Video: CathroVision Track Walk - Maribor World Cup DH 2019

Apr 25, 2019
by Ben Cathro  

WE ARE GO! So happy to be back presenting a fresh season of #CathroVision! Track here in Maribor is looking siiiiick!

MENTIONS: @ben-cathro


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110 Comments
  • 229 2
 Ben. Post 6 minutes of footage at 2x speed and we can all use the YouTube players speed controls to play back at 0.5x speed for a cheeky double up!
  • 7 1
 Nice play
  • 4 9
flag watchmen (Apr 25, 2019 at 23:17) (Below Threshold)
 BRINKUK You stole my idea you bum!!!! :o/
  • 1 1
 Good shout this. Or potentially could you just film 3 minutes on track and talk about it off-track a bit like they do in sports at half time.
  • 1 0
 Cather for Prez!!
  • 165 4
 Can I be the first to say fu** Red Bull. Nothing screams money grabbers like their new 3 min rule for on venue footage,

Keep the faith Ben, literally thousands want to see you stuff, Redbull need to stop going on like a rich spoilt brat
  • 39 2
 It’s not even like he competes with any they’re producing either
  • 64 4
 #REDBULL You've just lost a customer if you strangle our beloved content creators. Cathrovision is revered by vast legions of internet fans.
  • 17 68
flag excavator666 (Apr 25, 2019 at 17:32) (Below Threshold)
 They're not strangling anything FFS. They're keeping the content fresh and preventing the event from becoming oversaturated before it even happens.

@endlessblockades I'm sure Red Bull are rushing around re-evaluating their entire business model because of your comment. Or maybe they're too busy being an energy drink company that's schooling the entire established sports media, and they don't even register that 1 mouthpiece detractor like you is making an empty threat not to buy their product anymore?

Now why don't you run off down the shop and buy a can of Red Bull so you can take a deep sip from a very tall glass of "I told you so" whilst you watch the Red Bull UCI DH WC sponsored by Shimano with me?
  • 20 8
 I've yet to drink a red bull and never will.
  • 9 2
 @merlin33: why tiptoe through life only to arrive safely at death?
  • 12 9
 @excavator666:

Hey man, you’re a big dummy.
  • 13 1
 HEY PINKBIKERS, GRAB YER TOURCHES AND PITCHFORKS AND HEAD TO THE REDBULL FACEBOOK PAGE AND RAISE SOME HELL!! Problem solved.
  • 2 0
 @Boardlife69: yeaaaboiii
  • 2 1
 You sir are not it seems , a young foolish drama queen Like a breath of fresh air it's like , What have the Romans ever done for us . Comedy Just enjoy the excellent FREE coverage from RB. I love energy drinks but don't buy RB only due to price , found Lidl's to hit the spot
  • 1 0
 No comment
  • 4 1
 It’s pathetic and impressive that RedBull sees Ben as some sort of competition and feels the need to put a restriction on his coverage. Work a trade. How about a negotiating a RedBull logo into the corner instead of being dicks? This guy is loved because he is grassroots, and tells it in our language.

RedBull should take some notes from Specialized and stop stepping on people’s dicks.
  • 3 0
 Ben misinterpreted the rule, calm down you crazies. Red Bull approached him and confirmed he's not limited to three minutes
  • 1 0
 RedBull put on coverage for free which will probably incur a 7 figure cost between rights staff bandwidth hardware etc. Yes they get marketing value but if they are putting out a large outlay to deliver content for free. It is really a bit ridiculous to have a cry about RedBull trying to recoup some costs or protect the content they provide for free in any way they see fit
  • 2 0
 @powaymatt: This. Any good businessman/woman performs discoveries of how they can partner with soft competition.
  • 98 0
 Dear Red Bull,

We are truly grateful for the support you have provided to the mountain bike community and without you the sport would not have the exposure it now enjoys. As a result of your commitment to the sport we are able to view your excellent coverage, even if we are in a bad timezone (or have a bad hangover) that prevents us from catching the live feed (please note, a replay of the qualifying would also be most appreciated).

