Quote from interview with Si Paton organiser of the British Downhill series based on second hand informotion
“There’s an interesting story there. In the UK, enduro was supported by British Cycling at some levels for 4 years, which meant that they sometimes sent commissaires and insured their events. There was another organizer, like myself, running the show there. I remember there being some discussion about points and being a part of a ranking system within that series. They were talking about the possibility of regional and national champions as well. That’s no longer supported by British Cycling. BC basically told those guys that they’re not going to continue to support them when they’re not taping the courses from top to bottom, they’re not enforcing two practice runs pre-race; the enduro series really was a massive risk for them. If there were any issues or injuries, their insurance company would have looked at it as a DH course, BC would have tried to explain the enduro concept, they would have gone back and forth and it would have been a gong show in court.The guys in enduro now have to insure themselves and the riders have to have their own liability insurance. I can only imagine it’s a massive headache for all involved, then add to the fact you don’t have the backing of the national federation, some credibility is lost. The moral of this story is that you have to bend over backwards to work with national federations if you want to play ball in their back garden.But even when you do they still wont support you or your event
Everyone beats up the UCI, USAC and British Cycling. But If BC supported enduro like the other European Federation have and work with organisers to help shape the sport/discipline in to a safe and successful future we wouldn’t need to have that conversation. the reality is, that their hands are tied in a legal sense with insurance companies. Don’t blame the federation, blame the riders who put the federation in that position. When things go wrong on course, they’re the ones taking the brunt of the ensuing litigation, not the organizer. Yes, if you’re a negligent organizer, they’re going to tell you off and sack you. But once that commissaire signs off on the course, it’s all set and let’s go racing that weekend. As an organizer, I will not lose my house, I will not go to court and I will not lose my liberty. If they say jump, I ask how high. I still need to ensure that certain safety protocols are met, but I’m happy to oblige. We can all stand here and knock them, but the federation gives you standing with the rest of the world. Well, people will say that British Cycling is all about the road scene. Well, who cares? Sure, I’d love for them to hand me a million pounds; we’d all be sitting in jacuzzis and getting lap dances at the end of each race run. But the likes of Sam Hill, Troy Brosnan, etc. still turn up to race with us in the middle of a muddy field, regardless of the attention the roadies are getting. We’ve created a desirable series that their sponsors want them to race. I say we just get on with it and make it better.”
pussys 😈