World Cup DH Semi-Finals & Enduro Given UCI World Cup Status for 2023

Dec 16, 2022
by Ed Spratt  
photo

The UCI and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) have announced that from 2023 Enduro and E-enduro will be added to the World Cup calendar and there will be a semi-final event at DH World Cups.

It seems like there will be some big changes coming next year with the EWS being given UCI World Cup Status and becoming known as UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup (EDR) as it is brought to a similar level as DH and XC. Alongside the changes for Enduro, the UCI press release also lists some big changes for DH racing, U23 XCC racing and the long-needed inclusion of Junior racing broadcasts.

bigquotesThe UCI Mountain Bike World Cup has been delighting athletes and fans for more than 30 years with multiple rounds being held worldwide throughout the season. I am thrilled that this international series will also include enduro, E-enduro and cross-country marathon from 2023. These formats will add a new dimension to the reinvigorated series that is taking the mountain bike discipline to even greater heights.

Also thanks to our partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, the spectacular downhill racing will benefit from greater exposure that will enchant existing fans and attract new audiences. I cannot wait to witness this new extended UCI Mountain Bike World Cup from 2023.— UCI President David Lappartient

bigquotesMountain Bike racing has reached an incredible level over the past few years and this evolution of the rule book will allow the sport to change gear again and accelerate towards an exciting new future, celebrating the sport in all its forms.

With more racing in short track and a new semi-final in downhill, fans will be treated to more action than ever. The awarding of UCI World Cup status for enduro, E-enduro and cross-country marathon will also put a greater spotlight on these incredible mountain bike formats and allow us to both push the front end of racing whilst maintaining amateur participation at many of our events.

Along with the UCI, we believe these changes will help broaden the appeal of mountain biking and enhance the race experience for athletes, teams and fans alike.— Chris Ball, CEO of ESO Sports


EWS is now EDR

First up in some of the biggest racing changes we have seen in years is the EWS now becoming known as the UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup (EDR). The change will mean that top-level Enduro racing will now feature alongside the XC, XCC, DH and XCM World Cup races.

With the change comes a switch-up in format with every race now being held on a single day and featuring a new points system. There isn't a ton of details on the points system in the press release but it does say that there will be points given for each timed special stage. An overall classification will be decided on these points and for the last stage, the start order will be switched up based on the point rankings, meaning the rider with the most points will be setting off last. It does say that the winner will still be decided on the overall recorded times for the special stages.

E-Enduro (E-EDR) has also been given World Cup status and from the press release, it sounds like it will be following the same ideas while also adding technical climbs to the courses.


Format changes to the DH World Cups

Also included in the UCI and WBD's announcements is a new format and some long-awaited inclusion for the DH World Cups.

The biggest change will be the addition of a semi-final set between qualification and finals, with the top 60 Elite Men and top 15 Elite Women from qualifying. Semi-finals will be broadcasted and the press release says this will means riders outside the top 30 Men and top 10 Women will get broadcast time. From the semi-finals, the top 30 Elite Men and 10 Elite Women will move to the finals to get another shot on track and each of the 40 runs will be shown in their entirety live.

The Junior racing will also see some changes including qualifying being added to the Women's racing and both categories will be broadcasted for the first time.


Alongside this big update on the state of racing next year the press release adds that a full calendar for the 2023 World Cups will be published next week. An updated list of rules and regulations starting on January 1 2023 has been published by the UCI here.


Original Press Release from the UCI

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) are pleased to announce that the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be further extended from 2023 with the introduction of enduro and E-enduro to the calendar. This follows the recent announcement of the addition of cross-country marathon (XCM) to the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

The existing Enduro World Series (EWS) is elevated to UCI World Cup status and will feature alongside cross-country Olympic (XCO), cross-country short track (XCC) downhill (DHI) and XCM. All enduro events on the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be one-day events.

Enduro (EDR) racing comprises several timed Special Stages - predominantly downhill - and Liaison Stages to reach the start of each Special Stage. On each Special Stage, riders start individually at regular intervals, with all their recorded times added up to decide the winner. To reach the start of each of the Special Stages, riders cover Liaison Stages either by bike or with mechanical assistance (chair lifts, trucks etc). Liaison Stages are not timed but riders must reach the start of the following Special Stage within an allocated time.

New at each round of enduro racing at the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be a points system for each timed Special Stage. An overall classification according to points won will decide the order of riders for the last Special Stage, with the rider who has accumulated most points setting off last.

E-Enduro (E-EDR) follows the same principle but the courses will be slightly different, including challenging technical climbs suited to the attributes of an enduro E-mountain bike.

The integration of enduro and E-enduro into the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup is another development for the discipline since the UCI’s partnership with ESO Sports and Discovery Sports Events, two of WBD’s specialist sport organisations. The integration of XCM into the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup programme and the introduction of Under 23 categories for the XCC were announced in September.

Another enhancement to the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup from 2023 will be increased screen time for the Elite downhill competitions thanks to the introduction, at each downhill round, of a semi-final between the qualification and final. Featuring the top 60 Elite Men and top 15 Elite Women from qualifying, the downhill semi-final will see men outside the top 30 and women outside the top 10 enjoy broadcast coverage for the first time.

Forty Elite riders (30 men and 10 women) will qualify for the final, where the goal is to broadcast each of the 40 runs in their entirety live on WBD platforms.

In addition, thanks to the increased participation of Junior Women, a qualifying run will be introduced for this category, with the fastest 10 proceeding to the final. The Men Junior and Women Junior competitions will also be broadcast for the first time.

The amendments to the UCI Regulations for mountain bike which will come into force on 1st January 2023 can be consulted on the UCI website.

The full calendar of the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will be published next week.

UCI President David Lappartient said: “The UCI Mountain Bike World Cup has been delighting athletes and fans for more than 30 years with multiple rounds being held worldwide throughout the season. I am thrilled that this international series will also include enduro, E-enduro and cross-country marathon from 2023. These formats will add a new dimension to the reinvigorated series that is taking the mountain bike discipline to even greater heights.

“Also thanks to our partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, the spectacular downhill racing will benefit from greater exposure that will enchant existing fans and attract new audiences. I cannot wait to witness this new extended UCI Mountain Bike World Cup from 2023.”

Chris Ball, CEO of ESO Sports, added: “Mountain Bike racing has reached an incredible level over the past few years and this evolution of the rule book will allow the sport to change gear again and accelerate towards an exciting new future, celebrating the sport in all its forms.

“With more racing in short track and a new semi-final in downhill, fans will be treated to more action than ever. The awarding of UCI World Cup status for enduro, E-enduro and cross-country marathon will also put a greater spotlight on these incredible mountain bike formats and allow us to both push the front end of racing whilst maintaining amateur participation at many of our events.

“Along with the UCI, we believe these changes will help broaden the appeal of mountain biking and enhance the race experience for athletes, teams and fans alike.”



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282 Comments
  • 173 10
 Long live the Vanzacs as last unofficial world champs!

