Qualifying Results Decide Final Standings as Junior Racing Cancelled at the Loudenvielle DH World Cup 2023

Sep 2, 2023 at 2:47
by Ed Spratt  
After overnight storms and significant rainfall, the race organisers have made the decision to cancel today's Junior finals race.

With no finals race to determine the results, the UCI will be using the qualifying results to determine the final result. The results for this round will be as follows:

Junior Women

1st. Sacha Earnest: 4:11.539
2nd. Erice Van Leuven: 4:15.249
3rd. Valentina Roa Sanchez: 4:21.127
4th. Lisa Bouladou: 4:21.791
5th. Lais Bonnaure: 4:24.957

Junior Men

1st. Ryan Pinkerton: 3:35.582
2nd. Nathan Pontvianne: 3:37.075
3rd. Christian Hauser: 3:37.110
4th. Rafaël Pelletier: 3:37.481
5th. Hugo Marini: 3:39.012


Official UCI Communication:

Due to overnight storms and significant rainfall, today's UCI Downhill World Cup Junior Finals race has been cancelled.

This is a safety decision based on the difficulty of conditions on course and the welfare of the riders.

Official qualifying results will be used to determine the final result.

Tomorrow's UCI Downhill World Cup Elite race is set to proceed as planned.


Full Results:


Junior Women

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Junior Men

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Overall Standings:


Junior Women

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Junior Men

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Author Info:
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Member since Mar 16, 2017
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216 Comments
  • 396 1
 Seriously the saddest day for DH, of course it’s hard in the rain but half the juniors were riding dry tires with clogged mudguards, and none of them were consulted if they wanted to race. Some of the best and most memorable races in history have been in the wet, Sam Hill Champery 07, Danny Hart Champery 2011, Reece Wilson Les Gets 2021 to name few, now we just cancel when it rains without asking actual riders opinions, with no care for all the fans that came to watch the race.
  • 28 1
 You’re the man we need to get the opinion of as many junior riders as possible and get it out there
  • 15 45
flag neimbc (Sep 2, 2023 at 3:10) (Below Threshold)
 DH is turning into a pussy event.
  • 14 8
 Wondering if this is coming from Balanche, Pierron, Nicole, Seagrave, Wilson etc sitting out months/full season due to crashing. There’s been talk of rider safety and bad tracks recently.
  • 12 1
 Add Wyn Masters Rotorua EWS 2017 to that list that was a wet one!
  • 6 0
 Don't forget world champs 2023
  • 24 14
 f*ck you UCI/Discovery/ESO, why do you kill the sport you wankers?
  • 32 3
 Next season: Indoor DH on those ski slopes in Dubai. Everything can be padded; always perfect conditions for cameras and Discovery can be guaranteed about airtime and a hefty thick brown envelope under the table…
  • 22 2
 @wynmasters maybe they dont want to shoot the race in the rain ? Perhaps the cameramen union is stronger than the racers union ha?
  • 26 42
flag pasteque51 FL (Sep 2, 2023 at 3:43) (Below Threshold)
 If they cancel junior men race because of difficult conditions why do they keep the women elite race ? Who could seriously think juniors are less able to ride muddy conditions than elite women?
  • 1 0
 Rain now forecast for tomorrow early pm....
  • 9 2
 Guys you should have seen that coming... I've had a bad feeling since they announced the new format.
This is just one of the problems and every race others are coming to the surface (timetables, tracks, semis, UCI points, etc.)
You should hire a good lawyer who helps you to discover all the hidden details, reform the riders' league and react..FAST!
If it's going this way in a couple of years there will be no more privateers or riders but those in big teams (like F1) who can pay for ride. And how long a team/sponsor is willing to pay for a rider who struggles to get to the final (aka chance to be on the screen)?
  • 6 4
 I thought flat out, single line, risk it all bike park tracks were what you pros were suggesting was more dangerous??

