[Closed] XC > DH

I tend to watch them both, but only started watching XC for the past 2 years.  I find it a lot better to watch for some reason.

My attention tends to drift when I'm watching DH...

Easy to believe this - spectacular though DH can be, it's easier to follow what's going on with XC - it's a race and anyone can understand it. I watched a couple this year it was quite entertaining, especially where the course is more technical. Maybe eventually you'll get a kind of short track XC / Enduro hybrid, could be fun to watch

Ninos X ing it up whilst in pole position & wihout a dropper on the gnarly bits helps add to this & the competitive of the Elite women make for some great watching.

I might watch an XC race then, see what I'm missing.

I've seen a few Olympic event and they didn't really set my world on fire.

Been watching both since the very early Eurosport days with Mank Beisiegal commentating.
XC was better when they allowed the riders to race on natural surfaces that actually had mud if the weather was wet. These "more exciting, and more telegenic" courses are in actual fact just trail centre style features dotted around an easy hardpacked surface course. It's cool to watch nino play on them but other than that they're a bit meh.
DH was better when they had longer more naturally technical tracks.
TV coverage and the internet created a double edged sword. If it weren't for TV coverage we could have the longer more challenging tracks back and ocasionally have the best of both worlds. eg. a bike park track extended to take in some more natural sections.

[Shock]Way moar people ride XC than DH[/horror]

I'm not surprised, the XC is actually pretty bloody techy and as others have said, you can tell who is winning and who is not.

(Nino does actually use a dropper BTW)

I was at the event in La Bresse earlier this year and tried to ride the XC course the following day.  I'm pretty handy on my Capra / Jeffsy but actually found quite a lot of the trail either challenging or close to not possible.  I was shocked.

Give your capra to a local kid with a Carrera and in trackies who might put it to the use it was designed for.

I don't care if the trail surface is good or not.  I'm watching for the racing not the riding skills.  I watch the TdF and that's all tarmac!

As for not knowing who's winning - that's silly.  There are much bigger sporting events that have the same format. Skiing for example.

I watch the TdF and that’s all tarmac!

No it's not. Some of the stages are gnarlier than WC XC.

As for not knowing who’s winning – that’s silly.  
It's the guy in the middle when the camera points towards the hotseat

I've always watched the DH and love it. Recently I've started watching some XC too and find it's good viewing.

Watched some top level xc live and like dh the camera doesn't always do it justice, the wc level. Is a step above and would trouble quite a few people who thoughtt they could ride hard, takes some commitments to drop into a rock chute filled with dust clouds right on the back wheel of the rider in front with another 5 behind you.

Some of the drops and doubles are sizable too and give the best riders that time edge through those sections.

As for who is winning its the first one you see after the motorbike each lap or Nono as we call him...

  I’m pretty handy on my Capra / Jeffsy but actually found quite a lot of the trail either challenging or close to not possible.  I was shocked.

I'm struggling to believe they are that hard. Me and my mates are pretty rubbish and we can get down wc downhill tracks on trail bikes, albeit slowly.

I've never ridden one, or seen other than on tv, but I've never seen a feature on an xc track I wouldn't think a semi competent rider on a trail bike couldn't ride. Obviously the xc guys are doing it at race pace whilst knackered on 100mm bikes which will make it umpteen times harder.

takes some commitments to drop into a rock chute filled with dust clouds right on the back wheel of the rider in front with another 5 behind you.

Actually helps having the pressure of a race.  I've taken the chicken line on 'features' on XC races in practice and dropped into the main one without hesitation during the race.  In the Big Bike Bash eliminator I did there was a sizeable log on the course an obstacle.  I had a look, but decided no.  A few rounds in as I got closer to the back I suddenly found some more balls...

Actually helps having the pressure of a race

This. All the biggest drops and features I’ve done have been in race runs, having given them a miss in practice

I’m struggling to believe they are that hard. Me and my mates are pretty rubbish and we can get down wc downhill tracks on trail bikes, albeit slowly.

I think the point being there is a huge difference between getting down and riding something, as above I'm sure for some race pressure does help and not having time to back off due to the line taking you down stuff but I'm happy to watch the STW massive start hitting 10+ft doubles and 6ft drops on 100mm HT's 😉

a 10ft double?

10ft isn't even 2 bike lengths.

FFS

Well done you can do simple maths... start sending them on steep XC bikes then, and hotting the drops. Just pointing out that at the WC level they do step it up a bit more

When you watch on the TV you dont get an idea of how steep, techy the XC is.  I too figured it was all easy to ride.  But when I watch the event in France I realised the TV does not do it justice.

During practice I walked the track and talked with a few of the teams where they were practicing lines and spotting bits.  I also spoke with Annie Last about the techy bits, she actually said the courses had got harder over the years and that's one of the reasons she liked it.  Up close it's quite difficult and not what Id call XC, more like XC with bits of Black thrown in, but not like man made trail center Black.  More like the pixie built stuff you come across in the FoD.

Watching the race not only was the pace relentless but they consistently rode the techy bits at a speed I doubt any of us could match just once.

Then when I did try to ride the course the following day it was honestly quite difficult.  I could do it, but not clean and not without a dab or stumble.  I certainly wouldn't race it.  There was a log drop I watched them do and thought I'd be OK on it, but when I actually tried I realised there was no run out, no smooth transition and no flow.  Its like all the techie bits are actually designed to spoil any flow you have.