WTF- e-bikes have added to the circuit without any standardization of motors, ballast and monitoring procedures (i.e. motor output monitoring) to prevent cheaters. Sounds ripe for a totally meaningless event which can't be called a competition.
  • 173 12
 Stop trying to make E-racing happen UCI.
  • 28 5
 they trust the spirit of E-enduro
  • 27 6
 Yeah - it's great marketing for the manufacturers and a decent test platform, but as a serious competition it's a bit of a joke. Although Josh Bryceland says he's gonna have a go, so I'll probably watch lol
  • 33 1
 This only exists to keep the sponsors happy. Ebikes are worth big money to them so want them raced
  • 30 17
 I'm tempted to say you can ignore it if you want. But I won't: that would be too rational and too many people enjoy reveling in their own discomfort about certain things they're not into. See the ridiculous efforts to challenge equal marriage rights for a more extreme example of this very phenomenon.
  • 2 0
 I think there is a race to see who will get the E-Bike races, will it be the UCI or a moto sanctioning body like AMA. GNCC's here in the US already have e-bike races. I agree they need to have a motor check to make sure it has not been compromised but it is still new and there will be a lot of learning as we go on. Even Moto's have app's to change the mapping on the dirt bikes, so there can be cheating anywhere.
  • 1 0
 @chakaping:
  • 6 0
 Im just happy the batteries are internally routed.
  • 29 13
 You'd think that the UCI was going to break into peoples houses, prop their eyes open in Clockwork Orange style, and force them to watch E bike racing.

Don't like it? Don't watch. I know I won't.
The constant bitching and moaning about everything E bike related is getting pretty tired at this point.
  • 7 12
flag jokermtb FL (Dec 16, 2022 at 8:17) (Below Threshold)
 @Clownshoe: putting the E in enduro! These e-bike crybabies are onerous....and I don't even have an ebike!
  • 8 1
 If you standardize battery capacity you effectively solve the motor output problem. Want to mod your motor to output 30% more power? Go for it but your battery is gonna be dead by the 3rd stage or climb or whatever.
  • 10 1
 So it will be just like the Tour de France
  • 2 0
 Do the uphill sections count in timing for an E-Enduro race?
  • 4 7
 @thingswelike: Josh 'sellout' bryceland? no thanks
  • 1 0
 @browner: he moved from SC to C'dale, so no sell out, still in Pon Holdings Smile
  • 2 0
 @ajaxwalker: if with "uphill sections" you are referring to the link stage then no. But there are indeed several timed sections on the EWS-E, the ones called "Power Stages", usually 2 or 3 on a full day of racing. These are usually short punchy technical climbing sections that you will not even dream on pedaling up on a normal bike. Length and ascent varies but these sections are around 200-400meter long and climb around +50meters
  • 2 3
 @BenPea: Thank you,
I’m not sure I understand the clown who get their parties in a bunch about a few people racing electric mopeds around in the woods. Is there nothing else that you can do with her miserable lives than bitch about people out having a good time.

Absolute muffin stumps, the lot of you
  • 1 0
 @chakaping: But politics.
  • 2 0
 @Clownshoe: First covid shots, now e-bike viewership. Television is a form of addiction... you don't believe China would contract WHO to push e-bikes through the UCI, in order to boost exports, using Covid as an endless excuse to indoctrinate the world into their globalist dependency agenda?? (Alex Jones voice)
  • 87 5
 I don’t understand everyone “boycotting” this. If you enjoy the racing watch it. This is all we get whether you like it or not. More broadcast time for more riders means those riders are more likely to gain support from companies looking for airtime.

It’s not going to be the same as it was obviously so get that out of your heads, but don’t write it off just because it’s not.

I still want to go to races live and I can’t do that if there aren’t any races
  • 31 11
 Except this is not "all we get whether you like it or not". This wasn't some natural change that was brewing for a long time. World cup downhill, despite some flaws, was almost perfect. Then the profit seeking powers at be decided to change it.

I won't be boycotting the racing because i enjoy it too much, but of course boycotting this would lead to it being changed. Supply and demand.
  • 15 1
 I have to wonder if the new DH riders union was brought into the conversation regarding the new DH racing rules.
  • 13 14
 @mtbcyclist: Yes it was, everyone knew when the current contract to broadcast the current format was coming to its end. That contract was a fully commercial contract that was profit driven. Dont for a second think RB broadcast this for anything other than pure commercial reasons. Another profit making big business out bid another big profit making business thats all. Yes its a real shame Rob Warner wont be commentating but that again is his choice as to who he wants to work for, assuming he had the option with WB.
  • 15 1
 @CM999: I'm under no illusion that RedBull wasn't broadcasting DH to turn a profit. That being said, what it developed into was a great product and RedBull wanted to carry on broadcasting. The UCI could have recognized this. They could have looked at the races in Fort William or Lourdes and decided that downhill in it's current form doesn't need to be changed, but they chased profits and settled with the highest bidder. Of course, that's the nature of business, but it sucks when it will potentially ruin something you've been enjoying for years.
  • 16 3
 @mtbcyclist: “almost perfect” seems a bit generous to me. I loved watching DH races, but you would only see more than 50% or the run per each rider if you were lucky, and often times the race was won or lost in the sections you couldn’t see. I hope they keep this format for the semi-finals, but I’m hoping the finals will allow for more of each run to be shown. Saying this that this is a profit chasing and sport ruining move is a pretty bleak outlook on a change that I think is pretty exciting. There’s no getting around the fact that Rob will be missed though.
  • 6 6
 @CM999: but.. but.. Red Bull just wanted to show dh racing out of the goodness of their heart.
Finally somebody with some sense in here
  • 2 13
flag jokermtb FL (Dec 16, 2022 at 8:18) (Below Threshold)
 same people boycotting are the ones who probably protest favorite pronoun exclusions....
  • 1 0
 @CM999: amazing what profit brings us, huh!
  • 1 0
 @schwaaa31:
The “Riders Union” is clearly weak and has no pull. Certain people talked about it but no one was stepping up to be a real leader. Unions only work with good leadership and all the workers behind it.
  • 1 0
 @lenvillethe3rd: unions only work in very small, specialized industries....like Professional WC MTB DH.

the other thing they need, is for at least 80% of all the workers(riders, pit crew, teams) to be ABSOLUTELY be willing to walk away and not do it unless their demands are met, as well as those demands being able to be met by the people paying the bills. I have watched lots of unions demand absurd things, go on strike, and the business just fire everyone and hire non union because the demands were contrary to the business making a profit.
  • 69 8
 Chris Ball selling out his own sport is a story that could use a closer look.
  • 6 3
 For real.
  • 5 2
 The almighty dollar was calling
  • 8 5
 He’s just gettin his bag can’t fault the man
  • 7 0
 Prior to EWS Chris Ball was a UCI Technical Delegate. EWS formation bascially rode the wave of rampant anti-UCI race regulation during that time, and it turned out to be pretty fun and then went very pro. Nine years to come full circle...
www.cyclingnews.com/news/enduro-world-series-announced-for-2013
  • 11 0
 If the sport had some real investigative journalism, I think we would see some interesting things uncovered here. David Walsh still in the game?
  • 3 0
 @yakimonti: Yeah, but he sold out to the Sky team. Money rules all, apparently.
  • 4 0
 @eddieclarkmedia: And before that, he was a rider who protested and stood up for riders when conditions were unsafe.

