Why isnt 4x in the olympics?

PB Forum :: Downhill
Why isnt 4x in the olympics?
Author Message
flag almightybenners
FL
Posted: Feb 16, 2010 at 5:06 Quote
the-biking-whyking wrote:
what about DH? there's sure as hell (from my point of view) a bigger following than luge or something, how many people do you know that are planning their trips, weekends, after schools and finances around sessioning some sick oversized slides? a lot less than people that will travel and spend money on flying down some trails... "yeah i just got my luge track done in my backyard" "HOLY DUDE im gonna hafta come sesh it!" "yeah i got like 3 seconds down it last time" "Its super fun, you like slide, into this turn and then go across this finish line... CRAZY SHIT!!" sorry for the incredibly long way of trying to get my point across that luge isn't really that great of a sport IMO
the reason DH isn't in the olympics is becasue the uci doesn't really know what to do with the sport, and the top riders are SO image concerned it f*cking ridicluous, look at the skin suits and tight clothing ban as an example of it, it got banned because it looked gay when it boiled down to it even though it provided more coverage for sponsers and made the riders faster.
flag terri-anne
Posted: Feb 16, 2010 at 5:08 Quote
Excuse me for just randomly saying:

But hasn't it got alot to do with the equiptment?

In BMX- apart from weight, very few people can modify their bikes. How fast you can go is really down to you and your skill.

With swimming, running, javelin, tennis, rowing etc etc- it's all about the athletes technique- generally speaking everyone's equiptment is very similar/the same.

PLEASE don't assume I am saying Dh'ers and 4X'ers lack skill- but your choice of bike and set up can make a difference.

With DH and 4X, without everyone riding the same bike, how can you create an equality, like you can with running (for example!)?

Isn't the olympics about how far human beings can push themselves?

Just a thought!
flag zune
Posted: Feb 16, 2010 at 8:00 Quote
azfreeride wrote:
zune wrote:
Successful money making "extreme" sports have video games. Soccer, football, basketball, baseball, hockey, snowboarding, BMX. ETC. Mountainbiking is no where to be seen.

except back in the day with downhill domination which was the sh*t

And they never made another one....all these sports have a franchise behind them.
flag experthucker
O+ FL
Posted: Feb 16, 2010 at 11:57 Quote
terri-anne wrote:
Excuse me for just randomly saying:

But hasn't it got alot to do with the equiptment?

In BMX- apart from weight, very few people can modify their bikes. How fast you can go is really down to you and your skill.

With swimming, running, javelin, tennis, rowing etc etc- it's all about the athletes technique- generally speaking everyone's equiptment is very similar/the same.

PLEASE don't assume I am saying Dh'ers and 4X'ers lack skill- but your choice of bike and set up can make a difference.

With DH and 4X, without everyone riding the same bike, how can you create an equality, like you can with running (for example!)?

Isn't the olympics about how far human beings can push themselves?

Just a thought!

The brittish track cycling team spent over 10million pounds developing Chris Hoys track bike so that isnt really much of an argument, also the road cyclists all use their big brand bikes.
flag snickkers
Posted: Feb 16, 2010 at 14:12 Quote
experthucker wrote:
terri-anne wrote:
Excuse me for just randomly saying:

But hasn't it got alot to do with the equiptment?

In BMX- apart from weight, very few people can modify their bikes. How fast you can go is really down to you and your skill.

With swimming, running, javelin, tennis, rowing etc etc- it's all about the athletes technique- generally speaking everyone's equiptment is very similar/the same.

PLEASE don't assume I am saying Dh'ers and 4X'ers lack skill- but your choice of bike and set up can make a difference.

With DH and 4X, without everyone riding the same bike, how can you create an equality, like you can with running (for example!)?

Isn't the olympics about how far human beings can push themselves?


Just a thought!

The brittish track cycling team spent over 10million pounds developing Chris Hoys track bike so that isnt really much of an argument, also the road cyclists all use their big brand bikes.

10 million pounds is really heavy. lol
flag thom
Posted: Feb 16, 2010 at 18:52 Quote
the-biking-whyking wrote:
what about DH? there's sure as hell (from my point of view) a bigger following than luge or something, how many people do you know that are planning their trips, weekends, after schools and finances around sessioning some sick oversized slides? a lot less than people that will travel and spend money on flying down some trails... "yeah i just got my luge track done in my backyard" "HOLY DUDE im gonna hafta come sesh it!" "yeah i got like 3 seconds down it last time" "Its super fun, you like slide, into this turn and then go across this finish line... CRAZY SHIT!!" sorry for the incredibly long way of trying to get my point across that luge isn't really that great of a sport IMO

Awesome quote!

