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2019 World Cup XC

144K views 2K replies 170 participants last post by  TDLover 
#1 · (Edited)
I thought I'd start a new thread to kick off the new season. Given that most of the racers have just begun training for the 2019 season, one could say it's officially underway.

I have many questions. There are so many interesting narratives.

So, is 2019 the year we see Nino regularly beaten, is Gerhard Kerschbaumer the man to do it?
Does Emily finally take a win, or is her new teammate going to steal the show again?
What about Yana Belomoyna, can she overcome her injuries and compete for the overall again?
Will the UCI do anything to improve the short track?
Will Red Bull finally get their act together and gives us live on bike footage during the race? It's about to be 2019, the camera tech is definitely available and no longer expensive. Imagine how much a front and back facing camera would enhance the show...

Discuss.

World Cup schedule

27. - 28. April: Maribor (Slovenia) DHI
17. - 19. Mai: Albstadt (Germany) XCO/XCC
24. - 26. Mai: Nove Mesto (Czech Republic) XCO/XCC
01. - 02. June: Fort William (Scotland) DHI
08. - 09. June: Leogang (Austria) DHI
05. - 07. Juli: Vallnord (Andorra) XCO/XCC/DHI
12. - 14. Juli: Les Gets (France) XCO/DHI
02. - 04. Aug: Val di Sole (Italia) XCO/XCC/DHI
09. - 11. Aug: Lenzerheide (Switzerland) XCO/XCC/DHI
06. - 08. Sept: Snowshoe (USA) XCO/XCC/DHI
 
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#46 ·
Mani Fumic doing the Spitz-thing and getting on yet another olympic train. Much appreciated. Btw: the outer appearance of Fumic and Fontana was what got me into XC racing. „Yes, XC riders can be the cool cats in town“ and everyone at Cannondales marketing unit was satisfied...;)
 
#48 ·
girl's gotta do laundry!! Maybe reading into what she's wearing a littttttttllllleeeee too much lol

But on another thought: maybe this "training trip" is a way for her to clear the mind and make a decision on what's next. Why do I feel like once she goes home we'll know what's going on with her next....?
 
#51 ·
Generally, if a rider is staying with a team it is announced pretty early (October). If a rider is switching teams then there is no announcements until their contract with the old team is up, which in most cases is in January.
 
#57 ·
No joke! You'd think that was enough. But they are pretty media and event intensive with their team. Winning races sadly doesn't translate directly into increased sales (what Specialized ultimately wants). The rider presence on social media, event's, videos, etc is what builds the brand.

Now, truth be told, I LOVE the coverage and web episodes they do at the races like Cape Epic and when they used to cover every WC XCO round. So, in a way I am part of the problem ;)
 
#58 ·
Even Specializeds budget for sponsorship is limited. Annika is a the top performer for the company in XC racing. Another world champ means another world champion salary.
As for Jaro: he is a guy average riders look up to. Even if he is not winning, not even a top ten contender he has this aura of being just a brutal cycling machine being able to push 400w at will around him. And: who else is available? Gaze and Hatherly are already on Specializeds payroll. Kerschbaumer? Flückiger? Limited marketing potential, I guess.
 
#60 ·
Fair enough on the Dollars. Yes they are always limited. I would like to think Specialized wants to keep Kate. Lots of good potential there for a lot of reasons. Will she ask for more money? If her contract is up I certainly would, but I don't know that. The other thing to remember also is the overall marketing plan. What does Specialized want to do with her? I just saw an ad on Specialized's new Womens Seat. They had Allison Tetrick in the photo and video marketing materials. Supposedly she was part of drive to get seat made. True or not this Specialized using her as part of their marketing plan. So how would Kate Courtney fit in that marketing plan? And how much is worth to them?

All that said maybe Scott is going beyond that and replace Jenny Rissveds with Courtney. Seems like Rissveds departure hurt Scott for 2018 and probably left them unable to snag a big name replacement. Neff was the obvious choice, but she went Trek. So maybe? Buy as was the case with Jenny you never really know what it is going on behind the scenes.

BTW... I know it was revealed she stepped away from racing for personal heath issues, but is is there any word of her returning?
 
#64 ·
Rissveds are looking for a comeback next year, the goal is Olympics.

She are healthy at the moment and going for next season.

I’m rather sure it will not be Scott as that mix is not good. She are looking to form her own team for next year.

A lot in media the last 4M since her win at the Nationals, the only race she did this year.
 
