Opinion: How To Save Downhill Racing
In the last 10 years, a lot of speculation has been tossed around about the so-called 'death of downhill'. With the emergence of 'enduro' and the surge of popularity in slopestyle and freeride events such as Red Bull Rampage, its impending death seems even more frequently mentioned, alongside words like 'outdated,' 'expensive,' and 'extreme.'
Every day, industry sponsors drop downhill-specific athletes over budgetary concerns, companies cut funding for races and downhill events, the entire mountain biking industry seems to greatly shift in consciousness towards being more of an 'every man' sport. With this overall shift, downhill becomes more and more scarce. Entire series are scrapped for more 'all mountain' or 'enduro' races, downhill events are cut back in time, funding, promotion and marketing, and more and more symptoms of an ever-decreasing audience appear. Even the downhill athletes themselves have opted to migrate towards more moderate styles of competition, citing jobs and families and injury-free weekends.
It seems as though we've all forgotten one thing: downhill mountain biking never was and never will be an 'every man' sport. It's not an activity taken up by the masses in an effort to feel good and enjoy their lives. It will never, ever be that. Downhilling is dangerous. It's technical, it's scary, and it's wild and risky. Downhill bikes have 8 inches of full-suspension travel to mitigate the risk that such tomfoolery presents, and it's still dangerous. Now put that all on a timer, in a competition...you have downhill racing. And gravity racing is, with the exception of its deranged participants, a spectator sport. However, that isn't a bad thing.
![Australian heckling at it s finest.]()
There are many extreme sports that garner billions of dollars a year on spectation alone. Snowboarding, skiing, motocross, surfing, skateboarding and even NASCAR are just a few of the ever-growing list. In the last seven years I've seen a distinct, noticeable change in what qualifies as a 'downhill race' event; not only have the trails changed to appeal to a wider, tamer demographic, but the promotional marketing and live or recorded broadcasts have been altered, too. In some cases, promotion has been a forgotten aspect, giving way to lackluster crowds and decreased profit.
So how do we save downhill, and create mountain biking as a mainstream sport? We monetize it. Monetize it? Yes. MONETIZE IT.
Instead of relying on disappearing participant fees and sponsor dollars to bear the fruit that defines an event's success, we need to create appeal to the general market of adrenaline sports, and get them to show up. To watch. I know, it sounds rather obvious, doesn't it? You would think so... But it's not. Increasingly, the downhill race events are dry. With the exception to a few select events and festivals, downhill racing is relatively boring for your average American consumer. Which is saying a LOT. The American consumer is someone who will not only want to watch stock cars make 500 left-hand turns, but someone who will pay for the privilege. In fact, American consumers shell out billions of dollars a year for entertainment alone. In that multi-billion dollar category, a few standout sports exist: Adrenaline sports (like the ones I suggested above), WWE wrestling, NASCAR, Ultimate Fighting... etc. And it pays big. REALLY big.
![Not too many spots left for hecklers on the actual rock itself... Now the sprawl covers at least 5 acres of woodland. Strobel wades through the skin.]()
So what is downhill doing so wrong that we've missed the adrenaline sports market by so far? We have the intrigue. We have the adrenaline, the fear, the challenge, the death-defying and the timed-descent. We have crazy stunts and wild athletes. It's fun, it's easily broadcast (compared to other cycling disciplines [ahem, road cycling]), and it's something the entire family actually could watch. Every athlete is different. Every race course is different. It should be something that's widely accepted and loved across all of North America and the globe. But it isn't. Why? Because we've failed to engage the consumer. We've forgotten that while this may be a serious sport to most of us, to the spectator, it's entertainment. Can it be both? Absolutely.
As a racer, I understand the hesitation to 'sell out'. Believe me... The last thing I want is to have downhilling be made some sort of mainstream farce. But we live in a world of adaptation and survival, and downhill is dying in the age of mass appeal.
So how do we save downhill? We monetize it. We make it cool again. We look at its strengths, its weaknesses, and its uniqueness, and we market the shit out of it. We create something fun to watch, and we engage. We bring gravity racing and downhill and mountain biking into the homes of the everyday Joe. We show them just why DH racing is so fun, and why they need to buy a ticket to come watch it live.
When we can pull American audiences in because of the spectacle (and downhill is nothing if not a spectacle), then, and only then, will we have a financially sustainable sport.
The world wasn't ready for downhill in 1998 or 2002; extreme sports hadn't become a 'lifestyle' at that point. Hell, snowboarding was still a joke in '98, not even close to resembling what it is now: a multi-billion-dollar, mainstream, Olympic sport. However, the world is ready for downhill racing. It has been for a while now, but there's only one way to make it successful: we have to stop relying on the athletes and sponsors to create a cycling economy. That business model doesn't work.
We have to create a healthy, spectator sport to save gravity racing... But we'll have to do it together, and we have to do it soon.
It's time for a shift in another direction if we want to save downhill and downhill racing.
Every day, industry sponsors drop downhill-specific athletes over budgetary concerns, companies cut funding for races and downhill events, the entire mountain biking industry seems to greatly shift in consciousness towards being more of an 'every man' sport. With this overall shift, downhill becomes more and more scarce. Entire series are scrapped for more 'all mountain' or 'enduro' races, downhill events are cut back in time, funding, promotion and marketing, and more and more symptoms of an ever-decreasing audience appear. Even the downhill athletes themselves have opted to migrate towards more moderate styles of competition, citing jobs and families and injury-free weekends.
It seems as though we've all forgotten one thing: downhill mountain biking never was and never will be an 'every man' sport. It's not an activity taken up by the masses in an effort to feel good and enjoy their lives. It will never, ever be that. Downhilling is dangerous. It's technical, it's scary, and it's wild and risky. Downhill bikes have 8 inches of full-suspension travel to mitigate the risk that such tomfoolery presents, and it's still dangerous. Now put that all on a timer, in a competition...you have downhill racing. And gravity racing is, with the exception of its deranged participants, a spectator sport. However, that isn't a bad thing.
There are many extreme sports that garner billions of dollars a year on spectation alone. Snowboarding, skiing, motocross, surfing, skateboarding and even NASCAR are just a few of the ever-growing list. In the last seven years I've seen a distinct, noticeable change in what qualifies as a 'downhill race' event; not only have the trails changed to appeal to a wider, tamer demographic, but the promotional marketing and live or recorded broadcasts have been altered, too. In some cases, promotion has been a forgotten aspect, giving way to lackluster crowds and decreased profit.
So how do we save downhill, and create mountain biking as a mainstream sport? We monetize it. Monetize it? Yes. MONETIZE IT.
Instead of relying on disappearing participant fees and sponsor dollars to bear the fruit that defines an event's success, we need to create appeal to the general market of adrenaline sports, and get them to show up. To watch. I know, it sounds rather obvious, doesn't it? You would think so... But it's not. Increasingly, the downhill race events are dry. With the exception to a few select events and festivals, downhill racing is relatively boring for your average American consumer. Which is saying a LOT. The American consumer is someone who will not only want to watch stock cars make 500 left-hand turns, but someone who will pay for the privilege. In fact, American consumers shell out billions of dollars a year for entertainment alone. In that multi-billion dollar category, a few standout sports exist: Adrenaline sports (like the ones I suggested above), WWE wrestling, NASCAR, Ultimate Fighting... etc. And it pays big. REALLY big.
