Looks like Eliot Jackson’s out as well:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cg7rlaKpWzA/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D

I know many on here don’t seem to like him but I think he’s good. Or at least, he doesn’t annoy me and provides useful insight and that’s all I really want from a commentator.

Cuts seem to be the order of the day across Warner/Discovery –

Warner Bros. Discovery Confirms Kids’ Content Cuts

Maybe all these cuts are so they can spend the money on the best DH coverage in the world.

I do wonder if the UCI big wigs are concerned that they have just sold to a company that has all the signs of going bankrupt/about to be bought by Disney.

I quite like Eliott Jackson . He’s good on the downtime podcast post race shows and is very knowledgeable about the sport and the riders . He fits the requirements of a co commentator very well .

With no Warner or Jackson my fear is you end up with some generic commentator for hire who doesn’t understand the sport or the riders .

With no Warner or Jackson my fear is you end up with some generic commentator for hire who doesn’t understand the sport or the riders .

I still remember the heady days when the 4X was shown on Eurosport and you would get legends of the sport like Cedric Garcia (not sure if he’s related to Andy or not) and Brian Lopez (when did Latinos start calling their kids Brian anyway) battling it out while the commentators in no way sounded like they were trying to match numbers to names on a list while they described the action.

With no Warner or Jackson

Or Warner and Bart Brentjens for XC, they’re excellent together, Rob plays the role of the “ignorant” casual viewer really well, to Bart’s “expert”  and he and Bart have a great rapport

In no way wishing for his retirement from racing, but Minnaar was good that time he did Hardline commentary. Could be a future career move for him?

[edit] and he has clearly turned down Red Bull’s money at some point in his career. (whether that is for any reason beyond Clif/Mous offering more, I can’t say) so he may not be wedded to the RB media empire, but at the same time, they haven’t black listed him.

Cedric Garcia (not sure if he’s related to Andy or not)

He’s not, his surname is Gracia.

and Brian Lopez (when did Latinos start calling their kids Brian anyway)

That don’t, his surname is Lopes.

Dunno if that was deliberate or not, if it was well done, if it wasn’t then that’s very ironic.

It’s not as if Elliot is getting cut or is out or any other hyperbole. He has a contract with the outgoing broadcaster. Surprise surprise that means he leaves when they leave. Whether he can, is offered a contract, or wants to work with Discovery is a completely different question.

All the talk of RB setting up a challenger series is highly unlikely IMHO. At the moment they are the broadcaster of the event, not the event organiser. So if they want to have events then they need to fund the organisation of an event aswell as broadcasting it. I imagine this is a big job and not cheap to do. If you look at events they do organise they dont need a lot of space or facilities. Cliff diving for example just needs a high enough structure to mount the platform off. You dont need 3-4 km of track, you dont need pits etc. The athletes dont need truck loads of support equipment accommodating etc etc.

I suspect you dont see much of them in road cycling for 2 reasons

1. Sponsorship is largely a team decision and not an individual one. I know there is the odd one but that’s the exception

2. It’s a lot more expensive to sponsor a pro road team than a DH rider. The companies involved in sponsoring road cycling are multinationals spending big bucks.

I  do hope that we get a great series next year to watch and the proof will be in the eating

Cliff diving for example just needs a high enough structure to mount the platform off. You dont need 3-4 km of track, you dont need pits etc. The athletes dont need truck loads of support equipment accommodating etc etc.

The tracks exist already in a number of places. How many venues have there been over the modern era of DH racing? How few make it itno the WC calendar?

In its simplest format, it just needs a ski resort with enough vertical to get at least a 3 minute track at Bruni speed. Ample space available for pits and accomodation in the off season, and lift access.
Some places manage (kind of) without these things – Lousa, Lourdes, Losinj.
Venues currently pay the UCI a fortune for the privilege of hosting a race.

Dunno if that was deliberate or not, if it was well done, if it wasn’t then that’s very ironic.

Every time I assume I’m being ironic enough that no nudgey/smiley/winky is needed someone lets me know that no, I’m not being ironic enough.

Edit to add: I’m not making this up, by the way. I remember the Eurosport commentator pronouncing their names that way.

All the talk of RB setting up a challenger series is highly unlikely IMHO.

They don’t need to, they could just offer to broadcast the iXS.

I know many on here don’t seem to like him

whaat?, what’s not to like? He’s an experienced racer, brings massive personal insight into the current racer line up, his technical knowledge and line choice sharing is exceptional, is always happy and excitable yet brings a special kind of calm.

IMO he’s probably the best of the co-hosts.

what’s not to like?

Giggling.

“oh, it’s so hard” seems to be his favourite phrase.

Giggling.

haha, I see that as feel good infectious joy.. but “thats how it is”

@brucewee

Every time I assume I’m being ironic enough that no nudgey/smiley/winky is needed someone lets me know that no, I’m not being ironic enough.