DH won't be in the olympics due to the terrain requirements for it. Nothing else in the summer games requires a mountain. If Chicago was selected for an olympic city, you would have to drive hundreds of miles for a suitable DH course.

I would focus more on hoping the X-games would pick up DH. Once again though, you have the terrain requirements. I agree that it would be sick to see it picked up on a channel like Fuel, or SPEED.

Basically, everyone needs to watch the freecaster feeds of the WC first. If those start getting overwhelmed with viewers, then they will look at showing it to a larger audience.

-KT
flag more45
Posted: Feb 16, 2010 at 19:09 Quote
terrain requirements would be easy to meet.. look at camberra

a downhill race consist of the start being higher then the finish.. there is much talk of the sport is to technology based and that to much time goes into the braking and susp..

my case here..
-dh shares parts with the XC guys
- no more technology is used as compared to other sports.. road bikes go into wind tunnels.. bobsleds are machined to the 9's.. rifles are only fired in a large fridge in order to make accurate results...

the world is a diff place now.. time for the olympic group to catch up
flag thom
Posted: Feb 16, 2010 at 19:12 Quote
sammo wrote:
terrain requirements would be easy to meet.. look at camberra

Imagine an event in the midwest. No one wants to watch a DH race that takes a minute to go down and has no rocks/roots/trees etc.

-KT
flag more45
Posted: Feb 16, 2010 at 19:18 Quote
rocks can be droped in place.

every style of track can bring something to the table.. just some are less favoured then others
flag
Posted: Feb 16, 2010 at 22:15 Quote
thom wrote:
the-biking-whyking wrote:
what about DH? there's sure as hell (from my point of view) a bigger following than luge or something, how many people do you know that are planning their trips, weekends, after schools and finances around sessioning some sick oversized slides? a lot less than people that will travel and spend money on flying down some trails... "yeah i just got my luge track done in my backyard" "HOLY DUDE im gonna hafta come sesh it!" "yeah i got like 3 seconds down it last time" "Its super fun, you like slide, into this turn and then go across this finish line... CRAZY SHIT!!" sorry for the incredibly long way of trying to get my point across that luge isn't really that great of a sport IMO

Awesome quote!

DH won't be in the olympics due to the terrain requirements for it. Nothing else in the summer games requires a mountain. If Chicago was selected for an olympic city, you would have to drive hundreds of miles for a suitable DH course.

I would focus more on hoping the X-games would pick up DH. Once again though, you have the terrain requirements. I agree that it would be sick to see it picked up on a channel like Fuel, or SPEED.

Basically, everyone needs to watch the freecaster feeds of the WC first. If those start getting overwhelmed with viewers, then they will look at showing it to a larger audience.

-KT
well said. ya dh in olympics might be out of place. dh would be right at home in the x-games. except x-games is hosted in La, so the dh would have to be a bit out of the area.
flag terri-anne
Posted: Feb 17, 2010 at 1:22 Quote
experthucker wrote:
terri-anne wrote:
Excuse me for just randomly saying:

But hasn't it got alot to do with the equiptment?

In BMX- apart from weight, very few people can modify their bikes. How fast you can go is really down to you and your skill.

With swimming, running, javelin, tennis, rowing etc etc- it's all about the athletes technique- generally speaking everyone's equiptment is very similar/the same.

PLEASE don't assume I am saying Dh'ers and 4X'ers lack skill- but your choice of bike and set up can make a difference.

With DH and 4X, without everyone riding the same bike, how can you create an equality, like you can with running (for example!)?

Isn't the olympics about how far human beings can push themselves?

Just a thought!

The brittish track cycling team spent over 10million pounds developing Chris Hoys track bike so that isnt really much of an argument, also the road cyclists all use their big brand bikes.

No I guess not- but the tracks are simple- the weather can rarely change the terrain for each rider- where as with DH, some riders can race a dry track, other race a wet track. In a road race- all riders experience weather changes at the same time.
flag experthucker
O+ FL
Posted: Feb 17, 2010 at 3:12 Quote
Thats a fair point i hadnt considered the conditions!
flag thom
Posted: Feb 17, 2010 at 10:16 Quote
sammo wrote:
rocks can be droped in place.

every style of track can bring something to the table.. just some are less favoured then others

The olympics arn't going to build a mountain. If the host city is in a flat part of the world, there will not be a venue for riding DH bikes.

-KT
flag more45
Posted: Feb 17, 2010 at 11:53 Quote
can they hold it in a flat section of the world?
may as well toss the XC and the road biking out then too.. seeing as there will not be climbs and downhill sections up to there standards...

 


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