This Has Never Happened Before | Inside The Tape with Ben Cathro 

Balanced and articulate essay Ben. Superb journalism.

So valuable to have Ben's insights in these matters. Great video guys.

Thanks for the level headed commentary. I’m also in the camp of not canceling a race but now I kind of understand why they did it.

Perfectly balanced and logical reporting as usual Ben. I'm in the safety first camp. Watching the marshal trying help the rider off the course in your video was a good illustration. Now lets imagine a race run and a proper injury. Trying to stretcher a spinal out when no one can even stand would be chaos. Yes, they should consult the riders. Yes it sucks. But so does recovering from a huge injury. Hope fully we can see some elites sending it tomorrw!

Great content as usual Ben 🤟. Give us a like, if you think the privateer should be given the chance to race 👍

10:39 The start of this is good advice for pretty much every subject deemed newsworthy these days. The rest is very a sensible and measured account of the decision made about the junior race. Well said Ben

Ben, this is completely some of your best commentary ever…and some of the best commentary I have ever heard. Pink Bike, UCI, Cycling World, Cathro is the best there is, right up there with Rob & Cam (though each with their own specialties).

I would say fast, rocky, windy Andora was way more dangerous than sliding down in the mud at slow speeds. I blame the course designers for not building a track that can handle the normal weather for the time of year they are racing.

Great work Ben 👍 I do not follow DH WC anymore since the changes. But i sometimes can not resist to get a bit of information. Main reason is your good journalism and the fun to watch you

Thank you so much for the reflected final statement in the heated debate about the cancelation!

I’m definitely not a fan of cancelling, but do understand the argument for doing so. Watching the best junior riders slide down like amateurs, does make you wonder about whether it should go ahead or not. I think the takeaway here is that how tracks ride in the wet should perhaps be a serious consideration before granting rights to host. 🤷🏼‍♂️

Well done ! I could listen to Ben explain anything I think!

There should be rider meetings with organisers just like F1 do before race weekends

Totally agree Ben - it’s about a consistent protocol to gather info and then communicating well. You’ll never please everyone, but they will know where they stand.

Ur respect for the underdog is somethin society needs more of ❤❤❤

Fantastic video and summary Ben 👌

At first, i was like: what!? For a muddy track!? Then i saw the video posted in the vital mtb forum and was like: ah, yeah - now i understand! But i guess they didn't want to sacrifice a semi for the junior race. So, i am overall, in the place now that i would say: scrap semis, let 40 riders qualify and have room to move juniors a day, if needed.

Communication from the organisers is woefully lacking and from what Wyn was saying on Lucas’ video this afternoon why all the secrecy surrounding the little communication that does happen. 100% they need a body of riders for each category to be representatives. Some were on spikes, but most in that video were on the first run on dry tyres. Riders reps could have saved this race. It needs to be about communication and cooperation. Compromises could have been made to save this race. The rain was yesterday, there was time to get bodies on the hill at first light to dig in some benches and ruts. Steep section had a way around, tape that route in. Then inform teams with juniors that spikes are compulsory and strongly advised flat pedals, everyone works to an emergency schedule, 1 compulsory practise run on spikes, course closed for 30 mins whilst workers dig in some more ruts, 1 more compulsory practise run, then whoever wants to go racing can go racing.

so many riders practice in these exact conditions. Christ, it’s not like there is a danger of avalnches

To be fair I don't think anyone thinks discovery/ESO is TRYING to ruin downhill, I'm sure their trying to do quite to opposite, it's just that it's not working and they ARE ruining downhill. The only ones keeping it alive are people like you guys, this excellent video is testament to that!

I like the way you think! Level headed conversation and you presented a discussion from both sides! No right answer, no wrong answer. The people who were responsible for the event did what they thought was correct. Race is over for this group, time to start thinking about the next race !

En till underbar video. Skönt att du bjuder på dig själv så där Alex!

Great video guys. Excellent commentary and thoughts on cancelling.

RIP downhill mountain biking😢

The audacity of Studio Ben taking credit for Trackside Ben’s video is astounding!!

Ben Cathro for President of Everything 🙌🙌

Excellently presented and explained.

Ben winning streak as best WC journalist continues, superb.

2:36 just such a sick framing, too. love it

Takeshis castle vibes on the crashing segment

Thanks for that well put speech, great perceptive, cheer Ben

The arguments about the riders being technically children and that if the serous crash occurs the rescue would be difficult speak to me. Sometimes the hard decision has to be taken to not turn the event into a tragedy.

