The Provisional 2019 UCI World Cup Downhill Dates

 Agreed, that is a 100% valid point.

 It's gonna become a weird race, as nobody will dare to go 100% anymore as they will risk injury that could affect their WC season results. It would be like putting the xtreme Verbier before the last FWT event, or like decide to put the football WC final one week before the final of the champion's league.

 Could it be that the following WC race a week later will also be in North America? Whistler or

 I guess Canada gets snow (or the risk of it) earlier than the lower alps so not possible to put at the end?

 @AyJayDoubleyou: Absolutely no chance of having snow in September around here. The MSA bike park closes mid-october and we are usually able to ride until mid-to-late november.

 I have never understood the World Championship race in pro cycling - would make more sense for the overall winner to wear the rainbow stripes. Winning one race doesn't make you a "world" champion. Just means you are a winner of one race. Few years ago Morgan Charre won the women's DH WC and was the only race she had ever won. That doesn't make sense to me.

 @AProulx: what's the average price of a house in the area and who do I have to #&$@ for a citizenship?

 @orastreet1: In the World cup you're racing for your sponsors, In the World Champs you're racing for your country. It's sort of like professional athletes competing in the Olympics.

 @Tmackstab: Thats how I have always veiwed it too. There are world cups for other sports like skiing, where these athletes compete all season and win an overall title. But the Olympics are obviously the biggest deal and mean the most.

Its two completely different things. The WC races are part of a series. I know that everyone rider is trying to win each WC race, but it is a series and riders are cognizant of that. They are not only trying to finish the best they can but they have an overall strategy for the series as well and how they ride each race may be dictated in some part by the series (Example being is a rider is banged up a little. They may hold back a little one week if they know its a short turn around to the next race). Where the World Champs is one race only for all the glory. To me its two completely different things.

 @LoganKM1982: you can get a decent house for 300k USD, do it!

@orastreet1: *cough cough*Miranda Miller?

 UCI really knows how to screw a good thing up..

 @dthomp325: Windrock...

 @LoganKM1982: You can probably find something nice starting from 200k$ to 300k$ near the bottom of the mountain (no upper limit obviously). Prices in CDN pesos.

I believe the 300k$US @mollow refers to is more applicable to Québec City itself.

 @AProulx: well 200k CDN will maybe get you a small condo by the base of the mountain, I was referring to a decent (read nice and big) house with a decent piece of land... 300 might be a bit steep but it sure isn't far off

 @mollow: Tu as raison! I was talking about a small condo...

 @mollow: I hope she wins a few more races - to me that makes the stripes more valid.

 Triggered much? I was just stating another example of how ridiculous it is to give the stripes to somebody who's normally getting schooled, losing races by a minute or more... Not blaming her for a bad system.

 @m1dg3t: sure, I am ignorant because we don't share an opinion. Way to go

 @m1dg3t: hahaha you're funny with your shortman syndrome. Give up already fanboi

 In a way it makes the world champs interesting, in that this will be another year Gwin won't win. He will have to hold something back because he has to wrap up the overall at the following race. The world champs will be won by someone who is out of the running for the overall, which certainly makes it exciting in that we don't know who that is going to be. My bet is, Danny Hart will pip Gwin and Brosnan for the overall, with someone like Kerr, Bruni, Vernier or FINN ILES winning the world championship!

 @mollow: my GF is going to have some questions in the future but I know she's okay with moving to Whistler or Victoria.

I met a brilliant bike shop owner that was married and she gave me a valuable piece of advice: make all your bike related needs known right away while she'll still say yes! Wait too long and you're screwed.

The owner's husband is the one who loved bikes. She actually sold handmade yarn in the store. They are a very cool couple of humans and she was absolutely right.

 you nailed it

 would be awesome to see 10-12 rounds, I suppose the problem is it would cut the field down as lots of teams just wouldnt be able to afford to attend them all, maybe a 10 round drop your 2 worst results kind of ting could work. Just aint enough dolla in the sport.

 @Racer951: they could afford it if they planed a traveling circus model. Minimize expense, maximize exposure, more dates, more races, more alcohol sales, more rolling around naked in a bed of cash. UCI should hire me.

 @Boardlife69: I don't think it's the teams that struggle to afford it, it's the venues.

 @metaam: maybe not the top ones like giant, Santa Cruz and YT etc but there are lots of smaller teams and privateers - one of the teams I'm involved in doesn't book hotels at Euro events to save a few quid and all drive about in the van - a £10k bill for 3 more rounds on flights alone would put them out of competing (remember it's more than just riders, mechanics, manager, kit, bikes etc)

You do have a good point in that it's probably organisers too though.

 Gesundheit.

 @dstroud70: I've heard of that track I think. The really windy one? Slippery in places?

 @dstroud70: you made my day

 and Champéry !!

 Yes Killington will be a fantastic site!!! Please please, IMO i think soon it will be the place to beat in the east, keep up the good work, had a blast there last year.

 us open ! the bext big thing. mid july and from the top. will be a 5-6 mins track

 When will people understand that it's not about the tracks,it's about the MONEY!

 @nozes: Killington is hosting FIS World Cups. They have the money and they are not afraid to spend it.