Perhaps he believes he's effecting change from the inside, but with the UCI it's more like accepting a dance with the devil.
  • 5 0
 He stated from the very beginning when he left UCI to start EWS that was the plan. There should be no shock in this happening.
  • 1 0
 Or the UCI have been getting nervous over the last few years. DH is on the up but you never want completion. Keep friends close and enemies closer. In this case part of the team!
  • 3 0
 @Tombola27: I mean, mountain bike racing is doing well, perhaps, but the glory days (and the money) was in the 90s. I'm not sure salaries will ever match what some of the riders made back then.
  • 1 0
 @yakimonti: nope got caught writing bad checks
  • 68 9
 That's all, folks.
  • 21 1
 Has anyone told the teams?
  • 47 4
 Am I the only one that doesn't see this as a bad thing? Seems like they are putting in a lot of effort so even if it doesnt work in 2023 with the new format that same effort will probably be guided back towards the original format.
  • 12 0
 @Henryd555: More coverage (junior and semi) is good. New format might be better, time will tell. But the main concern (for us fans) is still where the coverage will be streamed, how quality it is, and if it costs.
  • 7 0
 @Henryd555: I mean, coverage is a big deal to riders and sponsors too. If live stream goes paywalled and viewership is 80% less than before then the value of sponsoring a team is thus reduced.
  • 6 0
 @Henryd555: I'm also a bit torn about this. As a general life rule, I like to give people a chance before I start to be really negative about them. Which was my take when Outside bought PB and CyclingTips and pretty much every other cycling site. And look how that turned out. I truly hope that they can grow the audience and make for a good experience, but I can tell you that the Discovery+ streaming app is the absolute WORST streaming service I have (I only subscribe for Mythbusters and Battlebots. Yes, I'm a nerd), so I am not confident in their ability to provide the stoke and love that our sport has existed on for so long. Here's hoping they can prove us all wrong and be awesome.
  • 4 0
 @wako29: Ray Billings Tombstone still probably my favorite in battlebots
  • 11 5
 @kcy4130: it should cost money. We all bitch and moan about riders not getting paid enough and then refuse to pay to watch them. I know, I know that’s not how the money flows directly but the more money is put into the sport the higher the athletes will get paid.
  • 10 2
 @wako29: Red Bull streaming was terrible too. The on screen display cutting out, no split times, audio cutting out, the broadcast page spoiling results if you aren’t watching live, there were so many issues. I’ll miss Rob Warner, a lot, but Red Bull isn’t some peachy for the people company. They have a hold on the extreme sports market that they really don’t have the means to back up and support properly. More money will be put into the sport, DH racing will hopefully be brought out of a niche market, and maybe these athletes will finally get paid what they deserve
  • 6 1
 @olafthemoose: I wouldn't mind paying for it if it's high quality coverage, but if it's poorly done and has loads of ads, then I probably won't. We'll see.
  • 8 0
 @Henryd555: the UCI hasn’t exactly proven itself to be anywhere near competent so I definitely understand the skepticism
  • 4 1
 @olafthemoose: Agreed, everyone complains that the riders dont get paid enough buut as soon as you mention actually paying to watch the show people go nuts. Thats why athletes in mainstream sports get paid so much. People pay to watch, whether it be through buying tickets or paying for the cable/streaming subscription to watch the games on TV.

I have no problem paying for coverage of the world cups, as long as its a fair price and I'm not forced to buy some expensive package of other garbage I have no interest in.
  • 1 1
 @olafthemoose: I mean supercross is broadcast for nearly free on cable tv?
  • 4 1
 @kokofosho: Your cable is free? Where in the united states do you live?
  • 3 0
 @kokofosho: maybe in the states but it's around $150 for the season in Canada. with sketchy production quality the past past few seasons, lots of technical issues.
  • 1 0
 @Henryd555: Agreed. I'm honestly happy they are shaking things up.
  • 2 0
 @kcy4130: @sino428 and anyone else on this thread--let's get down to brass tacks then. *How much* are you willing to pay to watch a race?

I'm not a 'downhill guy' so to speak, but I do find myself watching a race recap from time to time. The interviews in the pits, the atmosphere.. or the more in-depth stuff following a certain rider through the season (Cathro, etc), it's cool to see. However, in its current form, I wouldn't spend a dime to watch a DH race so if they go to a pay model, I'll just skip it. How much would you feel comfortable paying per race or for the whole season?

In terms of a product (DH racing and the televised coverage of it), it seems they are in this sort of no-mans land. Line of thinking 1: If the fan base was larger, perhaps they could then justify allotting the resources needed to raise the level of the broadcasts--more angles, more of the course covered, better structuring of riders, and then charging for the better product. Line of thinking 2: They invest to make a better product, hoping it will draw people to the sport. More interest = more paying customers.

I don't see pouring funding into DH racing coverage as a good investment opportunity at this time. IMO what is more likely to happen is that an entity who controls access to racing coverage will start charging for that access, but without having done anything to improve the quality of the content--I get the sense that is what most people fear will happen. If a better product can be presented in terms of organization, coverage, and access, it seems more people would see the *value* in paying for something like that.
  • 1 0
 @kokofosho: ideally, so will dh racing now.
  • 2 0
 @mikealive: it’s likely dh racing will be broadcast on live tv and cable soon, just like moto and ski racing. It’s extremely likely that there will be broadcast issues in the first season. I don’t care about that. What we are looking at here is twice the broadcasted racing, which means a hell of a lot more exposure, and I’m sure ads, which brings more money into the sport ultimately ending up in the pockets of the riders. With the riders union formed I’m very hopeful for the future of dh racing.
  • 68 25
 Preparing myself for $hit commentary, a paywall, and NO WARNER!!! Fu¢k the UCI, and the 2023 Discovery New Format horse it rode in on.
#makedownhillredbullagain
  • 156 3
 No Warner? From what I understand, they now have him and his brother.
  • 11 2
 @BEERandSPOKES The BEER has SPOKE N
  • 4 0
 @vinay: Harry, Sam, Albert and Jack? I don't think they'll be great commentators to be honest, although even dead people might be better than some of the options I've heard floated!
  • 1 0
 @vinay: Hahahaha. Well played.
  • 2 3
 @vinay: As in being held for ransom for redbull money maybe. Where's this link?
  • 5 1
 @BEERandSPOKES: whoooosh. Look at the bottom right of the graphic!
  • 2 0
 @vinay: took me a second, but this is truly a fantastic comment
  • 47 6
 I was kinda hoping they would drop E-EWS.... It's a gimmicky joke. Never had the best riders, nor likely ever will. It's just not a world cup level event. At least not yet anyways.
  • 9 1
 I agree but I guess bike companies want it for $$$$ and sales
  • 10 0
 UCI-level E-EWS is like when a company hires the CEO's kid straight out of college as a VP.
  • 44 3
 If they’ve got time to do a semi final with full coverage, why not just make that the final? No point making the folk in the top 30 go again.
  • 13 0
 My guess is that will be 30sec or 1min intervals. Whereas they are promising full runs for the final so 4 or 5 min intervals.
  • 5 13
flag Istillneedstabilisers FL (Dec 16, 2022 at 2:50) (Below Threshold)
 Do they though? From what I'm reading, if you qualify in the Top 30, your in Sunday's final. Then they need another 10 riders to make up the final forty for Sunday. The next 30 that didn't make Sunday's cut get another chance to be in that 10 riders. I don't know if that makes anymore sense then the Press Release. Sorry.
  • 3 0
 @Istillneedstabilisers: I didn't read it like that. Unless you have any inside info. The Semi-final is described as "Featuring the top 60 Elite Men and top 15 Elite Women from qualifying"
  • 22 0
 I'm going through the updated rules at the moment and it seems that the top 60 Men and 15 Women from qualifying go through to the semi-final. Then the top 30 Men and 10 Women in the semi-final will go through to finals.
  • 54 1
 with times so tight and talent so deep, I can't help but think that adding another race to the weekend will increase injuries a fair amount.
  • 5 0
 @Istillneedstabilisers: No the 40 riders is top 30 men and top 10 women for the finals giving 40 riders coming down the hill
  • 1 0
 @Istillneedstabilisers: If that's the case it could be a cool addition, but it's not how I read it
  • 14 0
 @edspratt: So you have to qualify twice to get into the finals? just feels like a half way step to getting rid of top 60 all together without upsetting everyone in one big swoop, if they get proof not many people are watching the semi (which lets be honest is likely as final 30 x 4min runs will be 2 hours without watching the semi) then it gives them an excuse to drop riders to 30.
  • 4 0
 @Istillneedstabilisers: 10 ladies + 30 men = 40 riders Wink
  • 6 0
 @maglor: Yeah it sounds like it's just two qualifying rounds, but with semi-finals being broadcasted.