So what is downhill doing so wrong that we've missed the adrenaline sports market by so far? We have the intrigue. We have the adrenaline, the fear, the challenge, the death-defying and the timed-descent. We have crazy stunts and wild athletes. It's fun, it's easily broadcast (compared to other cycling disciplines [ahem, road cycling]), and it's something the entire family actually could watch. Every athlete is different. Every race course is different. It should be something that's widely accepted and loved across all of North America and the globe. But it isn't. Why? Because we've failed to engage the consumer. We've forgotten that while this may be a serious sport to most of us, to the spectator, it's entertainment. Can it be both? Absolutely.
As a racer, I understand the hesitation to 'sell out'. Believe me... The last thing I want is to have downhilling be made some sort of mainstream farce. But we live in a world of adaptation and survival, and downhill is dying in the age of mass appeal.
So how do we save downhill? We monetize it. We make it cool again. We look at its strengths, its weaknesses, and its uniqueness, and we market the shit out of it. We create something fun to watch, and we engage. We bring gravity racing and downhill and mountain biking into the homes of the everyday Joe. We show them just why DH racing is so fun, and why they need to buy a ticket to come watch it live.
When we can pull American audiences in because of the spectacle (and downhill is nothing if not a spectacle), then, and only then, will we have a financially sustainable sport.
The world wasn't ready for downhill in 1998 or 2002; extreme sports hadn't become a 'lifestyle' at that point. Hell, snowboarding was still a joke in '98, not even close to resembling what it is now: a multi-billion-dollar, mainstream, Olympic sport. However, the world is ready for downhill racing. It has been for a while now, but there's only one way to make it successful: we have to stop relying on the athletes and sponsors to create a cycling economy. That business model doesn't work.
We have to create a healthy, spectator sport to save gravity racing... But we'll have to do it together, and we have to do it soon.
It's time for a shift in another direction if we want to save downhill and downhill racing.
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The only additional thing i would note is its not just America its everywhere. I think the roadies and enduro guys would be up in arms with what i am going to say but downhill is just a harder and more difficult and in that as you said we have smaller numbers.
The big issue is coverage there is none, we have had worldcup races here in Australia but we get no wide coverage, unless you are in the circles you don't see it, when the roads are on though tv is filled with advertising and coverage of the race. downhill is hard, I think one of the things we need to do is to be able to film the entire run, even now with the redbull coverage we dont see the full run we miss most of it really, We need to really open up the ability to film, Now I am not suggesting we remove trees all over the place but there needs to be some way to make the racing more viewable. We need to get the coverage not just of the races but coverage that shows and dives into what downhill is to create that 'know' about it. When I tell people I ride downhill I think 90% of them have zero idea and thing its like xc riding down a hill. Nascar is a great example in that while few do it the rest are in the 'know'.
We need to appeal to the wider range and to do that we don't need to sell out after all our sport has all the makings of great viewing, we need to make it known though. Big weakness is the lack of exposure and respect the sport gets. we need to be able to film full race runs.
When sam and troy won elite mens and jnr mens world back in 2009 I think? There was zero on tv here, yes two aussies in arguably the hardest sport int he world win gold and you hear nothing. But an aussie golfer who made the top 70 cut gets a story.
Downhill for all intent and purposes should be a marketing dream as is but no one markets it. I think there is lots we can do before we need to sell out the sport.
Again great read
You make a lot of good points about the marketing aspect, and I agree with you -- we need more marketing and more promotion, but more than that, we need ENGAGEMENT. As a sport, cyclists are generally elitist and snubby. We need to shed that reputation and embrace the change that comes with adaptation... We need to embrace the newbies and the mainstream and pull them in by showing them why we love bikes so much. We have to create a relationship with our audience before they'll embrace our sport.
The view and culture however of road riding and the like where snobby attitude is more common is an issue. We as downhill riders have little coverage, so people make an assumption by contrast that if these mass marketed disciplines like road riding are full of snobs than dh must be the same. We need to break out and make known who we are and what we do. For me I feel here our culture is great its our lack of marketing and acknowledgement that is the big killer I feel we have all the engagement we need on this end its just not known.
Maybe the culture is much different in the US?
It occurred to me very short 30sec-1min clips show casing the best of downhill would be perfect for tv commercials, what better way to built hype than just flat out riding promoting the sport. How many of us are pumped after seeing a great short of riding. I could see the sport growing if people are seeing these things and saying what the hell that looks awesome I want to do it. its like any advertising for holidays or activities. Short quick no BS riding that grabs attention and makes people say, what was that, I want to see more.
I live in Whistler, have stood and heckled many Crankworx races, as well as travelling to World Champs and other races. I go for my love of the sport and to get in that prime gnar spot to watch my idols come through at scary pace, and to watch their skill and line choice. However, if you stand back for a moment, it is not a great sport to stand and watch, especially to start with until you know more about it and are a genuine fan. You see each rider, especially if in a tight section of track, for about 5 seconds, then you wait two or three minutes for the same again. For the whole time you're stood there - unless you are near the end and can hear the PA, or it's a major event and have live-timings on your smartphone - you have NO CLUE how good each rider is actually doing on their run overall, you can only judge the 5-seconds you saw.
When I went to MSA World Champs, I watched from the woods rock garden. Amazing. Great crowed, great racing, loved every second of it. However, I ran to the bottom of the track after the last rider went past and stood completely ignorant of the result and found out literally as Minnaar, Stevie, and Hill walked out and took their spots on the podium. No for me, that was amazing and added to the excitement, but how many Joe Public are realistically going to be turned on by that?
The exception to this is road racing, and the TdF. People will get up at stupid o'clock in the morning to stand for hours just to watch that peloton pass. But there again is a difference, the peloton and caravan is a sight to behold and I'll admit to having stood out to see it myself.
How do we capture that audience? I don't know, but I'd like somebody to find out.
(message split as apparently too long)
How much attention is given to Cavendish, Wiggins, and now Froome? Endless. We need to capture that.
I think one element that people like in those other sports is simplicity. One of the major disadvantages that we have in this sport right now is that we are in the awkward late adolescence of the sport. We're still changing and evolving at a pretty fast rate. Moreso than a lot of other sports. In the 90's we were that emerging pubescent age of being in our early teens. Our balls have just dropped and we want do some cool shit but no one will take us seriously and we aren't big enough to carve our own niche. Technology was going through as many awkward changes as our bodies, with weird handlebars, frame designs and materials, dual suspension technology was just dropping on the market. In the early 2000's we were the raging 15/16 year old.This was when freeride was born, challenging the regime of the developing world of downhill racing. Technology was advancing in leaps and bounds, different gravity disciplines of the sport were still competing with downhilling, plus the rules and courses of downhilling were transforming from those flat wide open ballz out speed tracks of the 90's.
Come the 2010's, we've graduated university and we're developing a personality as a sport. Adult sports like motocross, road biking, skiing, etc. are starting to pay attention to us. Our athletes are getting the sort of attention some sponsored skiers or snowboarders would. But the problem is, we're not confident in ourselves yet. We're still going through "phases" of what we think is cool and who we are. Enduro and wheel size debates are some of those phases. We think it's cool, it's sophisticated in a way. Accessible to more people, but we make fun of it because we're unsure of ourselves as a sport. I think we're getting more stable. But like our late-to-post adolescent age in the sport, it's time for us to go out and get a job and earn some respect. For those of us in the crowd that have gone through this in life part of that is making a decision, going with it, sticking with it. Consistency for a spectator means simplicity, means something anyone can follow. It doesn't mean the sport won't still evolve, but it'll do so less sporadically and with a wider audience in mind. Goooo bikes!
