SO FUNNY! (and true?)

[NicoBoshoff]

Unfortunately XCE has garnered BIG criticism from the Gravity riders and Media when it replaced 4 Cross as a UCI discipline at World Cups ... So everyone is still chooning it saying that its crap and a waste of time ...

 

The thing that a lot of riders and media forget is that with 4 Cross the budgets needed to design and build a track at a would cup event far out weighed the rider numbers and coverage and spectatorship that the events recieved.

 

2 years ago Windham in the USA had a round of the World Cup but were ready to pull out and just take the fine that would be imposed on them by the UCI rather than build a 4 Cross track as the monetary imput needed for the course would have ruined the ski resort and forced it into bankrupcy.

 

So the UCI came up with another spectator friendly event that is easily televised where the tracks needed are not as labour intensive as 4 Cross - and so XCO was born .... Also one must remember that with 4 Cross there is always a good chance that a rider will go down in an argy-bargy crash and if that rider was primarily a DH rider it may jepoardise their season ... so numbers fell drastically over the 5 years of 4 Cross at UCI events until there were only about 50 riders in total at an event in the mens.

 

XCE is not as full on contact and when run AFTER the XCO ... a number of riders will enter so this allows for a more stacked field.

 

But this video is just showing the views of the "Gravity" arm-chair heros who think its a waste of time ...

 

PS - I am a Gravity rider - but XCE is really cool to watch and im looking forward to it come the Worlds in PMB in 6 weeks time

 

I totally agree that XCO has a very important place in racing and frankly I hope Saffas start focusing more on that for the next Olympics (marathon racing is taking over at the expense of XCO).

 

XCE just seems a bit too "exciting", hence the IPL comparison. It's clearly a media driven event.

 

Your points re 4 Cross are excellent and I can understand why XCE is what it is. However, I am more concerned about the UCI punting XCE as an Olympic discipline when DH is just as viewer friendly and frankly it is way more exciting to watch.

 

I'm not a DH rider (my nuts are too small), I'm just a trail rider that loves riding my bike. But if I was Greg Minnaar or Atherton etc. I'd feel a bit let down by the UCI in this regard.

[nigelhicks]

I totally agree that XCO has a very important place in racing and frankly I hope Saffas start focusing more on that for the next Olympics (marathon racing is taking over at the expense of XCO).

 

XCE just seems a bit too "exciting", hence the IPL comparison. It's clearly a media driven event.

 

Your points re 4 Cross are excellent and I can understand why XCE is what it is. However, I am more concerned about the UCI punting XCE as an Olympic discipline when DH is just as viewer friendly and frankly it is way more exciting to watch.

 

I'm not a DH rider (my nuts are too small), I'm just a trail rider that loves riding my bike. But if I was Greg Minnaar or Atherton etc. I'd feel a bit let down by the UCI in this regard.

 

OOPS - just seen a typo in my thing ...So the UCI came up with another spectator friendly event that is easily televised where the tracks needed are not as labour intensive as 4 Cross - and so XCO was born.. This should read XCE ... not XCO ... XCO has been around since the first World Champs and the introduction of the World Cup

[NicoBoshoff]

I suspect XCE will truly become the IPL of MTB'ing. Some will love it, and some will hate it.

 

I also reckon it will increase interest in other disciplines, just as the IPL has strengthened interest in test cricket. And if people start getting on their bikes because of XCE then that's cool.

 

I just actually thought the video was k@k funny, is all.

Edited July 11, 2013 by NicoBoshoff

[NicoBoshoff]

But this makes me wonder. How come the "extreme" members of a sport are usually so insecure? I saw it in skateboarding, surfing and bodyboarding where there was a massive counter-culture rebelling against anything that might make their sport seem less cool and hardcore.

 

The massive fuss about skintight clothing in DH also refers.

[Top Fuel]

What kind of drugs are they using in cycling now??? Brilliant.

[nigelhicks]

I totally agree that XCO has a very important place in racing and frankly I hope Saffas start focusing more on that for the next Olympics (marathon racing is taking over at the expense of XCO).

 

XCE just seems a bit too "exciting", hence the IPL comparison. It's clearly a media driven event.

 

Your points re 4 Cross are excellent and I can understand why XCE is what it is. However, I am more concerned about the UCI punting XCE as an Olympic discipline when DH is just as viewer friendly and frankly it is way more exciting to watch.

 

I'm not a DH rider (my nuts are too small), I'm just a trail rider that loves riding my bike. But if I was Greg Minnaar or Atherton etc. I'd feel a bit let down by the UCI in this regard.

 

In SA it grates my carrot that 99.9% or riders think that mountain biking is caneing it along a district road for 5 hours ... IMO Marathon racing (although being exceptionally demanding) is not something to be revered like it is here in SA ... I agree that XCO should be punted more to allow SA to nurture new top world racers for the olympics and world champs and world cup.

 

When it comes to DH though ... (and especially as an Olympic discipline) ... most of the riders themselves have said that it doesnt matter that its not in the olympics. Again it comes down to logistics - as the host nation needs to

 

A) have a venue which is near (within 200km) of the Olympic village

B) have a venue that is of Olympic standard

C) have the capabilities to produce a track of that standard from the knowledge base in the country.

 

if you look at the london olympics - its really easy to build an awesome XCO track almost anywhere ... the London track got a lot of flack in the beginning during the building phase for being too easy ... but it turned out to be a machine of a track ....

 

Then you look at DH ... the only World Cup level tracks are in Scotland ... WAY too far away from the Olympic venue to host an event.

 

The same goes for most other venues that have hosted the Olympics ...

 

So in this regard - i dont think its a huge issue that DH is not there

[nigelhicks]

But this makes me wonder. How come the "extreme" members of a sport are usually so insecure? I saw it in skateboarding, surfing and bodyboarding where there was a massive counter-culture rebelling against anything that might make their sport seem less cool and hardcore.

 

The massive fuss about skintight clothing in DH also refers.

 

I donno if its insecurity really ... or just people being otherwise ... I see it here in KZN where the DH guys are proactive and go and build their own tracks, help where they can at events and always say please and thank you .. but when they bring up issues to the event organisers (as constructive criticism to try and help and make it better) ... they are chooned for being too whiney and complaining all the time ...

 

I have yet to see a group of XC riders on the trails building at their own expense because they want to make a race track better ... so .... maybe the "insecurity" is actually just "excessive passion"

 

But then you always do get the chops who just act hardcore and ruin the reputation for everyone else hahahaha

[Grebel]

 

I have yet to see a group of XC riders on the trails building at their own expense because they want to make a race track better ...

 

 

All they do is complain about the "Lips" on the jumps that are on trails that weren't designed for them in the first place and the fact that riding the "B-Line" upsets the flow and their rhythm... Muppets.

[NicoBoshoff]

Ok, lemme just state for the record that it was not my intention to start a XC vs gravity fight on the Hub. The video made me laugh and raised some interesting questions about XCE.

 

And besides, some XC riders make trail riders look like scared-y-cats:

 

Edited July 11, 2013 by NicoBoshoff

[nigelhicks]

Ok, lemme just state for the record that it was not my intention to start a XC vs gravity fight on the Hub. The video made me laugh and raised some interesting questions about XCE.

 

hahahahaha yes it was! hahahaha

 

http://www.horrorsleazetrash.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/boxing-punch.jpg

 

Dont worry it wont turn into one of these above ...

 

maybe just one of these

 

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/nkr/lowres/nkrn8l.jpg

 

 

 

But yeah ... those okes really do pull the piss!