Never forget... youtu.be/Ir0RdamsGik?si=75FYsmnylFudi9It&t=1h2m6s
  • 5 0
 Add 2020 world titles in leogang… absolute mud fest ..was even snowing/sleet up top when the last of the juniors dropped in…can’t be worse then that surely?
  • 1 0
 @flowisforpussies: I wonder if the paid organizers get paid less if fewer races are held.
  • 18 15
 @pasteque51: the downvotes tell the story of our world. Junior men is a faster category than elite women- fact.
  • 26 13
 The most elite riders said the track is insane even when dry. When wet, I imagine it to be like a never ending Leogang bottom section. I can agree to the decision to cancel the junior event. I mean, those are still kids and there is a lot of responsibility on the organizers. You cannot ask juniors if they want to race or not. They would probably even ride on an erupting volcano!
  • 3 0
 @Inclag: Man that's good, cheers.
  • 9 7
 @optimumnotmaximum: You have to remember western society is filled with people who are predisposed to interpret objective statements as bigotted attacks.
  • 2 0
 @SchalkMarais: back in my day of Norba Nationals. We raced the Kamikaze that was cut through 12 feet of snow. 3.56 mls of snow Banks. Another year, at the start 0: degrees and show, the Freeway section was Hailstones, next section was sleet and the bottom was rain.

Shaking my head at this Season of Racing for the riders (AL Bundy style). UCI, OUTDOOR, you re killing the Sport.
  • 10 1
 Thanks Wyn for taking stand & voicing an opinion that isn’t a pre-scripted UCI/Discovery horse shite press release. This year has been a goon show for DH & it just shows the fears everybody expressed last year is coming through.
  • 13 0
 The fact that it wasn't even raining this morning is the real kicker. A race being cancelled because of bad weather is understandable, because a heli might have difficulty or high winds making jumps sketchy.
But by cancelling the race this morning, they are basically saying that the race taken place is contingent on the track staying dry all weekend. How can you have a race in mountains and then have to cancel it if it rains the night before? Rain in the mountains is basically a certainty. I just can't wrap my head around the thought process behind this decision.
  • 35 0
 Was the decision to cancel a race because of mud made by the same people who decided to schedule a race at MSA in October?

Can’t wait to see how that one plays out.
  • 6 0
 @kiisseli: of course riders safety is a big issue. Track are getting faster, not more technical! But there is a difference between riding a slippery, challenging track were you need to adapt and for Amaury easy avoidable case of a B zone that isn’t clear of massive stumps and rocks, or in case of Camille a road gap that is easy as but in the most exposed part of the mountain, knows for gusty winds that no rider can predict while riding… riders love the challenges, the technicality. No question about it!
Riders are just asking to be consulted, listen to, structure is in place for it! Riders rep by the uci, riders association…
most times the riding speed in the mud drops massively as well so crashes aren’t as bad as when you’re going 60kmh down lenzerheide or MSA in between trees. Hopefully everyone’s happier tomorrow after the race
  • 4 0
 Seems like some of this falls on the resort and builders in addition to the UCI. As mentioned before, there's always a good chance it's going to rain in the mountains during these races. Particularly in Europe. It would seem well advised to make sure the track was a bit weather proofed on those off camber sections or any place that might be deemed unrideable if it got wet. So many bike parks have to lay pavers and make boardwalks because of this.

Seems odd to do a 1/2 bench cut to a dirt hillside and cross your fingers that it doesn't rain.
  • 2 0
 Good chat from Dean, Wyn, Eddie, Flo Payet and Pinkerton about today's cancelation
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PIH-r5sZBE
  • 16 0
 @kiisseli: If the UCI cared about rider safety they wouldn't have brought in semi's
  • 3 0
 Steve Smith MSA 2013!!!
  • 2 0
 @NO53LF: 100%
  • 1 0
 @Beyond-The-Tape: pretty much all of the races in the 2020 dh race season aswell. Look back at worlds from then
  • 4 0
 @WoS: 17 and 18 yr olds are considered to be adults in a lot of countries so hardly kids plus all of them will be experienced riders to even get to WC level.
there are junior riders who have come out and said they wanted to race it and most of the issues were because none of them were using mud tyres and it was the first run so the track didn’t have any ruts formed.
  • 7 0
 @WoS: lol you should've seen Rheola in the UK national DH series,not only did they let junior race, the let youth and juvenile race too. It was so muddy it took me a month to clean my lads bike. The roots in Star Wars section made loudenville look like a cruise. It was utterly bonkers. It wasn't a case of who crashed, but a case of who crashed the least number of times. However, the kids loved it, every minute of it. They're youngsters yes, but both the kids and parents know the consequences and accept the world. They're a long long way from children.
  • 7 0
 I thought the riders made a union? do they not work with the UCI to discuss these things? Sounds like a strike is in order to get some changes to better the sport!
  • 1 0
 Chapeau, Wyn. Doing more for DH than anyone else could ever do.
  • 1 0
 @Inclag: This is mountain biking
  • 14 0
 Let's face it, they cancelled not because of Safety but because it would of harmed their TV product. While broadcasting the sport to a wider audience isn't necessarily a bad thing, a bunch of "casual" viewers watching a load of people struggle down a hill isn't what the ESO want to put forward, same reason there's less technical tracks. Let me be clear before I get down voted to shit I don't agree with it, for the girls and boys who put down a run it would be put it the same category as the runs you've mentioned. LONG LIVE DOWNHILL,f*ck THE ESO.
  • 3 0
 @weeksy59: Yeah - I was there and it was carnage. One rider broke his nose in that section and what seemed like half the field had crashes.