Exposure: The Olympics can do a lot for a sport in terms of exposure and legitimization. I know there are a lot of dumb events in the Olympics but I believe it has done wonders for the Ski and Snowboard industries.
Entertainment: Also if they keep the tracks interesting that would help too...enough of the redundant flat pedal sections, maybe one at the most...put more jumps in spectators want to see people flying through the air.
Perception: If you want to be taken seriously then you have to act professionally...in order for the sport to grow and gain acceptance you have to ditch the whole goofy boy, drunk douche, punk image, yeah its funny but save it for when your riding with the hommies. When you're at a competition be professional and bring the A game.
p.s. I may get flamed for this but I don't think Rob Warner is doing much for the sport in terms of it being taken seriously. As entertaining as he is as an announcer his off track antics and announcing kinda hurt the sports reputation as professional athletes. I'm sure there are a lot of people who tune in and do not know who Rob is and are probably thinking who the hell is this joker, these fellas are a bunch of wanks. You don't hear his kind of remarks at other events such as Tour de France, DH Skiing, or NASCAR races. Something to think about.
p.p.s. I dont think DH needs saving or is dying. I see more and more bike parks opening and DH tracks being constructed. Quite honestly I see very few bike events on TV regardless of it being Enduro, Road or DH.
p.p.s. x 2 ...All as I know is DH is the most exciting race format to watch...It doesn't take an Einstein to figure that out.
p.p.s. x 3...Media just needs to do a better job of making DH biking more relateable to the average viewer. One way to do this is have a few pre race interviews with top riders, maybe talk about how they got started in the sport.
Anyone remember that dog macro with the garden hose spraying into its mouth and the caption "Whaaaarblegarble"?
Basic rule of marketing that everyone on the Internet (that means us) should understand: the user is not the customer. The user is the product. You use Gmail. Google sells your data to XYZ Inc. You read Pinkbike. PB sells your clicks to Chain Reaction Cycles. You watch DH. ABC Media sells your eyeballs to Red Bull. Get it? Spectators are the product. ABC Media sells your eyeballs to Red Bull, but not to Tide, not to Cheerios, not to Home Depot. Because those companies know DH spectators are a poor product. It's too small, it's not especially affluent, and the only buying habits common throughout have to do with cycling. Cheerios does not now and will not ever give one f*ck about DH spectators. Dh isn't going to suddenly get better. Riders like it just the way it is, and in fact you can hear a lot of wishing for the good old days (of more technical tracks, for example).
In DH the product is weak because while riding DH is thrilling, watching it is not, and never will be. Therefore few spectators. TV would be there if there was the faintest chance anyone wanted to watch; those crews are ready, all around the world.
DH happens on a strip of forested singletrack, from any one point something like maybe 4% of a rider's run can be seen before the rider is obscured by trees! It typically happens far from urban centers. Even relatively well-produced top 30 mens World Cup with 2 commentators and 5 camera angles is only enjoyable if you are following the story of the race, the riders, and cracking up to Rob Warner. What happens on screen is pretty much three corners, one drop, and a big digital clock. Then the next pajamaed guy repeats same.
@driveright mountain biking has always been expensive; enduro didn't make it expensive, it just made it slightly douchey.
The bigger question is what are bikers looking for? It would be great to see athletes getting paid the same as motocross or skateboarding but the sports are so different in history and accessibility. Motocross is so easily filmed and captured. However, mountain bike technology continues to improve, trails are being built more prolifically than ever before, bike tourism is expanding and becoming more viable, as a whole mountain biking is advancing wonderfully. Maybe enduro is an answer in this regard as enduro tracks are more accessible to a broader market.
All that said, there is an exciting new crop of Junior riders getting more attention than ever remember junior riders getting. These guys are the future and if we already know about them than who says the sport is dying?
Perhaps UCI should re-invest a little to help, not only save DH - but help create something special and unique for the future!
Olympics only work with this type of competition.
Yes, the timing overlap is an issue, but they could have a picture-in-picture for the rider starting out the gate while the main on-track rider finishes in the main screen. I have seen this approach in other sports and it works well.
IMO it's Enduro that is in danger of dying , people are starting to see it for what it is now , just a fad , forced on to the MTB market by the industry that has been there the whole time it just didn't have a modern name.
IMO Enduro is here to stay along side DH , it's jsut the media ( especially Pinkbike ) is force feeding this enduro stuff to us right now , trying to force the market , not that enduro is bad in anyway I just really dislike the whole " if you don't do enduro you are just out of touch and need a DH bike to ride a trail " attitude.
I think people under estimate the cable use for cairns there were 3 lines to intermediate two, 2 lines to intermediate one and 1 line to the start, it was 4200m of cable all laid and carried by hand up and down the hill. It was standard cat5 cable. to use a heavy duty cable would be ridiculous and to have what 3 times the cameras would be a massive task not only time expensive but money. money is the big one, dh is not a big sport in the scheme of things so the UCI is not going to dump tonnes of cash into cameras if it yield no return.
@tombola27
A few cobbles are fine as are are a few sprints in downhill but recent races have seen large sprints. the sprints would be like putting in legitimate off road sections lasting 20% of the race in a road race. dh is already massively V02 max focused and we are not saying pedaling should be gone but in recent time its too much. if your road race had a off road dirt road put in lasting a large portion for the race im sure you would have the same complaints. most dh riders can put in hours on the road bike their fitness is not a worry. if you think a dh run is not fitness based you need to go to a proper track and push yourself, most the top dh riders will finish quite high in a national road or xc race.
It's not the cost of a bicycle, it's not Red Bulls coverage, it's not the courses, it's not the insane skill required... It's the Participation and accessibility...
In all the successful sports and activities you can compare DH to, their growth and success has been in direct relation to their participation and accessibility.
The most similar sport you can use as a model to base DH off of is skiing/snowboarding. A Tiny percentage of skiers/boarders race or compete, but a Ton of people love to ski/board, or at least have a friend or someone in their family that does so. So you can identify with it on a much more personal level.
How do you do that? You make it accessible.
How do you make it accessible? At the ski resorts.
Build A LOT more bike parks, and have a huge stable of rental bikes. And have there be A LOT more beginner and family friendly terrain. Extend season passes to include summer bike park access, and Promote the shit out of it to skiers/boarders in the wintertime. The skier and boarders of the world will already be your most likely people to give mtn biking a shot. They like being outdoors, they like to go downhill, and they have varying levels of disposable income.
There are a TON of mom and pop little ski resorts throughout the entire US that would make perfect mom and pop family oriented DH Parks. You just need to be able to ride there without killing half your family on the terrain. And I mean ride with the Whole family. So the four year olds can cruise down easy groomed mellow BMX/pumptrack type runs with their mom and dad over and over again the same way you can on a pair of skis.
If Anything, I think DH has the greatest chance of bringing the sport to the masses because of the advantage a ski hill and lift access can provide to people of all ages and abilities. We just need to inject the sport with the ability-to-participate to a much larger audience.
Why? First off it's not exactly spectator friendly as you can only see one section of a 4-5 minutes course, meaning you have no idea of what is going on in a run or how a run stacks up to others. Also, due to the nature of the sport it's hard to find a suitable location that is near a city. Why would Joe Average bother driving for hours to see a DH race when he can go to a football match within half an hour?
Secondly, I think DH is too hard to understand for a non-rider. Everyone has kicked/thrown/swung at a ball or has driven a car but can you really expect the general public to understand how a course works? I notice most non-riders underestimate the importance of things like berms/flat corners/off camber or how to navigate a rockgarden, how weather can change a course. All of that is what tells a story that is interesting for us riders but I doubt this will translate well to others.
