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UCI DH Guide

How to Be a DH World Cup Fan

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The last couple of seasons of World Cup downhill racing have been incredible. There are so many fast men and women racers right now that everyone is having to push really hard to podium, and the winning run is often nearing perfection. This means the racing is full of superstar performances, big crashes and, much more often than before, surprises. 

As with any form of racing, it’s much more entertaining when you know the characters (racers, team staff and media) involved. The intent of this article is to give you an overview of how to get the most out of the racing and understand the underpinnings of the sport. 

There is a huge amount of good World Cup Racing coverage out there when you include all the media sources. When learning anything, a good first step is to figure out who to listen to. I will try to give you a heads up on who those folks are. Well, I will at least give you my opinion on who those folks are.

*Cover photo - Finn Iles in Loudenvielle, France on September 08, 2024 Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool

Greg Minnaar Karolina Krasinska / Red Bull Content Pool

If you are a fan, you are probably aware that your chances of seeing Greg Minnaar racing at the top level have vanished. Photo - Karolina Krasinska / Red Bull Content Pool

We first need to get the hate out of the way. Unless you have been living under a rock, you are likely aware that Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has taken over producing World Cup racing from Red Bull. This produced a lot of change. Changes included race announcers, qualifying and racing format, course markings, a great number of rules, and now you need to pay to watch. Most recently, changes to entry requirements have meant that the age of the privateer is for the most part over. Hardcore fans and viewers lost their shit about these developments. The amount of Warner Brothers and UCI hate in the Pinkbike and Vital comments sections is massive, enduring and unrelenting. 

A lot of the angst makes sense. There are parts of the racing that haven’t been as good as the Redbull days. The announcing has gone down hill, the semi-finals idea was a dud and the fabled feel-good stories of some guy wearing jeans showing up and kicking ass are likely over. However, and this is a big however, the actual racing at the top end hasn’t been negatively affected. In fact, as I mentioned at the start of all this, the racing has been better than ever. So lets talk about how to get even more out of this incredible racing.

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This sick move should tell you that Emilie Siegenthaler knows some things about DH racing. Photo - Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool

Watch the Racing

How you watch the actual racing depends on where you live in the world. In most places, it’s played on streaming services owned by WBD like Discovery+, Eurosport and Max or by WBD partners. In Canada, WBD partnered with FloSports in 2024. I am not sure if it will be the same for 2025. The cost of a one year subscription to FloSports is $150 USD or about $217 Canadian. This is exorbitant for the amount of racing (increased to 10 DH races next year) you get to watch and I really hope WBD finds another way to broadcast in Canada. For comparison, to watch SuperCross and Motocross, the streaming fee in Canada is $225 but you get 31 races. 

Web

Websites are the front end so to speak. They are the easiest to find and access and there is a lot of good original coverage on race-oriented sites like Pinkbike and Vital. Other than easy access to race results, my favourite part of their race coverage is all the practice riding footage. Before the racers make their near-perfect looking finals race runs, there are many practice runs where the riders try different lines and make quite a few mistakes doing so. This is where the riders still look amazingly talented but they also look human. Lots of good hard landings, slide outs, missed corners and riders getting knocked off line and crashing into each other are up for grabs here. This is where you can gain a good understanding of how difficult these tracks can be. Vital Raw is the king daddio here. They have been doing it for a long time. Pinkbike has started showing a lot more of this the last couple years too.

ronan dunne

Irish racers are always worth listening to. Ronan Dunne at World Championships in La Massana, Andorra on August 31, 2024. Photo - Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool

YouTube

Wyn TV is done by Wyn Masters and is really the original show where it's about the riders and fun. There are a few more of these types of shows now but Wyn was the first and he has a loyal gang of followers as a result. Wyn Masters and his brother Eddie (more on him later) are two of the big brains of World Cup DH.  Their comments are witty and well thought out.

YouTube is the humorous underbelly, and it often shows the reality of World Cup Racing. This is where you go to get a dose of the greatly missed unbridled Rob Warnerism. There is a lot to find on YouTube obviously but two of the best are edBull Media House and Moi Moi TV.   edBull Media House is Eddie Masters and Moi Moi TV is Jack Moir. Both are just normal racer dudes with a fantastic sense of humour, good work ethic and critically, they are respected by the other riders.

wyn masters dak norton

Wyn Masters talking to Dakotah Norton (when he was still on Intense) using one of his unique "microphones" - this time it's half a pedal.

Podcasts

Podcasts are where you learn about changes to the rules, the team moves and you get to listen to the brains and heroes of the sport talk like they are in your living room. This is where you go if you want to learn something about a rider or team before you buddies. There are always lots of nuggets in these shows if you're willing to put the time in. They are not quick listens however. My favourite podcasts are:

Downtime – Chris Hall

Downtime in my opinion has become the Podcast Bible of gravity mountain biking.  Chris is very professional and has a steady stream of the best talent on the show.  Chris relies on his guests' comments and stories to make the show a success. He is not an ex professional racer like many of the other shows. I really hope (I have no idea) he is starting to make a good living at it. 