These are WC events, a whole level more demanding than any event I've seen in the UK.

It did surprise me to be fair as I too always watched on the telly and figured Id get round it, but slowly.  Some of the techy climbs I had to have a few goes at to clear.

Genuinely I think anyone would be very surprised.

Go and watch one live and go and try the course the following day, then come back and tell us how easy it is or how good a rider you are 🙂

One of the Trouble with dh is how crap the live timing is . Half the time it is missing.

There’s a world of difference between getting down something & riding it at full speed.

I ride the Swiss National course, Pleney & Chatel on a 100mm travel hardtail on a holiday once. I got down them & even enjoyed it but I bet I was hours slower than even an ‘average’ top level racer.

I’ve been watching the xc this year & have preferred the coverage to the dh. Feels more exciting to me.

I imagine the early Friday evening short track has been a good 'gateway drug' to get people interested in theharder stuff. Plus I wonder if more CX fans have watched as MVDP has been racing.

Ive settled on dh being better on the tellybox and xc live on the course... I went to La Bress too like Trimix as both types of racing were on the same weekend..... and much prefered the xc personally as its the same people racing over a longer time and some of the features were pretty fierce up and down hill. The addition of the short track inc points allocation just adds to the racing. The skill set for an elite xc rider must be pretty enviable and strong across all levels and types of terrain...

Both disciplines have athletes at the top of their game and make stuff look very smooth and do-able but the head to head womens elite racing at La Bresse was the most edgy and exciting of the season... plus the crowd was mahoosive...

Now that Jolanda Neff and Luca Shaw are functioning as a unit, there must be a good chance to skill swap between disciplines and Neff is a great tech rider already.

Then there is stage racing like Swiss Epic and Cape Epic... Point to point racing with hundreds of K and almost 3000m climbing.... each day for 3 - 5 days... One of our friends is a Swiss national level elite rider... she did a full elite xc race, podium-ed then rode an additional 70 k home.... nuts.

Watching the race not only was the pace relentless but they consistently rode the techy bits at a speed I doubt any of us could match just once.

I watched the MTB XC test event for the Olympics and in spite of all the pre-event bravdo from keyboard warriors about how it was just a bloody field in Essex and it should have been [insert black trail of choice], the speed they were taking the fairly major obstacles was phenomenal. To then do that consistently over 5 laps while at max HR was something else.

I might watch an XC race then, see what I’m missing.

I’ve seen a few Olympic event and they didn’t really set my world on fire.

If the men's Commonwealth games race is still on the iplayer/youtube or something watch this, only the second time I've watched an XC race on the telly (first was the women's and the field was far too small and spread out) but the men's race was excellent, only three real contenders but a great race.

^^ Absolutely.

I don't really watch mtb on the tv or online but watched the men's and women's Commonwealth races and it was bloody brilliant.

Totally changed my attitude to watching mtb on the tv.👍

Well done you can do simple maths… start sending them on steep XC bikes then, and hotting the drops.

Oh Mik.. A cute little chute/drop pic taken with MBUKtastic steepener camera angle
*sigh*

FWIW I don't ride any differently just because my H/A isn't in fashion. Never have. FFS!
All my DJ bike's head and seattube angles are pretty much the same as an XC bike's and trust me, they've all been sent! (Saddle up and down)

Just pointing out that at the WC level they do step it up a bit more

Moar than what? Red/Blue graded trail centre TTFs?

“All my DJ bike’s head and seattube angles are pretty much the same as an XC bike’s and trust me, they’ve all been sent! (Saddle up and down)”

My HERO....

Geex in 'being a massive ****' shocker.

I watched them do and thought I’d be OK on it, but when I actually tried I realised there was no run out, no smooth transition and no flow.  Its like all the techie bits are actually designed to spoil any flow you have.

The thing is, the La Bresse xc is the kind of track I find easier on a short travel xc bike. Loads of the descents are up and down, nadgery, narrow slow speed affairs that require short bursts of pedal input. Bouncy bikes can be a bit of a pain in the arse on that kind of track, don't feel as poised on some of the nadgery almost trials riding and pedal strike more easily.

I'm just waiting for the pics of the riding god in Cairns nailing the drops and chutes, or at least a pic of him at an actual WC XC track 😉

Paypal me the expenses and I'll throw in a signed one for you to take to bed with you Mik

That geex guy does tell a nice story. For all we know he might be a shit rider. I find that with people with a big mouth, lots of posturing and arrogance but not much substance.

Do you get much changing of the lead? All stuff I’ve seen (a while ago) appeared to be decided early on.

That geex guy does tell a nice story. For all we know he might be a shit rider. I find that with people with a big mouth, lots of posturing and arrogance but not much substance.

Diappointingly, I have it on good authority that he isn’t a shit rider, just a ****. Though I had worked the second bit out for myself.

Would love to see more coverage. Some of the Pinkbike stuff has been really good. I love the mix of fitness and skill in racing. The need to nail it on every lap while riding on your limit.

Downhill, Redbull, Enduro is not my thing - too far removed from what I'm doing and capable of. In recent years my own riding has moved towards road and CX racing because there just weren't the XC races. CX race coverage has really come on. No reason why XC can't follow this pattern. I'm a little bored of watching riders do massive jumps, I just don't really feel there is any "story" or engagement like there is in racing.