All in favor of more boobs say I
For those of you old enough to get the reference, "WTF 'Chinese downhill'?"
Rallying has walked the plank and is hanging on to the edge by a finger.
We went from adrenaline junkies/redubll DH just about being in the limelight, to an "its riding for everybody" media blitz.
Redbull televising world cup DH is a great thing, I hope they don't tire of it and that it proves to be worth its salt for advertising. Rob Warner is a world class performer I think; he's able to tone it down and still have a ridiculous personality, even if it is sometimes polarizing. Also the guy that does the WC race course previews - golden. That is huge and I wish more people could be exposed to that. Add to that the alternative DH events, like the Urban DH series, and things like Chromolunga (sp? lol) challenge - exciting events, fun to watch, and if people watch, then there's certainly opportunity to advertise.
Okay, beginning to stray.. sorry.. interesting read so far though.
What we fight is... Nothing. We don't have to fight anything -- we build what we want to have and let everything else either thrive or die off as need be and as their business models dictate.
The entire point of writing this article/blog/opinion was to start a dialogue about what we need to create another downhill MTB resurgence.
As I stated in the original write up, DH was never meant to be an 'Everyman' sport... That's why XC, Enduro, Road racing, etc exists. We've strayed from any sort of spectator engagement type of interaction into this false advertisement of 'everyone should have one!'... When they shouldn't. Honestly? DH bikes aren't required for %85-90 of the world's trails and tracks. They simply aren't.
However. On the %10-15 of trails, courses and tracks that require a downhill bike's geometry, suspension, stability and speed, I can almost guarantee that the sane majority of humans simply wouldn't ride it. They would, however, watch it. And that's the clincher.
We love blood sport, folks... As an entire species, humans love watching dangerous stuff where someone might get messed up. Look at the success of America's Funniest Home Videos! It's the Marx brothers, modern style.
It's entertainment.
If we want DH to succeed, we have to stop with the insanity of doing the same things over and over and over again, while expecting different results.
We need better promotion, better coverage, more fun, more professionality, less 'Everyman' crap, more spectator and public ENGAGEMENT (not just marketing, folks!), better courses, and what else... Oh, yeah. And More beer. LOTS more beer.
In Europe (that socialist country on the other side of the ocean) at least, we have more venues than ever, lots of good events and it's possible to get quite a nice sponsor deal if you have what it takes. Worldwide you can say the products are better than ever, at better prices than ever (think SLX/Zee, Saint performance for peanuts if you know where to look). We have a UCI cup that might not be to everyone's taste but at least has some nice tracks and coverage by Redbull/Warner.
Having ridden for over 12 years I think I'm in the position to say we actually have it better than ever..
"God, how many times did the author need to remind us that mid travel "enduro" bikes are cool and DH bikes are not."
In my mind, one of the largest current killers to DH would be some of the mainstream opinions of it. It's seen as a very serious sport, with hard training, hyper skilled athletes, and a near "no fun zone" mentality at times. This isn't the case in the real world. Your average rider goes out to the hills on the weekend with a few friends, races maybe once every three years just for the mob mentality of the even, and that's all. We're all goons at the end of the day, fishtailin' bikes around through mud. Large media needs to get off of enduro's dick and get back to representing anything that's fun. DH is fun. Represent DH, don't belittle it while trying to endorse something else.
And as a final note, I think the biggest issue is that at the end of the day, it's biking. This is a very harsh point, so inb4downprops, and sorry to anyone offended, but it's the truth. The average consumer sees it, looks at the price tag, and responds with "Wow I could buy a car for that!" There's just a huge disconnect between competitive cycling and your average every day spectator that won't even be riding an XC bike. MOST people see bikes as nothing more than a method of commuting, and sadly, there are also a lot of people who frankly feel biking gets in the way of technology and their cars. Bikes aren't considered cool. Bikes are too general and universal to be cool. Skating got a cool image by being rebelous and not very efficient for your every day dude, and in comparison, bikes just seem.... boring.
Cheers Amanda. Really enjoyed the read. I feel people being passionate can save DH. You're as passionate as they come. Thanks a lot for that.
THANK YOU!!!!!!
So when was the last time you saw enduro the headline in the sports section of a national paper or news broadcast?
I think it's great, I raced one, I think the format is cool, but I don't thing it does the DH scene any favors. At all. People used to feel that DH was the epitome difficult, balls out riding, and I think many people made it a bucket list item. Every year over the last 4 or 5 I saw more people get in to it, and surprising many of them were older people, and females.
Enduro came along, promised to be the everything everybody wanted to, offered some gravity fed trails over some tricky lines, and DH got pushed to the side. My 4 cents anyhow...
Why does every mountain biker live in fear?
In the skiing industry DH skiing is the most exciting event to watch...DH Mountain biking has the same potential, it will get there eventually with a bit more professionalism and exposure.
Enduro may not kill DH, but it definitely took a bite out of it.
Look at the moto scene, how many guys go drop 10g on a sled or quad, the price of road bikes…
But, as per my post above, I think it is a combination of cost and accessibility.
Reality is, majority of riders don't live near hills that justify a DH sled. The reward is too far out of reach to justify the cost.
Since i first began Mtn biking at age 13, I have Always been fascinated with DH. 19 years later, I have still never owned a DH bike, but am still incredibly intrigued and severely want to own one. I have never bought one because the opportunities to ride one are just too few and far between. Money isn't really the issue. It's not having enough money and time to own and to ride both a trail bike And a DH bike that's the problem. Without being able to Really ride a DH bike at least once every week, I cannot possibly justify owning one. The terrain is just not readily accessible for me to go ride. My trail bike is much more practical, and is already insanely capable on the descents. If the little ski resort 15 minutes from my house opened a legit DH park, then myself, and a lot of other riders around me would probably invest in a proper DH bike. And that's how you get more people into DH. You make rk available for them to participate. Exactly like a ski resort. Whenever you are talking about gravity sports, they will always be the most popular in towns and cities that have access to mountains and resorts in which the residents can participate in said gravity sport. No mountain=no awareness or participation.
From my experience watching other sporting events the level of professionalism that DH expresses is FAR below the mark...So either you keep it the way it is or you have to adapt in order to grow the sport...The days of goofy drunk boy DH riders are over at least at the competitive level.
hahahahahha only on pinkbike!!! Every shit i see here is enduro blablabla... f*ck enduro, DH all day.
Downhil's biggest problem seems to me to be motocross, spectators instantly make the comparison, even downhillers do - why would people want to watch a bunch of engineless bikes 'fumble down a hill' when you can watch the supercross!?... Dh needs to separate itself from that comparison, its a much more exciting and gripping timed sport that is incredible to watch
Unfortunately for DH, it happens in the woods on mountains. X Games happens in the city where the people are. PLUS X Games is moving to Austin this year. Not a lot of opportunity (that I know of) for good DH there. I wonder how much elevation gain is possible in Austin. Maybe they can do Urban DH.
I think Olympics are the best shot. However, its only every 4 years and that's not enough to grow the sport imo.
What's wrong with mainstream? This silly notion of keeping it niche is just that, I would love nothing more than seeing DH; in fact all MTB jockeying for airtime against the usual televised sports.
Look at what it has done for skiing, surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, motocross and more. It's time to raise a collective awareness and stop being elitist bastards. Seriously. It happens too goddamn much.