However, in the run up to the races, a large proportion of the mountain biking community are eager to understand the course, hear rider opinions and see the line choices, as this makes the race even more enjoyable since we can relate those features to the upcoming race.

Ben Cathro gives us all of this. He is likeable, professional and great to watch. His most recent video (above) had almost 10,000 views within 6 hours and that was just the track walk!

Unfortunately, your current rules have truncated the "in-venue" coverage to only 3 minutes and, frankly this is not enough. The mountain biking community does not understand the logic of this decision:

1. You are not providing any coverage that overlaps with his
2. His coverage increases exposure for the race which increases your viewership
3. It is damaging to the Red Bull brand, as you now appear to be stifling enjoyment of a sport you were once the champion for.

Please take time to listen to your audience and give Ben Cathro more time for live coverage of the sport and for interviewing the riders. Everyone benefits.

Your sincerely,

The Entire Mountain Biking Community
  • 14 0
 Copy and paste here:

energydrink.redbull.com/general-contact-form
  • 4 0
 @discoclint:
Copied, pasted and sent
  • 5 0
 Nicely said
  • 6 0
 Great job laying that out in a well thought out rational way. Instead of the more often used tactic of whining about it like a little bitch.
  • 1 0
 Can you please print this to a Google Drive Doc w fillable signature fields and make those fields-only editable? Perhaps we start an informal petition to RedBallz?
  • 1 0
 @DirtbagMatt: Be my guest dude, I have to catch up on the two hours of work I missed writing it!
  • 71 4
 RedBull ruining Cathrovision, as is becoming tradition. I just don't have much interest in watching faceless names riding an unknown track, which is what the World Cups would be for me without the combination of Cathrovision and WynTV. The track walks and pit chat are so important for my hype and enjoyment of the event that at this point I don't even know if I'll bother staying up past midnight to watch the race on Sunday.
  • 15 0
 Wyn didn’t get the memo !
  • 6 1
 @Nealy: Apparently Cathro is the only one who did, because Finn Iles's one is like 8 minutes too. Maybe racers get special permissions..?

In any case, thanks for the heads up so I can go watch it before RedBull gets it taken down
  • 11 1
 @Preachey this aspect is so important!

Without the behind the scenes interviews, insight & character building as well as Cathro's excellent technical breakdown of line choice etc the live feed would be so much more like me just watching any other sport, a game of 'who the f@k cares' vs 'probably spend half the time laying on the floor' in a game of kicking a ball around for no apparent reason [soccer] for instance.

Without knowing the players and teams in the sport, the televised aspect is greatly lacking.
  • 1 0
 This whole 3 minute thing could be on the same lines as Red Bull banning all of the riders POV footage which was being put on social media at every UCI race.
  • 55 0
 Hey everyone. Had a chat with Red Bull and the UCI. Turns out there was a bit of confusion about the rewording of the video media rule and after some discussion I can make the videos a bit longer. Main lesson to be learnt is I probably should have talked to them before hand. Thanks again for the support everybody ✌️
  • 2 0
 Yea I was wondering why Wyn’s video from the track walk was 11 minutes long.
  • 45 1
 Cathrovision compliments and builds anticpation for the main event. I want to see more of the track and hear Ben's insight on where things are going to shake down. 3 minutes - too short. I'd like to see 10 mins to really appreciate what the track is like and set the context for the next few days.
  • 28 0
 As much as I respect RB for all their sponsorship money in all sorts of sports, I also respect the low budget bloggers / commentators / vloggers for their amassing work and true behind the scene footage. The whole Worldcup circuit benefits from such guys as Cathro as they are able to show independent content, track insights even racer love and they keep the masses chilled before the main venue. @redbull rethink the 3 min rule or give this man a job.
The small independent vloggers do you no harm at all they are the needed addition to your media coverage.
  • 28 2
 I emailed redbull and let them know my disapproval ! if us pinkbikers band together and flood their email and insta posts we can probably get them to remove the three minute rule!!!! COME ON PB LETS DO THIS!!!! for Ben and Wyn and ALL of us!
  • 4 1
 Email sent.
  • 25 1
 A 3 minute rule makes no sense whatsoever. If anything, Red Bull should be paying Cathro for providing his extra (and excellent) coverage that only enhances their event/product. That coverage should be allowed to be as long as possible.
  • 1 0
 Can anyone explain who loses if Cathro goes longer ?
  • 21 0
 It'd be fantastic if Red Bull backed Cathrovision and let Ben go back to making the longer vidoes with more in depth stuff like line choice analysis, just as he did when he started these vdeos, but Red Bull deserve praise for chucking so much money at racing, not criticism or F- Yous.
  • 7 0
 I agree. I could watch the line choice analysis for hours.
  • 24 1
 Red Bull, what are you thinking???

