The first ever Cross Country Eliminator is over at World Champs - Results.The first ever Cross Country Eliminator is over at World Champs - Results.
At Pinkbike we're still not sure what to think about the XC Eliminator event. It's been around for a year now, and while some of the races have included some dirt, it seems to have become more of a road sprint on Mountain Bikes now. The World Champs in Saalfelden was a two lap, two minute course of a cobblestone track with two sets of stairs and one small jump. For those of you that are new to this event it's basically a 4X style elimination event, with four riders going head to head and the fastest two advancing. It's really exciting to watch, especially for spectators, but is it really Mountain Biking? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Mens Top 4
1. Ralph Naef 2. Miha Halzer 3. Christian Pfaffle 4. Daniel Federspiel
Womens Top 4
1. Alexandra Engen 2. Jolanda Neff 3. Aleksandra Dawidowicz 4. Ramona Forchini
No this is not real mountain biking,, but to be fair, 4x is really just bmx riding with bigger wheels. slopestyle is heading the same direction. it is just a bmx contest on a downhill track with knobby tires. The big mountain events like chatel are where slopestyle should be going. THAT is mountain biking. NOT tracks like the claymore challenge that are perfectly groomed of rocks and debris and most competitors are riding on pure DJ hardtails. I know this isnt part of the topic,, but world cup XC racing is DEFINITELY more "mountain biking" (in the sense of negotiating technical terrain) than 4x or slopestyle for the most part. I know alot of xc courses are lame as shit (the london olympics for example),, but if you go watch a pro race on a rougher track, (and not short track) you will see that PROPORTIONAL to how much suspension travel the riders have, some of the heavier rock gardens could easily require the level of bike handling skills that a downhill rider requires,,, throw in all of that necessary aerobic fitness too, and you've got some real MOUNTAIN biking. Downhill is still the king of hardcore mountain biking,, but Enduro is second and XC is right there with it. Alll of the other disciplines are just some ugly stepchild mutations of trying to mate downhill or cross country with bmx or road biking. I'm not saying the other disciplines like 4x aren't great,,, because i respect all cyclists immensely,,, but DH,XC, and ENDURO/SUPER-D,, are the only real MOUNTAIN biking events. The rest are on entirely smooth/ artificial tracks.
Agreed, they should have some stunt competitions where it you have to have a long travel bike. Like jamie goldman and his V10 in the FMB events, that's what it should be like.
wow,first kid to do his home work on are sport of M.T. bike i like it type all you want Ruthurford,its so true,like back when JOHN T. day you had to ride dh,xc, &trails ,sorry me can't spell,but i love this sport i come from bmx ,most 4x suck its not M>T>bike,when E.C. did it,it was, now its groomey,same with xc,any one can ride groomey,but when you tape the MOUNTAIN down and say ride,then its real skill,don't get me wrong bike park's are cool but let's not lozze are roots.if its easy as fishing y even try,hard to know makes you feel alive when you walk away at the end of that NARLOEYESs trail u ever rode sorry for my bla bla rant,
Rutherford's comments sucked because he barely even mentioned XCE, and I doubt if he even watched the race. He pretty much talked at length about every discipline except XCE.
XCE is a fast-paced exciting alternative to XC, and is way more exciting than most shortttack races. I would like to see more jumps, drops, and even doubles in it, that would make it even more exciting for fans, and require some diverse skills. Might attract more 4X guys.
I actually like XCE more than 4X, since it isn't just a holeshot show and people aren't intentionally taking others out, which is what makes 4X dreadful from a participants point of view, and sometimes frustrating to watch.
Good job UCI, good to see them experimenting with new ideas.
Protour,the kid is young but he's on don't get me wrong your on to,if its easey any one can kill it,but when its hard and you got the skill's that make it happen thats all i'm try to say,like ram page it started real then got man made stuff not real hard and cool,but not the same as real.but ram page got Mt. bike back on the map.what we need is all rider's meet at one place to see were to take are sport,not UCI,
A valid point, maybe I was a little harsh on him. It might not be "real mountain biking", but how exactly does one define "real mountain biking" considering how diverse the sport has gotten? At some popular trail areas riders ride up a paved road then ride down a mostly groomed, somewhat lame bike park type of trail (Sandy Ridge in Oregon). That area also has some dirt jump lines that kids go up and session on dirt jump bikes. I've also seen kids on BMX bikes ride MTB trails. So there isn't really any "real mountain biking anymore, it's only relative to what you enjoy.
I also wish the Rampage was still more natural and could only be ridden on DH bikes, but the Cam McCaul's of the world have brought something else to it, for better because what they do is in some ways spectacular, but for worse,IMHO, because it is too bike parky and groomed.
your on the money bottom line what ever kind that makes you happy is all good,like me its all a state of mind,some time's walking make me na just jokeing,till the wheels fall off may we all ride.
I agree with Ruthurford-The-Brave 100%. Multiplying lame disciplines just makes MTB look like a circus show and because of that the discipline is treated less seriously than, e.g., road cycling. DH and XC in technical mountain terrain are enough for World Cups and Championships. Throw in some Enduro events in between, as they are usually more mass-type and open to amateurs and we've got the competitive side of MOUNTAIN biking pretty much covered.
The first world cup when lopes won was a good course which included mountain biking but all the others have had less mountain biking in than the paris-roubaix
did it replace 4x? not really, eliminator take part at xc world cups, not where the downhill wc is and there was a 4x worldchampionship last weekend. I doubt the UCI was thinking to replace 4x by eliminator.
I believe it did replace it, it woudnt have existed if it wasnt for the cancellation of 4x. The reason why 4x ran along DH, is due to some riders entering both disciplines, your not going to see a DH riders wanting to ride eliminator, therefore it runs with the xc world cup.
Thats my understanding.
4X basically committed suicide, and I'm glad we don't have the holeshot show to distract us from DH anymore. If they would have stuck with dual slalom at World Cups, that might still be around.
Did any of you guys even watch it? Fantastic racing, especially the men's final. Think XCE has potential they just need to lure some of the bigger names in. I like 4X but the tracks and racing are getting plain, looked like 90% of the race was won on gate choice this year which was entirely decided on qualifying. At least XCE was who ever had the speed and the tactics won. Naef played it beautifully.
I thought the first eliminator, I think at Houffalize, where Lopes won was great. Hammerfest climb up, techy trail down with multiple line options. But there was no where to pass, so it was a little predictable.
But no, it's not anymore or less mtb'ing than DS, 4X, FMB, slopestyle, whatever...
I think it's pretty ridiculous event, the start is a joke, the track looks like a downtown for roadies, and commentary was so boring... where was "MOUNTAIN" biking there? This being said, I'm full of respect for competitors, it must be really gruelling to sprint for over two minutes!
I watched the first round and then got bored. There is exactly one line down the course. Ideas: 2 berms on some of the corners for passing, a climb, multiple lines!