JP
  • 7 5
 Nanny state and cancel culture enter the room. What a boring world it will be.
  • 4 0
 @optimumnotmaximum: he was downvoted for being an idiot. Elite women race the same day as Elite men, while Junior men and women race the day before. The Juniors were canceled because of the weather on their race day, not their skill level.

The real stitch up, as far as I’m concerned, is that they’re so rigidly stuck on the idea of Elite semifinals that they couldn’t move every race to Sunday- if conditions truly were that bad, which according to Wyn, they may not have been.
  • 1 4
 @neimbc: what a wonderful human being you must be
  • 5 2
 @Saucycheese: I am actually, But I think - if you listen to the Pros talking - they are all amiss as to why as are the Juniors themselves. They wanted to ride it. My comment of going "pussy" - was for the organizers/folks calling the shots. So why the hate? Look at the past events held in the rains - Danny's famous DH run for example would have never existed had it been with today's decision makers.
  • 4 10
flag Saucycheese FL (Sep 2, 2023 at 14:26) (Below Threshold)
 @neimbc: You could have used tons of other words to get your message across but instead you chose a word that's got nothing to do with weakness to try and get some attention. It's a weak attempt at attention
  • 1 0
 Genuine question Wyn, what happened to the rider's union? Seems like the sort of thing a union could be stepping up to have some input into. There's never an easy or good time to start talking about walk outs or strikes, it always hurts the take home pay for a while, but long term it's the only real way to improve pay and conditions. These last minute changes, stricter qualy rules affecting riders, privateers getting treated like an afterthought, poor air time....DH seems to be changing in a negative way and it could all be avoided with some coordinated action. Genuinely interested why there seems to be no appetite for it amongst the riders? I've been a member of the NEU in the UK for about 15 years, we've won a lot of concessions on pay and working conditions from strikes and other action, we never really get what we want but I dread to think where we'd be otherwise. There is power in a union!
  • 1 0
 I haven’t read all the comments. But rider union or not, shouldn’t some of the senior riders or larger teams spoken out by now or is their a fear campaign running in the background?
  • 1 0
 @WoS: Now THAT would be an interesting race, lol!
  • 1 0
 @WoS: laughs in champery
  • 3 1
 @neimbc: please be advised that dude seeks out interactions where he can lecture people on what they can say or write.
  • 1 3
 @sonuvagun: oh look who it is. That irrelevant troll that keeps popping up. Keep up the great work
  • 2 0
 @kiisseli: if the courses were as technical as they used to be in the mid 2000s, the crashes would be at much lower speeds and wouldn’t have much consequences. However TV prefers simpler tracks that promote flat out racing, closer times and they argue that better competition…
See starting min 9: youtu.be/W6i8yWp62O0?si=t7FMmpGUPBTXG8Hs
  • 4 1
 @Saucycheese: shut up pussy
  • 1 1
 @weeksy59: Seems like you scotts are of a different breed! I have seen people in races crawl up a stupid little ramp and it took them minutes. To me, that's not racing anymore.
There is the argument that juniors need to learn to ride in the mud. Yes, sure. But there are plenty of opportunities. No one got robbed.
In the end we are still talking junior race. Even if they might not be children, there is a difference to the elite ranks.
And for the elites I really hope the racing will take place!
  • 1 1