"The top 60 men elite and top 15 women elite from the qualifying round qualify for the
semi-final.

The top 30 men elite and top 10 women elite from the semi-finals qualify for the final."

There's also a new protected rider system as well so some riders will be safe for finals.
  • 29 6
 @edspratt: I think it's really not sensible to put riders through two race runs. Given how technical and dangerous courses have become, I see this as an unnecessary risk. Besides, the thrill of a DH race day kind of lies in the fact that a rider has one shot and it's all or nothing
  • 22 0
 @hardtailpunter: I agree that is definitely a big issue as well as additional track degradation with the extra runs.

While finals have always been all or nothing you still needed to qualify to get there, semi-finals just add an extra step. It could reward more consistent riders as you need to perform three times instead of two but it's tough to say until we get to see the format in action.
  • 6 0
 Turns out I didn't read the press release properly! Apologies!
  • 5 0
 It also says broadcast (for semi final, and junior races) not live broadcast. Only for finals do they used the term "live". So might just be a highlight show put out later or something along those lines. Like what disco did for ews in the past.
  • 2 5
 You tell them ! Lol ,,, maybe ask them for a job at the same time so you could do it better
  • 2 0
 @edspratt: This is my thought too with the new format - it will reward more consistent riders. They may need to turn the speed dial down from 11/10's to 10 or 9 to win overall, which will likely be safer (from injuries) for them over the course of a race weekend.
  • 3 0
 @NoGrip61: once one person starts risking it, the rest will follow
  • 1 0
 @oatkinso: yup
  • 4 5
 @hardtailpunter:
Counterpoint: increased track time will reduce risks because they'll be more familiar with the course at race speed.

These are professional athletes, they can handle it. I'd be excited to spend more time on track!
  • 3 0
 @Mngnt: doesn't this format mean less track time? They're taking time out of the schedule, which would normally be filled with practice, for semi-finals. Unless they're adding another day on at the start or something.
  • 4 0
 The reality is that everyone would be happy if they would just cover the finals and the most important part of the weekend, which is of course timed training
  • 2 0
 @hardtailpunter: the top guys will only have to ride at training speeds to make the semi. Don’t forget they train and ride all the time. The risk is always there. Yes race pace is higher and more dangerous. This adds a layer of complexity and calculation to the race as well. So you have to be smart not just go balls out 3 times. I like it. More to watch, and more track time for the riders. These tracks are going to be gnarly with the added runs too. The best guys want rough tracks to separate the times. Everyone is fast on a smooth track.
  • 1 0
 Basically another race run for atheletes to crash on and tracks to get more fuked up on.
  • 41 5
 Can't help but think that with the addition of a semi final run, and therefore another relatively flat out run, that there will be even more injuries than what we see already. 3 full pace runs on a track like VDS is objectively too much.
  • 16 22
flag CM999 (Dec 16, 2022 at 4:31) (Below Threshold)
 I disagree. I think it’s ridiculous that protected riders have to only do 8 full pace laps a year to call it season done. Thats not a lot of racing really
  • 10 1
 @CM999: 8 laps at that pace is pretty dangerous, not to mention that they are also doing qualy which is still almost full pace.
  • 9 0
 @CM999: that's not the case though? Because points are on offer for qualies, it inevitably is raced fast. No one uninjured is going easy in qualies. And now there's "semi-finals" with points on offer and again, it'll inevitably be raced fast.

It's one of the most dangerous sports in the world which is why it's such a spectacle. But more race-runs = more crashes.
  • 16 0
 @CM999: Counterpoint Id rather see them add more events than do 3 laps on the same one.
  • 2 0
 @CM999: if your theory was right, then each race we'd see the top 20 protected riders qualify in 40th to 60th place. But that's not the case, is it?
  • 1 0
 With that logic do you not want more rounds? Should we have 3 races because 3 race runs is safer than 8? It's a dangerous sport, as long as course design isn't sketch (thinking of 2021 les gets drop and 2022 Andorra wood bridge) more runs is more air time and more racing. If there's more opportunity for points than maybe there's less desire to risk it all on one run.
  • 26 0
 EDR what's that stand for? Erectile Dysfunction Remedy?
  • 13 0
 I don't understand this change, not needed. EWS is known, and we know what it stands for; Enduro World Series.
EDR - Enduro D.......R....... doesn't mean anything.
  • 15 0
 EnDuRo I think. Dunno what was wrong with EWS
  • 11 2
 can we please start calling bikes with batteries ED-bikes?
  • 1 0
 Maybe it makes sense in another language? Or maybe EDR just rolls off the tongue easier for announcers?
  • 1 3
 @mtb-jon: Copyright of EWS
  • 2 0
 @Starch-Anton: Or why not EWC, Enduro World Cup?
  • 2 0
 @yoimaninja: FIA EWC Endurance world championship I think would have first dibs on that acronym?
  • 2 0
 Rolls off the tongue...EDrrrrrr.
  • 1 0
 @theboypanda: It's the WEC.......EWC Is the motorcycle version. However, EnduroGP, was previously been known as WEC, EWC....
  • 21 2
 So we now get to watch 3 times as much downhill, juniors get coverage, top 60 still get coverage and same amount of riders go through to finals just with more coverage. I love watching downhill so it's happy days in my book.
  • 23 4
 I love when suits in glass towers take something that works very well and make huge sweeping changes. I'm sure everything will be fine.
  • 8 10
 I dont think the current system does work very well. At the moment we see partial laps of the top riders who only have to race 8 laps a year. At least this way we see 8 full on laps with more coverage and another 8 laps at nearly full pace for the semi finals with probably as much coverage as we currently see of the final
  • 21 2
 I'm old, i don't like change, i don't like this.
  • 17 2
 Enduro held on one day from now on; that's a shame, the Pro stage the evening before was an excellent idea. Not sure these changes were needed - and whether they are an improvement. Time will tell.....
  • 29 0
 Personally I thought the "pro stage" was an annoying gimmick, but I'd have liked to see more big two-day enduros with multiple long stages and big climbs (on the transitions).
  • 1 7
flag Starch-Anton (Dec 16, 2022 at 3:48) (Below Threshold)
 @chakaping: Well yes, that's why it's called Enduro; the current E-EWS is closer to the spirit of Enduro than the EWS. I also think the timed stages should include more climbing.....
  • 9 0
 @Starch-Anton: There is nothing in the eews that matches the spirit of enduro. The original concept was a big day out where you raced each other down the hills. With the eews you have to go back to the pits twice because you have run out of electricity so they are just 3 short local loops
  • 8 0
 @chakaping: big two day events were awesome! I think it's a real shame we don't have them any more. What's more they were hella fun, 4days of riding proper tracks back to back!
  • 5 1
 Just wait until you see the modified "courses" that are optimized for broadcast. I have no doubt this is coming which kills everything that made Enduro great. Amazing courses in remote areas many times far away from bike parks.

