DH World Cup thread

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RustyMTB said:
Shiiiiit.

All on Amuary now for me.
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I was ful Frenchy !

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The tv coverage has to be worst I can recall for any sporting event. First, I don’t know how I’m watching live sports and they’re jumping ahead in time… and that brings me to my main point. How about showing the full runs? Some riders would go from starting gate, to being 2:00 into their run! WTF is that? Even the number 2 qualifier didn’t have their full run shown. That’s just nuts. If I wanted to watch highlights I wouldn’t have tuned in for the “full” race coverage. This isn’t how you build passion for the competition.
 
Powerslider said:
The tv coverage has to be worst I can recall for any sporting event. First, I don’t know how I’m watching live sports and they’re jumping ahead in time… and that brings me to my main point. How about showing the full runs? Some riders would go from starting gate, to being 2:00 into their run! WTF is that? Even the number 2 qualifier didn’t have their full run shown. That’s just nuts. If I wanted to watch highlights I wouldn’t have tuned in for the “full” race coverage. This isn’t how you build passion for the competition.
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I’m guessing you have never watched downhill before?

It’s been like that since well before the free caster days. When there is only 60-90 seconds between start times and full runs take 3-4 mins it’s almost impossible to do every riders full run live.
 
Vali, Hattie & Amuary saved me this round, three of my team scored zero & Asa looks like he was lucky to have escaped without a serious injury. Second race in a row where the track itself was the main character.
 
Powerslider said:
The tv coverage has to be worst I can recall for any sporting event. First, I don’t know how I’m watching live sports and they’re jumping ahead in time… and that brings me to my main point. How about showing the full runs? Some riders would go from starting gate, to being 2:00 into their run! WTF is that? Even the number 2 qualifier didn’t have their full run shown. That’s just nuts. If I wanted to watch highlights I wouldn’t have tuned in for the “full” race coverage. This isn’t how you build passion for the competition.
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JP-NZ said:
I’m guessing you have never watched downhill before?

It’s been like that since well before the free caster days. When there is only 60-90 seconds between start times and full runs take 3-4 mins it’s almost impossible to do every riders full run live.
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Exactly - there are 2 to 4 riders on track at the same time. There would need be 4 screens playing at once to show every run, which gets complicated to comment to and follow.

The coverage has actually improved since 10-20+ years ago. They have so many more cameras now.


This year is going to be super interesting in the overall
 
Yeah, they have to squeeze in two junior races, 15 elite women & 30 elite men plus podiums & the rest of the stage stuff. As much as anything else it's a logistics matter & in practice, overtakes are vanishingly rare. Fans know this. And no one misses the semi final eight hours of racing era.
 
RustyMTB said:
Vali, Hattie & Amuary saved me this round, three of my team scored zero & Asa looks like he was lucky to have escaped without a serious injury. Second race in a row where the track itself was the main character.
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Yea that was a tough race, Hemstreet, Baumann did great for me sadly the men had no chance. 2 x Pierrons really the only help.

Gone from 9th to 7th.. Onto the next one!
 
JP-NZ said:
I’m guessing you have never watched downhill before?

It’s been like that since well before the free caster days. When there is only 60-90 seconds between start times and full runs take 3-4 mins it’s almost impossible to do every riders full run live.
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There's some nuance here.

Arguably the biggest point is we (at least here in the US) have to pay actual money to watch the event live and see the entire coverage instead of highlights. It feels like a broken promise when they're obviously not broadcasting the event live in real time; and I'm not watching the entire event.

However, the point I'm making is bigger than that alone. I'm professing that the spotty, incomplete coverage actually harms the sport. If you look at every major professional televised sporting event (even when free of broadcast access fees), there's a common theme... You can watch the entire event. You can even watch the entire game/race even when they aren't consequential. Somehow the producers felt many riders simply had no chance and skipped past most of their runs. What's weird is they even skipped past part of the number two qualified rider's run. That's just a failure in my book. That's not how you gain fandom; that's how you lose it.

If the issue is that the race organizers are double stacking riders on the course, then for the betterment of the sport; that needs to change.
 
Powerslider said:
There's some nuance here.

Arguably the biggest point is we (at least here in the US) have to pay actual money to watch the event live and see the entire coverage instead of highlights. It feels like a broken promise when they're obviously not broadcasting the event live in real time; and I'm not watching the entire event.

However, the point I'm making is bigger than that alone. I'm professing that the spotty, incomplete coverage actually harms the sport. If you look at every major professional televised sporting event (even when free of broadcast access fees), there's a common theme... You can watch the entire event. You can even watch the entire game/race even when they aren't consequential. Somehow the producers felt many riders simply had no chance and skipped past most of their runs. What's weird is they even skipped past part of the number two qualified rider's run. That's just a failure in my book. That's not how you gain fandom; that's how you lose it.

