EWS Official Video: Tweedlove Highlights, Rd 3, Scotland

 he needs to put Fred Dibnah's hat back on that he was wearing last week. it'd go nicely with that wooly jumper.

 there should be... but I can't see there being 3 stops in the british isles... so it may take the place of this or ireland every few years?

 EWS a moneylooser for Tweedlove, rumours it might not happen next year. if Wales could stump up the cash, there's a lot of potential there Also less driving for me !

 Is it a money-loser over the week or year? I know it's a popular and well known area but I'm sure this does wonders for drawing in even more riders over the course of the year!

 It definitely brings in a tonne of money to the town and the area. But someone has to actually pay for the event, and that someone is the Tweedlove organisation. 600 riders at £90 a pop doesn't begin to cover all the necessary expenses to run the event (event fees, medical cover, PA, staffing, vehicle hire, podium/stand, timing system, etc, etc, etc). So, there needs to be sponsorship, and although it looks like there are a lot of sponsors, each one of those isn't going to be tipping in a huge pot (although I'll not pretend to know all of the figures involved).

In a nutshell, it's not that easy to turn a profit on such a big event. Normally, these sort of events are paid for by tourist organisations. Even something like Crankworx Whistler took a long time before they started making money (I believe).

 I don't think it's fair to say that it's a money-loser, but the returns certainly don't reflect the effort put in by the organisers. The event brings millions of pounds into the local economy, but that hasn't been fully acknowledged or rewarded by national tourism related agencies that need to invest heavily in these events to bring them back. As fans of the EWS that live here in Bike Valley, we're all hoping that this will change for next year.

 yeah! true dat... would you happen to know the song starting at :27 coming in?

 No, they can't. Major components are marked by race officials to make sure they don't. These are the rules regarding equipment requirements.

5.7: Equipment Marking Stickers
Only one frame, fork and one pair of wheels can be used by a competitor during a race.

Officially marked equipment:

Fork Crown
Swingarm / Rear triangle
Front triangle
Both wheel rims
Competitor’s bikes will be checked for marking at the start of the race and at the finish of every Special Stage. Other random checks of stickered equipment will be carried out throughout the race.

A rider can use unmarked equipment during training unless otherwise stated by the organizer.

Only upon approval of the Race Director, may a rider replace a frame, fork or wheel. Following the repair the rider must return to the Race Director to have the replacement part(s) re-marked before rejoining the race.

A 5 minute penalty will be awarded to every rider who, having received approval by the Race Director, replaces the equipment listed above.

Any rider found to have replaced a named/marked part without consent from the Race Director will be disqualified (DSQ).

 Along with a similar build (i.e Fox 36 and Float X)!

 I think we might be on to something here

 Rocky Mountain beefs up their Instinct and offers the "BC Edition", Trek should do something similar like a "Remedy Enduro Edition".

 That BC Edition instinct is a beautiful looking bike. However the remedy makes my man bits feel funny in a good way