Enduro is dead
  • 13 1
 I'm really disappointed that they've cut the womens field even more. The semi finals would have been a great opportunity to give more female riders a stage to show their speed and boost women DH. 30 women racing semi finals with 15 making it to the finals would have been great.
  • 15 1
 UCI: taking fun out of cycling since 1900
  • 11 0
 Broadcast on what?!?!
Online platform, normal satellite TV, cable… ?!?!
Zero details on how we will actually watch the racing…
  • 1 0
 wondering the same thing... how do we watch? And can I watch world champs now?
  • 14 2
 Discovery: We're going to give you MORE coverage...
Pinkbike comments: You ba$tards!
  • 14 5
 While I'm not pumped on no more Warner / Redbull. You all are bunch of wet blankets. Here are the potential positives I see. Better enduro racing coverage as the previous coverage wasn't covering much at all. I have wanted to become a fan of enduro racing as i used to race enduro on a moto and I love the format. However, there was really no way to watch it before. Juniors now getting broadcast time. We all used to cry they didn't they didn't get coverage and now they will. Though I don't full understand the format, there will be more televised (and live) race runs with the semi final.
  • 2 0
 Better Enduro Racing Coverage = Worse Enduro Racing
  • 17 7
 Innovate or die! Onboard with this. Unlike most of these comments
  • 8 1
 I agree, honestly doesn't seem like that bad of an idea, especially seeing the junior category getting some love! If it all falls apart, changes can be reverted.
  • 7 0
 "the downhill semi-final will see men outside the top 30 and women outside the top 10 enjoy broadcast coverage for the first time"
Psst UCI, you should change this to: ...for the first time since Freecaster."
  • 3 0
 Exactly!!! You'd see about 60-70 riders, 3 hours+ of coverage. All the ladies were shown!! Rob always kept it exciting. It wasn't a pain to stream it. It's been the best so far. If you're familiar with Discovery, it's not great. They have no sports affiliation or have ever shown sports shows. Never be as good as Freecaster.
  • 6 2
 Rule changes seem super interesting, points scale is at 4.11.020 in the attached document, points for qualies become much less important, and the old point totals you got for qualies now is what you get based on the semifinal. Seems like it will definitely reward consistency and return qualies back to the original purpose as a regular seeding run, will be interesting to see what the riders think about it. Only thing that doesn't seem clear is the start order in the final round, per the section 4.11.015 they say it's based on the 'last qualifying round' but it's not clear if that means qualies or the semifinal. Since this is a interesting forward-thinking change, I will predict that most commenters here will be either making teenager-level snarky comments or just plain foaming at the mouth. UCI bad! me like red bull!
  • 3 0
 4.11.010 suggests that the top 60 elite men and 15 elite women go to semi-finals with the top 30 men and 10 women from that making it into finals. I'm trying to make sense of all the rule changes at the moment, but to add some more complexity the protected rider system is slightly different as well.
  • 2 1
 @edspratt: Yeah I read that and understand how the actual cutoff for who makes it to the final works, it's only specifically the start order of the riders in the final that's not clear. Doesn't seem like there's really much of a change to the protected rider system, only that the top 5 men/top 3 women are protected all the way through to the final, everybody else is protected to the semi the same as last year's rules protected for the final. If I could make a change to the rules I'd expand the finals protection to top 10/5 of current season, not 5/3 of prior season, but the more people they protect the more riders in 20th-30th place can get possibly screwed over.
  • 6 1
 Why are they called Special Stages when they appear to be normal stages? Doesn't calling them all Special make them not special? Am I misreading something? Are there other stages besides Special and Liaison Stages?
  • 4 0
 Liason stages are not specially special
  • 4 1
 It comes from Rallying, were the timed parts of the competition are called Special Stages, the non competitive parts are either road/ liasion sections.
  • 2 1
 WRC rally has always called them special stages
  • 2 0
 @CM999: Well yes, but when the sport started, it didn't have them; they came along later on.
  • 2 1
 Come on fellas. The original form of Enduro racing has "special stages". Like Enduro racing on Motos where the mtb concept originated. Usually a tougher more technical stage. Didn't the EWS have a pro stage?
  • 4 0
 Not sure how I feel about this. While more coverage is great, I can't help but feel this is opening the door for the UCI to start cutting down riders/making it harder to qualify at an EWS to streamline their coverage and only have to cover the top racers, just like downhill. That would suck. I wish they went the opposite direction, two day races with at least 4 stages each day, put a bit more of 'endurance' in Enduro. I don't want to see it becoming so polished with every rider knowing each track so well because there's only a few tracks from one day of racing.
  • 4 1
 I dont want to be *that* guy, but what is happening with all the negative comments on this site lately? People seem to always look for the negative things and potential problems. On another note, did you guys hear that integrated headsets will be mandatory in the new EDR-series?

Of course there will most likely be some tradeoffs when changing the format the whole race weekend, but I think alot of the changes have the potential to turn out good. Excited to see how it turns out, really looking forward to be able to see full runs in DH finals!
  • 1 0
 headset cable routing*
  • 2 2
 @Fastbiker1998: your out of your tiny mind
  • 3 0
 Seriously. I think a lot of people on here need to get out of the comments and ride their bike once in a while! Maybe get an e bike, it might make them smile once in a while
  • 5 2
 EWS is now EDR and totally different.

NO....
EWS was EWS and a great sport in its own right with its own format, run outside of the UCI
EDR is something new, different and invented by incompetency within the UCI.

Kids of the UCI, there is a saying.... "if it aint broke..."

