How Tough Are XC World Cup Courses? | What The Pros Think!

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How hard is XC racing? Cross Country racing used to be viewed as the roadie's version of mountain biking, but in 2024 the WOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series course design has been gnarly! Rich Payne takes a look at the Val di Sole track in Italy and asks the pros what they think.
⏱ Timestamps ⏱
00:00 - Riders Opinion
02:13 - Rich Rides The Track
05:21 - Oli Beckingsale (Commentator and former Olympian/ XC Pro)
07:39 - Watching the racers
09:19 - Where was the race won and lost?
11:28 - XC courses now have 4X tracks on them?
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Is Val di Sole the gnarliest XC track on the World Cup circuit? What other XC content would you like to see?
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Опубликовано:

12 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 95

@ttambm8639 11 дней назад

MORE FREAKING XC ON THIS CHANNEL!

@markush7001 9 дней назад

@@ttambm8639 first gmbn video I’ve watched in years. XC has been ignored quite a bit.

@irfuel 2 дня назад

People sometimes tend to forget MTB is more than "steezy"/"gnarly" trail riding in baggy pants and pushing your bike uphill, or using a lift.

@ShadLife 12 дней назад

This is what XC racing should be like. It's mountain biking! I used to call XC racing "Road Racing on Dirt" because that's basically what it was. This is a lot more like it! Skills required as well as endurance. A road racer can't simply get into a mountain bike race and easily win it now without developing some off-roading skills. It's super cool to see this. And if some racers don't like it they can do road or gravel racing...😉

@markdunne818 11 дней назад

Exactly. There's nothing stopping a rider from dismounting for features they're uncomfortable with, you know just like any mountain biker would while progressively improving confidence and skill.

@MFR03 11 дней назад

pidcock is still superior 😅 but xco is cool ✌️

@keirfarnum6811 10 дней назад

I raced XC in Alaska during the early 90s and it was anything but “road racing on dirt”. We did have some races on gravel roads, but even those were brutal because of the washboard. But most of our races had plenty of technical singletrack.

@irfuel 2 дня назад

If you remove the technical part from MTB racing you get gravel racing.

@miyui9269 День назад

vanderpoel and pidcock easily smokes these xc rider. they are pro road cyclist btw, currently in tour de france rn😅

@kennywallace1 12 дней назад

I used to race in the Scottish XC series, which had some knarley descents for the days of 26” wheels, longs stems, short hardtail frames, high bottom brackets and fixed seat posts. The challenge with descending wash’t really the tech, it was competitively pacing and recovering from the climbs enough to be able to mentally focus on the features in the decents. Acute oxygen debt affecting brain function was the biggest hurdle to overcome. As much as the descents could be super steep, rutted, rooty and rocky they never really had drop-offs or jumps. I understand the need for shorter tracks crammed with big technical features are an attempt to make XC a spectator sport, which it wasn’t in my day. More spectators = more sponsors = more money…

@peterswanson2090 11 дней назад

I don't think its just about spectators - its actually rewarding riders with technical skills and also reflects the moderns bikes which are so much more capable. These are not outrageous features - technical sure, but we aren't talking double gap jumps here or 20 foot drops. Like you I remember doing XC series in the north of England in the 90s - back then I would ride my hard tail in both XC and downhill - before downhills got too epic. Bit different now for sure, but so much better too in many ways. What I would love to see is a 3 race event where you have to do it all on one bike, same tyres - XC, downhill, and short gravel (50kms) event - that would be an interesting test to see what configuration would be best!

@kennywallace1 11 дней назад

@@peterswanson2090 Yes, bikes are more capable than they've ever been and the tracks look incredible and enjoyable to ride. But, we can't escape the fact the sport is a business first and foremost..Without spectators, sponsors and bike sales it wouldn't exist. Someone has to pay for it all...

@irfuel 2 дня назад

The thing is, the places you were really struggling on your 26" bike with narrow bars and super steep headtube angles, today any low budget 29" would just steamroll over it. The courses have evolved with the bike tech. And non-technical offroad riding also has a different name today. It's called "gravel".

@kennywallace1 2 дня назад

@@irfuel I went from a 26" 170mm Sworks Enduro to a 29" 140mm 1st Gen SC Hightower in 2017. The difference in speed and stability while descending was truly staggering.

@stujm8376 12 дней назад

I’m getting more and more into xc as I get older, I absolutely love it too. I get out and ride xc trails as often as I can and it really shows in my fitness levels. Let’s see more xc.

@Jack-zi6tl 12 дней назад

Really nice video would love to see more of this for the xc race course breakdowns.

@royvandijk7119 12 дней назад

Crans-Montana also was something special, really gnarly

@timbershadow1 10 дней назад

Awesome edit!! Love the detailed shots!! The face in the rut was hilarious! Nice work Team!!