I did wonder but gave you the benefit of the doubt. It did seem a bit too ridiculous even for here 😂

The tracks exist already in a number of places. How many venues have there been over the modern era of DH racing? How few make it itno the WC calendar?

that’s my point. There are lots of resorts with the resources to put a race on and don’t want to or it’s too expensive and not worth it. Or are you suggesting that there is a conspiracy to stop New venues holding races?

Cliff diving for example just needs a high enough structure to mount the platform off. You dont need 3-4 km of track, you dont need pits etc. The athletes dont need truck loads of support equipment accommodating etc etc.

You do know that Red Bull own not one, but two, F1 teams plus an F1 circuit, don’t you? And logistics of F1 are an order of magnitude larger than anything in the cycling/Xtreme sports world….

If the UCI told riders that if they jumped ship to another DH world series that they would prevent them from competing in the World Champs, I reckon that would kill off any competitor series instantly.

that’s my point. There are lots of resorts with the resources to put a race on and don’t want to or it’s too expensive and not worth it. Or are you suggesting that there is a conspiracy to stop New venues holding races?

Or more likely they would jump at the chance if they were picked but since there is such a short series that’s not going to happen since they only want the very best.

Some of them have been utter horror shows and were subsequently dropped, remember Kaprun?

There are lots of resorts with the resources to put a race on and don’t want to or it’s too expensive and not worth it. Or are you suggesting that there is a conspiracy to stop New venues holding races?

From memory – happy to be corrected – the resort/town/tourism board has to pay 100,000 euros to the UCI for the pleasure of hosting an event, or 150,000 for a combined XC and DH weekend.
in exchange, they provide the race commisaires and possibly the timing arrangements. And get to dish out UCI points and rankings to riders as they see fit. And not a lot else.
The town provides the track, the racers/teams pay to compete. In some cases the fans pay to watch live.

If the UCI told riders that if they jumped ship to another DH world series that they would prevent them from competing in the World Champs, I reckon that would kill off any competitor series instantly.

I think it would depend on whether the UCI series was going to be filmed or not.

If iXS (or whatever series) got the full RB package while the UCI series got the equivalent of what EWS has now then I can’t see too many riders (and more importantly teams) being keen on the UCI series even if that meant there wasn’t a World Champs.

What’s the point in the rainbow jersey if no one gets to see you wear it?

I watched the EWS Show from Whistler last night. In the past, I’ve defended the EWS output and the presenters, but it’s clear that they’re trying to package everything up in a very US Sports style format. 2 talking heads, very little commentary on anyone outside the leading contenders, slick presentation format etc

If that’s the route they’re going down, and are probably trying to pitch to the Discovery team to use Ric and Ruaridh for EWS & DH, then I fear for next year’s coverage.

I’m not a fan of the overly glossy, high production value coverage that plagues American sports. You only have to look at the great raw stuff coming from Jack Moir, Bernard Kerr, Wyn Masters etc, and the response that gets from fans. Even Cathro’s newer output compared to his old, indie, trackside insight stuff, is not to my tastes in comparison.

I think it would depend on whether the UCI series was going to be filmed or not.

Maybe, I think the UCI still has massive clout in cycling sport, especially and the very pointy end of professional cycling, I think if they even if they hinted that they’d exclude riders from the rainbow stripes it would be enough to make folks think twice.

Mind you, we’re well into the realms of fantasy land aren’t we? But having said that here we are; August,  2 races to go, and no series dates for next year! I didn’t think that would be a situation we’d end up in either.

I’m not sure a direct rival series is the best idea, it would unlikely get UCI approval, and stops riders from riding the Worlds. Another series has to be different, not a rival.

However, it’s not impossible for RB, to think about a Hardline series…. which is basically Extreme/Hard Downhill. If you can get 5-6 venues, you can start to think about putting something together.

And as I’ve already mentioned there is a precedent; EnduroGP and the newer Hard Enduro backed by Red Bull. They’re not rival events, as they’re different, but both have official World championship status from the governing body. Rob was involved in the live coverage at the Erzbergrodeo in June.

Mind you, we’re well into the realms of fantasy land aren’t we? But having said that here we are; August, 2 races to go, and no series dates for next year! I didn’t think that would be a situation we’d end up in either.

Yeah, up until a few weeks ago I would have dismissed everything I’ve said as nonsense.

Now, with no news except for sweeping cuts at Discovery, I’m genuinely wondering if there’s even going to be a WC to watch next year.

Can’t imagine what it must be like for the teams.

it would unlikely get UCI approval

Honestly, if DH and Enduro had nothing to do with the UCI going forward I reckon that would be the best thing that could happen for both disciplines.

DH1 hosted by Rocky Roads.

Honestly, if DH and Enduro had nothing to do with the UCI going forward I reckon that would be the best thing that could happen for both disciplines.

Its a shame that XC gets left out here. The courses (and filming thereof), riders and skills in recent years are incredible.
With XC racer’s bikes, and the recent “downcountry” trend rapidly converging, its getting closer to becoming the event that is most akin to normal people’s riding.

I’ve got my own opinions on how short track needs altering, but otherwise, its an excellent series, and the double header weekends with the DH make for a lovely weekend of viewing. But they have further motivation for avoiding upsetting the UCI, both in qualifying for the olympics, and the crossover of athletes to road and cross racing.

