Video: The Brutal Opening Round of 2024 - Inside the Tape with Ben Cathro

May 4, 2024
by Pinkbike Originals  


We are trackside here at Fort William! Ben Cathro get's excited and breaks down some lines and techniques at the opening round of the Fort William Downhill World Cup. Watch, Learn, Laugh, Like, & Subscribe.

Inside the Tape is presented by Shimano
Shimano logo


Posted In:
Racing and Events DH Racing Inside The Tape Sponsored DH Bikes Ben Cathro Fort William World Cup Dh 2024 Downhill Racing


Author Info:
pinkbikeoriginals avatar

Member since Feb 15, 2012
1,114 articles
Report
Must Read This Week
[UPDATED] Final Results & Overall Standings from the Finale Ligure EDR World Cup 2024
117335 views
McLaren (The Supercar Maker) Unveils 'The Most Powerful Trail Legal eMTB'
61040 views
Review: The New Marin Alpine Trail is More Adjustable & Capable Than Ever
45527 views
Review: Commencal's Meta Power SX Signature Packs a Punch for the Price
35453 views
Bike Check: Marcel Hunt's 27.5" Forbidden Druid Jib Bike
32704 views
Final Results & Overall Standings from the Bielsko-Biala EDR World Cup 2024
31647 views
Review: The Revel Rascal V2 is a Live Wire Trail Bike
29605 views
Elite Qualifying Results from the Bielsko-Biala DH World Cup 2024
28602 views
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup

48 Comments
  • 57 5
 Brutal for the future of DH.
  • 18 1
 Not sure why you got negative props. After looking at the qualifying post comments, then the semi's comments it's pretty clear things are going backwards and downhill (no pun intended). So, yes, I'd have to agree with you the future looks bleak indeed. ..... It's sad and pains me to say it because I don't want to, but it's the unfortunate reality at the moment.
  • 21 1
 @shaun-ridefast-michael: Only 11 riders on the start list for the elite women final, that is really poor! There's some really talented riders narrowly missing out on the finals because of this stupid new format.
  • 4 2
 @brucemacd: yup and to top it off one of them was on my fantasy team haha.
  • 3 1
 @nateb: Yeah, me too haha!
  • 18 1
 @shaun-ridefast-michael: Exactly. I didn't mean it (only) as a cheap.gag. People can sense that something's really not right in how things are being run and the lack of respect the sport and its fans are being shown. The latest broadcast shambles is just another thing, on top of rider entry fees, the daylight robbery of US fans and all the other issues raised previously. I was trying to be optimistic last season, but things have tipped.
Sorry, Cathro. This is nowt to do with you.
  • 11 0
 @brucemacd: And there's a lot of big names/teams and therefore sponsors not getting any coverage this weekend because of the semis happening in the dark.
  • 1 0
 A Legacy of Brutality.
  • 1 0
 @suspended-flesh: Ah yes, a Misfits reference. Nice.
  • 3 7
flag EikSkaloe69 FL (May 4, 2024 at 22:16) (Below Threshold)
 @nateb: tell me more about it please.. i need know every little detail about every user's fantasy team on every article in every comment. All the time...
  • 1 0
 In recent interview with Łukasik organizers of the WC in Poland said that they did not even want to organise DH, they got it in package with Enduro... Most probably no one is really lining up in this queue... And since there is no coverage of Enduro anyway, separating them is not really a big problem.
  • 37 0
 Here’s our HBO Max login:

shred@lagunabeachbikepark.com
pw: Dick420Pound69
  • 2 0
 4:45 AM Tomorrow. I'll be there beer in hand. I have my own Max/BR - thanks tho.
  • 4 0
 Regardless if true, take my upvote
  • 14 0
 Love Ben's child like enthusiasm.
  • 9 0
 Just checked the Eurosport program guide on Sky. Absolutely nothing being shown today, not even a highlight show. They are however repeating the Minnaar documentary 3 times today. We do get 5 hours of the Giro live, a highlights show in the evening, and then a pundits review of it.

Off I go instead to the Discovery Plus app on Sky. Immediately there’s a “Live and upcoming sport” section on screen. This will be easy… I have to click right 10 times to get to the first mention of DH which is the junior women’s race. 15 clicks takes me to the junior men’s race, 19 to find the women’s elite, 22 to find the men’s elite. All these clicks are me scrolling through the list of really exciting upcoming live sports like badminton, or futsal (that’s not a typo)…

OK, let’s navigate to the dedicated sport section on the Discovery app. Ooh, there’s a dedicated Cycling section. This must be it. Ah OK, they have dedicated sections by discipline and event, this is where it must be. Hmm, there’s no dedicated section for DH. There is one for XC though but it’s not on this weekend. OK I’ll go to the generic “Mountain bike” section. Ah, there they are! Oh wait, this is weird. There are loads of DH broadcasts that seem to overlap with each other time wise:

A broadcast from 12:00 – 13:00

A broadcast from 12:45 – 16:20

A broadcast from 13:00 – 13:55

A broadcast from 13:55 – 16:20

WHAT ONE AM I SUPPOSED TO WATCH!!!
  • 1 0
 Just canceled my Eurosport subscription and ordered Discovery + Sport almost at the same price. Installed app to my phone, logged in. Choose sport at the bottom- Upcoming stream- it takes about 5 sec and DH Fort Williams is shown there.
  • 3 0
 @mcharza: I'd much rather watch it on my 55" TV rather than my 5" phone screen. It was simple to do that on the red bull app before
  • 2 0
 @boardinbob: Me too, but you can easily broadcast it to your TV if you have chromecast device.
  • 1 0
 Sky has the Discovery+ App on featured App list, and you can get discovery+ App on smart TVs too
Junior women start at 11:25

Know what you mean about the tablet/phone App, remember watching it on my tablet last year. Definitely needs a quicker route to live events.
  • 9 0
 The main problem is you have so many top riders not even making the cut. It must be soul destroying for them. Training all year then having to sit back and watch the finals.
  • 3 0
 You've nailed it. In a way, you can view semi's or the final as just another final race. It sucks so bd and no other downhill series in the history of downhil (or present) uses semi's. Its not DH, the soul, the core, useful, interesting nor does 99.99999% of anyone, riders included, want to see it or even hear about semi's. Complete. And Total. Waste. Of. Time. And Resources.

Semi's only shows us that you run any of these races a second time and someone else usually wins, rankings will be switched up almost everytime. Its so pathetic and its such a joke that I it makes me wanna smash my tv. UCI moving semi's to quali day is a bandage on a cut off hand and the fact that they continued it at all, though on the day before the "final" tells us they could really give a shit about the riders OR the fans OR the sport itself.
  • 8 0
 The guy launching the big jump at 1:26 without a rear tire looks mental Big Grin Who was that? Rider and wheel sponsor deserve an extra shoutout.
  • 9 0
 Can DH just go back to RedBull TV FFS!
  • 3 0
 the sooner people realize that UCI is doing all they can to slowly ruin this sport, the better. IMHO, sponsors, media and riders should start working together in creating a new DH world cup series that would not be under UCI umbrella.
  • 1 0
 WB Corp. sucking up everything they can lob their billions at without a care to deliver quality. Buy it up, roll it into a turd sandwich, receive year end bonus bigger than my yearly earnings. Job done.
  • 5 0
 Ben it seems like it is painful for you to watch from the sidelines and you want to ride the track haha
  • 5 0
 That was cool. Loved it Smile
  • 4 0
 Thanks for the tyre and advice at AE Ben really appreciate it
  • 3 0
 What happened to Valentina Roa Sanchez?
  • 1 0
 Maybe injured in practice? She posted on insta like she was intending to race
  • 1 0
 @sfarnum: this pre-race thing is weird. It's too much filtering of the pilots
  • 2 0
 My son and I want to watch the race together, but how do we? UCI ruining the sport and breaking up families!
  • 7 0
 My wife had an affair with the UCI. She took everything in the divorce, I lost my job and they’ve turned my kids against me.
  • 1 0
 Anyone know where we can watch the final or reply in the UK, can't seem to find anything on GCN?
  • 2 1
 Discovery+
  • 2 0
 Nice Ben! More big jump clips please. This is where we miss Kade.
  • 2 0
 anybody has the link for the free streaming site? forgot to bookmark it Frown
  • 1 0
 For those who have a VPN... La chaine l'Equipe broadcasts Women and Men finals on their website (obvs in french)
  • 1 0
 Great reporting Ben! Love the line vs line stuff and all your other commentary.
  • 1 0
 What’s going on with Laurie?
  • 6 0
 He got a flat and wasn't protected so he didn't qualify for the finals
  • 7 1
 @90sMTBEnjoyer: damn. Those boys need inserts.
  • 8 20
flag 90sMTBEnjoyer (May 4, 2024 at 11:36) (Below Threshold)
 @wolftwenty1: an insert is just another piece to flap about when the tyre blows off the rim. They don't stop flats, they damp the tyre feel and make it so that the average consumer doesn't ruin a rim if their tyre blows. In DH, they're riding hard enough that a flat will ruin the rim, insert or no insert.
  • 7 3
 @90sMTBEnjoyer:
Just as 'flat' as my Fantasy League picks, guess I should've 'inserted' different riders!
  • 6 0
 @90sMTBEnjoyer: it also keepeth the tire on the rimith
  • 2 0
 @wolftwenty1: judging from the amount of small sharp rocks on the ground at Fort Bill I’d say a puncture was more likely which an insert would not help. Maybe someone who was there can shed light on where his flat happened since have no freakin semis livestream, smh.
  • 3 4
 @razzle: tell me more about it please. I need to know everything there is to know about your fantasy team!







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv56 0.151529
Mobile Version of Website