What if instead of (or in addition to) World Champs, there was "Downhill of Nations".
Motocross guys know all about the Des Nations and how it works. 3 riders from each nation representing.
New location every year. I think it would be killer to see each nation work together for one race and battle it out.
By the way, the states need more World Cup events.
Since I never drank, I don't get it, but all these sports revolve around a deep social aspect (which I also don't get) until thats figured out, this may be moot.But I appreciate the thought process
Somebody in mx and dh needs to edit in GoPro footage into the next day broadcast.
And /or GoPro should figure out how to live stream footage to the booth.
it'll happen one day, but not soon enough
Side note - I'll beat the American drum and remind everybody that Aaron Gwin had the most successful season ever as DH competitor and was all but forgotten about. Same arguement with Stevie Smith. These guys are the pinnacle of our sport and need to be recognized.
People don't "watch" it because there's nothing to really watch it on in comparison to other sports.
You have to be part of the whole scene and stay glued to your computer.
Thank you for understanding the point of this piece. I can successfully sleep tonight.
(I'm kidding. I sleep like the dead every night.)
You've already only got a tiny percentage of the population - and a segment of that small group are probably already heavily involved in other sports. It just isn't accessible for a lot of people. I think downhill will grow as a sport, but I think it will remain a cult sport with a relatively small but loyal following - much like surfing, skateboarding and BMX.
I have to say though, whenever I've shown people videos of Rampage they almost always watch the whole thing jaws dropped. I think people find freestyle a lot more impressive than watching cut and shut segments of race runs.
-i can go to the trails with my bike
-i can ride 90 minutes after the job
-no lift ticket
i like DH biking and would love to ride more often but
-i have to drive 60 minutes to Mont ste-anne
-it's 45$
-Bromont is 2:30
-we don't have hills with shuttle access in the east coast
-highland is 6 hour drive
got three kids and a wife !
i also ready this:
"A sport built on profits from participant fees and sponsor dollars isn't a healthy sport, not without new customers" which, if i understand you right, i generally agree with when it comes to participation sports where we can sometimes see a "bubble" that pops...i dont know how many zany adventure runs are going to be going on in ten years, and 24hr racing is pretty much not a thing anymore like it was... and i would book odds on events like leadville 100 even though its looking strong right now...
i rather like the example set by road racing where there are 8-10 events a month in socal alone all by and for the riders, put on by clubs with reasonable entry fees cash prizes for many categories and lots of fun and camaraderie... i really think its a great example of grassroots racing done right...but sponsor dollars i believe remain a key component, and of course it absolutely must have entry fee income... and this has been going strong for decades...
i wonder how you feel about this: my idea has just been that the mtb zeitgeist has left racing behind a while back, and the bottom line is that riders want to ride, but not necessarily race when it comes down to it, or else they would organize races and go to races in a true by the riders / for the riders way... thats kind of the bottom line i think... there are criteriums all over the USA every weekend because the the riders want to race and its a part of what it means to ride fast on a road bike... but it seems like racing in races may not really be a necessary component for fast gravity riders to get off on being a fast rider...
interested to hear you expound on your ideas...
thanks-
1) The video coverage has to be better, so that the top racers can be shown riding the entire track
2) Maybe shorten courses and make them more gnarly (rocks and steep, I'm not talking jumps here) with many turns to provide time separation. How many post-race videos showed the rock garden at Cairns (every one)? How many showed the pedal out, which was the main portion of the live feed (none)? Man that pedal out does not appeal to the extreme sport fan...
3) with good video and 3 min race runs, a video program with the last 20 runs should be broadcast far and wide for free, with men's and women's versions. The goal here is to get people watching... create fans... attract the casual couch potatoes that watch commercials and buy stuff.
4) Promote racer personalities, every team should be required to provide promotional video to be used at will by UCI and the press. People eat up colourful personalites and get attached to stories.
In summary, create compelling video footage that will appeal to the masses. How many people ride motocross and how many watch the xgames on TV?
Actually in France we had in "La Bresse" twice a DH WC (back in 2009 and 2011), and twice it was elected best event of the season.
Why ? Because there were sooooo many people on the side of the track (very few forest part so great view on the track and a big big clean arrival with technical part where riders were able to gain some time).
But the organization made spectators pay (for the entry inside the paddock and on the boarder on the track). So I think that some people told themselve "If you have to pay, it must be good !" (a free spectacle is not really appealing). And since you've pay, make you money worths by screaming as loud as you can (yes yes you can scream here nobody will thell you to shut up !) The place where it happen is not a big city or resort with many people all knowing about DH racing, I am still amaze with the crowd we saw there !
Yet your article reveals also the american-economical model for sports (professional sports). Which is something that is not happening in Europe (sport federations still believe that people can invest themselves at a 100% into a sport without gain any money, just the pride of accomplishment... PUH-LEASE... you need to put butter in spinach !). People in Europe are not use to pay (to watch or to do or to organize) sports. But still it worked in La Bresse ! (nostalgy... nostalgy)
Anyway great, fantastic article, the best I've read in a long time (well since your last article actually !)
Amanda for president !
For every culture, there will be a slightly different demand, but each individual event should be given the flexibility to cater to the different locales to create interest and engagement... As well as give the rest of the world a peek into how 'that place' does it. Why else have a 'World Cup' if not to showcase what is spectacular around the world?
Excellent comment, as always.
Sorry for my drastic words: Are you completely crazy?
Suggesting to follow the snowboard path, like that was a success???
Snowboarding is dead (as a business)!!! Market is shrinking and shrinking, sales are further down than they ever where.
One Company after another goes into bankruptcy or is sold...
Yes, it finally ended up on Fox and people who don't know and don't care can watch it.
Now Grandma down in Florida had heard of "Shaun White" great success!
Starting with 98 Olympics the sport got ripped apart. Athletes had to decide if the are going for Olympics with the ski-federations or ride the Traditional Contests.
This resulting in guys that where definitely not the best being promoted as the superstars.
It multiplied the costs for everyone, sponsors had to decide what series to go for and the majority withdrew from it at all.
It worsened stuff.
We should be grateful DH is what it is. Its true to what it is. Its accessible, super close to the fans. And everyone can do it (provided he/she has the guts)
If you blow it up artificial all that will happen is that small companies will not be able to afford a team or support riders at all anymore plus it will not be the most talented riders making it from regional races up to the top ranks any more but the ones with the biggest wallet! And in the end your big corporations putting in all their money will loose their interest pull out and will leave behind nothing more but a wreck beyond fixing. That's the snowboard model ...you don't want that.
leave it alone! its not broken!
...if the average Joe in America gets more kick watching 500 left turns well, f*ck him, he isn't the kind of audience you're looking for.
The masses will always cater for team sports and i it's easily understandable. Everyone gets their chair in a stadium watching the game, insulting the referee when they find the score unfavourable and they can even make some money betting on their favourite team. I'm not sure if there is gambling involved in DH or other cycling events, very likely so...
Downhill will always be expensive and not just because it requires expensive bikes to get involved with. It's a sport that takes place in high altitudes, logistics will always be an "if" because fuel prices work as a deterrent (for the masses of course).
I wish there was a simple answer to the great big question: Will downhill become obsolete?
Well it probably might, but think this way, if bike sports didn't evolve we would be all riding road bikes today, wouldn't we?
Now if you ask me, will Downhill disappear as a sport? Well, i don't think so...
If DH wants to thrive, we need better promoting and broadcasting, as well as better hospitality services for guests.