You do know that Red Bull own not one, but two, F1 teams plus an F1 circuit, don’t you? And logistics of F1 are an order of magnitude larger than anything in the cycling/Xtreme sports world….

I do. But they still dont have to organise the event, find the tracks or space for the pits, agree terms with the teams so the riders actually turn up. They just have to move their own stuff around and get allocated space by the F1 and turn up. They dont have to do all the negotiation around which track, where is it, where to put  the pits how to make the race commercially viable, is it safe etc etc. All of these things become

A lot of the organising of logistics could easily be passed onto each venue.

Red Bull have plenty of experience in organising events, or getting others to organise the event for them. They do Hardline, Rampage, Urban DH series and other smaller MTB events such as Foxhunt. They have experience in creating an MTB event.

If they offer an existing series the same money and media coverage as they do with World Cups, then there is even less for them to have to sit down and plan.

Plus they will get more freedom once away from the UCI, they could show more runs, offer more prize money to riders and a load of other things to make a RBDH series ohh so tempting to the established racers.

From a general perspective – what does the UCI offer downhill riders that AN Other body couldn’t?

I’m not sure I entirely buy into the thought that riders wouldn’t leave the UCI as they would lose access to the worlds – isn’t that just the UCI ranked world champion because they won a race or series deemed to be the world championship hosted by the UCI?

If it was another body, what would stop them offering a Worlds Best or Global Championship labelled race or series, offering a slightly different shirt to the winners.

I realise the UCI has ties all over cycling disciplines, but of there is no rush or desire to get DH racing into the Olympics, does it matter that much if all the riders jump ship to a new governing body and adopt a new champion. The worlds best are generally only recognized in the fringes of their own sports anyway, so a jersey with rings or squares on it to signify the best doesn’t really matter.

Of course, the problem will likely be getting enough people to jump ship. There will no doubt be a few at least that stay with the UCI as it will improve their chances of winning, even if it is a diluted field.

I’m surprised nobody has posted a link to their audition youtube reel yet. (They may have, I’ve not read it all)

GCN is streaming thd xco European championships on the 19th. Should give an insight into their plans for the commentary team.
If its that Marty ‘welcome aboard’ cx/women’s road race commentator then its going to kill it for me. Can’t watch either now as his clueless babble is so irritating.

Yeah, he commentates on ‘cross and i’m amazed that all the top riders coincidentally have ‘signature power’.

Nothing personal against him, but MTB is a different vibe to Road/CX, and needs MTB experts commentating on it. I’d be annoyed if they used a current GCN commentator for MTB coverage.

Saying that, last year in Serbia at the MTB Euros, it was Matt Stephens, and Neil Donoghue, and to be honest, Neil wasn’t exactly brilliant – but then he’s a Downhill expert, not XC.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread GCN covered the the Swiss MTB Cup a few years back and Marty was calling that so we have to assume he will be covering the World Cup XC MTB in future as well on Discovery/GCN/Eurosport unless they can bring someone else in like Dan Jarvis or may be Matt Payne. Matt Stephens has also called MTB events on Eurosport in the past.

Just to say, Discovery own Eurosport so it could well be put on there rather which makes more sense than the Discovery Channel.
Being on Eurosport would also mean much bigger audience reach so it COULD be good in the long term, we’ll have to see.

If you watch the Eurosport adverts you’ll see some DH has slipped into them.

However, there’s no way they’re going to show DH live on 1 or 2 when say Rolland Garros, tdf or vuelta etc are on at same time.

Did anybody else notice the push on MTB world champs at the end of the Vuelta coverage this evening. Showed a few races and had the voice over of Rob and Bart as the main overlay.

Seems a bit odd to use their commentary to such a prominent effect if they are not part of the package.

Maybe Rob is staying with Red Bull, just doing some contract work for Discovery as well !

I do wonder if the UCI big wigs are concerned that they have just sold to a company that has all the signs of going bankrupt/about to be bought by Disney.

UCI only cares that they are payed.

Honestly, if DH and Enduro had nothing to do with the UCI going forward I reckon that would be the best thing that could happen for both disciplines.

in many respects I agree

From a general perspective – what does the UCI offer downhill riders that AN Other body couldn’t?

Olympic access as you rightly say. Look at freestyle BMX, absolutely nothing to do with UCI, but because its a cycling sport had to come under UCI to join the Olympics.

In many respects if DH is not interested in going into the Olympics I think it should just **** the UCI off. There is a BMX brand called Bicycle Union keep “BMX in the hands of BMXers”, I kind of think mtb could do some of this attitude. Keep MTB in the hands of the MTBrs. MTB is inherently more corporate than skating or BMX but I do wonder if it needs to have its own version of becoming more rider owned / ran. The corporates can still gain good advertising revenue but the events could do without those UCI ****.

In many respects if DH is not interested in going into the Olympics I think it should just **** the UCI off.

The riders seem to very much like their rainbow jerseys though.