 The biggest issue seems that you can't get an injured rider out of the track when it's so muddy. It's not accessible for med-evac. Don't get me wrong, this is still obviously UCI/ESO fault, because they should have thought about that issue long before the race, but it makes sense to cancle the junior race now.
  • 126 0
 Cancel tomorrow’s semi final and give the juniors a race!
  • 29 1
 Trouble is the semi finals are the time the outside-top-30 riders get to race. Better to call semis 'finals' and cancel finals
  • 4 0
 Agree!!!
  • 12 1
 So stupid they're fucking the juniors over for semis which neither the fans or riders want.
  • 1 0
 Putain! That's a VERY GOOD IDEA!!!
  • 5 0
 @mattg95: with cancel semi finals i meant that all 60 men and all 15 women would race the final.
  • 1 1
 @mattg95: At first, having semi-finals seemed like a good way to level the track for the fastest qualifiers. But, trying to impliment it over the course of one weekend has done more harm than good. With such limited coverage, despite there being more runs, it hasn't even added to the exposure of DH MTB.
I guess that's a long way of saying it seemed like a good idea on paper....
  • 84 1
 This is actually becoming a joke. Parents, juniors, and everyone involved didn't spend their life savings to have a race cancelled. Juniors already race for peanuts but, to take their potential career-making opportunities away is despicable. this new organisation has no idea about the history of the sport and a ruining its future.
  • 13 1
 100% this, we might have seen a future Sam Hill put down and absolute blinder on this track in these conditions today.
  • 4 32
flag MikeGruhler (Sep 2, 2023 at 4:11) (Below Threshold)
 Their still getting points for their efforts, nothing lost except taking another run.
  • 6 3
 @MikeGruhler: So you asked them? I haven’t, but I’m quite sure they don’t agree with you.
  • 3 0
 @MikeGruhler: but not the coverage. someone missed their amazing run being captured
  • 2 0
 RIP DH
  • 9 0
 @MikeGruhler: nothing lost? The previous points leader in Junior Men’s ended up with zero points this weekend and no longer the points leader.
  • 1 7
flag MikeGruhler (Sep 2, 2023 at 14:32) (Below Threshold)
 @tjbikes: who's fault is that? Did the UCI or Event Organizer keep them from doing well in quali's? Heard that some teams were giving orders to take it easy in qualifying, that was a stupid decision and it was made by particular teams and riders. Play stupid games win stupid prizes.
  • 2 0
 @tjbikes: agreed that they could have really messed things up the way they did it and I don’t like it either But Bodie had already pulled out of the race due to his crash in quali per his insta so the end result in his case at least would have been the same.
  • 3 2
 @MikeGruhler: of course riders take it easy in qualifying, what planet are you on?
  • 1 0
 @ajayflex: Do juniors not get points for qualifying? Serious question, always assumed they did. If not then I get the strategy, it's also why they did away with it in Elite's years back. Just makes a joke of qualifying if you can sandbag for a better start time. I know from experience of competing and watching all kinds of sporting events that as soon as they start taking score regardless of qualifying, semi's or finals you better be trying to win. Events get cancelled, and sometimes people get wins from qualifying or half ran main events that don't get counted as the final results. It sucks, but it is what it is unfortunately. Things will get better.
  • 2 0
 @MikeGruhler: I don't think you'll find many juniors sandbagging qualifying. Only 25 men get through to race final (often 80+ attempt to qualify), and 10 women.