Also: skiing and snowboarding take place at high altitudes, in very inconvenient and hostile conditions, and they are two of the most profitable action sports in the world. In my honest opinion, that's not a valid argument.
uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100218103551AADZBct
You have to ask yourself why so many Americans think oval track (NASCAR or Indy) is so cool and ignore road courses. Things like MotoGP, Formula 1, Touring Car, World Super Bike, etc.... Things where the technology and tracks are far more involved and interesting.
This however also plays into what you are saying about marketing because IT IS marketing. On regular everyday TV you'll see tons of ads and chatter about NASCAR but you'll hear very VERY little (if anything) about Formula 1 or MotoGP by comparison.
This is a perfect analog for the relationship between road(ie) events and mtb events. EVERYONE has heard of the Tour De France but how many (in the general population) have heard of Fort William?
The same issue for DH is the same that has existed for various forms of other sports. There are too few venues, media outlets, and sponsors that will put up the kind of money needed for DH to become a well known and talked about spectator sport.
As for other 'extreme' sports, X Games was getting big in '98, Tony Hawk even came out with one of the most popular video games in '99. Skateboarding was coming out of it's death that happened in the early 90s. The same with every other 'action' sport. People and sponsors were ready then.
Instead of looking at the facts (and actual history), you're up in arms for fear of being wrong. The world has changed drastically in the last 15-20 years, and I was simply saying that DH was too early. If it's not true, then why did DH all but disappear in 2004? If it's not true, why did huge companies drop races series across the globe?
Nothing to get crazy on or be rude about.
I think you missed the point.
There's a larger world than just your perspective.
why not promote downhill within the city? in my home country we have tons of malls and im sure if a little kid sees downhill riders flying through the escalators he would want to get a downhill bike.
www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_US/Video/Filip-Polc-Takes-Downhill-Mountain-Biking-to-a-Colombia-Shopping-Mall
021243186050213
The simple truth is that Enduro is a new segment, so companies are pushing it. It's nothing more than that.
THE X GAMES.
Snowboarding was mentioned in the arttical and really that's how it got its big break. Make sure it doesn't become a gimmick winter sport. Have it be part of the uci world championship perhaps?
Advantages :
-easy to get into
-not to expensive
Disadvantages :
-some of my friends think the sport is to easy and not fun, this has happened because they were promoted the wrong view of the sport
-a lot of are target market doesn't know about downhill
-the tracks need to look cool and fun to the average Joe so they will want to watch it
-more coverage of the tracks when filming
-make the sport attractive and fun so you want to participate, like promoters on advertiments
-promote, advertise as much as you can
I didn't cover everything in my comment but the big ones are listed, the sport will not grow if us racers do not water the sport to grow
Masses probably don't know kelly slater, and that he's probably the best athlete ever. (Results/travel/fitness/occupation)
Masses will simply lump mtb(dh) into "a crazy x game thing"(rampage) until its an Olympic sport.
By the time 18-34 have spending power, they're 35 starting families, and riding enduuuuro/dang it.
Consider the price per hour it costs to actually ride a DH bike when the riders average use of it is around 20 to 50 hours a year. Everyone here knows what they shell out for a fresh rig, gas, travel, spare parts, fresh kit, hotels, injury, tools, tires, etc. and divide that total number by the ACTUAL time you're riding(not the three hours of getting shuttled or sitting on a lift) and you will find it to be the most expensive cycling a consumer can engage in. It was close to $300 an hour for me. Road bikes may be more expensive but the consumer gets more ride time. DH is the wake boarding of cycling.
DH is economically, geographically and too time costly to be approachable and expose a vast youth culture for a duration long enough to create a skill set that is more easily absorbed economically by any other American sport. Motocross is NA's honeypot and WCDH will always be a commonwealth-centric experience. Dh may be fun to watch but 20 laps of Supercross at the stadium is unbeatable for sponsors.
DH participation is low for two reasons: because DH bikes are not cheap and there are limited trails on which to ride them. Price is very restrictive. If you are a struggling middle class family spending even 2-3K for a bike per kid plus the added associated fees is outlandish at best. Even if you can afford a dh bike(for yourself and/or kids) you will likely need to drive several hours to the nearest bike park in order to ride it. In contrast dirt bikes are nearly the same price and don't require driving to a lift assisted mountain to ride them. Basically if you can afford DH it is likely easier/more convenient to ride/race dirt bikes, and if you can't afford it there are many far cheaper extreme sports.
The answer for more participation in mountain biking generally lies with better promotion of entry level bikes and better access to trails. A rented Spesh Hardrock or similar is a good enough bike for 95% of UK trail centre runs, but you wouldn't know it from most magazine coverage. Once people are in they can upgrade and specialise in DH, XC, freeride or whatever else they gravitate towards.
Making the sport less exclusive is the answer IMO. More mountain bikers = more DH fans
I Think
I may have the
SOLUTION
for this one
Just hear me out
and as MC Hammer once said "break it down"
I thought of this at the World Cup in Cairns
because of the low coverage the DH had from cameras, especially no whoops, big jumps, rock garden caught on Red Bull's tape
what we could do is, because being a community and all provides it's benefits is;
Everyone who attends the races, most of those will no doubt carry a smart phone (iPhone, Win mobile, Android)
If your data plan is good enough, just install USTREAM
from there, if we built a USTREAM channel into Pinkbike
then everyone on the course with USTREAM can stream to the main channel
have a PINKBIKE Ustream editor
who then can cut the clips together, it's easy and they all go onto the cloud
and all the while the race is being streamed all over the world
and it's also being archived during that time
Then Red Bull would have to step up their coverage or Pinkbike would take over and be the underground provider of the race footage
How 'bout that, we could have full coverage of the track, almost even every corner if you wanted to, way more choices
Have a think about it my PB friends, it's been rattling my brains since the WC left us here in Cairns
I understand there are many sports that are similar in format (single person timed events) but they are not generally televised save for the Olympic broadcasts or other special events.
This is why I think Rampage is so integral. Even though it isn't actually an "Downhill" event, it puts gravity riding in the spotlight and gets names in front of the people. Since Geoff Gullevich's rampage run went viral (as did many other runs) he and kyle strait were invited onto network television - That's huge!
Things like DH Texaco, or other really unique gravity events should be used to prime the public and pique interest, then the average joe will learn names, and the characters behind them, and thus someone to root for and a reason to watch gravity sports on television.
Also, Bike Parks and "Flow Trails" have killed DH racing.
Finally, for the record, Winter Park sucks
2nd. Companies need to show more love and get more teams in different areas.. this will allow for more people to follow some people that ride in the same area and can actually follow.
3rd. Rob Warner should be plastered on billboards everywhere. ( I know a lot of us wouldn't watch uci dh if it wasn't for him and all his quacks about chocolate hostages and old laddies hitting ship decks).
4th.like said before RED BULL / MONSTER do sponsor these guys but seems they give nothing more than a drink and a helmet. they need to step up with some commercials !! ( yes I know they sponsor events but we want more coverage GO buy some TV time slots )
5th Better tracks , nothing groomed this is Dh , my GOD I see single crown forks out there now / show some separation in the track system that demands a triple crown.
6. Companies need to make commercials ! it was said in an upper post 30 sec's short and sweet get people brainwashed.
7. This should be in the Olympics already. riders are from all over the world how has this not happened yet is just baffling...