Making up the Numbers - George Thompson, Jack Reading & Emilie Siegenthaler

Making up the Numbers is truly about the racing. They have the best team rumours discussions by far. They get great guests and will truly dig into the nitty gritty of rule changes for example for better or worse.

MOVING THE NEEDLE - The Andrew Neethling. 

Moving the Needle is a little different. The reason I like this show is Andrew often gets Sven Martin on and this guy is truly awesome in an interview. If you love the sport of DH mountain biking, Sven probably wins the award for best person to listen to.  He is very sharp and has incredible relationships with the riders. He somehow always has something interesting to say. He has the uncanny ability to successfully walk the line between handing out some good info to the public but not betraying the riders' trust. The making up the Numbers crew of Emiile, Jack and George have this ability as well which is part of the reason their team rumours discussions are always so good.

The Vital B Practice Podcast is good if you are looking for more. Especially if you are into the US race scene. This show gives Dakotah Norton an outlet to talk about what it's like being between the tape at these races. He is very open and has been climbing his way up the results ladder lately which gives him perspective.

downtime pod josh bryceland

The Downtime Podcast is also available on YouTube. This episode with Josh Bryceland was a great one.

Instagram

Ohhh. The quick fix of Insta is a drug for sure. A few really good accounts to follow to quickly deepen your World Cup knowledge and see the latest are:

Point1Athletic Chris Kilmurray

Point1Athletic is Chris Kilmurray. He started out as trainer to the athletes but has grown his brand to be quite a bit more. He posts a lot of great stuff like track stats and nerd notes. He is very very in tune with the World Cup racing scene and always has interesting stuff to say.

SleeperCo

SleeperCo is where the riders seem to go to watch each other. The videos and photos are truly awesome. Their World Cup edits on instagram are the best there are. Check the one below as an example.

Misspent Summers – (Bzone)

Misspent Summers has really become a force in this business. The quality of their print and on-line publications is off the charts high and they have some of the best media folks in mountain biking generating content for them.  The also do short posts (B-Zone Bullets) that pack in a lot of key observations about the race weekends.

Alan Milway

Alan Milway is similar to Chris Kilmurray in that he started as a trainer as well. He is a big name in the sport now and is also often on podcasts doing a great job of being interviewed and passing on his knowledge.

I would like to wrap this up by talking a little about rider interviews. It's always good to listen to your favourite champion. Some of the fastest riders are also very intelligent and well spoken like Greg Minnaar, Loic Bruni and Aaron Gwin. However in the end, after listening to interviews by Greg and Aaron for example, you often find they haven’t really said much. These athletes survive on sponsorship and they have quite a bit of corporate responsibility to shoulder. To me the best elite rider interviews are at the finish line on finals day and the pure emotion that is on show after they win or lose. These quick post race interviews and short clips can easily deepen your infatuation with the riders of this amazing sport so they are well worth searching out.

The other bit of advice is always listen to an interview or show if the rider is Irish. Nothing is off the table for them.

Enjoy the show next year.

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Comments

Morox
+7 Ride.DMC Cam McRae Pete Roggeman Adam Brown Karl Fitzpatrick pedalhound Bryce Borlick

Particularly excited for Goldstone’s return to WCDH this year. He’s got something truly special.

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Lynx
0

Yeah, will be good to have Jackson back, but I'm thinking it won't be like it was before, not with the likes of Asa Vermette, Maxx Alran coming from serious dominance in Juniors and Lachland McNab now on Trek and coming off a great season, plus Aumary back to full strength again.

Wondering what effect that crash, subsequent injuries and long rehab time might have done to his thinking, will it make him a bit more cautious? How will Asa's injury effect him?

Love watching Asa, he's still young and just loves riding his bike, you hear Neko say it all the time, we've done like 5 runs today and Asa's done like 10 because he just loves riding his bike and has that young, go, go, go energy. Should be a good battle between the youngsters I feel.

As to watching, I'm hoping my usual YT source stays up and running.

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silverbansheebike
+4 Mike Wallace Konrad Lynx . pedalhound

I wish there would be a local pub or bike shop or the like who would purchase a subscription and host MTB'ers to come and watch! Surely there's enough interest on the North Shore...

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pedalhound
+3 Allen Lloyd FlipSide Lynx .

I love WC DH and have been watching since the freecaster days when Rob was very loose with his words...haha. They would be drinking in the booth...and then when Red Bull took over the quality got better and they did a lot of work with Rob to tame him down...unfortunately...lol. The new announcers are getting better, but still hard to listen too...they have been bringing racers into the booth and I have loved that...but a lot of them will be hopefully back racing this year...so...it will be interesting to see how that goes. The quality of the broadcast has got better...and I hope they continue to add more cameras! 

