2023 World Cup DH Race Format - B Practice Podcast

The Inside Line Podcast - Vital MTB

In December last year, Warner Bros. Discovery announced fairly monumental changes to the format of UCI World Cup downhill racing. The introduction of a third points-paying race per round that will result in less elite riders in finals quickly stirred up a commotion. On today's episode, the crew sits down to discuss the details of these changes and the possible implications they will have when the season kicks off in June. Enjoy!
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0:00 Dakotah Norton's initial reaction as a World Cup racer
4:51 Breakdown and discussion of new semi-final and finals format
9:45 Impact of the new format on US DH racers
11:38 Why did Warner Bros. Discovery implement these changes?
16:27 Broadcasting top 30 vs. top 60
17:30 Points breakdown per round
19:07 How will more points per round affect racing?
26:55 The dynamic of doing three race runs in a weekend
33:52 How to watch World Cups in 2023
36:05 Third-party media changes
39:55 New protected rider rules
50:09 The stresses of being a top 10 racer OR top 30-40 racer in semi-finals
52:10 Rumors of track standardization
53:40 Why not a B Final or last-chance qualifier?
55:05 How season-long storylines could change with less racers in finals
1:00:02 Will wildcard racers still be a thing?
1:00:14 Updates to replacement rider rules
1:02:04 2023 Schedule breakdown
1:08:04 Are all these changes just TV broadcasters taking over our sport?