Cathro, keep it up man love the insights...
  • 18 0
 Nothing that pre and post race filmers like Cathro or Wyn do has any negative impact on the live feeds that redbull puts on. They only help to enhance the overall coverage and insight and I think it could be hugely beneficial for Redbull to work with folks like this instead of limiting them. Redbull doesn't put on track analysis or pit chats, nor do I think they should because these guys have much better insights and connections than some redbull filmographer does. Let them do their thing, please stop trying to take away their access especially since it does not have any influence on your live coverage.
  • 1 0
 Is like Inquisitors came back... Would you like to put their stuff on flames??... WTF
  • 18 0
 Give Ben more time to break down riders and features! The third party coverage is what turns a world cup weekend into a proper 'weekend event' rather than just a 2-hour race broadcast. Your average sports fan might be content with a condensed version of the main event, but I think most serious mountain bikers as a whole are hungry for the additional content that helps to understand the size and scale of the features, and the risk/reward of different line choices far beyond what is shown during the broadcast. When Warner is saying "The camera doesn't show it, but this jump is absolutely massive," or "There are only 3 men that have hit this line all week," I want the full inside scoop!- It only enhances the experience. The less pre-race content I check out, the less invested I am in a race, and the more likely I am to just skip through to the riders I like. Finally, if you're really worried about Mr. Cathro outshining your official content then perhaps make him a part of it? Imagine what he could produce with an actual budget... Wink
  • 12 0
 Let the man have whatever time he needs to let the DH fans get a proper appraisal of the venue! Red Bull what is your problem?? Give this dude some respect!!!! He does a great job.
  • 12 0
 Redbull stop being a REDBULLY!!
  • 8 0
 Hey redbull - cathrovision and other supplemental content *significantly* enhance my experience of the content that you put together come race day. With only a handful of events per year, and cases like this where I’m watching a race on a track I’ve never seen live before, cathros insights an analysis are invaluable and make uci dh so much more accessible for new fans. He’s doing free marketing for you and your product, please support his vision! Or at least don’t get in his way with your limitations.
Thanks, keep up the good work!
  • 7 0
 3 minutes? Way to go Red Bull - be the architect of your own demise. I'm 60+, been a fan of downhill since the NORBA days. What Ben provides is well produced, well thought out content that enhances the overall understanding of the track, the lines, the people and the equipment. The reason for the 3-minute limit is, what? This coming from a production company that, at times, has only minimal views of the tracks and riders! Grow up Red Bull, open up, embrace this new video content world.
  • 7 0
 Dear Redbull WTF! You seem to do a good job at choosing athletes to represent your brand yet you fail to see how intelligent, interesting, and enjoyable Ben is for content. Look at other major sports, Ben could be your “sideline reporter” and would unbelievable. Let him do the course preview, let him have more time doing analysis and chatting with the racers. He’s raced WCs, is very knowledgeable and very entertaining. Wake up Redbull.
  • 5 0
 Cathrovision got me more interested in watching the live feed last year. In depth analysis really helped make clear the depth of skill the World Cup riders show us on race weekends which is nearly impossible to see when they are flying down, making it look easy.
  • 5 0
 Gutted that cathrovision is so limited this year, was so good getting in depth line choice, made watching the live feed so much better and more interesting overall event! The track walk here felt so rushed, and hope that redbull can sort cathro out with a hall pass... not fair when it seems like other people are taking the piss with it for mediocre content.
  • 5 0
 The new 3 minute rule very short sighted. The in-depth insight on line choices which Cathro gave, really adds to the event. #REDBULL think about this, shows like Cathro Vision help people learn how to ride better, faster, get into the sport and more likely to see your adverts.
  • 4 0
 More Cathro, less RedBull 1990’s corporate business model monopoly/attitude bullcrap.