@gmbn 10 дней назад

Thanks for your feedback, it means a lot! 🤘

@richardpayne5176 10 дней назад

Cheers dude glad you like it

@ChampionGaming 11 дней назад

Exciting times, I might start watching XC races from now on :D

@tiagolage5642 12 дней назад

Amazing content! Several details explained! Keep going, please!

@rustychain9518 12 дней назад

More of this please!

@JeppeSvendsenOfficial 11 дней назад

Awesome course review! I would love to see a lot more XC content like this 👏🏻

@derronjames7194 6 дней назад

Awesome review of the course and the race. Love more of this please.

@dannyk3718 12 дней назад

Man XC is a different event from 20 years ago ..Obviously as mountain bike tech and design evolves so does the intensity and difficulty of the courses in all event styles . I cant wait to see how insane the sport will be in the next 20 years

@lenmarais 6 дней назад

Amazing video Rich!! Looking forward to more of THIS!! Maybe more lycra next time?! 😉

@phoenixinthetrees1446 12 дней назад

Great insight and one of the best videos I've seen on GMBN. 6:11 Now someone teach Oli and Rich the difference between less and fewer!

@alexpeartree2019 12 дней назад

Pro level pedantry there, chapeau!

@richardpayne5176 10 дней назад

Thanks mate glad you liked it, it seems like less people were strugglin at Val di Sole than Crans but fewer people could ride the A lines there 😆

@phoenixinthetrees1446 10 дней назад

@@richardpayne5176 Ha! 50% right - I'll take it.

@phoenixinthetrees1446 10 дней назад

@@alexpeartree2019 Thank you. That's amateur level, really, but I'll take the backhanded compliment! 😄

@gmbn 12 дней назад

Is Val di Sole the gnarliest XC track on the World Cup circuit? What other XC content would you like to see?

@bitumen83 12 дней назад

This year Crans Montana in Swiss looks more challenging IMO 😬

@alexpeartree2019 12 дней назад

How the pro's choose eyeware. Tinted, clear, no glasses etc.

@lloydjarm 11 дней назад

Like others have said, the Swiss stop seemed more extreme. In fact, too much IMO. This one is good amount for me :)

@awheelman 11 дней назад

Awesome video.

@adas7614 11 дней назад

Thanks for the XC content. ❤

@gmbn 10 дней назад

Our pleasure! Keep your eyes out, more will definitely be coming 🔥

@richardpayne5176 10 дней назад

My pleasure, more incoming👊

@ivostarmans1199 11 дней назад

Crans Montana was epic. The drops without the wood.

@richardcaro3368 12 дней назад

Great video

@padyakeroUK 6 дней назад

XC of today... endurance, skills and more technical tracks 👍 love to see more of this!

@richardmiddleton7770 11 дней назад

Season ending or even career ending is how tough they are now!!! At least in DH you can wear full face, neck brace, body and knee armour!

@gmbn 10 дней назад

We might start seeing more protection being used in XC as well!

@richardpayne5176 10 дней назад

Remeber they dont have to ride the scary/tough lines there are options around

@TheTrailRabbit 7 дней назад

These courses are far too dangerous for XC

@MarcoMüller-y8l 2 дня назад

Can u hear the XC-Fork screaming for more travel in the rockgarden? 😂

@esavirtanen6418 11 дней назад

I like that it's getting a bit more technical but I'd rather have them not have to walk their bike. For me they could dial it back just a bit with the tech, but it's good to have some of it so the rider with good technical ability stand out instead of just being a pure endurance event.

@letheal 5 дней назад

If pros have to walk features it's definitely too much

@irfuel 2 дня назад

It all depends on the weather conditions

@JeffMTBinVA 12 дней назад

Rich, I wanted to see you hit that wooden drop on your XC bike man. Funny that next came Crans Montana with "oh you think that was hard, watch this". I hope you guys do these for the other events but make the videos longer. Better yet, do it for Enduro events. They need some exposure.

@richardpayne5176 10 дней назад

I know dude that Crans course looked sick, gutted to not film on that one but i also think the weather plaed a huge difference, had Val di Sole been wet then ☠☠☠

@JeffMTBinVA 10 дней назад

@@richardpayne5176 Definitely the rain played a huge part. Especially in that man made rock garden and wooden stump section.

@irfuel 2 дня назад

Enduro is just boring to watch. In XC you see people going head to head. A lot more exciting than looking at a stopwatch and wondering if the delta will be red or green.

@rozaniahmad День назад

lihatlah betapa olahraga ini berkembang, luarbiasa!