You have played your card, lets judge your decision for DH on consistency from 2022 for team participation (you are failing on that one), the impact to the market due to more limited coverage of a sport (due to less teams, riders taking part).
Lets judge EDR on perceived effort to win a sport called... "Ennduro".
The UCI has a good track record of taking a successful formula, thinking they know best and getting it wrong!!! I bet they continue with what they are exceptionally good at.... making things worse than they were previously.
  • 3 0
 Only 15 women in senior m semis and 10 in finals is absolutely ridiculous. I'm not a huge fan of the semifinals idea, but I'm willing to give it a shot. But jeez it really should have been 30 women in semis and 15 in finals at least.
  • 1 0
 Absolutely! It's a rare day I post a comment on Pinkbike, but this seems so antiquated.
  • 7 0
 There were only 14-15 women who showed up to race at Snowshoe and Mont Sainte Anne this past season.
  • 6 2
 E bikes are stupid and racing is them is super stupid..no one cares how many laps you can do it's got a motor on it you yards..I can do 100 miles on my moto so there it aint mountain biking when it has a fukn motor.
  • 3 0
 Aside from e-racing, theres not much to complain about here. Discovery isnt doing anything whack and it seems like they really care about getting all disciplines of mtb more coverage, and some of that means tweaks to formats to make it more viewer friendly. Who knows, maybe we’ll even see some EDR live coverage at some point!
  • 2 0
 Why is everybody so offended by e racing? Have you ever ridden an e bike on trails like what they race? It’s insanely hard. In some ways much more difficult than normal climbs, and certainly not physically easier. Also, why do you care? Just don’t watch it
  • 4 1
 So what's edr stand for? I'm none the wiser despite skimming the article twice.
edit. Oh I see EnDuRo. That's shit. It will always be ews the same as a so called Snickers is a marathon.
  • 6 0
 It's just the code like xco and dhi. That's all
  • 6 0
 Lol, everyone loosing their minds.
  • 3 1
 What could go wrong with risking life and limb 1+ more times per site? I assume the prize money will be more, no? You know who will be pumped about this? The mechanics and the squids -- I bet they get no sleep. Also gonna need a bigger truck to carry all those extra components that tend to brake.
  • 2 0
 maybe, MAYBE this will work out for the best, guys.... Formula 1 coverage has improved exponentially since Liberty Media took over, and has truly helped the popularity of the sport. If it's $10/mn, but the coverage is the best we've ever seen, then it's worth it. Not to mention, you would expect a media company to be good at dishing out free content, as well.
  • 2 0
 As much as the UCI sucks, change happens. In a world dominated by profit motives, competition for the pure joy of competition is a dead concept unless you want to go watch college of high school racing (and even then, the cost of equipment means wealthier people/schools will do better).
We may as well just get used to change.
Will racing under UCI be different? Yes.
Will it be worse (I dont know)
if I was a billionaire, would I create my own racing league? (yes, but if i was a billionaire, i'd be profit driven)
Would everyone be happy with my racing league? (No)
Am I getting off topic? (Yes)
TLDR: Tthe pain of impermanence and loss can be a profoundly beautiful reminder of what it means to exist. Be happy you are around to witness the impermanence of something you love.
  • 2 0
 F1 has grown to new heights - especially in the US largely due to one thing - Netflix's "Drive to Survive". Essentially world wide media exposure that had the right recipe.

Let's see what happens. I'm betting this new format will be a success.

As for E-EDR, let them race and let development flourish, just like any racing discipline....Moto GP, F1, you name it.

I for one am so glad I'm not riding my 1986 fully rigid "Mountain Bike" anymore. I thank racing for that.
  • 2 0
 I mean, I still ride a 1985 fully rigid “mountain bike”. Mostly to the bar.
  • 1 0
 @Rageingdh: : Gotta love that :-) I gave the rigid bike to a student who needed transpo - kept the 1994 GT RTS-3 that replaced it and ride it every once in a while just to remind myself how good bikes have gotten. Crazy we rode them and actually enjoyed it. Dittto with the 6" travel MX bikes in the 70's. Kinda fun but mostly frightening.

And ya the quotation marks are because they really weren't anything more than road bikes with wider rims and knobby tires. Humble beginnings for sure. But state of the art at the time.
  • 1 0
 @Rageingdh: I put a 2 stroke motor on mine! Sounds like a supercharged weed whacker
  • 2 0
 @GeneralGroovus: Indeed. I’ve got a 1984 Mongoose ATB and a 1985 Sekai 2750 series that are both solidly in the “ATB” category. It’s actually pretty cool how well everything still functions on them. The Suntour ratchet shifters are still awesome and I love the Diacomp 4 finger brake levers. Definitely old school moto. Speaking of that, I’ve got a 1972 Yamaha 360 enduro that still rips. I used it to get my motorcycle endorsement. I was the only one there on a two stroke with a kickstart. It’s def a different animal than my ktm 200 though. \m/
  • 1 0
 @olafthemoose: my brothers middle name is Olaf. He might spell it with a v though.
  • 2 0
 Hello Redbull, are you there? can you bring us your 'hard enduro' M.T.B. edition? Thank you.

For the record I don't think the UCI changes are necessarily bad, they should prove to be a very healthy progression for the business of the sport. As a rider and a fan of racing I expect I will continue to be paying attention to World Cup DH and Enduro racing for many years to come. Yet I suspect I am going to be even more excited about the evolving events and athletes that are pushing the boundaries of speed, athleticism, equipment etc at the races that fall outside DH and Enduro (by UCI's definition) in 2023 and beyond.
  • 2 0
 I remember when Red Bull took over from Free Caster and thing had to change with the commentators having to be more tamed and professional, also the riders, but it ended up being great for the sport. This could make the sport bigger, meaning more money for the riders and more trails for us.
  • 6 0
 Let the world burn.
  • 2 1
 I don't understand the semi final?

Are they saying there is qualifying to be in top 60, then qualify again to get top 40 for race? If so, what a terrible idea!

I like the idea of an LCQ or something where those that didn't qualify get a second chance, maybe hold back 5 finals positions, but semi final will never work
  • 1 0
 Qualifying for the top 60 into the semi finals which will be broadcast, top 30 from that into the finals where much more of the run than we currently see will be broadcast
  • 6 0
 Freecaster!
  • 2 0
 i wonder how many of us still have the 2009, 2010, 2011 freecaster dvds. those were good times.
  • 3 0
 So if enduro is getting a World Cup does that mean it’ll get an individual world championships as well and the trophy of nations is no more?
  • 7 3
 What’s everybody spazzing about this is really good I know you can all do it better but
  • 8 2
 Because it appears mountain bikers don't like change. Half the folks here are still upset 29inch wheels are a thing. Actually... maybe we should lobby discovery to ban 26inch wheels! That'd be hilarious.
  • 3 2
 I always thought that part of the attraction to EWS is that anyone could enter, whether you got into the EWS or the the EWS 100/80 etc... Now it seems like they are taking it to the elite level only??? Long live grass roots race series!!!
  • 3 2
 What does EDR mean? Anyone know what these UCI twats have come up with? EWS was a simple abbreviation for Enduro World Series. And EDR, Enduro D-what R-what? Enduro Debilitating Reorganisation?
The whole series should be a World Championship, not a Cup. Then the World Champion is often not the best for the whole season which is idiocy.
EWS took itself out of rallying, out of WRC and they are making it into some ridiculous circus.
Maybe it's too early to make judgements but last season has already shown this direction. e.g. the lack of two-day competitions.
For me it looks like an average event to say the least.
  • 3 0
 EDR was a Spanish mtb manufacturer specialized in titanium bikes,back in the 90s. I'm sure that information will help.
  • 3 2
 The new change to EWS (Sorry, I mean MBEDRWC) with riders waiting the final stage and going in order of points has the potential to be really lousy for the athletes (not that the UCI has ever cared about them unless they're doping). Imagine it's weather like EWS Zermatt, the front runner leaves early in the day, and now has to sit for SEVERAL HOURS in the cold, snow, and freezing rain (no shelter coming into the final stage at a lot of these places) to get the field through the final stage before they can go. Sure, enduro has always had a fair bit of waiting build in, but there's potential for some serious waiting here!

