snicholas11

Agreed. The MTB community needs to be more conscious of how we present ourselves and our sport. We already have a massive PR problem with people thinking we don’t take care of the trails. Especially when pushing for bike access in more places we NEED to make a good impression and follow through.

Shirtless with a full face seems like an oxymoron... ...or maybe just the latter

I understood it less as eMTBs pushing enduro racing into obscurity and more that they require a slightly different marketing strategy (one the prioritizes visibility/coverage) due to the people likely to buy them. Because a huge portion of eMTB sales go to people who are less interested in the details of the sport (i.e. sufferfests, backcountry rides with huge climbs, super in depth tech articles, etc.) in order to target this new audience brands need to make sure that they prioritize easily consumable media - like a DH race. Enduro won't be less relevant to the people riding it, but it may become less of a priority for bike companies because the people watching and paying close attention to enduro races are a more niche, hardcore group of MTB fans (aka, not the market for eMTBs). In order to reach the growing eMTB market, brands need to be seen in whatever venue reaches the masses. And unfortunately, enduro racing has not yet been able to achieve the coverage needed to reach the masses in the same way a DH race (like supercross) already does. That said, your last point definitely provides some hope! I look forward to the day when I can watch live POVs of Jesse and the other guys/gals tearing it up at EWS events.