8. NEVER GET HIGH ON YOUR OWN SUPPLY .
9.People who don't race need to help out more and promote in better ways . You dick ride the bike that won but don't fully appreciate what it took for that to happen stop hatting because you free ride and just cant keep up with the BIG boys, or have the BALL$ to put your own life on the line ..
10. Go participate in a DH race even if you dont race . nothing wrong about giving it your all at least once in your life ..
Agree with a lot of what you've said but think we may need to think outside the box on a few things e.g. maybe the tracks would be more entertaining if there were rampage-esque man-made sections to give non-riders a perspective on what it is these guys are actually doing......risking their necks at ridiculous speeds. Secondly, at some point in the future a DH bike may be very very similar to an enduro bike (the cross-over is already here but it's gonna get closer) - when this happens the average Joe may have some access to DH using their everyday bike. Lastly, there needs to be lots of investment in DH tracks that are suitable for beginners and intermediate riders and they need to be within 30 miles of every populated area in the countries that host DH races, otherwise the have-a-go rider won't have anywhere-to-go.
I love DH. It's not currently dying, but it is in trouble. It's a sport that needs some TLC, but it's not going anywhere. Buck up, sugar... We're all in this together! Keep riding and loving DH. Share it, preach it, show it, and downhill will be just fine.
That's the problem with DH : races are too short, you can't even read the name of the sponsor. So who wants to invest money in it apart from the people that are involved in the sport itself ?
It is just uninteresting without a closer point of reference.
I don't have the solution for bringing a whole new DH format to the world but I sure as hell can point out the problem!
Interesting article, and some interesting comments too. Personally my gut instinct is that downhill and other MTB disciplines have expanding here in the UK.
Also just to comment on your engagement point and providing more exposure to the general public. It is my belief that creating new, safe secure indoor and convenient MTB facilities will help do this - this will bridge the 'new comer' gap and help make the sport more accessible and in turn create a wider audience - and some people will get hooked.
And i don't mean replace the outdoors, i mean provide a facility in a major city next to lots or people where they can go have a try of riding a bike. Then whilst having a snack in the cafe area they might catch a glimpse of Peaty ragging it down some mountain and be like 'hey, thats cool as fcu.k - i woudlnt mind getting into that'
This discussion is a debate about direction as much as anything and the cynic in me is unsurprised that people who make their living from racing DH through the attributed sponsorship, want to 'save it'.
I guess that sports like ours are led from the top, and that makes sense to an extent, but for non-pros (most definitely like me) the money is less of a concern. I just wonder whether or not the focus for 'saving DH' should be at the top? Is it led by a small number at the top (who i love watching, reading about and cheering on) or is it in reality led by those who purchase the products that get used every day? The 'where the pro's go you should follow' argument is effectively marketing isnt it? I dont know...
Isn't the best way to save DH to make it more accessible to the people who want to ride and buy the bikes? And in order to do that; drive down prices on equipment. There has generally been a global economic downturn but all i've seen is higher prices justified by the Pro's that use the products to get to the podium, something most of us are never going to do. Much like sports like skiing, snowboarding, rallying etc this sport is/was extremely expensive to get into as a kid, more so for families....if thats where we want our special little sport to go.....
I wrote this because I understand the unique relationship between 'core' money and 'mainstream' money, and let me tell you this: getting more mainstream interest (aka money) into DH and mountain biking in particular is what will save it. That starts with creating something interesting in the first place... Something aspirational and entertaining.
In the MTB market, we have two very extreme ends of the spending spectrum -- the Walmart bike on one end and the $5000+ bike on the other. Between the $250-$4200 marks, there isn't that much that's quality, accessible material. Why? Because there is very little spending done at that level because of MARKET INTEREST and lack of demand. Why? People aren't interested. They don't know how much fun biking is, or why spend money on it. There has to be personal value in riding, which is what drives a consumer to spend money. Do they love it? Do they want to sped money on it? People only spend money on things they VALUE and CARE about. How do we fix that? Creat interest. How do we fix the high cost/low quality ratios and create more reasonably-priced bikes? Create market demand. Build something of interest that will create affinity, which will grow to value and they'll spend money = demand.
So please. Don't marginalize my efforts to create lasting sustainability in mountain biking because of some stereotypical fairy tale you store inside of your head because of a skewed perspective. I'm a racer, yes... Because I like going fast. If I gave a shit about the money, I'd have become an advertising lady, a lawyer or a trophy wife.
I'm out to change the industry, however, to make riding bikes interesting, accessible, feasible, and fun for all... No matter the discipline. So please. Have some respect.
In our sport unfortunatelly its not possible. Almost all trails are too hard, at least for beginners or kids. They are steep, narrow, full of roots. There are no small (20", 24") downhill bikes for kids for buying nor rent. There are no "bike schools" near every trail. And last, this sport is more expensive than skiing.
Make the race the main event but there are so many other things available to draw in spectators.
It's hard to get a grasp of how popular it really is when you live in a cool area with so many active people. Here in SLC the DH races seem to be insanely popular due to the number of racers but you can still tell that there isn't a large amount of spectators that you'd find at other sporting events. On that note, you could say that access to local DH trails and being able to "shuttle" those trails is a major detractor for people to even own DH bikes... at least that's how it was for me growing up.
It seems that when a U.S. rider dominates at the top level that it helps, but I think there needs to be more organized and affordable means to get into racing itself. I haven't been in the DH racing scene for a long time but the organizations running them, along with XC races, needed to clean up a lot and needed to focus on keeping that entry-level base of racers interested. Maybe it grew too quickly and that period of popularity was just a bubble but there is a great disparity between participation numbers in athletes but more importantly, spectators as well. Hell, in HS there were only 4 other kids in our entire school that mtbed which was mid-2000s. The races around New England were more of local gatherings but I have heard the WC races at Mt. Snow were a bit more popular.
On the issue of marketing, it definitely starts with the companies themselves. I think the biggest comment about the "shows" this past year before our seasons started was that the companies didn't represent at all in any form of biking. They just kind of leave things up to the local reps to showcase their gear and in the end it's just boring as crap and nothing much to see. I'd like to see more committment from the companies themselves to bring out bikes, riders, video premiers etc. But it's definitley a starting point. If they want US to buy their bikes, they should be bombarding us with promo's but I just don't see it. Seems they just build the bikes and leave it up to us on forums like this to argue about which one is best and make determinations in that manner about how to spend our money.
As for the scare factor. I turn 40 this year, and have turned more so called "mountain" bikers into roadies in the last 5 years that I can count on my hands and feet. People are just scared. Come a certain age it seems you either lose your balls, or grow bigger ones, (but everyone is still riding), it's just seems once you hit a certain age, the fear of serious injury due to mountain biking creeps in. My biggest laugh, well not really, is that more than half have now been hit by cars while out road riding. I'd rather hit a tree thanks. Besides, technical mountain biking is much better for your "senses" than just touring flat lands, it keeps you agile, reflexes quick, and works your brain much harder.
P.S. GO HABS!
With that said, I would rather ride at a resort than watch a race live. I would definitely watch highlights and race coverage at home though.
You want boring! in Aus, we're obsessed with swimming!!!! Swimming FFS, the most boring sport to watch, but people tune it (mainly because we're good at it). Then to 'mix it up' they add back stroke and butterfly...
Personally I'm waiting for the new batch of 650b DH rigs to come out before I purchase a new rig. It's still massive round where I live. I still see truck loads of shuttlers ever weekend plus lots of youngens doing push up runs. Long live DH!
