the unofficial UCI Mountain Bike World Cup thread

[ajnkzn]

MVDP is my favourite road rider, but his performances on flat bars show that even with phenomenal general bike handling skills, you cannot pitch up at the top end of MTB and expect to compete.

 

I hope that he either lets go of his Olympic gold MTB plan, or spends some time prepping properly with a skills coach for the specific needs of MTB racing these days.

 

It would be horrible to see a generational talent sidelined for a long period / with a permanent injury from dabbling in a secondary interest...

 

 

[mazambaan]

2 hours ago, tinmug said:

MTBing an extreme sport? 
 

What does that make base jumping?

Harsh crowd of experts I see as I am always impressed with how the professional men and women handle quite daunting obstacles (to me anyway and I have ridden enduro and offroad), lap after lap and at impressive speeds, racing. I guess trying to pedal and turn entering a rock garden can happen to the best. Get well soon, hopefully o serious injuries.

[Gnarly]

2 hours ago, tinmug said:

What does that make base jumping?

A hobby/activity, not a sport. 

[DieselnDust]

3 hours ago, tinmug said:

MTBing an extreme sport? 
 

What does that make base jumping?

suicide with options….?

[rock]

21 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

Definitely not all the travel but he had his 34 set to 110mm. 
look I can’t blame Alan having a moment of fatigue or I’ll get crucified so long cranks it is ok…. Work with me here

wonder if that is correct?

Edited May 27 by rock

[rock]

2 hours ago, ajnkzn said:

MVDP is my favourite road rider, but his performances on flat bars show that even with phenomenal general bike handling skills, you cannot pitch up at the top end of MTB and expect to compete.

 

I hope that he either lets go of his Olympic gold MTB plan, or spends some time prepping properly with a skills coach for the specific needs of MTB racing these days.

 

It would be horrible to see a generational talent sidelined for a long period / with a permanent injury from dabbling in a secondary interest...

 

 

I recall him crashing out of 2021 Olympics and 2023 world champs - both early on in the race. 

and definitely not calling his skill set into question - just shows XCO is super tough now - especially when you start at the back and have to fight your way though.

 

 

[Headshot]

15 hours ago, GLuvsMtb said:

Humanity should really stop sticking warning labels on everything. Rider safety is first and foremost the responsibility of the rider. Years ago on a mining site there was a mirror at the checkpoint counter with a sign above it that said "Safety Starts Here". Riders should know their limits and perform within those limits.

Switching cycling disciplines is always tough, and perhaps VDP should have picked a less technical race to get going on. Mountain biking was, is and always will be an extreme sport. Check your travel insurance closely next time you go overseas with your mountain bike. The fact that we get so few falls and even fewer injuries is a testimony to rider skill and conditioning, and equipment performing almost flawlessly under extreme conditions. It's the reason some of these bikes are selling for north of R300k. 

One thing to point out you definitely don't need a R300k bike to ride those XCO courses. A modern R60k alloy XC bike with vaguely decent suspension would suffice. 

 

Alan's crash happened at the very end of the last lap when he was probably a little smoked, also having spent a bit of time on the road. Its far easier to crash when you're exhausted. MVDP doesn't really have that excuse in this instance. 

[GLuvsMtb]

1 hour ago, Headshot said:

One thing to point out you definitely don't need a R300k bike to ride those XCO courses. A modern R60k alloy XC bike with vaguely decent suspension would suffice. 

 

Alan's crash happened at the very end of the last lap when he was probably a little smoked, also having spent a bit of time on the road. Its far easier to crash when you're exhausted. MVDP doesn't really have that excuse in this instance. 

Alan also apparently spent most of the off season focussing on fulfilling his commitments with Jayco Alula. Switching codes is tough in all sports, which makes cyclists competing in multiple disciplines a rare breed. 

[DieselnDust]

2 hours ago, rock said:

wonder if that is correct?

Pretty sure Alan has his fork set to 110mm

[Robbie Stewart]

Preloading the shock as the front wheel departs the lip . . .

. . . will always buck the rear wheel and chuck the rider out the front door, especially if the rebound is set to pogo-stick

[NotSoBigBen]

I am happy to be corrected but I would imagine these pros have their setups pretty good if not perfect for each course ... My summation would lean towards impatience and perhaps a momentary lapse of concentration rather than a crap bike

But hey I'm old and cranky and probably way off the mark?

Edited May 27 by NotSoBigBen
Spelling

[Shebeen]

9 hours ago, ajnkzn said:

MVDP is my favourite road rider, but his performances on flat bars show that even with phenomenal general bike handling skills, you cannot pitch up at the top end of MTB and expect to compete.

 

I hope that he either lets go of his Olympic gold MTB plan, or spends some time prepping properly with a skills coach for the specific needs of MTB racing these days.

 

It would be horrible to see a generational talent sidelined for a long period / with a permanent injury from dabbling in a secondary interest...

 

 

He rides a lot more cx than pidcock. And he seems to be just fine on the dirt and rocks when he arrives from a road block

[Action_Man]

On 5/26/2025 at 12:23 PM, BuffsVintageBikes said:

I called it some time ago, it was just a matter of time before the technical nature of the XCO courses started claiming some big scalps with injuries. If it carries on like this then the guys will just stop trying to do it all as it's too risky for their road commitments.

This may be the case with some of the new XCO courses where they have pushed the technical features too far and crossed into Enduro type territory, but that is not the case with the NMNM World Cup course. It is actually one of the easier courses (possibly the easiest one) in terms of the level of technicality. 

On 5/26/2025 at 3:43 PM, Bub Marley said:

Yeah courses are definitely getting more technical. At the same time bikes are also getting way more capable to handle the terrain. You hardly see a hardtail these days at any XC race. Not sure if that’s a good thing though.

 

The main concern though is the rider safety. It’s fine to do all these courses but XC pro’s have minimal protection. They all wear road helmets also, no knee or elbow guards. Some of those crashes in the rock gardens were hectic. 

 

Not really sure what’s the right move tbh.

Same applies as my take above. There are some new courses which have pushed the envelope too far for athletes who are not competing in full face helmets or any kind of body protection, but the older mainstay World Cup courses like NMNM & Lenzerheide are true to the core nature of the sport of XCO racing. 

 

Some of the new courses such as Crans Montana last year are completely inappropriate & should never have been signed off on by a UCI Commissaire, but as in most things - money over rides where common sense should reside. 

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Thanks for the feedback Darren, you more than most will have a better insight into exactly what's happening on the ground 👍

I don't mind courses being technical and challenging riders but they also need to somehow be safe.
Falling into a drop-off rock garden wearing lycra and the lightest helmet and shoes etc. is just a recipe for disaster, especially after all the effort, time & money that goes into simply pitching up to race at this level.
The fact that more riders don't get hurt is just a testimony to how well their skills have improved over the years. Yeah sure, bikes and suspension have improved a huge amount as well but an unskilled rider will still bin it on a good bike.

The same thing is happening in Hard Enduro with motorcycling. Rides being sent up or along near vertical cliff faces all in the name of RedBull extreme is just insanity. Or maybe I'm just getting bloody old and should take up tiddly winks 😩