If the issue is that the race organizers are double stacking riders on the course, then for the betterment of the sport; that needs to change.
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LOL, if you don't like it don't watch it. It sounds like you are comparing major sports to MTB which has many millions less viewers. I also have to pay for it (pretty much everyone in the world has to legally) and I think its better than ever.

The weekend's coverage was excellent. Its already been explained to you why its impossible to have every second of every run televised. Sometimes after a crash if a rider has no chance of making the top they cut to the next rider on track, and sometimes show the crashed rider finishing their run on the inset picture. Thats the best way to do it IMO.

Double and even triple stacking riders has been done since the sport was born, that will never change otherwise weather or track conditions can have a greater impact.
 
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JP-NZ said:
LOL, if you don't like it don't watch it. It sounds like you are comparing major sports to MTB which has many millions less viewers. I also have to pay for it (pretty much everyone in the world has to legally) and I think its better than ever.

The weekend's coverage was excellent. Its already been explained to you why its impossible to have every second of every run televised. Sometimes after a crash if a rider has no chance of making the top they cut to the next rider on track, and sometimes show the crashed rider finishing their run on the inset picture. Thats the best way to do it IMO.
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What's nuts is I struggle to think of many professional sporting events that don't show the full event. Even tertiary sports like bowling, rodeo, poker, or darts; provide full coverage of the event. They don't join part way into someone's competition; especially in a sport where almost anyone can win.

I already cancelled my HBO Max subscription. I can watch highlights on YouTube for free. But the "problem" is that when someone points out a huge shortcoming in the coverage; the answer by some is to go away. You're reinforcing my point; this isn't how you grow the sport.
 
JP-NZ said:
Getting back to the racing.. I don't think many would have had this Overall top 5 on their bingo card after 2 rounds

Luca Shaw 285 Points
Benoit Coulanges 263 Points
Amaury Pierron 261 Points
Asa Vermette 250 Points
Jordan Williams 238 Points
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I only had Benwahhhhhhhhhhhh Coulaaaaaaaaaaaaaange.

I love saying his name in a "Allo Allo" accent.

Anyway how did anyone watch the race this weekend? I couldn't find it at all. only highlights on YouTube!
 
JP-NZ said:
Getting back to the racing.. I don't think many would have had this Overall top 5 on their bingo card after 2 rounds

Luca Shaw 285 Points
Benoit Coulanges 263 Points
Amaury Pierron 261 Points
Asa Vermette 250 Points
Jordan Williams 238 Points
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Definitely raises the interest. Long way to go but if last season was all about could JG win five in a row, this year would be great if we get a wide open contest going to the wire.
 
Well I didn’t fair too badly despite my absence. So that might be an omen for the next round when I’m on holiday again over the practice sessions, qualies and races.

I see PinkBike have also changed the pricing structure so it’s going to be a little trickier from here on in to get a team of big hitters.
 
Powerslider said:
What's nuts is I struggle to think of many professional sporting events that don't show the full event. Even tertiary sports like bowling, rodeo, poker, or darts; provide full coverage of the event. They don't join part way into someone's competition; especially in a sport where almost anyone can win.

I already cancelled my HBO Max subscription. I can watch highlights on YouTube for free. But the "problem" is that when someone points out a huge shortcoming in the coverage; the answer by some is to go away. You're reinforcing my point; this isn't how you grow the sport.
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Oher sports don't have multiple people coming down the same track at the same time.

The comparison would be 'watching tennis' tuning in to watch a match whilst missing all of the other matches going on at the same time.
 
People have to stop with the bullshit gaslighting. I stand by my conviction that the most recent race was the worst tv coverage of any sporting event I’ve ever seen. I consider it that much of a failure.

To provide context, and refute the ridiculous lies here that downhill racing coverage is always like this; I will point out that (FREE) regional downhill race tv coverage can, and do show every riders complete run. Somehow the highest echelon of downhill can’t get it together enough to do the same.

The most offensive thing is some people will actually embarrass themselves by gaslighting like there’s nothing unusual in this failure. 🤦🏻‍♂️

Example:
 
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Rockhopper70 said:
I see PinkBike have also changed the pricing structure so it’s going to be a little trickier from here on in to get a team of big hitters.
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Yep, on balance I think it's a good thing, forcing people to think on rather than just smash the Vali/Loic/Jackson buttons & the weekend showed us the talent range is out there.
 
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