Great reporting!

Ben thanks for adding gradient to the b&w! :)

Damn, can there be a privateer award to get him to the next race?

at this point i think we could Crowdfund a better DH worldcup Series with Pinkbike as the organizors and 100% public funding

I’m furious! How dare they cancel a race which I could barely ride( let alone race) in the dry, when it is a human mud slide. Ridiculous that they would consider the future of the sport.

What ever happened to the "riders union" that was forming? riders need to come together in solidarity and have robust discussions with race organisers and team owners about their views and wants for race success... with this also comes the threat of industrial action, for which they should not be afraid to action if needed.

after the first half of the season, the weather gods are now trying to sabotage races as they dont like the coverage this season😅

My personal view is that if the medics, marshalls, and support staff cannot get to and properly recover an injured rider due to the conditions, then you almost have no choice but to call it off. If however it was bad conditions, but medical staff could still help riders who injure themselves then it should still go ahead. It's less about them riding in bad conditions, and more being sure you can provide the proper duty of care should something bad happen.

My greatest concern is that the methodology being used gives the impression of not involving those able to manage complexity. Ben, you obviously understand this - you mentioned the word nuanced for example. The UCI is overwhelmed by their responsibilities at present. It’s been reflected since the first race in the presentation. And now this weeks fiasco - I don’t say the decisions were right or wrong (how could I know back here in the U.K.?), but I do say the processes used have been those of the inexperienced and naive. I could apologise on their behalf, but they are not newcomers to cycling. Not a newcomer to putting on these races. Discovery/GCN/Eurosport are not novices either. Further, RedBull didn’t just set the standard which is out there to learn, they WORKED WITH the UCI for years. The UCI certainly does know how to do this. For some reason, the ESO, Discovery and the UCI are at odds with each other. It is easy to know this is true. How? They are not talking to the users who are the riders/teams and us the fans. This is always a huge give-away that an organisation or management (in this case both) are in a crisis and are shutting the World out in a futile attempt to hide the crisis. There is a way forward, but I don’t think it will be taken. Corporate hubris will get in the way of the solution. What’s the solution? Well, it’s the usual methodology. Accept the issue is not having systems in place to manage complexity. And then, as those are put in place (people and processes), formally include representatives of the ‘users’: riders/teams and fans. The main funding bodies are already involved (including main sponsors). But there are other ‘smaller’ sponsors that are often nearer to the grass roots. As such, they are also important in underpinning the future of the sport. They are also more philanthropic, so must be included.

They didn't have to cancel the Juniors. Just move the Junior finals into the built-in gap between Elite Semis and Finals on Sunday or run them immediately after the men's Finals.

Well said Ben

What a great vids, as always

Thanks Ben for these explanations perfectly clear. Ben, President of the UCI !

Learning from you, Bro! Thanks, for the good video!

Well done Ben!

I think the biggest thing that Ben pointed out that should lead to the cancellation is that the medics couldn't get to injured riders if needed.

If there where multiple major crashes in junior due to conditions would we all be saying it should have been cancelled? Better safe than sorry plenty more racing to be done this season

It's time to start a new DH series without UCI's involvement

GOOD COVERAGE!

Who would build a track that couldn’t handle rain in an Alpine area? Bizarre

Include the riders in the decision making and everyone will be happy.

Very well put

As someone who's organised multiple downhill events, been a commissaire, and worked as a paramedic at many races, as well as having raced many muddy, barely ridable races, I can completely understand both sides, but safety trumps all. It's only bicycle racing. This is already a very risky sport, and we all understand that there's an accepted level of risk as soon as wheels are rolling on a DH course. However there's no excuse for putting people at an unnecessary level of risk if it's clearly avoidable. Should riders be consulted? Difficult. They're all under pressure to race, either because they've spent money to be there, or because they have sponsors to keep happy. It's a big ask for a 17-18yo to make that kind of nuanced decision in the backdrop of thier own internal pressures to race, and the external pressures too.

Balanced and considered opinion, Ben, as usual and I agree. Let them race! Didn't hurt Danny Harts balls in 2011!

I think Ben could logically and easily explain any given scenario in life. Next week: the space-time continuum!

Cathro for president 🥳😁

10:51 preeeachh

juniors should try flats!!

Ben is the president of DH MTB

What Ben said. ☝🏻

brilliant as usual Ben. As a LVL 2 MTB leader I can totally see why they may the choice they did. As you say, consulting with the Juniors would have been nice for bother parties. But when you are dealing with youngsters, safety is important. There is as you say a degree of risk and danger but as a leader and probably as a organiser, you have to know where the line needs to be drawn. It's not easy or nice but sometimes it is the better option. Especially with the race schedule being so packed.