On the other hand it would do the sport wonders to get more coverage. Even if it was on channels you had to upgrade to get on tv at least its on there. On my tv we get road cycling once in a while and that's it. I feel like biking in general has gotten way more popular over the last couple years so maybe that will translate into mountain biking then dh getting more popular eventually. I don't get why dh gets so little attention from the media. As said before it is dangerous, fast, unpredictable, and bad ass. It seems like it would be the perfect sport. I don't see why you can't just have like 10 or so cameras in different sections of the course filming the run. You would still get enough footage.
Nevertheless, no matter what happens downhill will always be alive in the mountain biking community. Because IMO it tests the technology of the bike and the skills of the rider more than just the fitness of the rider and weight of the bike like in xc. Dh is the poster child of mountain biking it is pure, bad ass, and every mountain biker wants to have there picture in full moto gear doing a huge whip on a add.
Where I live now, downhill is not dead or dying, it doesn't need saving. The lifts open up from June to September, and in that time, I along with most of the town will be riding our DH bikes, in-between those days we will be out on the enduro or road bikes.
League;
- Basically two arenas to play in.
- It's free to play.
- It's constantly improved.
- recognizable teams.
- easy to watch and generally understand.
- easy to broadcast (sorry, WC DH broadcasts are like amateur hour most of the time)
- massive participation in play, but also in rebroadcasting, supporting broadcasts and writing tools and software to support the casters. That's an engaged community.
- The company that builds the game put up $1million in prize money for their world championships.
- with prize money like that at stake, the competition is elevated to the extreme. Aaron Gwin might be good, but how deep would the field be if there was serious money around.
DH isn't easy to participate in, it's not aspirational for a lot of people, it's really niche. You can't simply say, 'It should be broadcast and be in the news and monetized'. By whom? For what audience?
I make complicated, niche video games. We don't aspire to massive audiences...but we can aspire to a way bigger niche by improving accessibility, features, community tools, and adding fresh content. That maintains retention and maybe just adds a big more acquisition of some new audiences.
i think that's about the most mtb racing - of any kind- can aspire to; just a bigger niche...at least without turning into something it's not.
Build it and they will come. But not a lot. Enough people that maybe some sponsors show up and you get a little bit of coverage on Sportscenter.
Which I won't see anyway, because I'll be out riding my (non) downhill bike.
And I don't think they are advertised or marketed particularly well. Don't see allot of race reports or videos (other than nationals)and there's never allot of spectators, despite free spectator entry. Allot of people I know who ride mountain bikes know nothing about or have never heard of the races we do.
I really don't see the point in Enduro. It's just a half-assed format. You only race the DH sections so why not race DH and do it properly? And if you enjoy the transfer sections then race XC. Enduro is a confused mess.
honestly, you can stick your commercialized monetized version of DH. the very thought of it unpleasant. all me me me, and egos
as a non racer I guess I am more FR than Dzh even tho I ride a best in class WC DH bike?
I honestly care about as much for this type of discourse as I do for the fake, egotistic and probably soon to be short lived Enduro fad
What is just thought about was, that its maybe not the just the fault of "normal" people, but of the whole industry, mountainbiking is getting more popular and a lot people are focusing on Enduro, which makes the downhill crowd look smaller and causes the companies to promote Enduro bikes to make more money, because downhill doesn't seem so attractive anymore. (They're even trying to combine Enduro stuff with downhill, 29er Enduros in PMB, 650B wheels and forks, which is in my opinion just senseless for DH). Maybe the popularity of DH within all the MTBers will increase if they start focusing on it again, what will maybe lead to a bigger popularity to everyone outside of the sport… Or maybe it will just turn around in a few years and Enduro will become less popular…
Anyway, if it stays like it is now (or just a bit more attention), everything is okay for me...
And they take forever to finish!!
Don't get me wrong. DH guys have balls of steel and I'm in awe of their riding skills, but the race format sucks.
They should have a mass start/run with 5-8 lines DH set up that cross/jump each other. Get drone cameras up in the air to provide actual live coverage (shocking I know), have points/time added for stunts, and the first person to cross the finish line wins - unless someone does a double back flip - then all bets are off.
Or just have uphill sections and call it Enduro!
When you buy a Civic you're financing honda's F1 program whether you watch it or not. Honda pays for it's F1 program not the viewers of F1.
If certain trendwhore manufacturers want to leave dh to "focus" on endure let them. Good riddance. Plenty of other manufacturers looking to prove their mettle in (one of) the world's most challenging form of competition.
My goal, by beginning discourse like this, is to have the racers and riders decide where DH goes. We want so many things from our sport, but what do we give back? It takes an investment of time, energy and some TLC to make a sport amazing for all an create continued growth.
Isn't my view of what is mountain bike!
Now i'm interesting more about FEST series than WC!Nothing more to say!
Oh and sorry for my english!^^
Peitmaritzberg Carins butta fest lets just get those 2 outta the way first!
Joke, no walk access, no sponsor's access look we can all bitch moan about whats wrong and it comes back to those at the top, im not trying to kick people!
But Im sick to death about MTB people who blame money, no crowds, its tough, the internet!
These people are killing mtb everywhere always excuses!
Peoples job in management is F***n solutions! Not whinning bitching and moaning the world is going to end.
Go get a real f.... job and find out how tough life actually is!
Stop pissing around, as we say bud and they will come!
Build it properly and they will stay and thrive!
Btw bring back Freecaster bitches!
However to address the point of growing the sport: it's closest 'successful' comparison sport is DH skiing and even that struggles to get much air time. DH ski racing is the racing pinnacle of what most skiers do; DH mountain biking is the pinnacle of only a very small part of the sport. As much as it is the most entertaining, the size of DH as a sport is always going to be a percentage of mountain biking as a whole, which is a percentage of cycling as a whole. To grow DH you need to grow cycling and MTB as a whole. Happily I think these are happening, certainly cycling in the UK is growing.
As for coverage, technology is moving in our favour. Not long ago HD videos were hugely expensive, but now you get GoPros here there and everywhere and movie cameras are significantly cheaper. Wireless tech is also improving and in time will mean no more cable runs for camera installations.
Can anyone....anyone say if you were a layman and had discretional cash and tuned into the last round a) as a tourist you would want to go there and b)the footage that Redbull put out was interesting, exciting and showed the sport or athletes at their best. So, it is a fail for all concerned in regard to any external audit of investment and for the sporting administrators. So we need to know why lay days were not introduced and they raced two days later when the course was significantly faster ( and for those greenies judging the sport is it not so hypocritical for the racing authority to demand track closure of the mums and Dads and new kids coming to the sport but why hellwe are having an event, all our heros are instructed to carve this place a new river and beam it around the world).
Jobs a good 'un!
Also: it's an 'opinion' piece. What you CAN'T see is the hours I put in outside of Pinkbike, trying like hell to fix these issues with teams, with companies, with race series and social media and cooperative efforts between brands and press and locations and events. Oh, and racing professionally. Yeah.
So please, tell me again how my opinion piece somehow simply threw a fit about not making money? It's easy to be a keyboard jockey, isn't it? So much easier than actually doing something, raising discourse, and getting people talking and working together to build something better.
Puh-lease.
Strange how such cynicism is drawn out in such a way... You criticize my opinion, yet failed to note the comparisons to other sports' successful tactics or through marketing and ENGAGEMENT.
So because I didn't map out marketing and industry improvement specifics for here, it means that this article added nothing valuable to the discussion or the discourse? It's a crying shame you would so easily dismiss that.
CM!
Natural selection bitches. Adapt or die. You can hate me all you like for sayin' it, but this is the future.