This week on the GMBN Dirt Shed Show, Martyn Ashton is joined by Owen Coutts to react to and question the new UCI Mountain Bike World Cup changes for the 2025 race season. We hear from Bernard Kerr (Pivot Factory Racing team owner) and Theo Erlangsen (Professional Downhill racer). What do you think about the big changes to mountain bike racing as we know it? Share your thoughts below!
Plus the latest MTB news, Sickest Thing Of The Week, Hacks and Bodges, Caption Contest, and of course the Bike Vault!
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⏱ Timestamps ⏱
00:00 – Intro
00:19 – MTB World Cups Are Changing
14:22 – The News
15:52 – Sickest Thing Of The Week
16:47 – Back To The Shed / GMBN Shop Shout Out
21:14 – Things We Liked
23:58 – Caption Contest
26:47 – On The Channel
28:25 – Bike Vault
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What do you think about World Cup Racing as we know it changing? Do you agree or disagree with any of the changes?
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28 Comments
What do you think about World Cup Racing as we know it changing? Do you agree or disagree with any of the changes?
Huge fans of mtb from Thunder Bay Canada. The last 2 years have been the worst yet. We could not even watch live because it did not work. The production is crap. Red Bull knew what they were doing. Getting rid of Rob on the mic is a fail. We like crankworx dh better then world cup now. We this this has all been a disaster.
Keep 5 podium please.
When does the World Cups start
5 rider podium must stay !
5 on the podium please and then add the lantern rouge for historical posterity!
Struggling to hear what you are saying thought the distractive vibes of that shitty bush.
They are making is a more distant thing separating the public from the sport
Things like ews100 made you feel close and being able to ride some tracks was amazing, at least you can ride fort William World Cup track, oh wait no you can’t because DH isn’t in the uk next year! WTF!!!
Discovery plus is crap and doesn’t always work
I just pink bike the results now and watch riders YouTube videos, I’d love to watch it live but discovery plus is crap!!
Do you think Bernard has enough influence to create a downhill series himself?
Eoin = Mr.Oh..😂😂
Awesome show. Thanks for the shout out guys. I was giving you guys a big cheers with coffee in my stunt mug while watching this!! Got one last year. Use it all the time. And yes, I am a big Owen Superfan. Keep it up guys.
Enhance the sport, don't ruin the culture! Less women riders an no more 5 rider podium! 🤨
The only people who can get more women riding and racing are women. If they don't want to participate, who is a man like Owen to tell them he knows better? The amount of places available for Elite Females should reflect the depth of talent in the field and by that measure, 15 places is generous.
I've always cringed at the five man podiums. For women it's even sillier: the spread in the Elite Female category makes it similar to having the top ten men on the podium. No tears from me if they change it. For me, the silliest thing in the proposed new rules is the suspension travel limits for each discipline. We don't need to give XCO organisers any excuses to limit the gnar.
The Continental series idea could help with an extra layer of competitive action – and it could be the very thing that helps the sport grow and get more investment in the process. It works for road, where second tier teams and World tour junior development squad members push for the chance to race in the big events. They have their own races on courses about 80% length and difficulty, and still draw big crowds and sponsors. I do agree that the 5 podium spots should absolutely stay. It's a unique quirk of the sport and is absolutely iconic.
I don't really care about podiums. But I'd like to see juniors given a wildcard chance to compete in the men's elite if their quali times are within the elite top 10. I'd love to see a young kid school the pros!
It's a shame that a corporate perspective for commercial ease can dictate terms for a sport.
#captioncontest (In David Attenborough's voice – make sure Martyn's impression is up to snuff please) – And here on the nature cam, our patience is finally rewarded as we capture the new father venturing out into the woods. If you look closely you can see the dead look in his eyes indicating the toll it's had on him, providing for his mate and offspring.
Oh thank god it’s finally three people on the podium. Now the rest of the sports world can stop laughing at us for celebrating the 4 first losers.
#captioncontest: I said: Rich, let’s go to the pumptrack.. not take a dump on the track
The elite riders are being forced to eat the mid-pack and juniors, and being promised a fantasy that they are going to sell Mercedes like Lewis Hamilton or Breitling's like Kelly Slater. Please….The sooner this whole sham collapses the better. Bring in somebody who understands the sport and the fans and wants to grow it organically.
#captioncontest When I click my fingers, you will like gravel bikes and ride one every day for a year
All of it is bad. All of it. F UCI, F Whoop. The riders need to unionize. They have enough social media exposure to run and promote their own “league”. They just have to give enough F to do it. They have the support of Red Bull, bike brands, component and equipment brands. No need for a UCI. Bring back Rob and add Ben for commentary. Boom.
Loved Erlingson's honesty, was really refreshing.
The UCI only care about road racing and not about mountain biking, just look at what they did to the EWS, and your parent company also has a part to play in this.
5 podium says MTB appreciates how much goes into racing. No negatives so why not?
The bloopers were great, should keep more in imo.
UCI and Warner are intent on destroying downhill. I won't be watching this year.
WBD are satan😂