So anyone taking it "easy" is likely doing so to conserve energy and minimise injury risk to save themselves for final. But they'd have to be very confident of their pace to still make the cut
  • 1 0
 @Cabin: I didn't say they were sandbagging. I asked if they get points for qualifying. Then I stated what is known, that the Elites used to not get points for qualifying and would routinely stop on track to get a good start time. That's sandbagging at its finest but was within the rules. There's a classic shot of Matti doing it at Champery.
Would be surprised if there's not something in the rules and regs that identifies a situation where qualifying determines winners because of mid-event cancellations. The one thing I can say is everyone better leave it all on the track every time it counts and be ready to rip at the drop of hat. Because it seems organizer doesn't know how to communicate there ideas to those who actually need it.
  • 70 0
 Sat at the top of the mountain now. Just came up in the gondola and there were enduro riders in half lids riding the track. There are only enduro lads using the lift now. The rider is come to watch did his first run and headed back to do his second practice when it was called. Loads of the Brits were loving it but a lot of lads had no concept on how to ride it. It was not a safety issue to not ride today some riders had slid off 4 or 5 times on the way down but these were slow speed slides not flat out in the dust dry conditions were one crash can finish your season.
  • 18 0
 Riding in the wet at walkingspeed seldomly translates in heavy crashes, that safety thing is BS, thanks for your onsite view.
  • 2 0
 This needs pinning to the top next to wyns post
  • 45 1
 Now they don’t even ride mud? This is downhill people
  • 16 1
 They only (are allowed to) ride park
  • 23 1
 they're worried the mud will get on the rider's kits and obscure the oil sponsors.
  • 41 2
 This is the the future of downhill, thanks to the UCI/Discovery clown show. Had to cancel cos someone in a white jersey might get mud on it.
Dragging out Cedric and Aaron to justify the decision was just shameful.
Been following this sport 30+ years, pretty sure this is pre drinks before the funeral. Just for good measure they will take enduro down with it. f*ck I am disappointed where this is going.
Sam Hill is probably crying right now. f*ck these grubs that bought our sport.
  • 33 0
 UCI sucks !!!
  • 12 0
 Is not even raining anymore, junior women riders were clearing all the jumps and berms with no issues during morning practices, Diacovery and UCI need to GTFOH!
  • 19 0
 www.instagram.com/reel/CwsDMWKMvTk/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA=

POV of Doms only practise run this morning. Let you guys be the judge of whether it should have been cancelled or not!
  • 3 0
 definitely "unrideable"
  • 17 0
 Discovery & uci more footage blah blah blah & more cancellations! Pack ya shit up go home & give it back to redbull you clowns! & get bloody Warner on! Ffs
  • 14 0
 Here you go guys, in memory of racing in the mud. Some of my favourite mud race runs:
Sam Hill Champery:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmvDk8fcheI
Danny Hart Champery:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqYgAX6D43Q
Balanche and Wilson in Leogang:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqE8CgoDqS8
  • 6 0
 Gwin MSA
  • 14 0
 I genuinely didn’t think it could get any worse, but I was wrong. World Cup DH is on its deathbed. Teams should seriously think about focusing on other race series like the IXS Cup and Crankworx. Big corporations like WBD only understand numbers on a spreadsheet, so take away their revenue and hopefully they’ll crawl back under the rock they came from.
  • 13 0
 Organisers should have to reimburse all privateers (those still hanging on despite the sport trying to see them off) and their families etc that are supporting them at races.

Some people give up so much just to be at these races - particularly those travelling internationally. If mud really seas a reason to cancel mountain biking then it wouldn’t be so popular in the UK as we’d maybe ride one day a year.
  • 12 0
 This new UCI/Discovery era is a pure shit show! enduro racing already half way in the grave and DH racing not far away - what a shame, because they killing the sport.

Its time to have alternative series for the WC.
  • 15 1
 So it's not actually raining? It's just wet? What a load of crap.
  • 13 0
 Now, if only there was some totally unnecessary race tomorrow that they could cancel to make space for the juniors to race.
  • 11 0
 Haha, Dak Norton got asked what he thinks of the (previous) change of shedule. He replied: i think they are pretty much making it up at this point. Dickcovery get effed.
  • 9 0
 Bear in mind I don't know anything about the financials of running an international race or why Redbull no longer host DHI, here's my armchair business plan to stop the UCI/discovery running DH and perhaps enduro into the ground.

- Autumn winter 2024 Redbull start a run of international DH races so as not to conflict with UCI/Discovery contracts.
The "winter" series takes place in the southern hemisphere to erm, avoid snow.
- Get the athletes, and sponsors on board and comfortable with the setup.
- Offer a full "summer" 2025 line up, edge UCI/discovery out of the picture and go from there...