*Have other MTB sports had events cancelled due to weather?* Yes they have! Redbull Rampage, SlopeStyle and Hardline have all had parts of the event cancelled due to weather conditions. This is all down to rider safety. Perhaps one notable difference is in ''some'' cases there was consultation with riders to make this call. However, in this case people are making decisions for kids, not just adults.

To slick for the juniors but let the elite run tomorrow after the next storm, the best mtb riders on the planet will make it look easy

Cathro for President 2024!

If the conditions are so bad that everyone is going so slow that risk of injury is actually lower than at normal speeds then let them race. Everyone may be crashing but they are going too slow to get anything more than bumps and bruises. Big jumps and wind are a different issue.

No medic access is the biggest red flag listed to me, other than that it can come under 'it's what they signed up for' so let's ride. If a rider can't move themselves after a bad crash how can they be helped. Sure most crashes are tiny, but the risk of a hugie is not eradicated. I dont think any org would be ok with that possible scenario and no medic access. It's a bit like F1 needing helicopters ok for takeoff to be able to run a race. The scale of the risks are different, but the method of having a healthcare baseline criteria to go racing at world level is sensible/reasonable

Ben is the man

Awesome

Ben, you're a wise man.

what does "Pinkbike" stand for or where did the name come from? ?

Thanks for addressing the muddy elephant. My main gripe is the same as yours: they should consult the riders so they have a say in the decision. I really hope the elite race isn't cancelled too. Were the riders having any fun on the unrideable course? Fun to ride, but not to race?

As others have said, if you can't get medics to an injured rider, that's the critical decision made...

in this case (wet/mud) flat pedals win medals

I'm curious, what happened to the rider's union everybody was talking about last year? Does it still exist? If so, the riders should be involved in the decision making process, and if everybody agrees there is no wrong decision regarding the canceled race.

Can someone in the industry come out and actually talk about how much the UCI sucks? Everyone seems to dance around it. But the UCI is absolute trash and seems to be doing everything they can do screw over racers and fans. *I don't have much of a problem with them cancelling the jr races. It's literally everything else they have done this year.

Any self-respecting rider will accept, if not demand, the race to be postponed/cancelled, if the conditions are this bad. It's very inportant to get the number of serious injuries down, if dh is to survive long term. Ps. The racing is already great, not much work to be done there

Are the T-Shirts gonna be back in stock soon?

Ben makes great points.

Ok I took a deep breath. Now let them race!!! 😂

Back in the day riders could ride in mud. I mean they are professional athletes. Or they will be at some point.

7:33 holy shit i'm dyng XD, poor dudes sliding like on ice

I love this series especially after they get rid of (free) live coverage. What a grandiose idea, when the popularity of cycling is declining all over the world!

Where do I get that shirt, Ben?

The steez at 0:18 is, i mean, what do i even say

The whole organization body making decisions on these races is looking so amateur this year. From the moving registration up, to rescheduling race times, and canceling races… just unnecessary and ridiculous. The track looks fun in the dry, but also looks like a freshly cut skid steer track which anyone that’s ever worked with dirt before knows that it turns into a slippery mud fest as soon as it rains. Poor choice for a race track that has a chance of seeing rain.

Two words ... Waiting Period.

The belly slide

Is there any way us fans can help out these privateers?

I have to say much better video 🎉 kudos! Very informative and that’s what I like! I have been an athlete and I will say from a sponsorship stand point you want to protect the riders. I think it was the right call to cancel the event.

can we get Ben in the commentary box please?

It looks sketchier than the mega 😂

Its not good news for exciting tracks like this movings forward into the future

Crazy to me that people are getting mad at uci for wind related injuries.

Ok in my opinion there is only one valid side and you mentioned it yourself. If the medics cant access every part of the trail you are in massive liability territory. People should grow up or change laws if they think its worth it .

Love Cathro I like to close my eyes and imagine a Scottish Kermit dropping mtb knowledge on me.

Eliminate the Semi for the Elite and run them all on Sunday. To go directly to a cancellation was unfortunate. It should have been put on hold and the storm predicted, did it come? Perhaps the conditions would have improved and with a little track work it could have been ran. But it does sound like part of the decision was based on broadcast timing.

Getting wise in your old age Benjamin

put some flats on and do it