I am also not a fan of the huge buildup and all the BS hype up before the race....do it like F1 and have the pre race show if you really want that hype (but I find the F1 stuff to be actual useful info) and then have a different broadcast for the race where you tune in and with a few words...the racing starts!

As for the UCI/WB/Flosports agreement I feel it has killed viewership in Canada. I won't pay that much for 10 races. I have no issues paying to watch, but it has to make sense. I pay for F1TV...but that's a ton of races, all the old races are there too. I have found other methods of watching...but I would much rather there be a legit way to watch in the 51st state that wasn't a rip off.

(Calm down, that was a joke, just trying to be topical...lol)

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mike-wallace
0

All well said.  And that joke is a little bit funny.  So agree that bringing racers into the booth was good last year.  I would say that almost 'saved the show'.

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Morox
+2 Cam McRae Kristian Øvrum

Thank you Mr Wallace for this excellent synopsis. It’s inspired me to look into what I need to do to have access to live race coverage this year in the states. This after a couple years of only really watching sleeper collective post-race edits and Vital practice/race edits. 

Regarding the many painful changes in this beloved sport over recent years, I’m thankfully at a place where I realize how easy it is to bitch and how un-fun it is to slip into a critical rather than excited mindset when it comes to DH. I’m stoked to bring my personal (key word here, no judgements of anyone else’s stance) energy back to excitement about the insane things these people do on bikes in beautiful places!  And to let it fuel my excitement to ride gnar.

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mike-wallace
+1 Kristian Øvrum

Thanks Brian.  I would not have thought to write it down but its totally true that this big show fuels the excitement to ride gnar.  That's a big part of it for me too.

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rigidjunkie
+2 Kristian Øvrum Hardlylikely

My issue with DH coverage and Enduro for that matter is there is this commitment to live action.  I honestly do not care to watch a terrible production live when I can wait a day and see a well produced recap.  Enduro is the poster child for this, without cameras on every tree live just doesn't work.  But I am deeply invested in being a fan of both.  

OK I have another issue, and this one is much larger.  Based on the numbers I have seen the people who create the excitement are getting completely screwed by the UCI.  The organization has no idea how to do gravity sports and they are not rewarding the riders for the risk they are taking.  If you look at the UCI annual report it is clear they are a road cycling group who own XC and DH but apply the same methodology to all of them.  XC it works to a degree because it is closer to road racing than DH.  The UCI is killing DH and enduro at the international level.  Both sports thrive at the grassroots level and the opportunities are huge.  Unfortunately the UCI is completely incompetent in these areas.  

As a fan of DH it is clear that Red Bull with their Hardline races gets it. If they could add a couple of races, including one at or near the Rampage site, they could own international DH.  Prior to last year I would not have said any of this, but their opening doors for female racers has changed my mind.  

So what about Hardline tells me Red Bull gets it?  The week before they allow the riders to promote the event through their social media accounts.  This recognizes those taking the risk and provides them with a way to earn more from the event.  It also provides the best insight to how the best racers in the world approach courses that are limit extending.  

All this said, support your local race series first and like follow and subscribe to your favorite racers.  Those are the things that can make a real impact on the people who make racing what it is.

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thinblue
+1 pedalhound

I love watching DH. Like I'm screaming at the TV. The Warner Bros stuff doesn't get me down a bit. The actual race footage is getting better and better. Yes, the drones are shaky but I find the views they afford electrifying. I love the racers. So many characters. Absolutely stoked to see what Jackson can do. His style on the bike is incredible.

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brian
+1 Hardlylikely

Great round up and looking forward to the new season. Changes regarding teams  was necessary as the field was just getting too big making race weekend logistics to unwieldy. And yeah some guy jeans cracked the top 10 in 2019 but that’s the only example of a “privateer “ even making the top 20 in the last decade. It doesn’t happen as often as people like to think it does.

Agree on Flo sports being expensive if DH is the only cycling you watch but it also includes the xc racing a ton of road and cross races. Still shouldn’t be more than what you pay for Netflix.

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mike-wallace
0

To me the end of the privateer age is more about not having your local fast guys to watch anymore.  It’s awesome watching these guys try and make a dent at a particular race.   That part of it won’t exist anymore.

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Roxtar
+1 Mike Wallace

"The other bit of advice is always listen to an interview or show if the rider is Irish. Nothing is off the table for them"

I'd tune in to hear a true Irishman read the fooookin phone book.

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mike-wallace
0

Oh oh.  Just read about the huge increases in cost to watch World Cups in  the UK and Ireland.   Going the wrong direction here….

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