Unless they savagely cut the field down to fewer riders..... lol.
  • 2 1
 There's a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches, because when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us. - Selina Kyle
  • 6 1
 Just here to say that eBike racing was, is and akways will be a joke!
  • 2 1
 Get ready to watch the same riders year after year with little movement at the top. Greg is going to be able to race till he’s 50. Was your last year off because of injury? Good luck trying to make other through the semi final for one of the open spots.
  • 1 0
 Get good
  • 1 0
 With the current Warner Bros executive ditching a lot of major projects I wonder if it will afftect this deal. They are shelving major DC movies and shows that are completed. Apparently they are doing it for the tax write-offs. The film biz took a major hit during the pandemic and seems this is how they are balancing the books. It would really suck if they backed out of this deal.
  • 2 1
 I never make a strong opinion on something until I see it in practice for something like this. You never know, it may be better. I've been watching WC DH since the freecaster days. Redbull Coverage was great but you really missed most of the actual runs as more than half was off camera. Maybe w/ Discovery money we'll see entire runs which would be AMAZING! As for EWS and E-EWS, getting to watch it all will be great. A lot of great riders race E-Enduro, yes its different but watching racing in any format is positive for the sport. Rob Warner will be missed
  • 1 0
 When it comes to the semi-finals of DHL 60 men versus 15 women and 30 men get access to the final versus 10 women, where is the incentive for brands to have women riders?!

What are they on about? from 15 to 10 how do you go on about selling a program to sponsors if they already know that Camille, Pompon, Valentina, Nina, Thanee and Marine (if/when back to health for the last two) take six of the final ten spots. Eleonora, Monika, Mathilde and Millie, typically make it uh.... They are about to make the main broadcast a private club. Sure a rider will crash out of qualifying every now and then, but Gracey, Leona and Isabella... are going to have to take stupid risk in order to make it to the broadcast.

And it defies the point of making mountain biking inclusive. I'm aware that there is less depth in the women field but I do believe the semi should at least be open to 20 riders so that the riders who are going to get cut still get some air time.
  • 1 0
 Watch all the riders practice the track in photos, record timed training, qualifying, semi-final tedious slow runs, final runs in full, including all of the slow bits of boring track, drink beer a bit, get bored, do it all again the next weekend
  • 1 0
 Holy negativity batman, y'all are brutal. I'm definitely annoyed that they're only bringing 10 women into the finals, that should be 15, the womens DH field is competitive enough to support that. I'm not sure what I think about the new format. I'm really looking forward to hearing from riders on this, hopefully Neko will go on Downtime to talk about it. It'd be cool if pinkbike had some racers on the podcast to talk about it as well. I'd love to hear from some of the elites who have been around a bit like Bruni or Minor, and also someone like Wynn Masters who's been on the circuit for a long time, but isn't fighting for top tens.
  • 1 0
 Do you really think that or just want to see a bigger woman final? Its not wrong either way but I can not remember the last time 15th place had a relevant time.
  • 1 0
 Huge loss if EWS 100/80 are left behind. Massively unique feature, that didn't exist elsewhere in pro sports. Being able to ride on the same course as the pros, the same weekend as the pros, and then watch them do it the next day is/was epic. Gave insane relatability and a massive appreciation of their skill!

I was planning to tick off as many EWS 100 is the next few years as possible, maybe even try to run a full season of them, so I hope that it stays.
  • 5 1
 So if you have Bad luck in qualies it is Not possible to win finals?
  • 2 4
 Yes. 2 class society and we will have to pay for it.
  • 2 0
 I'm guessing they'll still have protected riders for qualies, but not for the semi-final.
  • 1 0
 How is that different to now unless you are a protected rider?
  • 2 0
 you mean as it used to be with qualis and finals? Yes.
  • 1 0
 New info re: Protected riders from Vital.
The top-10 men and top-5 women from the previous year's overall standings are protected with regards to the *semi-finals* throughout the entire season.
Among them, the top-5 men and top-3 are also protected for the *finals* throughout the season.
In addition, up to 20 men and 10 women from the current World Cup standings are protected for each semi-final (included those with full season protection). This means that there are only 40 "open" semi-final spots for the men and 5 for the women to fight for among the non-protected riders.
-
So might we see top5 riders just 'breaking the tape' on semi-finals? A bit weird.
  • 1 0
 Actually - looking at the weird points system you get 200 for a semi-final win and 250 for a finals win! It gets weirder and weirder. It might be good - Looking forward to watching how it all pans out. One thing for sure is that it's going to shape up differently to before.
  • 3 0
 @thingswelike: I think you are right, it might actually be really good if every race is effectively a double header.
  • 1 0
 @chakaping: @thingswelike any clue as to scheduling throughout the week? Are semi-finals and finals on the same day?

could be weird with that many points for the non-trophy race...maybe we'll end up with points guys and medals guys, like green jersey vs yellow in TdF?

I dunno. I love the one-and-done DH format, this seems to average it out too much...fewer surprises?

I want more racers, racing more often.

seems like a great time for a Chris Ball AMA!
  • 2 1
 @owl-X: I haven't seen anything about scheduling. If we assume its...
Day 1 Arrivals & Track Walk
Day 2 Practice
Day 3 Qualis
Day 4 Semi-final
Day 5 Finals

I don't see how they can make it more compact to be honest.

Not sure how this fits with running XC racing or the weekends where Enduro is combined. Or anything really!
They've got quite a few months to figure all this out though I suppose.
  • 1 0
 @owl-X: Hmmm just noticed the page from Vital has vanished. Maybe some things weren't meant to be released yet, or maybe they weren't final. Who knows!
  • 4 1
 I’m a super fan, and I’ll watch DH runs stream all day, but I gotta think this isn’t a better show.
  • 2 2
 What they need to look at ( in my opinion) is to take a step back and raise the points needed to enter a world Cup in the first place currently you need 40 uci points to race , if you raise this to 60 or even 100 and just let everybody race like in dh sking if you have enough points you race on Sunday and then decide how many your gonna film, a lot of riders don't care if there on TV they just wanna race , if you have enough points to race a wc then you should race a wc , just make it harder to get the points
  • 2 0
 I'm very interested in how this all pans out. Change could be good could be bad, let's see. You can always go back to the old format!
  • 2 1
 So EWS was set up as a middle finger to the UCI and now its part of the UCI, not sure how the man who once rode a WC DH finals with the word "Pants" on his chest in process is now pulling a 180 about face
  • 3 0
 I hope this new format allows Sam Hill and others to do some DH and E bike competition.
  • 3 0
 The DH format sounds sweet! Semi-finals and finals...I like. Only thing missing will be Warner.
  • 1 0
 "It does say that the winner will still be decided on the overall recorded times for the special stages."