Genuinely curious as to the financials/practicalities of such an idea.
  • 3 0
 Red Bull for media, and Pinkbike-Outside for crowdfunding podium prize purses and a shared privateer pool to supplement Wyn’s privateer program. I’d rather pay for those if I know Red Bull is going to give me a free quality broadcast.
  • 1 0
 UCI reserves the right to ban riders that compete in other series outside UCI sanctioning
  • 8 0
 Difficult to understand this. Is the weather and it's effect on this track so different to years gone by when it's rained and races have simply carried on as planned? Obviously this is a steep and loamy track unlike FW or MSA which are rockier but it feels like overprotective bahvaiour by the UCI.
  • 7 0
 There is one OC section that half the riders wont get through if it's wet, but hell who hasn't had a race like that. It's hella fun, get up there and grub out a bench and get on with it if you have to.
  • 5 0
 @bikes-arent-real: the FullAttack track walk report was interesting about this: it appeared that this wooden "bridge" + the road at the bottom of the big 1st off camber slope are super slippery and dangerous in case of rain, especially with mud tyres.
I simply think that they could adapt it to make it safer, but that's only my opinion ;-)
  • 2 0
 @bikes-arent-real: I must agree,that steep left corner/section would be almost impossible to ride if it is very wet. That was the first come to my mind when I saw the track live a month ago.
Some bits of the track like the bridge would be dangerous too,even the top part with the wind would be dangerous cos it is very exposed.
  • 4 0
 @danstonQ: Yeah very good point. It's always the bridges that freak the riders out the most. There needs to be a standardized bridge grip mat that is tested in wet with mud on it and if a track has a bridge it has to use that material. And bridges need netting high around them so you can't fall off in a freak accident. The speed they're going, if someone washed out on the run in to that bridge and hit the pads on the railing, they could potentially be launched OTB and end up way down on the road.

That section will be carnage, I've been to plenty of races with sections like that, it's great tbh but yeah I can't see it being very fun trying to get someone on a backboard on that steep hill either.
  • 3 2
 @bikes-arent-real: Friend send me a video of Juniors on track and it was not looking any good to ride,big fat donuts over the tires,very sketchy. Could be a push-donuts-mud bike race at any moment hehehe.
Those conditions you need to stop and find a stick to clean your tires are not fun to race.
  • 1 0
 I guess the answer is that tracks should at least be possible
  • 1 0
 ...to ride if it rains. How to do that though when new venues are hard to find and organizers even less so.
  • 2 0
 @homerjm: So you send your mechanic up the track with a stick to hand to you and you clean it off and run the race!
  • 3 0
 @homerjm: That's why you put on mud spikes for these conditions instad of intermediates like many did
  • 10 0
 What a fucking joke. The best runs of all time have happened on gnarly tracks in the rain. Absolute bullshit.
  • 5 0
 The future is nothing what I hoped for.

Races being cancelled because the track is slippery?
Let me tell you about mud races on the 90s with v-brakes,hard rubber tires and suicidal geometry: Not a single world cup race that I remember was cancelled!
  • 6 2
 Do you reckon UCI/WBD pulled the plug because as good as some of the juniors are, riding in this kind of peanut butter could make the sport look amateurish if it’s super slow with bodies sliding everywhere? Not to mention probably having to over-run their broadcast time. Are management more bothered about how things look for promotional purposes and find it easier to cancel it under the guise of rider safety??

Granted, I’m not on site so maybe it’s really bad in places. Personally, I think some of the best races are in the mud. It’s an opportunity to showcase some of the best bike handlers out there!
  • 12 0
 Bro no one is watching the junior live stream who doesn't know what sliding down a hill on your ass hanging onto the handle bars with clogged up tires is all about.
  • 7 0
 UCI need to have a good hard look at their decision making. This season has been the worst I have ever seen!
  • 8 1
 When people joke about the fastest qualifiers being the winners of the race …
  • 7 1
 That was timed training mate
  • 7 0
 Is anyone on site to interview the riders about their thoughts on this decision?
  • 1 1
 Doubt someone will say what he really think…
  • 3 0
 Look at Wyn's comment at the top
  • 8 0
 Bodhi Kuhn got robbed. Lame.
  • 1 0
 Yup.... bummed for him for sure!
  • 4 0
 Interested to find out if this decision came from UCI/Discovery or the local organizer/mountain. Was it a simple mitigation of risk? Track degradation if we raced today and it would be butchered tomorrow? Or something bigger at play such as save the broadcast and better conditions for the elites tomorrow at the expense of jnrs.

