Eddy Gordo Posted May 3, 2017 Share You know. Loic was always one of my favourites. That laaitie is top step contender for any race. To be labelled as such a serious threat at such a young age. And I think he's only just scratching the surface of his potential. He has his entire career ahead of him. So he lost some points. Throwing his toys out of the cot. Pfft. Cry me a river.Yes Indeed, cant wait to see what the next round holds. Pity there no more saffers who offer serious competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicoBoshoff Posted May 3, 2017 Share Chill, bro. Always so aggro. It's an outdoor sport. Wet conditions are an inherent risk factor. BTW, Team Bikehub Factory Racing sounds pretty sweet. You could be the truck driver. I'll be the midpack racer who's there to make up the numbers and score some team points. Droo can be the magical mechanic. Now all we need is the star racer and the borderline-retarded, but loveable git who somehow got the factory racting team ticket.Yeah but telling the last ten to go ride down a deathtrap frozen piste is taking the piss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicoBoshoff Posted May 3, 2017 Share So what do you propose Nico?The event be stopped? Time penalties be given to the dry runs like the Duckworth-Lewis conundrum? Because we all know that when it starts to rain suddenly out on the trail, we summarily stop our bikes, and phone a friend due to the treacherous conditions. Perhaps the riders can get some "act of God" loss of income insurance?Yes. Stop / pause the race due to hazardous conditions. Rider safety is the issue here, not a slight change in conditions. If the track becomes unrideable how is that still fair? We're not talking about some rain. It was storm winds with serious exposure and frozen mud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicoBoshoff Posted May 3, 2017 Share You know. Loic was always one of my favourites. That laaitie is top step contender for any race. To be labelled as such a serious threat at such a young age. And I think he's only just scratching the surface of his potential. He has his entire career ahead of him. So he lost some points. Throwing his toys out of the cot. Pfft. Cry me a river.Must be nice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane_Bosch Posted May 3, 2017 Share Yes Indeed, cant wait to see what the next round holds. Pity there no more saffers who offer serious competition. Garlicke got his best career result with a 57th. I'm with Nico on this. A few years ago they cancelled the Qatar Moto GP race because of rain. They came back and raced the Monday. And that has a MMMMUCCHH bigger audience. It's a sign of an immature sport where the "schedule" is more important than the riders safety. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelhicks Posted May 3, 2017 Share Okes ... think about this .... As the event organiser (UCI), you need to adhere to a number of rules and factors to govern safety and logistics at an event. They need to adhere to "TV" slots prescribed by Red Bull as the event is aired live and therefore any change in schedule at such a late hour would cause massive backlash from the viewership. As the Juniors now race their own event in the morning (see the attached programme from the UCI), Group A riders have practice AFTER this event - to give them better understanding of the track and its changes subsequent to the Junior Event. - Previously this hour of practice was set aside in the morning. The Elite Women start at 13:00 - and are therefore shown LIVE! on Red Bull now - unlike previously where the Ladies event was shot and then broadcast as a delayed feed prior to the top 30 men. So then to the men - they start at 14:00 with the top 80 qualifiers. - at 1 minute intervals this means that an hour later you are at the top 20 men - which is when that feed is then live. There may be a discrepancy of a couple of minutes here and there with rabbits clearing the track etc. but this would therefore account for the hour separation between the mens and womens events. -------- As per some comments made here (and Loic's comments on IG) regarding changing the schedule - this is NOT an option for the race organisers - not on the last day. The only option the UCI have is to cancel the event - 4.1.023 Cancellation - In the event of bad weather the president of the commissaires' panel may decide to cancel the event after consulting the organiser and, where appointed, the UCI technical delegate. We had issues in PMB with similar factors whereby the rider complained about the times schedules etc. .. regarding practice in the Morning before the event as the riders were given one hour to practice - this meant they could only do one run effectively with the 35min shuttle uplift. So the practice session was extended after I discussed this with the UCI - but there was no way we could move the finals to later in the afternoon as this was set from a TV broadcast perspective. ----- As MTB is an outdoor sport - variations in weather are inevitable at some point. We have had a good few seasons of uninterupted weather at World Cups. BUT - if you know its going to rain - and you are a top contender ... make your own plan .... In 2007 at Champery (the year of Sam Hills famous wet run), the winner of the day Matti Lehikoinen even said in the post race interview that it had rained each day at 3pm, so he STOPPED for 10 seconds in his Qualification run so has to have a POOR seeding run and beat the weather - this allowed him to take the win ... -------------Although not exactly the same - this event below is the closest the UCI has come to cancelling an event. Champery Worlds in 2011 ... What 99.9% of fans and riders DONT KNOW - is that that event was almost cancelled due to the weather ... Why? ... Because of logistics issues - not the weather itself. The