In a strange but not surprising move, it has been confirmed a new downhill race series has been created for 2012. What’s strange about it?A�Here isA�some informationA�about the series, it seems strange as it almost looks like the UCI areA�trying to dust their hands of downhill, they did just remove four cross from the World Cup calendar! Read on…
– 8 races are to be broadcast by Freecaster online for free. That’s a win for spectators, Freecaster could not afford the new broadcast rights for the 2012 World Cup season. Will whoever wins the 2012 World Cup rights make it free to view? It appears the voice of downhill,A�Rob Warner, will be commentating this series online.
– Races wil be held to coincide with World Cups, this means in locations close by at times that are close to World Cup race dates. Will riders be willing to push as hard at these races if they are not World Cups?
– Prize money is to be substantially larger than World Cups. If this is the case, maybe riders will push hard making the last point irrelevant.
– You don’t need to be a UCI ranked rider to race, many teams have already committed to racing the series.
This series almost seems better than the World Cups, more coverage for spectators, more money for riders, similar tracks and riders. Is this the first step to downhill breaking away from the UCI? Intriguing.