#84 ·
Lance made his choices. But like you said, cycling does need to move on.

I’ve sent people to prison for far worse whom have been more “accepted” upon their release having served their time and were allowed to continue on with their life in a manner that it didn’t turn into a “life sentence”.

Anyway... how bout that 2019 WC season eh?
 
#85 ·
Lance made his choices. But like you said, cycling does need to move on.

I've sent people to prison for far worse whom have been more "accepted" upon their release having served their time and were allowed to continue on with their life in a manner that it didn't turn into a "life sentence".

Anyway... how bout that 2019 WC season eh?
lots of riders will be getting busy to hunt down the Olympic Qualy points in the 2019 season... so the non WC UCI races should have pretty full fields as well. I'm looking forward to the Cape Epic and seeing how Sam Gaze goes in his first hit out
 
#90 ·
Australian duo Brendan Johnston and Cam Ivory teaming up for the Cape Epic next year as well. Will be interesting to see what they can do but I reckon a Top 10 finish is well within their capabilities. They are our two best XCO and XCM riders at the moment and both are very evenly matched.

Such a shame neither of them can get a ride in Europe on the World Cup circuit. I have no doubt they'd be Top 20 riders given the opportunity to race and train as full time professionals. Event though they are 1 and 2 in the country neither of them werre at the World Champs. Brendan Johnston is also by far our best XCM rider, probably Top 10 in the world but wasn't at the World XCM championships as MTBA just don't have the funding to support their athletes.

Anyway hopefully they do well and get some exposure to the bigger factory teams at the Cape Epic. They're both only 26 so there's still plenty of time to get picked up and have a shot at racing outside of Australia.
 
#91 ·
Australian duo Brendan Johnston and Cam Ivory teaming up for the Cape Epic next year as well. Will be interesting to see what they can do but I reckon a Top 10 finish is well within their capabilities. They are our two best XCO and XCM riders at the moment and both are very evenly matched.

Such a shame neither of them can get a ride in Europe on the World Cup circuit. I have no doubt they'd be Top 20 riders given the opportunity to race and train as full time professionals. Event though they are 1 and 2 in the country neither of them werre at the World Champs. Brendan Johnston is also by far our best XCM rider, probably Top 10 in the world but wasn't at the World XCM championships as MTBA just don't have the funding to support their athletes.

Anyway hopefully they do well and get some exposure to the bigger factory teams at the Cape Epic. They're both only 26 so there's still plenty of time to get picked up and have a shot at racing outside of Australia.
It's funny how there is unlimited funds if you're on the track (which 0.000000001% of people ride) but $0.50 if you're on mtb (which 70% of people ride)... cheers cycling australia.
 
#93 ·
Yeah absolutely, and I get that. But when your best riders aren't even at the World Champs and they don't make themselves available for selection at the Comm Games, (which was in Australia!) It's pretty obvious that there's something wrong there. I guess its just frustrating so see such talented riders not get a shot at the biggest stage simply due to the tyranny of distance (and money). Then again I'm sure that happens all the time.

We do have some very talented juniors coming through ATM (including last years World Champion) so perhaps they will be able to break through on the WC circuit.
 
#101 ·
I seem to remember from last year that Sam will ride in the backup team for jaro and howie, but I could be mistaken

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yes - Howie did such a great job last time, and Sam is untested at that event. I can understand how the Jaro/Howie combination seems the safe bet.

Still an oportunity for a very strong back-up team though. Even to have 2 competitiive teams to spread the risk, and 1 back-up team for both.
 
#116 ·
Nino Schurter beats... Roger Federer!

After having been nominated 10 times, he got elected tonight as the Swiss Sports Personality of the Year :thumbsup:

Even though our mountain bikers constantly get amazing success, MTB is not considered as a major sports in Switzerland yet, compared to road cycling, tennis or alpine skiing. Good to see that it is starting to be recognized as such. The world championships in Lenzerheide definitely made a difference this year.
 
#117 ·
Nino Schurter beats... Roger Federer!

After having been nominated 10 times, he got elected tonight as the Swiss Sports Personality of the Year [emoji106]

Even though our mountain bikers constantly get amazing success, MTB is not considered as a major sports in Switzerland yet, compared to road cycling, tennis or alpine skiing. Good to see that it is starting to be recognized as such. The world championships in Lenzerheide definitely made a difference this year.
That's awesome! Kudos to Nino [emoji109][emoji41]

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