Either way decisions like this are never fun as an organizer and even tougher on the athletes and teams.
  • 3 0
 Updated Junior standings are already posted on UCI's web site. - Pinkerton now in 1st in standings. Kuhn drops to 2nd. - Top 3 women unchanged. Kenyon drops from 4th to 7th. Earnest moves up from 10th to 5th after her 2nd win of the year.
  • 6 0
 can the race not be pushed to tomorrow?
  • 6 0
 UCI probably only care about running it if it can be televised and monetarised as a result. The TV networks most likely won't make a new timeslot a day later. They'd probably force the issue if it was a roadie race, but they DGAF about MTB.
  • 1 0
 Of course it can.
  • 6 0
 Well, that's a bit anti climatic.
  • 4 0
 well watch this really good interview with wyn instead..

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnxPKf2xDZY

maybe we need to start a fans union to help save dh?!
  • 1 0
 Yes a fan’s union is a great idea. So far I’ve refused to pay the paywall. I’m not happy about any of this. The commentary is in the toilet and neither the riders nor fans like the new format. Bring back Warner!!! One race run for God’s sakes!!
  • 4 0
 This has to be the worst year of DH racing as a spectator in my time. Sad really because I tried to convert 3 riding buddies into it this year and now I look like a moron.
  • 2 0
 As an aside, I had a job interview at GCN a little while ago. One thing that struck me was how little by importance the DH and enduro deal seemed to have to them.

I was pitching a whole load of stuff they could do with race content and how they could tie it in with their YT channels but I got the strong impression that the demographic they’re really interested in is not the racing audience. Made me wonder why they bought the rights in the first place.

JP
  • 5 0
 Never heard of mud tyres ffs... So what if track gets cut up, that's DH...
  • 4 0
 And it will get worse as half the season is in fall. Such an utter sh*itshow.
  • 3 0
 Does anyone know or have knowledge of which specific individuals petitioned for cancelling it, and who had the final say?
Were they organizers or someone else?
  • 3 0
 If everyone who has a GNC+ subscription cancelled it right now they might get the message. Vote with your $$ people. We have some power here too.
  • 1 0
 How is it that we have this situation. What have organisers forgotten about building an all-weather, sustainable DH track? It's an absolute travesty for competitors and just another reason to pile-on to ESO and the series itself. We really need something about this season, it's coverage and it's venues to celebrate about.
  • 1 0
 Regardless of whether or not they should have cancelled (sounds like a lit of experienced riders believe it shouldn't have been) why did they award full points for a cancelled race based on a qualifying which is not the race and riders don't always ride as though it is the race? Overall just disappointing. Bummed for the Juniors.
  • 6 2
 Un-Cyclist International.

Farce & Fiasco cycling organisation.
  • 1 0
 And this just confirms that I did the right thing not giving Discovery / GCN / ESO or whoever the subscription goes to any of my money.

