The UCI updated its World Cup eligibility criteria and reaffirmed its Covid-19 protocols in preparation for the 2021 mountain bike race season, which is scheduled to start in April for downhill and May for cross country. The changes have been brought in to ensure that racers who were unable or chose not to travel in 2020 are not significantly disadvantaged and to ensure that racing in 2021 has the best chance of going ahead.
Riders on UCI teams can race without points in 2021
While previously riders needed to have earned a certain number of UCI points in the previous 12 months to be eligible for a World Cup race (40 for elite DH, 60 for elite XC, 80 for U23 XC men, and 20 for U23 XC women), riders can now enter DH elite and XC U23 races simply by belonging to any registered UCI mountain bike team.
The eligibility update aims to address the fact that many riders were unable to travel to races in 2020 that would earn them points, but it also has implications for situations like Kaos Seagrave's ineligibility in 2019 and for riders who have the speed to race World Cups, but, for whatever reason, don't have the points.
The change inadvertently addresses an issue around lack of access to UCI points events faced by some riders who are fast enough to race World Cups, but historically haven’t always had access to events that would earn them UCI points. Given that World Cup racing is the most effective way to earn points and it is necessary to earn points to race World Cups, riders who don't need the points end up with the lion's share, and some riders can have trouble breaking into the eligible ranks. It seems like this will be a temporary change that only applies as long as the pandemic is affecting racing but we'll update you if it becomes codified in the UCI's rulebook in the future.
COVID protocols
On the Covid front, the document explains that the Covid mitigation protocols implemented in August 2020 will stay in place, which include weighing an event’s preparedness to manage Covid-19 against that event’s identified risk level and imposing fines on event organizers whose events don’t meet the UCI guidelines.
Updates to the XCO start order
Additionally, the update has changed the XC start order rules, again to address the issue of riders having missed races in 2020. Rather than being ordered based on the last published individual ranking, riders will be ordered "as per the UCI XCO individual ranking published on 03.03.2020 + points won at the 2020 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Nove Mesto Na Morave + points won at the 2020 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Leogang + points won at the 2021 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events," which seems to suggest that the UCI has created a points matrix that most heavily weights the rankings published in March 2020, but still takes into consideration points earned since then.
The updated regulations, of course, are subject to change as the racing-during-Covid situation develops, and the UCI indicated that it is doing its best to provide some continuity in racing while staying flexible. We will update this article with any changes.
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UCI - "You have to be in a team to race."
A lot goes on behind the scenes to get that one bike to the top of the hill, with the right set up, the right fitness peak, the right nutrition and the right mindset. A great team will be better at all of that and that’s the difference between a champion and everyone else
Generally speaking for this year a privateer will most likely be a local since they’re less likely to be able to travel to all the races because flying + travel exemptions + quarantine is not cheap. And we all know they can be a hell lot of fun to watch too. They’ll either make the racing interesting because they know the track but not impact the overall or they’ll make for a great VitalMTB Raw/Crash reel.
If regional races can take place, then it may actually become easier for privateers to accrue required points as there won't be the same amount of pros needing to attend lower level races to pick up points like we've seen in the past.
Yeah ?
F*ck you !
I’m all for the privateer racer as I’ve been one myself for over the past decade on the west coast.
However, we need to put more money and credibility into more regional racing, ie: North America series, South American, Europe, Oceania, etc. Then the most elite racers from these series compete on the world level. In addition, you could race globally in other regions to chase points. However, you reduce the number that are competing to qualify and racing, similar to how UCI already did, but more. Combined, it would support more grassroots level racing, reduce carbon impact, and put more money into local economies as opposed to a few select towns in Europe each year.
You would also see less static in the elite level and this also increases our street appeal for marketing. Average joe does not want to watch 60 riders descend the same track for 4 hours.
Make it more elite! If each region sent 4 or 5 of their best to qualify, then reduced it to top 12 or 16 on race day. Slapped it with a good broadcast, good camera work, and more track coverage, real you may have a more sellable program. Joe-Schmoe can now root for the racer from their region, on a more attention grabbing 1-1.5hr program vs 2-3hrs of monotonous bicycle racing on the same 8 sections of track.
More street appeal means more sponsors, more money, more coverage, more racing, better bikes, so on.
Good thoughts on your part.
"Average Joe" won't give any more of a shit about DH (how big is the potential audience anyway?) and you'll seriously annoy existing fans. You could have based your point purely on the environmental aspects. The rest seems pretty tenuous.
it will also force more pro level athletes compete in national series which will boost their prestige which in turn will lead to more grassroots development.
However I used to like it when they showed all 75 qualifiers for 4 hours.
I think it's mostly because US sees bike sports as a participant activity vs a spectator activity and enduro and endurance XC are much more accessible for amateurs, while true DH and XCO require expensive specialized bikes and training/fitness and are simply more difficult for the average Joe who wants to do a few races a year.
Enduro and endurance XC allows uncompetitive riders to go out a have a fun day. Getting shelled off the back of an XCO race or finishing at the back of the pack in your single DH run isn't any fun so competing in those disciplines doesn't make a lot of sense unless you're proper fit and competitive.
...through both lower visitor numbers and shorter visiting times, which will make it less attractive for a venue to host such an event. You're reducing the quantity of the spectacle by 75% without raising the quality by nearly as much. You're also raising psychological barriers to entry because the motivation of riders will drop along with the number of spots available. This will also reduce riders ability to gain WC experience...
can someone help me with the team part?
www.google.com/amp/s/www.cyclingnews.com/amp/news/uci-bans-forearms-on-bars-aero-position-adds-penalties-for-littering
In the words of Padme Amidala, "So this is how democracy dies... to thunderous applause"
What I'm trying to say is, the team of people who actually make World Cup teams and races happen have no incentive to sponsor anyone who isn't fast. The primary way they attract sponsorship money is by getting podiums or at least airtime on the Red Bull TV broadcast.
And while we all (myself included) love a good privateer story, for every denim destroyer out there, there are 5 other privateers who don't have the speed or the skill to safely race a World Cup. It's far from a perfect system, it needs our criticism and ideas for improvement, but you can't ignore the dangers of a situation where someone who does not have the necessary skill seriously hurts himself or hurts others around him.
If you want my opinion, the real threat is the rise of instagram influencers and youtubers. It's not that sponsors are going to demand slow riders enter a World Cup, it's that sponsors will ask why is winning a World Cup even helpful to my brand when I can invest that sponsorship money into a youtuber who will guarantee hundreds of thousands of viewers? World Cup teams are very expensive, and riders aren't able to guarantee airtime and results.
I hope that makes sense. I think something like a pool of money to support privateers who are competitive similar to what Wyn was organizing is a good idea; in the end there must be a balance that keeps the barrier to entry low enough that it's not dependent upon money without being too low and risking the safety of the race.
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