Seriously, thats just BS RedBull, you aren’t loosing any money allowing this sort of stuff, in fact, you’d be getting more people amped up for race day.Come on, get with the program, this is such a outdated /backward way of doing things...

Youve just giving me a reason NOT to watch the live feed, will,happily watch some rerun on YouTube just to make sure I dont support this bullshit....

Btw, Im actually enjoying Ben’s video more than the actual race footage, CLEARLY enhanced the whole experience for me.
  • 7 0
 Need more Cathro! 3mins just isn't enough.
  • 4 1
 I heard that redbull gives you the floppy dopper after only 3 minutes. It really is a shame that good content and free redbull adveritiment potential are lost due to some dumb rules. Let the man and his hat nerd out with the rest of us!
  • 5 0
 Redbull you are a bunch of fucking sharks. You are worth millions let the guy do his videos you fucking filthy rich douche bags
  • 3 0
 i also just emailed red bull, please everyone email them and voice your frustration, this is pretty serious, if enforced it would all but make the process of doing world cup vids ( witch is obviously a huge amount of work for ben cathro) not worth it since three minutes is really not enough time. And especially when two other vids are showing more time than 3 minutes. Witch REALLY takes it to another level, I mean its not fun to feel bullied and i dont how else you would describe this treatment.
  • 3 0
 in response to orient dave, yes thats obviously whats probably happening. The problem is that doing that hurts redbull biggest brand asset, witch is the sort of extreme sports enthusiasm that redbull has become synonymous for. And not just for slapping their logo on an event but instead actively engage in nurturing and growing and even in some cases creating a sport. Its that genuine sort of approach that redbull has taken that i think is way their brand resonates with so many people. Their literally helping sports and the athletes that compete in them, witch is why in my opinion them doing this to ben only hurts their brand, and makes them look less like the cool action sports community company and more like dicks.
  • 4 0
 That's it Red Bull! I'm not drinking your stuff anymore and I'm going to spend 3 minutes everyday telling people not to drink it either. Let's hope this situation gets sorted out. Long Live Cathro!
  • 3 0
 Professional sports have a many shows going on around to analysis and comment pre-game in order to attract more spectator. A well inform and educated spectator is a trusty spectator for all the events. I'm a WC geek for about 20 years now and I've watched all live feed and videos since. I always dig for info/media on net. This sport is getting mainstream and I can legit say that Ben is a top class connaisseur and his "pre-game show analysis" get me exited. So It's fair to say that it helps all the new fan exited too for sure and appreciated the different dance from all these downhill WC racer.
  • 8 2
 I think its time to start drinking monster Smile
  • 14 0
 The true answer is beer...
  • 6 2
 They’re both trash. Drink water
  • 1 0
 I think it's fair to say that red bull is the devil's piss and monster is Beelzebub's ball sweat, or perhaps it's the other way round
  • 4 0
 Hey Red Bull, watching Cathrovision videos actually get me more excited to watch the live feed than before. I've watched more of the actual races because of it.
  • 2 0
 Ben could you make multiple videos per day, having multiple parts, and then each video having 3 minute of footage?

