Velosolutions UCI Pump Track World Championships 2023 Kicks Off in Austria

 The pumptrack worlds actually (continue to be) global. I think the EWS was too to some extend even though it was still primarily a North America, Europe, Oceana event (and will be even more limited next year). But I wouldn't blame that on the pumptrack series. It does however suggest what it takes to organize a proper world series. I'd blame it on the need for live broadcasts. Racing around the world is an adventure and in particularly for enduro racing, it is part of the appeal. If you limit your series to places where you can realize live broadcasts, you may attract more attention if you can pull it off but in the end it is also a big compromise on what it could be. I understand it may not cut it for everyone but I didn't mind receiving a Dirt Magazine every two months with the race coverage of whatever went down during that time and to buy the Earthed dvd at the end of the season. No matter where you'd hold it now, you'd still get a written report within a few days on some website and some edits a few days later. Would be more than adequate to me and all the focus on live coverage baffles me. Especially considering all the limitations it brings to the sport. These Velosolution tracks are all over the world and they've got some great rounds everywhere. I don't think you can follow these races live but for most of these races you can find some reports and edits later on. I think that now that this whole Discovery thing has blown, this is what's next to try. Bring the sport back to what it was. There may be less "fast money" in there, but I believe it to be more healthy on the long term. And let's hope these pumptrack worlds never outgrow themselves. It is beautiful as it is now.

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 Well, the asphalt tracks I've ridden are a different experience for sure. Nothing against Velosolutions. They truly are visionaries, pioneers, noble ambassadors, bringing pumptracks to the masses, but I have to say I prefer a dirt track (actually any dirt track) over an asphalt track any day. For me, as my skills have slowly progressed, better cornering on the trail has slowly revealed itself to be the ultimate goal for me. The holy grail I suppose. Finding and creating traction everywhere on the trail so you can go faster, maintain speed and flow and stay in control. Doing that on a dirt pump track will build those skills. You'll improve, you'll crash, dust yourself off and slowly start to find that traction that eludes you. I think a poorly maintained, loose, dusty, weedy, dirt track with squashed rollers can do a lot more to build those skills than a "perfect" asphalt track.

 Maybe, but they also require very little maintenance.

What's gonna be easier to sell to your local parks & rec department if you're trying to get a pump track built in your city -- a dirt track that requires constant maintenance, or a build-it-and-forget-it asphalt pump track that maybe needs resurfacing every decade or so?

Soul or no, every Velosolutions track (All 2 of them) I've been on is fun as hell, and I'd be super stoked if my city were to install one.

 @SoCalTrev: we finally replaced our 2 crappy dirt pump tracks with 2 huge velosolutions tracks. Its awesome. The tracks are always rideable and consistent, also it gives us something to ride the day after a heavy rain and during the beginning of spring when all our trails are peanut butter. They have also brought in enough traffic that there was something close to $5mil opened up for single-track in the surrounding area. Not everywhere is SoCal dripping with skate parks, its crazy difficult to get funding for this kind of stuff in many places.

 Haha you must suck at riding them