trying to follow the racing

I’m confused sorry.  Under the RB deal we had about 2.5hrs for the men’s final, about an hour for the ladies and that was it. Now if you want to you can watch the mens and ladies semi final and final, the junior men and ladies finals if your interested in the upcoming talent, that were never previously broadcast.

There were no semis but the final was 60 men. But and its a big but, RB never broadcast the first 30 riders apart from about 10 seconds of the current hot seat occupant at the start of the live stream. So in reality the 2 finals shows are covering the same riders as they did last year. If you really want to you can now watch way more racing each weekend or the same as RB offered if that’s your preference.