Ps: Or RedBull just give all of those creators more time so we all don’t have to be pissed off at you, if anything these videos bring excitement and make me want to watch the live-streams more!
  • 2 0
 Cathrovison add a layer of tech and info that makes world cup worth watching. Without it it would be the same shitty camera angels over and over without the context to understand what they are riding and why i should care. Thanks ben. Redbull suck it long and suck it hard
  • 1 0
 Without companies like Red Bull events like this would't happen, certainly not with the level of prestige and coverage that we see right now! Nobody does this out of the goodness of their heart, the UCI have to make it worth investing in or the money dries up and then the sport dies!!
  • 3 0
 Come on, Red Bull! Stop limiting the mans creativity. Ben Cathro's track walks are the absolute best. Give the people what they want!!!
  • 2 1
 after watching your video, i am definitely going to watch the redbull live feed. although i wish your video could be a little longer so you could describe more of what i will be watching on the live feed. i also saw you mention redbull many times which made me think about and purchase some redbull for some rides tomorrow. thanks!
  • 1 0
 Having followed downhill since the mid 90's, IMO what we have now is way better media than ever before. That's not to say it's perfect. I used to have to wait until the start of the month for MBUK to come out so I could read the results in a magazine, and any actual footage was like gold dust. One thing I don't quite understand is why other people (Wyn TV for example) seem to get away with much longer track walk edits. Is that because he is a rider as well as a media guy? Keep up the excellent work Ben.
  • 1 0
 Ben, your track analysis adds a huge amount of insight in to the difficulty of the track, where riders can get hung up, and gives viewers more information to recognise where the riders are on the track, which adds to the excitement when you know where a rider is on track at any given point in the race. Also seeing different line choices and which riders go for them adds to the viewing experience. Most of of us are interested in the more technical elements of the riding, its not just going fast down a mountain. I am disgusted that Redbull would even think about something like this as being detrimental and requiring some corporate restrictions, money money money is all they seem to care about, I was very happy when Redbull where helping to promote the sport and get it out on TV for everyone and raising its profile, but they have to remember its roots and what its fans want.

Remind them of that please!!!!

I hope you get more time to provide us with more track info for the next round. Have you offered to do their course preview now that Claudio isn't up for it any longer?

Keep the pressure on them and keep producing excellent content
  • 1 0
 Great content, I particularly like the snap shots at the side while you're chatting away. Also, big thumbs up to roots n rain, been using it for years. Ps Red Bull, your rule will stifle coverage of mountain biking, which I would think is the opposite of what you want. Folks like Ben are never going to be in a position to compete with you, but the more folks out there promoting mountain biking to the masses, is more folk tuning into your official footage - everyone is a winner. Let's not talk about the seriously negative coverage you're getting as a result of this badly thought through idea!
  • 1 0
 Want a crook of sh*t Red Bull. Love Wyn TV for the personalities and Cathro Vision for the technical track and gear talk. This is all part of the build up to watching the live feed, if you start hamstringing with 3min limits I doubt I’ll be as amped to bother watching the whole race feed.
  • 1 0
 Ben Castro is definitely producing the best on track series. If Red Bull could see their way to putting him on officially it would really be something. I don't think could replace their Riders and their product in his presentation but they could also get the positive product image they want. Big fan of Ben cathro plus the rider's like to talk to him. It's fun to see the Riders pullover and ask his opinion about a section of Trail.
  • 1 0
 This is the best idea a viewer ever gets of the actual track. How steep it is, how deep those rollers are... How is that not valuable to event on the day and the live feed. For a forward thinking media company, Red Bull sure is behaving like the opposite.
  • 2 0
 Come on Redbull, Cathrovision has become essential viewing to thousands of viewers of your excellent World Cup coverage, you should be paying Ben not severely limiting him!
  • 1 0
 Redbull should be sponsoring you to do what ever you like for how ever long you like mate. It actually makes the comunity think less of corporations when they make up bullshit rules like this.
  • 1 0
 Redbull are threatened by content created by a big mad Scottish guy! As sour as this 3-minute rule is I'd take it as a compliment. Keep up the good work Cathro and STICK IT TO THE MAN!!
  • 1 0
 Darkthrone just released a song called The Hardship of the Scots the other day, but it's not nearly miserable-sounding enough!
  • 3 0
 Ben did a great job promoting the issue. I think the comment section is proving this. Enjoy your track talk
  • 2 0
 Hey Redbull, when someone is making content at their own expense, that gets more people to watch your live stream... maybe don't handcuff them.
  • 1 0
 i'm totally in favour to an officially, Red Bull sanctioned, 20 minutes after race Ben specials. Let him handle the technical analysis of EVERYTHING, and keep claudio and rob to do the live commentary. that would be nice.
  • 2 0
 What’s their interest in keeping his videos short? (Sorry if it’s obvious but I don’t get it.)
  • 9 1
 Advertisers (Red Bull) pay large sums ($$$$$$$$$) to get exclusive rights to events (World Cups).