Before anyone says it I know the junior races are free to watch.
  • 2 0
 AH that's why I could not get any Continental hydrotal tire available to buy! They stopped production as there will be no more mud on the tracks...
  • 2 0
 Some riders perform their best in the worst conditions. If someone doesn't want to race, they don't have to, but don't cancel the entire thing.
  • 1 0
 This is outrageous. Safety considerations - undoubtedly after consulting none of the riders or teams. Honestly pathetic. I feel bad for the juniors. Who are these people making the decisions? What a shame.
  • 2 0
 Throwing out an idea: if they want to fill 2-3 days of racing, how about they get rid of the semi finals and instead put back 4x? That was fun and exciting to watch!
  • 2 0
 Come on, are we getting to the point where F1 got? We don't race in rain anymore or what?
  • 3 0
 This is a joke. Wait until they see a wet snowshoe.
  • 2 0
 Just tuned in to GCN+ to see the news. Fingers crossed for tomorrow!
  • 9 0
 I bought a bloody bag of chips to watch during the race, now I'm gonna have to fight my urge to eat the chips till tomorrow.
  • 12 2
 @bikes-arent-real: I usually buy a bag of chips to eat, not to watch it. But to each their own.
  • 4 0
 @mi-bike: I think he's pointing out that the race coverage is so bad that he'd rather stare at a bag of chips
  • 4 0
 GCN+ is just a broadcast platform, and has nothing to do with who is controlling the racing. Unless everyone was cancelling their Discovery and Eurosport packages as well it wouldn't even make a dent, and even if they were it wouldn't impact the UCI and local event organisers making decisions about racing.
  • 2 0
 Also worth noting that the Junior Finals are free to watch on YouTube so you'd better stop watching anything on there too unless you want to tacitly advocate races only being run in the dry.
  • 2 0
 What a joke, uci is ridiculous!!!
  • 1 0
 So, they designed a track in the pyrenees that can not be used if it rains. Great job
  • 1 0
 Might as well just cancel MSA now so everyone can plan their lives accordingly.
  • 1 0
 No kidding! Oct 6 will probably be snow ❄️ !!!!
  • 1 0
 I canceled my subscription. The racing and commentating suck this year. Warner Bros. / Discovery have ruined the sport
  • 2 0
 Bodhi Kuhn having his season destroyed by this idiot decision.
  • 1 0
 What happened to his qualy run?
  • 4 2
 Fuckin UCI
  • 1 0
 Maybe in the wet runs wouldn't fit into their nice 3 minutes schedule?
  • 1 0
 They should start at 6 am next week
  • 1 0
 The day when they won and killed DH!!! So sad
  • 1 0
 In my experience, mud tires in actual mud is like...the best riding ever.
  • 1 0
 Uci Killing the world of cycling, end of!
  • 1 0
 typooo
  • 1 0
 This is really bad
  • 1 0
 What a load of bollox
  • 1 0
 Wow, who made that call?
  • 5 8
 Aaron Gwin has a clip on his IG story of the conditions. It’s peanut butter mud and looks like it’s impossible to ride much less race.
  • 5 0
 Most riders weren't on mud tires during the first run. It looked very rideable on Dom Platt's POV from this morning's practice, and he wasn't even on full spikes.
  • 7 9
 Quick, blame it on Discovery.
  • 7 0
 Well, as event organisers they (ESO) are the ones who made the call not to race today. From what I'm seeing some riders aren't happy about it.
  • 3 0
 Well they weren't involved in the past and this didn't happen.
  • 10 4
 Having just seen this, maybe it was the right call. I'm not sure the race would've been much of a spectacle.
www.instagram.com/reel/Cwr2ZYQsmWC/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=b06baaa8-ae49-4fd8-a0d4-714d354646b3
  • 2 1
 @commental: damn! As well it's not like the juniors are loosing points this weekend. Only people loosing out are viewers. Thankfully we don't matter when it comes to points and winning championships.
  • 1 0
 @commental: fookin tamping bud
  • 9 1
 @commental: That's perfection, all I see is a bunch of juniors who might consider flat pedals for the first time in their life.

youtu.be/JQIfFHm4spg?t=1040
  • 3 0
 @commental: The Juniors need to learn how to ride this stuff, how are they going to do that if we tell them it is too hard?
  • 2 0
 @MysticMCyclist: Yeah, as a juxtaposition to my last post I've just seen this;
www.instagram.com/reel/CwsDMWKMvTk/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D
  • 1 2
 @commental: doh! That looks fun! May have to adjust my opinion a bit. Either way it makes no difference at the end of day. On to the next one.
  • 2 0
 @commental: Exactly dude, that was a handful of riders struggling with one bit of the track. That was 3 hours ago that the race was canceled, I'm not there so I cannot comment on if it's been raining or not but it's now 3pm and you could run the race it will be twice as dry, they could have spent two hours raking the loose sticky mud off that steep part and it'd be mint by now. You could just run an elite practice and have the pros come down, pack the track in and make it easier to ride, they can handle this stuff a lot better, then you run a junior practice to get them used to it then run the junior race. Or run all the races tomorrow. There are so many batter options than just canceling the dam thing. They've run races on tracks with rocks and roots and mud like that.
  • 4 0
 @commental: it's a race, it doesn't need to be a spectacle. UK races are worse than that.
  • 3 0
 @Beeco: Yep, seeing Dom's footage made me have a rethink. It's why I posted it.
  • 3 0
 @commental: I don’t know. But to me it looks very similar conditions (maybe easier) to Leogang 2020 world championships or champery 2008 & 2011. The main thing is it sounds like the riders were not consulted for this cancellation
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