So it's like Who's Line Is It Anyway. The show where everything's made up and the points don't matter.
  • 1 0
 I might be wrong but my understanding is the points are just there to decide the start order for the final stage.
  • 4 0
 Why are negative people so vocal
  • 3 0
 They love spreading misery.
  • 2 1
 Considering how little it seems the UCI listens to riders in the past, I have to wonder if they ever asked how those top 30 riders feel about having to do an entire extra full-on race run and the risks associated with that.
  • 3 0
 How WB dares not to ask PB commentators before defining how the WC is going to be!
  • 1 0
 All this about changes to racing & still no word how we can watch - given there'll be much more content to broadcast...

I think we all know what that means & that we're not going to like the answer.
  • 2 0
 I won't be surprised if we see a DH event in Qatar. FIFA and the UCI seem to have a lot in common.
  • 16 13
 Fuck off Disney Fuck off Chris Ball
  • 6 1
 Disney?
  • 3 0
 Bring back EuroSport!! ha
  • 2 3
 So does the top 40 from qualifying make both finals? Is it best run counts? Is the semi final a second qualifying?

If it’s two individual races with individual series points (in a World Cup setting) I’m all for it. Top guys can cruise for some points,
Try alternate lines, look good for the camera while focusing on the a series and the mid tier guys will now have an additional opportunity to show their stuff.

If it’s a true semi-final on the way to the final that’s a massive mistake. Especially for world champs. Dh is a one run sport.
  • 2 0
 No. Everyone with enough UCI points can enter qualifying, the fastest 60 qualify for the semi final, the fastest 30 go into the final. Podium is decided on the fastest runs in the final
  • 1 3
 @CM999: God damn didn't take them long to ruin DH.
  • 2 0
 I am confusion!
Does this mean Qualis on Friday, Saturday semis and Sunday finals ?
  • 3 2
 Semi-final. Ie more ad space. More content. We don’t pay the riders. So it’s like stealing. Uci and Disney
  • 2 0
 Still no info on who will be streaming these in North America. I hope it doesn’t go the way of the FIS.
  • 3 0
 The real news is that short sleeve jerseys are not longer allowed in DH
  • 2 0
 EDR - states as Endpoint Detection and Response - yes, I detect the END of Enduro - no response...
  • 2 0
 More broadcast time = more fun for the listeners. Also, a full run will be thrilling to watch.
  • 3 0
 3 race runs in a weekend between quailes, semis, and finals. Bit extreme
  • 3 0
 and in other news... Walmart bought out USACycling
  • 4 0
 E bike category? Gross
  • 2 0
 LOOK AT THE TIME!!!! LOOK AT THE TIME!!!!! thought this would help........
  • 2 3
 Bottom line here…. The whole thing is going to suck regardless of how much better the camera angles are or how much more of the runs we get to see. Why…. Because there is no one absolutely not a single person on this planet that can call a race like Rob Warner. The UCI has completely and utterly shot itself in the foot with this one. It’ll be a complete snooze fest because the commentators will suck.
  • 1 0
 'EDR' as an acronym for UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup (what are the 'D' and 'R' for?) makes as much sense to me as e-bike racing, and frankly the UCI itself.
  • 1 0
 What is EDR? I didn't understand how that comes from "UCI Mountain Bike Enduro World Cup"? Honest question, wondering what the acronym stands for, anyone?
  • 1 0
 Are they going to cut down all the trees to make it possible to film entire race runs? I have my doubts it's even possible to show a full run...
  • 1 0
 hopefully this doesn't mean the eventual requirement of a UCI license to race at the local enduro event.
  • 2 1
 If it's going to be anything like what Discovery have "added" to UCI track cycling.....no thanks.
  • 2 0
 Quali then Semi then Final? They're gonna be knackered
  • 1 0
 Its downhill, they freewheel, how hard can that be? :-)))
  • 3 4
 So the cool, remote and non-eurocentric trails and experiences will be yawned over with more bike park tracks, 'trophy of nation' crap and entitled rich kids circle jerking each other? Rick came first he's out.
  • 1 0
 Yes that is word for word what the article said. Immaculate analysis
  • 2 1
 Did they ask the riders about all these changes? Also let’s just stop with the E bike racing.
  • 3 1
 But how can you elevate EWS when it was already better than WC?
  • 1 0
 UCI is finally changing and coming to terms with MTB. This isn't road racing ok!!!
  • 2 0
 Where does this leave EWS 100, 80 etc?
  • 1 0
 I’m really looking forward to Bear Grylls guest hosting DH WC.

Improvise. Adapt. Underwhelm.
  • 1 1
 When can we get an Ebike DH event? I've had enough of this aged dead tech with acoustic bikes. I want all the tech possible.
  • 1 0
 Was the riders union consulted about this?

Broadcasting juniors is coo, rest is who cares / why?
  • 1 0
 Will the Enduro racing be included in the WC events alongside xc and dh the same weekend?
  • 1 0
 And will protected riders be protected in semi-final as in qualys??
  • 2 0
 I'm working on something with all the rule changes at the moment, but there are protected riders for both semi-finals and finals. Although the list for finals is smaller.
  • 2 0
 E-enduro? Lmao
  • 1 0
 Did the athletes get a say in this?
  • 2 0
 I'm sure they won't mind when they are getting paid more.
  • 2 0
 @JonnyTheWeasel: Well hopefully they do and hopefully there will be a high standard of emergency medical care going forward
  • 2 0
 @JonnyTheWeasel: Will the ones that have just lost their jobs riding bikes, get paid more to ride bikes?

Just wondering..... the better off may be better off, but the ones at the bottom have just been ejected from the sport.
  • 2 0
 @betsie: There may be more opportunities, possibly.
  • 2 0
 I prefer EDM
  • 1 1
 The track will get a pounding with all of those runs on it during race week.
  • 2 0
 Depending on schedule it could be less overall runs since the field gets cut down in semi finals.
  • 1 0
 @Jimmy0: True. Fingers crossed.
  • 2 1
 30 men but only 10 women in finals? Yikes…..
  • 1 0
 There were only 14-15 women who showed up at Snowshoe and Mont Sainte Anne this year, not a big difference.
  • 1 0
 @Arenot70: In fairness, every category had low participation at Snowshoe and Mont Sainte Anne. The first five rounds this year never saw the total number of Elite Women on the start list drop below 30.
  • 1 0
 Enduro lost its vowels reading the new rules.
  • 2 0
 I feel enchanted already
  • 1 0
 do protected DH riders have to ride the semi-final?
  • 1 0
 Yes, there will be points on the line.
  • 1 0
 @theridecompanion you should start a HSR league!
  • 1 0
 EWS + UCI = EDR (whatever that stands for?) = SAD
  • 1 0
 Long sleeve denim t-shirt is allowed?
  • 1 0
 WOT
  • 1 1
 spell, grammar, syntax check, sheesh!
  • 1 0
 Hot Seat Racing anybody?
  • 7 8
 F*ck UCI!
  • 7 8
 Just FUCK THIS.
  • 4 7
 Racing is dead. Freeride is life
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