In this way, for example, Budweiser paid large amounts so that only the name of their beer was sold in stadiums or seen on TV during the football World Cup. When Dutch fans turned up all wearing T-shirts / dresses given away by a Dutch beer company, Fifa had them thrown out because, well, Budweiser had paid to own the image rights.
www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/7830319/World-Cup-2010-Police-arrest-women-in-Dutch-orange-dresses.html

Red Bull have paid a lot of hard cash. Ben Cathro and all the other non-official video bloggers have paid significantly less, let us assume. Red Bull want some exclusivity from their investment.

So, the contract with the UCI may mean they could choose to give Ben and others zero minutes... we are lucky to get the 3 minutes; it will remain the same until someone convinces RB that:

1) There are a lot of people (me for one), who don't watch any of the build-up / analysis / post-chat except for Ben Cathro, because his content is far and away the most insightful and informative on the circuit.

2) Giving Ben Cathro more time to show official site footage would increase exposure of the RB brand. (However, if they give BC more time, would they have to give everyone more time...? Probably yes, and that defeats the object of paying for exclusivity)

3) Ben obviously wants to help RB promote their products; he says so directly here and has been for a significant time. RB would get brand enhancement within their target groups. (Me for one; just so you know RB, I stopped drinking RB about 2/3 years ago as a matter of principal. Who knows, I might start again if RB gave BC more time...)
  • 3 0
 @orientdave: Thanks! I figured it was something along those lines.
  • 1 0
 @orientdave: Truth.
  • 2 0
 Can Monster sponsor Cathro? still good vid great to see and hear an outside view of the track
  • 3 0
 How can I send Ben $50 to pay for a meal on the road ?
  • 3 0
 www.patreon.com/CathroVision
  • 1 0
 I'm sure the people at Red Bull who care about the sport know very well how silly this 3min rule is, so please speak up to the corporate guys at your company.
  • 2 0
 Just get a massive Telephoto Lens so you can do line choice from a few kilometres away
  • 1 0
 Redbull I appreciate all you've done for the sport but variety is the spice of life. It's just gets us more stoked. This is a silly idea!
  • 1 0
 Dear Redbull, Give Ben C more time!!! His race insight makes race day more interesting!! Thanks P
  • 3 0
 RED BULL BLOWS
  • 2 0
 Give him a job or give him more time!
  • 1 0
 Multi multi million concern Red Bull has a problem with miniscule Ben Cathro? How shallow and pityful is that???
  • 1 1
 Im ok with RedBull rules, whatever it takes to keep them happy-without them, the whole house of cards falls. So stop bitchin and moaning Ben.
  • 1 0
 I say they give Ben a Redbull/Cathrovision cap to wear during the segments and everyone's happy.
  • 2 0
 Crack a monny!!!!!
  • 1 0
 Come on it’s not like he’s drinking a can of monster
  • 4 3
 Was still a good video even with the 3 minute rule, props to cathro.
  • 2 1
 Keep it up Ben great coverage. Redbull get it sorted!!
  • 1 0
 @endlessblockades: big agree
  • 2 0
 Drink water.
  • 2 0
 Cathro > RedBull
  • 2 1
 Come on redbull!
  • 3 2
 not cool REDBULL!







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