DH/XC World Cup in Cape Town, Why not?

[nigelhicks]

Hi hubbers.

Is there any reason why CT couldn't host a xc/dh world cup event?

We have it all. Tokai / Stellenbosch or Jonkers are all great venues. Has it to do with funding? How did PMB do it?

Hey Dirkie

 

Duane mentioned a very good point, SA does not have the correct terrain to host a world cup.

 

The main issues that DH is not coming back to SA are as follows:

 

1. Logistics:

For a World Cup DH weekend, regulations state that the uplift needs to accommodate 100 riders PER HOUR in an uplift. Uplifts cannot take longer than 20min - (PMB pushed it as our oneway trip was 30min - and this caused a nightmare for practice sessions).

If you think about it, on a given race weekend you have A and B practice sessions, then timed training, and qualifications, so if a 1-way uplift takes 30min then it would take an hour and a half (assuming a 4 minute run with 10 minutes to start and finish and get back to the shuttle) to just complete 2 runs which are the minimum required for racing. This is FAAR to long a time period.

Even in Stellenbosch the uplifts are long and slow via truck and this again would be exasperated as legal sports acts stipulate that riders need to be in a closed vehicle, so Merc Sprinters or the likes would need to be utilised, not bakkies.

So the lack of a Chair lift and fast access is the main obstacle from a logistics perspective.

 

2. Terrain:

As Dueane said the mountains in the Cape, although high do not have the total sustained elevation drop and gradient needed for a World Cup. Yes Helderberg has about 400m or so of elevation but you have to hike up to the start of the DH, which is not fesable for a world cup as you need to get all the equipment up there too for the start timers, as well as for the riders to warm up etc.

Then the terrain also flattens out at the base of the mountains and is not super technical and varied with large angled bedrock shale sections and lots of old growth root sections. This is due to 90% of our trail networks in SA being in operational forestry plantations, so the felling cycle of the trees does not allow the formation of good root sections (other than on DH1 in Tokai that is.... ) ...

So here the issues are that no matter what we would try the terrain is not suited to the big bikes. Even back in 1998 Missy mentioned to a reporter that "it would have been more technical to race down the access road than the DH track at Botmaskop" ... so even in the days of 160mm travel DH bikes with 70 deg head angles the tracks were not technical enough.

 

3. Travel:

For the world cup circus to move around the globe demands huge costs from the teams. Remember that each 3 person team will have to bring approximately 9 bikes (race bike, spare bike, training xc bike), and then there are the costs of accommodation and travel to the venue etc. in the case of SA each team would need to hire 2 vans at least to accommodate the riders and bikes etc. compared with Europe and the US where they have team support and race team trucks etc. 

So it is a huge expense for the race teams to come out to far-flung destinations.

Regarding XC on the otherhand, although they are also having to travel the event in Stellies makes sense as it links with the Cape Epic, and a lot of the race teams are here for that anyway. So it reduces the overall cost.

 

So in a nutshell, after 4 world cups and 1 world champs in PMB it was just not feasable to have DH anymore on a track that was not up to WC standards due to the terrain and logistics issues. And I would think the same would apply throughout SA unfortunately.

[Duane_Bosch]

 

So the lack of a Chair lift and fast access is the main obstacle from a logistics perspective.

 

 

Remember when you and Myles threw your toys out of the pram at me when I had the temerity to suggest that the pinnacle of the sport shouldn't have to utilize Vehicle uplifts? I do.

 

But yeah. A lot of WC guys don't make it across to MSA. Especially the bottom feeder guys. Simply because of the cost. Logically and logistically the WC is rightly based in mainland Europe with a couple of fly away races. Moto GP does the same and no one seems to have a problem with that.

 

To go off on a possibly stupid tangent. I'd love to see the Crankworx events incorporated into the WC. Maybe even as a 2nd tier type of event? But I'm just a keyboard jockey typing stuff. Saying it and doing it are not the same thing.

[nigelhicks]

Remember when you and Myles threw your toys out of the pram at me when I had the temerity to suggest that the pinnacle of the sport shouldn't have to utilize Vehicle uplifts? I do.

Hahahaha

 

Yip - but without vehicle uplifts what would I have had to stress about for 5 years?

[Duane_Bosch]

Hahahaha

 

Yip - but without vehicle uplifts what would I have had to stress about for 5 years?

Haha.

 

At least you aren't the poor sucker doing the course in Croatia next year.

[Headshot]

Unless you have seen the sheer scale of the Alps you really can't comprehend how massive they are. Its not the outright height but the fact that they go on and on. My first ever sight was on the first gondola at Val d'Isere which goes straight up from the village about 1km I think. And that's not the top...

[l4y3rcake]

SA or the Western Cape?

 

Lest we not forget that Maritzburg has hosted numerous UCI DH races and it hasn't really 'grown the sport'...

 

Anyway, DH is inaccessible and reliant on courses, course maintenance and lots of money.... If I could wish any one type of bicycle racing on SA it would be Cyclo Cross... It is super competitive, really spectator friendly, good for sponsor recognition, can be hosted in city parks, at school grounds and lots of other easily accessible venues.. It is a blast to race, a hoot to watch and will open doors for people to really enjoy a race without having to trek to far off destinations and the family can watch dad/son/boetie/sister/wife etc ride past 6 times and cheer.

 

CX bikes are cheaper to maintain that DH rigs and can be used to train on the road too with a quick wheel/tire swap.

 

Having raced pretty much every sort of racing bikes have to offer, CX is by far and away the most fun while also being fiercely competitive.

 

I would way prefer to see a CX series sprout up nationwide than another DH track that 16 people get to ride and falls into disrepair through it's 1st winter..... IMHO

I would really like to see BMX back to its 80's and 90's glory days. It's an Olympic sport and really easy to get into. Also a great spectator sport and the whole family could participate.