 Nice

 Guess that confirms it right. Doubt they would print it without full confirmation

 Donald might call it fake news if you asked him. But I believe. @pargolf8:

 Probably Windham

 @Melnik86: www.pinkbike.com/photo/15764839

 Been to all 6 past WC's there, it's OK, but it's just too small for a WC event.

 Vail and Whistler sounds sexier. Just saying.

 @Boardlife69: Vail has no love for us though

 @Boardlife69: Vail can't do the builds required for WC because it's on public forest service land. Old Nine Line is properly gnarly, but they'd need to build above and below, and it's not really possible to get the permits to build trails for a one-time event.

 @dthomp325: you cant build trails or temp. buildings yet they want to clear cut the pine beatle infested forest. Makes sense. So cut out Vail and add Crested Butte, the other historically significant mtb area. Probably more so than Vail actually. Either way, BC, California and Colorado seem to have the biggest "MTB culture" of anywhere in the world so that must be why the UCI doesnt go there.

 @Boardlife69: There's also Durango in the area which has some history

 @Boardlife69: Crested Butte is on forest service land too. Most of the major resorts in CO are. Permitting process is tolerable for long term improvements like clearing beetle kill or building trails that will continue to be ridden, but it's not really feasible to permit trails that will be unused or dismantled after the event is over, and most resorts aren't going to want to leave WC-level features open to the public. Kinda stupid to me considering the environmental impact of giant ski resorts is pretty already pretty awful.

Telluride had a World Cup and Vail had a World Championship a long time ago, but the courses aren't really up to today's standards. Telluride's course is still open and you can ride it from the free town gondola, but it's pretty short (~500-600ft vertical). Vail's course is closed by the forest service and not maintained, but it's still physical exists.

I think EWS is a better fit for CO, since the trails they build don't have super big jumps and can be left open to the public to ride afterwards. The trails they built for Aspen/Snowmass EWS are super fun.

 @dthomp325: Is this really a forest service issue? I find that hard to believe given what Vail already does to the land it leases from the FS... The rumors I heard is that Vail had real issues with the UCI as a business partner. Say what you want about Vail and ski culture, but it is a pretty savvy business.

 @dhx42: yes, Trestle's ongoing trail expansion was in negotiations with FS for like 1.5-2 years. It's my understanding that even temporary trail builds need to go through the process.

 Can't wait for the Masters WC, I missed the ones at Bromont and have been kicking myself ever since.

 Ed and Wyn have their own WChamps? Nicer Dicer!

 100% agree. Or make a new DH track starting from the top of Rothorn. Its a joke that the shortest track is on the biggest mountain. A bike parky flow trail in the Alps. Face palm. That said, I'm still going to the WC this year!! Cant wait!!! I'm going to be so drunk.

 Lenzerheide is the Leogang of Switzerland

 Is Portugal going to put a bid in to run one is the big question.

 @ddanielascensobabu Who did you ask first, the Pinkbike comments section, or the people actually in charge of DH racing in Portugal?

 I'm putting my money on Holland featuring somewhere.

 @bigtim: brilliant. May be a shared venue with Belgium...

 @bigtim: too steep...

 @bigtim: What about Denmark then mate?

 @si-paton: I hear Dan Atherton is bidding for Dyfi to host...

 @excavator666: Maybe more UCI than some ppl here, but we are better than some years ago(very good ppl working in the progress of our sport), we have all types of tracks, it's like choose what you want, but money....

 @Dropthedebt: That would be great, id be happy with that with/ without Fort William. I love Fort Bill and go every year, but its quite a lot of travel for fans into the highlands! (although all relative to your starting point I suppose)
But props to a WC in Wales for sure

 I heard the Principality of Sealand put a competitive package together.

 Have you a lend of a shovel? Il give it a go if so, few days should see her done

 @Roguee: He has a point though, its not that different to the track they raced up there at the first WC they held and that must be about 15 years ago now (which I was there to watch and get eaten by midges)

They use MSA often but not every single year so it doesnt seem as repetitive.

 @Racer951: I may be wrong, but will this not be the 21st consecutive year of MSA? Between World Champs and World Cups. They added 2 fairly big new sections to Fort William last year, So they are trying to mix it up, but I dont see how it would be possible (or why they would need) to create a whole new WC level track.

 To be fair half the top section is totally different to the original and the woods regularly changes, the motorway is a totally different line to original too, and a bit in the middle when they added the hazzard hoofer and the road gap after the woods, they have changed more than you think. above the deer gate it's quite a hard hillside to change massively though. I'm not sure the UK has another DH track that's world cup quality AND has the infrastructure to host a WC so i'd rather have the same track in the UK than no UK round at all.

 @shredderIII: Actually it('s) Scotland.

 I know they do change bits, but relative to the length of the track, the changes made are tiny.
I also went to the first WC back in 2003 (I think) and have been to a couple since.
Yes the atmosphere is still awesome, probably helped by the fact that the majority of spectators are 8+ hour roadtrip crews of lads in borrowed cars, so in some respect the track doesn't really matter, but I still think it's a shame that it's become so stale.

 I can totally see why riders like Sam Hill just have no desire to go over the same well-trodden ground over and over again

 When it comes to criticizing UCI, IMBA or E-bikes PB is united like a family full of sons all named George Foreman. We come out swinging in unity.

 the trail maps at windham last year said 2019 WC so.....

 Lower Hairball is a nasty bitch!