UCI technical delegate then (Chris Ball of EWS) fame, said to me in 2012 that they almost cancelled it as the mist and rain was so bad that the emergency helicopters could not take off. This was the only way to remove riders from the track in an emergency, so therefore without their flight capability the event could not proceed. .... Luckily though the mist lifted slightly and the race was able to continue to be the amazing event that we witnessed. ----------------- So everyone is entitled to their opinions - but IMO - Loic acted like a spoilt brat with his comment (especially seeing as the team boss had to issue an apology and make him change the wording of his rant) ...Weather is just a factor you have to deal with and is out of the organisers control ... so if you know its going to rain - make a plan to come down early before then to get a good time, as so many riders have done before you in years past. popcorn_skollie, Headshot, hboli4 and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Headshot Posted May 3, 2017 Share Garlicke got his best career result with a 57th. I'm with Nico on this. A few years ago they cancelled the Qatar Moto GP race because of rain. They came back and raced the Monday. And that has a MMMMUCCHH bigger audience. It's a sign of an immature sport where the "schedule" is more important than the riders safety.You guys go on as if someone died. Looks more like disappointment that your heroes had **** conditions to race in than real safety issues. Go back and look at the many scores of DH WC races that have been held in absolutely atrocious conditions... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaGearA Posted May 3, 2017 Share Ja totally. I - too - find it exhilarating when people's careers are jeopardized because of random events that make the playing field completely unfair. Big difference between dry vs wet runs and safe vs completely suicidal conditions. But who am I to argue with Team Bikehub Factory RacingYou make a very valid point BUT its called mtb for A reason and we're supposed to be tougher than roadies. yet I have seen hundreds of road stages in ice and rain and many TT where top riders get the rain and don't complain about it... Play the hand you've got Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefmeister Posted May 3, 2017 Share What was up with the hour delay in the men's "live" broadcasting? Was it just the footage delay or was the actual race delayed? In case of the latter, for whatever arb reason, the riders who got the brunt of it have every right to be pissed off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaGearA Posted May 3, 2017 Share In 2007 at Champery (the year of Sam Hills famous wet run), the winner of the day Matti Lehikoinen even said in the post race interview that it had rained each day at 3pm, so he STOPPED for 10 seconds in his Qualification run so has to have a POOR seeding run and beat the weather - this allowed him to take the win ... If you can think of this idea and be that "thrifty " with your racing you deserve to win Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelhicks Posted May 3, 2017 Share What was up with the hour delay in the men's "live" broadcasting? Was it just the footage delay or was the actual race delayed? In case of the latter, for whatever arb reason, the riders who got the brunt of it have every right to be pissed off. read the first part of my previous reply - it explains the delay stefmeister 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefmeister Posted May 3, 2017 Share You make a very valid point BUT its called mtb for A reason and we're supposed to be tougher than roadies. yet I have seen hundreds of road stages in ice and rain and many TT where top riders get the rain and don't complain about it... Play the hand you've gotyeah, but as a top qualifier I think you earned the right choose your race day strategy, i.e. if it looks like the weather is going to act up, you ought to be allowed to take your run earlier in the line-up. BaGearA 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nigelhicks Posted May 3, 2017 Share If you can think of this idea and be that "thrifty " with your racing you deserve to win It is tactics - it has been done on MANY occasions by ALL of the worlds top riders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefmeister Posted May 3, 2017 Share read the first part of my previous reply - it explains the delayD'oh, missed your post. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stretch Posted May 3, 2017 Share Nige I saw a comment from some guy from Fort Bill - on how the weather forecast predicted howling winds at 4. They reduced the practice sessions and brought everything forward - i.e. adjusted the schedule. This was for the world enduro series...would that not have been allowed for the world cup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicoBoshoff Posted May 3, 2017 Share You guys go on as if someone died. Looks more like disappointment that your heroes had **** conditions to race in than real safety issues. Go back and look at the many scores of DH WC races that have been held in absolutely atrocious conditions...Well the issue is being raised now and I am of the view that there's room for improvement. It seems that the general mood is that this was one of the most disappointing races in a very long time. So either that or we're all butt-hurt as you say. But let me entertain your non sequitur - Let's say someone did slip on icy mud and broke their neck and died. Would that then have been within the realm of reasonable for this sport? Is that what riders signed up for? Do we send Rampage Riders down the cliff when winds are pumping? Do guys paddle out when Chopes is unsurfable and dangerous? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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