@MaQuGo119 День назад

Type 2 fun is best type of fun

@Nojikuzus 11 дней назад

Crans-Montana!

@MrHowie681 12 дней назад

awesome vid, i always thought xc was easy lol guess not

@patf1628 9 дней назад

How about on XC tires? Syerra are trail tires. Throw on something with only a hint of tread and try the course in the wet. The people that say XC riders don't have skills aren't paying attention. The current world cup level courses are tough!

@Cous1nJack 8 дней назад

I suspect must riders would think the downs were like enduro and the ups like riding dh in reverse.

@mareckik 11 дней назад

You need edit this video after Crans Montana 😂

@richardpayne5176 10 дней назад

Ah man tell me about it, i shot this vid then saw the Crans course and was like "hold my beer i need to ride this" Just means next year i'll have to shoot a vid on that course for ya'll

@erich8258 11 дней назад

"Pro's"? Surely someone at GMBN should have spotted (and fixed) that one.

@xavierhulbert5849 11 дней назад

This style of XC makes me wonder what the difference between XC and Enduro is anymore. I couldn’t imagine hitting any of that on an XC bike, let alone in a race setting.

@bartek.igielski 11 дней назад

clearly you've never been on any enduro trail

@letheal 5 дней назад

Most xc trails are no where near this though. I race xc and this is basically downhill for me lol

@irfuel 2 дня назад

That's why it's "world cup" XC, and not "local MTB club" XC.

@robertpaulsen5114 3 дня назад

DUDE... That looks more like a DH loop than an XC track.

@dovesnbowties 13 часов назад

this is what xc is.

@hurriedlemon8146 12 дней назад

How many laps did they do?

@JeffMTBinVA 12 дней назад

@hurriedlemon8146 12 дней назад

@@JeffMTBinVA Thanks!

@devincook3278 12 дней назад

...and then there was Crans Montana.

@TheTrailRabbit 7 дней назад

Why is UCI trying to make XC more like enduro?

@KP-ol3tc 12 дней назад

Should I ride smooth in the downhill section? 😂

@richardpayne5176 10 дней назад

Apparently so....easier said thean done lol

@KP-ol3tc 10 дней назад

@@richardpayne5176 Those roots though 😳

@user-jk8wn5rl8x День назад

I raced in Colorado for years, the xc races always pissed me off because they had no technical sections, just jeep roads and fire access roads , stupid crap, just gives the 140 lb road bikers with no bike skills an advantage

@Yoda-em5mt 4 дня назад

Until xc is up and down a downhill track i still think its tame this is why i ride moto single track and call it hard xc i dont think it will ever become a thing as people nowadays are soft sorry i,m an ex pro xco xcm racer been riding mtb for just over 40 years yeah i,m old like tomac ha ha. Lets get Gee Atherton and Danny Mac designing tracks then it will be gnarly .

@irfuel 2 дня назад

Yeah grandpa, time to go to bed .... You wouldn't even make it to the top of the first climb.

@ecopennylife 11 дней назад

I'll let the pros ride it 😂

@lwittrock1 11 дней назад

It's blurring the lines between Enduro and XC which I think is a mistake. Call me a purist but XC racing was, and I think should still be, more about your fitness and strength an athlete competing all out as fast as possible. i still race XC and have been for a long time, so not happy to see it going this way. And yes, it still required mtb skills and I can take on the most technical drops, rock gardens, jumps, etc. however to me that not XC! Now I'd rather watch an enduro race over XC.

@gmbn 10 дней назад

That's an interesting point, although this type XC racing is done in a loop making it easier to watch in person. With this new level of riding it could bring a lot more people into the sport 🤔

@lwittrock1 10 дней назад

@@gmbn I get that, but as a XC racer I'm not interested in getting a new bike or modifying my current bike just to ride more like an enduro bike. I've raced Enduro and Downhill and I'm very happy to keep all three of these disciplines very separate. It's just my opinion/view.

@letheal 5 дней назад

Agreed. That course is absolutely brutal for xc.

@irfuel 2 дня назад

If you just want to pedal hard on off-road, do a gravel race.

@dtheopha 5 дней назад

What the pros think for 2 mins then another 10 of this non-pro riding around. not really what was advertised

@TheProjectX3 12 дней назад

Yeah it's cool but it makes XCO a race-only sport and XC bikes a race-only machine. If pros have to push up a hill or barely make it down, what to do for casuals? It's not building passion anymore because riding as a casual on your local xc course does not feel like what you see in pro sport.

@JernejBu 12 дней назад

It would make sense if people didn't recreationally ride enduro and other stuff. And XC race bikes are taking geometry cues from downhill oriented ones as well, just made much lighter.

@irfuel 2 дня назад

Because your average trail center has the same tracks as World Cup DH?